Ely, United Kingdom + Add a trip

Automobiles

It's a couple of hours' drive to the Suffolk coast from London, along the initially functional and then scenic A12. The Breckland region around Tuddenham takes about the same time to reach from London - go up the M11 and then take the A11.

Planes

Although nearby Cambridge and Norwich have small airports, the nearest major aviation hub is London Stansted, to which Ryanair flies from Glasgow, Newquay and Derry (www.ryanair.com). Fly there with easyJet from Belfast, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Newcastle (www.easyjet.com).

Trains

Trains from London Kings Cross to Cambridge or Bury St Edmunds take around 45 minutes; Liverpool Street to Ipswich takes an hour or so.

Dialing

Country code for the UK: +44.

Reads

George Crabbe's poem 'Peter Grimes' - taken from his 1810 collection The Borough, and later turned into an opera by Aldeburgh resident Benjamin Britten - is perhaps Suffolk's most evocative literary representation; and Esther Freud's novel The Sea House is essential reading if you're heading to the coast.

Do go / Don't Go

Cuisine

Taxis

There is a taxi rank in Ipswich, but cabs need pre-ordering elsewhere. Try Southwold Taxis (+44 (0)1502 723400) if you're near the coast, or Darren's Taxi (+44 (0)1638 609119) in Bury St Edmunds if you're in the Breckland.

Tipping

10-15 per cent is standard, but many restaurants now add a discretionary 12.5 per cent, so be careful not to tip twice.

Currency

Pound sterling.

Packing

The land here is so flat, with a pair of binoculars you'll be able to see for miles. Also, make sure you bring a jar of good apple sauce to go with all the scrummy local pork you'll buy. A kite is fun for windy days.

Arts

Snape Maltings near Aldeburgh is the county's leading cultural hub - a converted barley house, now home to galleries and a concert hall (www.snapemaltings.co.uk). The Stour Valley, on the Essex border, forms the backbone of Constable Country, the area that inspired many of the local artist's paintings; take your spaniel to Flatford Mill and recreate The Hay Wain. Sutton Hoo, near Woodbridge, is a 7th-century ship-burial ground (www.suttonhoo.org). Cathedral city Bury St Edmunds is blessed with an impressive religious edifice and interesting galleries; see more at www.suffolkmuseums.org.

And...

Coastal erosion is something of a nuisance in these parts; over the past few hundred years, more than 50 churches and several hundred streets in Dunwich have succumbed to the constant battering of waves and wind.

Shopping

The Little Mermaid in Woodbridge (+44 (0)1394 388811) is a truly eccentric Scandinavian shop, selling everything from handbags to furniture. The high streets of both Aldeburgh and Southwold are a hotchpotch of antiques shops, delis, junk emporia and booksellers, as well as the sort of places that serve a lovely pot of tea and a plate of scones without irony. Bury St Edmunds has been a market town since the Middle Ages, and there are still street markets there every Wednesday and Saturday, on Cornhill in the town centre; at the Corn Exchange, there's a craft market on Wednesdays; and the first Sunday of every month sees the town's Anthenaeum fill up with bric-a-brac, antiques and collectibles.

Viewpoint

Unrelentingly flat, Suffolk is not blessed with many natural viewpoints. England offers few lovelier vistas, however, than the sight of Southwold's multicoloured beach huts from the shoreline.

Something

Trudge along the shingle to the north end of Aldeburgh beach to see Scallop, Suffolk-born artist Maggi Hambling's controversial shoreline tribute to composer Benjamin Britten. The four-metre sculpture of two broken scallop shells is loved and loathed by locals in equal measure; you can judge its merits for yourself.

May Enjoy the bluebell-carpeted grounds of Haughley Park, a 17th-century stately home near Stowmarket, every Sunday throughout the month. June The famous Aldeburgh festival, started in the 1940s by Benjamin Britten, brings classical music and opera to the Suffolk marshes (www.aldeburgh.co.uk). Mid July Latitude festival, held in beautiful parkland near Southwold, attracts a younger crowd of music-lovers, who come here to see the likes of Jarvis Cocker, Damien Rice and Arcade Fire (www.latitudefestival.co.uk). This event is featured in our European events guide, Smith 52. Click here for details, or buy the book for the insider lowdown. Early August Walberswick hosts the no-adults-allowed British Open Crabbing Championship, which pits child against crustacean - the holder of the heaviest crab wins. Mid October Whether or not you enjoy Champions Day at Newmarket racecourse depends on which nags you back (www.newmarketracecourses.co.uk). Late December The Christmas services at Ely cathedral allow you the chance to belt out your favourite carols in one of England's oldest and most dramatic ecclesiastical settings (www.cathedral.ely.anglican.org).