Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
England: Cambridge, Constable Country and the Norfolk and Suffolk Coast
6 days from Cambridge to King's Lynn: a punt and evensong in Cambridge, two nights in Lavenham for Constable country, Sutton Hoo and Aldeburgh, then Norwich and two nights on the north Norfolk coast for the seals of Blakeney Point.
6 days · Cambridge to King's Lynn · up to 12 guests
St Peter and St Paul, the wool church of Lavenham, our Suffolk base Photo: Poliphilo, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_Peter_and_St_Paul,_Lavenham_01.jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 6 days, 5 nights
- Start and end
- Cambridge to King's Lynn
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Activity level
Easy
Most days are 2 to 3 hours on foot on level ground: city pavements and cobbles, riverside paths through water meadows, the shingle and sand of the coast, and boardwalk and grass on the salt marsh. The longest walks are about 3 to 5 km, on the flat. The seal boat means stepping down into an open boat from a quay or a beach, with help from the crew. Each longer walk has an easy option, and the minibus can meet you.
- Meals included
- 5 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 2 dinners
- Room of your own
- + CAD 715 (estimated price)
- Season
- May to September
Highlights
Why this trip
- A chauffeured punt along the Backs, then choral evensong in King's College Chapel
- The riverside walk from Flatford Mill to Dedham through the fields John Constable painted
- Lavenham's crooked timber-framed houses, its Guildhall and its great wool church
- The Anglo-Saxon royal burial ground at Sutton Hoo at opening time
- Snape Maltings by the reed beds, then fish and chips and the Scallop on Aldeburgh beach
- Norwich Cathedral's cloisters and spire, and lunch by the city market
- Grey and common seals on the sandbanks of Blakeney Point, by boat from Morston
- The salt-marsh path to Blakeney and a morning on the wide sands of Holkham
What makes this trip different
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 715 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Cambridge: the Backs and evensong
Arrive in Cambridge, walk the colleges, King's College Chapel, a punt on the Backs, then evensong
- Welcome dinner in Cambridge
- Stay in Cambridge
- By train
Make your own way to Cambridge: the fastest trains from London King's Cross take about 50 minutes. We meet your See Sight Tours guide at the hotel at about 1 pm (the exact time and place come with your final itinerary). Your guide walks the group through the centre: Market Hill, the Senate House, the gates of Trinity and Gonville and Caius, and King's Parade.
Afternoon
At about 2 pm, well before the chapel closes to visitors in the mid-afternoon, we go into King's College Chapel, begun by Henry VI in 1446, with its fan-vaulted stone ceiling and its sixteenth-century windows. Then we board a chauffeured punt for about 45 minutes along the Backs, where the lawns of the old colleges run down to the River Cam, under the Mathematical Bridge and the Bridge of Sighs. There is time for tea before 5:30 pm, when, after the day visitors have gone, we return to the chapel for choral evensong, about 45 minutes of the choir singing.
Evening
Dinner together follows, a welcome to the trip.
Included
- Welcome meeting with your guide at the Cambridge hotel
- Guided walk through the colleges and King's Parade
- King's College Chapel visit, in the early afternoon
- Chauffeured punt on the Backs
- Choral evensong in King's College Chapel (or another college chapel when the choir is away)
- Welcome dinner in Cambridge
Optional experiences
- The Fitzwilliam Museum (free entry), before the meeting
Easier option: Sit out the college walk at a café on King's Parade and join the group at the punting station.
Free time: Arrive in Cambridge at your own pace before the 1 pm meeting
Activity: About 2 hours on foot on level pavements and cobbles. The punt is boarded from a low landing stage, with a hand from the punter. Evensong is a church service: quiet, seated, about 45 minutes.
Constable country and Lavenham
Cambridge to Flatford Mill, walk to Dedham, then Lavenham
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Lavenham
- Drive about 2.5 h
We check out at 8:30 and drive about an hour and a half south-east to Flatford on the River Stour, in the Dedham Vale.
Morning
John Constable grew up here, and his father owned Flatford Mill; your guide shows you Willy Lott's House, the cottage in The Hay Wain, and the National Trust exhibition at Bridge Cottage, arriving mid-morning before the car park fills. Then we walk upriver, about 3 km on a level path through water meadows and past grazing cattle, to Dedham, a village of Georgian houses below a tall church tower that appears in several of Constable's paintings.
Afternoon
Lunch is a sit-down meal in Dedham. The minibus collects us and takes us about 40 minutes north to Lavenham, our home for two nights. We arrive at about 2 pm, and your guide goes straight to the timber-framed Guildhall on the Market Place, built in the 1520s when the village grew rich on blue woollen cloth, well before it closes at about 4 pm, then the church of St Peter and St Paul.
Evening
The evening is free.
Included
- Flatford: Bridge Cottage, Flatford Mill and Willy Lott's House with your guide
- Riverside walk from Flatford to Dedham
- Sit-down lunch in Dedham
- Lavenham Guildhall
- The church of St Peter and St Paul, Lavenham
Easier option: Ride the minibus from Flatford to Dedham and walk the village and the churchyard instead.
More active option: Walk the longer loop from Flatford over the hill by East Bergholt church and down to Dedham, about 5 km.
Free time: Evening free in Lavenham
Activity: About 2.25 hours of driving in two legs. About 3 km on foot on a level, sometimes muddy riverside path with gates, plus an hour on Lavenham's sloping streets.
Sutton Hoo, Snape and Aldeburgh
Lavenham to Sutton Hoo, Snape Maltings and Aldeburgh, then back to Lavenham
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Lavenham
- Drive about 3 h
We leave Lavenham at 8:45 and drive about an hour east to Sutton Hoo, arriving as it opens. In 1939 an excavation in one of these grassy mounds found the impression of a 27-metre ship and the grave goods of an Anglo-Saxon king, probably Raedwald of East Anglia, who died around 624. Your guide walks you out to the burial mounds above the River Deben and through the exhibition hall; the original helmet and treasure are in the British Museum, and full-size replicas are here. Next we cross to Snape Maltings, Victorian malt houses by the reed beds of the River Alde, turned into a concert hall in 1967 for the Aldeburgh Festival that Benjamin Britten founded.
Afternoon
Lunch is fish and chips in Aldeburgh, a fishing town of coloured houses on a shingle beach, then a walk along the shore past the fishermen's huts to Maggi Hambling's steel Scallop, Britten's memorial.
Evening
We drive back to Lavenham for a Suffolk dinner together.
Included
- Sutton Hoo at opening, with your guide: the burial mounds and the exhibition
- Snape Maltings and the reed beds of the River Alde
- Fish and chips lunch in Aldeburgh
- Aldeburgh beach walk to the Scallop
- Dinner together in Lavenham
Optional experiences
- The Red House, Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears's home in Aldeburgh, on its open days
Easier option: Stay in the exhibition hall at Sutton Hoo and skip the walk to the mounds; in Aldeburgh, walk the High Street instead of the shingle.
More active option: Walk on from the Scallop along the shore to Thorpeness, about 3 km, and the minibus collects you there.
Free time: Free time in Aldeburgh after lunch
Activity: About 3 hours of driving in four legs, the longest the drive back from Aldeburgh to Lavenham, about 1.5 hours. About 3 km on foot on grass paths and a shingle beach, which is hard going in places; the beach walk has a paved path behind it.
Norwich to the north Norfolk coast
Lavenham to Norwich, then Wells-next-the-Sea
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Wells-next-the-Sea
- Drive about 3 h
We check out at 8:30 and drive about an hour and three quarters north to Norwich, once England's second city and with stretches of its medieval wall and over thirty medieval churches. Your guide walks you through the Cathedral Close to Norwich Cathedral, a Norman cathedral begun in 1096, with the second-tallest spire in England, the largest monastic cloister in the country and hundreds of carved and painted roof bosses in the vaults. We walk Elm Hill, a cobbled lane of Tudor houses, and arrive at Norwich Market, one of the largest open-air markets in England, with its striped stall roofs below the City Hall and the Guildhall.
Afternoon
Lunch is a sit-down meal in the centre. In the early afternoon we drive about an hour and a quarter north through farmland to Wells-next-the-Sea, a small harbour town of flint cottages and a quay, our home for two nights.
Evening
The late afternoon and evening are free: walk the quay and the beach road at low tide.
Included
- Norwich Cathedral and the cloister with your guide
- The Cathedral Close and Elm Hill
- Norwich Market
- Sit-down lunch in Norwich
- Wells-next-the-Sea quay
Optional experiences
- Norwich Castle museum, on a longer stop if the group prefers
Easier option: Stay in the cathedral and its refectory café while the group walks Elm Hill, and meet at the market.
Free time: Late afternoon and evening free in Wells-next-the-Sea
Activity: About 3 hours of driving in two legs. About 2.5 hours on foot in Norwich on level pavements and cobbles.
Blakeney Point seals and the salt marsh
Wells-next-the-Sea to Morston Quay, by boat to Blakeney Point, then the marsh path to Blakeney
- Breakfast and dinner
- Stay in Wells-next-the-Sea
- Drive about 1 h
Today runs on the tide. The minibus takes us about 15 minutes east to Morston Quay, where we board a local licensed boat for Blakeney Point, a shingle spit about 6 km long with a national nature reserve at its tip. The trip is about 1 to 2 hours. The boat runs along the channel to the sandbanks where grey and common seals haul out, close enough to watch them without disturbing them; on some tides the boat lands for a short walk on the Point. On the other side of the tide, your guide leads the salt-marsh walk along the Norfolk Coast Path from Morston to Blakeney, about 3 km on a raised bank between the creeks and the sea lavender, with redshank, egrets and, in early summer, terns and avocets.
Afternoon
Lunch is free in Blakeney or by choice in Holt, a Georgian market town nearby.
Evening
The rest of the afternoon is free, and in the evening we gather for a seafood farewell dinner in Wells.
Included
- Seal boat from Morston Quay to Blakeney Point
- Salt-marsh walk on the Norfolk Coast Path from Morston to Blakeney with your guide
- Farewell seafood dinner in Wells-next-the-Sea
Optional experiences
- A crab lunch in Cromer, by minibus with the guide, in free time
Easier option: Ride the minibus from Morston to Blakeney and walk the quay and the first stretch of the bank.
More active option: Walk on from Blakeney along the bank to Cley next the Sea and its windmill, about 4 km more.
Free time: Lunch on your own; afternoon free
Activity: About 1 hour of driving in short legs. Getting into and out of the boat means a step down from a quay or onto a beach. The marsh path is level but can be muddy, and the coast is exposed and windy. Boat times are set by the tide and confirmed a few days ahead. If high wind cancels the boat, your guide leads a longer wildlife walk on to Cley Marshes instead and the boat fare is refunded; it cannot move to day 6, which ends at the train.
Holkham beach and home
Wells-next-the-Sea to Holkham beach, then King's Lynn station
- Breakfast
- Drive about 1.5 h
Morning
After breakfast we drive a few minutes west to Holkham and walk out along Lady Anne's Drive and through the Corsican pines to Holkham beach, a sweep of pale sand several kilometres long with dunes behind and, at low tide, the sea a long way out. It is part of the Holkham National Nature Reserve, and in the morning you share it mostly with dog walkers and birds. We give it about an hour and a half. Then we drive about an hour south-west through the farmland of the Holkham estate and the Burnhams, where Nelson was born, to King's Lynn, a port town on the Great Ouse. We reach King's Lynn station by about 12:30 pm, where the trip ends and your guide sees the group onto the train. Direct trains to London King's Cross take about 1 hour 45 minutes, by way of Cambridge. If you are flying home today, book a flight leaving Heathrow or Gatwick after about 7 pm, or Stansted after about 5:30 pm.
Included
- Morning walk through the pines to Holkham beach with your guide
- Drive through the Burnhams to King's Lynn
- Drop-off with your bags at King's Lynn station
Easier option: Walk the boardwalk to the first dune and sit at the edge of the beach while the group walks on.
More active option: Walk the beach west towards the Burnham Overy dunes and back, about 5 km.
Activity: About 3 km on foot on sand and a level gravel drive. Book a flight from Heathrow or Gatwick leaving after about 7 pm, or from Stansted after about 5:30 pm.
- Cambridge1 night
- Lavenham2 nights
- Wells-next-the-Sea2 nights
- King's Lynnend
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: May and June bring long light evenings, avocets and terns on the marshes and the Aldeburgh Festival at Snape; common seals pup on the Blakeney sandbanks in early summer; July and August are warmest and the beaches are busiest in the school holidays; September is quieter, with migrating birds on the coast. Grey seals are present all year and pup in winter, outside this trip's season. Rain is possible in any month, so each day has an indoor alternative.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- Travellers who have seen London, Oxford and the Cotswolds and want a quieter England
- Anyone who loves English painting, church music, medieval villages and old cathedrals
- Walkers who like flat paths, big skies and a coast with seals and birds, not a hiking challenge
- Travellers who want two nights in most places and short drives
- A short trip to add after our London stay or before our Cotswolds walking week
Not for you if you want
- Travellers who want the big-name sights of London, Bath or Stonehenge (see our London stay)
- Serious walkers looking for long daily distances (see our Cotswolds walking week)
- Anyone who wants a beach holiday with warm sea swimming
- Step-free access throughout: the seal boat, shingle beaches and old village streets are uneven, though most walking is flat
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
5 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Cambridge1 night
- Lavenham2 nights
- Wells-next-the-Sea2 nights
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 5 nights: 1 in Cambridge, 2 in Lavenham and 2 in Wells-next-the-Sea
- Central hotels of a 3-star-plus standard with private bathrooms, walkable to each town or village centre; we name each hotel when we confirm your dates
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement
Transport
- A private minibus and professional driver from the Cambridge hotel on day 2 to King's Lynn station on day 6, sized for 7 to 12 guests
- A chauffeured punt on the Backs in Cambridge on day 1
- A local licensed boat from Morston Quay to Blakeney Point on day 5
- All parking fees for included stops
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide with the group for the whole trip, from the welcome meeting in Cambridge to King's Lynn station, leading every walk and visit
- Local guides and boat crews where a site requires them
Activities
- Guided walk through the colleges, Cambridge
- Punt on the Backs, Cambridge
- King's College Chapel, Cambridge
- Choral evensong, Cambridge
- Bridge Cottage, Flatford Mill and Willy Lott's House, Flatford
- The riverside walk from Flatford to Dedham
- Lavenham Guildhall and the church of St Peter and St Paul, Lavenham
- Sutton Hoo
- Snape Maltings
- Aldeburgh beach and the Scallop
- Norwich Cathedral, the Close and Elm Hill, Norwich
- Norwich Market
- Seal boat to Blakeney Point
- Salt-marsh walk from Morston to Blakeney
- Holkham beach
Meals
- 5 breakfasts
- 3 lunches: Dedham (day 2), fish and chips in Aldeburgh (day 3) and Norwich (day 4)
- 3 dinners: a welcome dinner in Cambridge (day 1), a Suffolk dinner in Lavenham (day 3) and a seafood farewell dinner in Wells-next-the-Sea (day 5)
Not included
- International flights
- Trains to Cambridge before the trip and from King's Lynn after it
- The UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) or any visa
- Travel insurance
- Hotel nights before and after the trip
- Meals not listed, including lunches on days 1, 5 and 6 and dinners on days 2 and 4
- Drinks
- Tips
- Optional activities such as the Red House in Aldeburgh, Norwich Castle, Holkham Hall and a Cromer crab lunch
- Personal expenses
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 715 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
What does the Norfolk and Suffolk trip price include?
Five nights in central hotels, 5 breakfasts, 3 lunches and 3 dinners, our own minibus and driver from Cambridge to King's Lynn, your See Sight Tours guide throughout, and every visit in the day plan, including the punt and King's College Chapel in Cambridge, the Lavenham Guildhall, Sutton Hoo and the seal boat to Blakeney Point.
How big is the group?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests. That fits one minibus, which can use the lanes to Flatford, Morston Quay and Holkham that coaches avoid, and one punt and one seal boat, so the group stays together and everyone can hear the guide.
Who leads the trip?
A See Sight Tours guide travels with the group from the welcome meeting in Cambridge to King's Lynn station on the last day and leads every walk and visit, with a professional driver at the wheel of the minibus. Local punters and boat crews join us on the water. We name your guide when we confirm your dates.
How fit do I need to be?
Not very. Most days are 2 to 3 hours on foot on level ground: pavements, riverside paths, salt-marsh banks and beaches, with walks of about 3 to 5 km at most. Shingle and sand are harder going, and the seal boat means a step down from the quay. Every longer walk has an easier version, and the minibus can meet you.
I am travelling solo. What does a single room cost?
A room of your own is from CAD 715 more than the twin-share price, shown up front. If you would rather share, ask when you book and we pair you with another solo guest of the same gender where one is booked. If no match is found, we tell you before you pay, and you choose a single room or wait for a match.
When is the best time to visit Norfolk and Suffolk?
May to September. May and June have the longest evenings and the marsh birds; common seal pups appear on the sandbanks in early summer; July and August are warmest but the beaches are busier in the school holidays; September is quieter. The Aldeburgh Festival fills Snape and Aldeburgh in June, so book those dates early.
Will we hear the King's College Choir?
In university term, usually yes: the choir sings evensong on most days of the week, and we plan day 1 for those days. For much of the summer vacation the choir is away, and evensong is sung by visiting choirs or we go to another college chapel such as St John's. We tell you which when we confirm your dates.
Are we sure to see seals at Blakeney Point?
Very likely, though not guaranteed. Grey and common seals live on the Blakeney Point sandbanks all year and the boats go to where they haul out. The boat time depends on the tide, and on rare days of high wind it is cancelled; your guide then leads a longer wildlife walk to Cley Marshes, and the boat fare is refunded.
How does booking work?
Send a request to book with the dates you would like. We check availability and provide the final quote, itinerary and booking terms before you accept. No payment is taken when you send the request. The small group starts from CAD 4,195 per person sharing a room, with taxes included.
Can we travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. The trip also runs as a private trip for your party only, on a date you choose, from CAD 7,550 per person. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, send us an inquiry and we will quote the same hotels, punt, seal boat and entries without a guide.
Do I need a visa for England?
Canadian and US citizens do not need a visa for a tourist visit, but do need a UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), applied for online before you fly. It is not included in the price. Other passports may need a visa; check before you book and we will help.
Can I combine this with your London or Cotswolds trips?
Yes. Cambridge is under an hour from London by train, so this trip fits straight after our London city stay, and King's Lynn has direct trains back to London for the start of our Cotswolds walking week. Ask us and we will line up the dates and the nights in between.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
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