I've travelled around most of the uk, either on business or leisure. Some people never leave the area they live in. There's people here in the North-West who holiday in Rhyl or Prestatyn who believe they've seen the UK. If that what they want to do, then good for them.

Tourists from other countries come across and visit London, Edinburgh and Chester. They then think they sampled the full range of things to see in the UK. Americans comment on how small the country is. Well it is compared to the USA, but it would still take a good year to see everything the UK has to offer.

Anyway, this page isn't about giving a tourist guide to the places I've visiting. This is my guide. How I found the place on the day I visited. Obviously, places visited in the pouring rain will seem more depressing than places visited when it's nice, so don't take my word as gospel. And I apologise if I missed some of the highlights of a place. I don't always get the time to see everything, so I can only comment on what I see.

I apologise for not updating this page for a while, but I haven't been getting around and visiting towns recently. Rest assured though that when I do I will start adding to it again.

Ipswich

Ipswich is a town in the heart Suffolk. The most impressive part of the town I could find (although I'm sure there are other parts I didn't see) was the marina. While the residents probably don't appreciate it's attractions, I found it relaxing to walk along the front looking at the boats having a bite to eat in the cafe bars/pubs overlooking the scene. The only thing that spoilt it was the construction noise from one of the buildings at the end of the marina. However, when the works complete it will be a perfect place to get away from it all, even for just five minutes. (I had a lovely panini at one of the cafe bars on the front).

The town centre is the usual mixture of shops, although some more unusual shops can be found by venturing onto the streets just outside the centre. (I found a great second hand music/video shop. Bought an original Golden Earring cassette for the missus).

Venturing over towards the football ground, you'll find the usual large office blocks where the usual business men in suits and business woman in skirts and tights work.

Hotels in Ipswich can be hard to book at short notice (if you want to pay a reasonable price). My recommendation is the Holiday Inn Express (which gets booked up well in advancey) on the outskirts of the town which lies next door to the Beagle pub. This lovely pub seems to be a popular hangout for the locals. Employees having an after work drink were there, but I also spotted 4 or 5 couples who had obviously just started dating. (The man from the couple behind me was a typical cockney jack the lad who had an opinion on everything and not only liked sharing it with his date, but with the whole pub. God knows how he managed to eat any food as he didn't even stop for breath. His date must have only said 2 words the whole evening). The food is fantastic, which is probably why new couples come along to dine. (The way to a mans heart is through his stomach. If you know the ways to a womans heart, let me know). Anyway, a good friendly atmosphere can be found at the pub and with the Holiday Inn Express next door, you've no need to worry about driving if you have one too many (provided you've managed to get a room that is).

Norwich

Norfolks main city, from what I know, is Norwich. It is towards the North-East end of East Anglia on the holiday gateway to Great Yarmouth and the Norfolk Broads.

Getting to Norwich in the summer can be a bit of a traffic nightmare. However, the journey through the lovely countryside to get to this lovely city is worth making.

The city itself is like any other city. However the quaint narrow alleyways with small shops set it apart from other places. While all the major chain stores have a branch here, it's always the smaller shops that are unique to a place that can make the difference. The Colman's (Mustard) shop and the Bridewell museum shop are a couple I found.

The castle (shown above) looks like it was modelled on the Borg ship from Star Trek (or the other way round). However, this is just from the angle of the photo taken.

The Church of St Peter Mancroft is shown in the picture on the right taken by the city hall and market.

The market is open but covered if you get what I mean, and it's a while since I've seen a market like this. While it's not a massive market, it has enough stalls to keep all ages happy.

The nightlife (well evening life actually) seems to buzz whatever the weather. Literally across the road from Norwich station is a street with restaurants, cinemas, nightclubs. Everything you need to paint the town red. This was even buzzing on a damp Tuesday evening.

Accommodation was a little expensive in the centre of town, but if your willing to stay outside the town, it's more reasonable. One such hotel is the Sports Village (pictured left) where I stayed. This is the place where fit people hang around (athletic fit I mean), so I didn't look out of place (ahem). It's not an ideal place for eating in the evening or a romantic meal, but the buffet breakfast does get you started in the morning. And with an Asda superstore next door, you'll never have a problem if you've forgotten something.

Finally, I have to say Norwich is one place I will definitely be visiting again, hopefully on leisure next time. There is such much of the city I've probably not yet seen, and with the Norfolk Broads and the coast being so close, it's surely a place to spend a long weekend, if not a week.

All the pictures on this page were taken by myself.. If you wish to use them for a project or web page yourselves, you are free to do so, but please mention this web page as the source for the photos. Some photos are available in a larger size. Please e-mail for details. Thanks for your cooperation..