East of England

The East of England is one of the least-travelled regions for vanlifers, which makes it one of the more rewarding. The big skies above Norfolk and Suffolk give the driving a particular quality — long, quiet roads across flat arable country, punctuated by market towns, medieval churches, and the occasional proper surprise.

The Norfolk Broads offer a network of waterways and nature reserves with a handful of genuinely van-friendly stops along their edges, though the area is busier than it looks in summer and some of the best layby spots fill quickly.

The Suffolk Heritage Coast runs from Felixstowe up through Aldeburgh’s shingle beach, the RSPB reserve at Minsmere, and the curious nuclear geography around Sizewell — one of those stretches that rewards slow driving and stopping often.

Further inland, the Fens spread across Cambridgeshire and into Lincolnshire — the flattest, straightest driving in England, with drove roads running dead-straight between dykes, drainage ditches, and fen nature reserves. Ely’s cathedral appears on the horizon long before you reach it.

The East of England doesn’t have the dramatic scenery of Scotland or the Peaks, but it has space, quiet, and a genuinely different pace. Mobile signal is patchy in the right places, and most of the best stops aren’t on any list.