Beccles

Time moves differently along the River Waveney here, where the ancient bridge connects Suffolk to Norfolk and pleasure boats chug past timber-framed houses that have watched over these waters for centuries. Beccles feels properly provincial - market towns like this are rarer than you'd think, with independent shops lining the Buttermarket and a pace that slows your shoulders the moment you arrive.

The river dominates everything. Follow it south and you'll reach the splendid East Anglia Transport Museum at Carlton Colville, where vintage trolleybuses and narrow-gauge railways bring out the enthusiast in everyone. Head upstream through the Broads and you're into serious boating country, with Castle Marshes offering some of the best birdwatching in East Anglia.

Flydays at Beccles Airfield brings a different perspective entirely - scenic flights over this watery landscape reveal just how many hidden waterways thread through the countryside. Golf enthusiasts will appreciate Rookery Park Golf Course, though the real draw here is simply wandering the medieval streets and soaking up that unhurried Norfolk Broads atmosphere.

Catch the train from Norwich in about 40 minutes, or it's a straightforward drive from Lowestoft. The surrounding countryside is dotted with proper Suffolk villages - Worlingham, Barnby, and North Cove all have their own character and those distinctive painted village signs that Suffolk does so well.

Staying at one of the holiday parks nearby makes perfect sense. You're within striking distance of both the Norfolk Broads and the Suffolk coast, yet far enough from the crowds to actually hear birdsong in the morning.