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We arrived after 7:00pm in Cambridge, England from Hawick, Scottish Borders, Scotland via Bentpath and Lockerbie in Scotland, then Carlisle and Leeds in England on July 17, 2008. It took us at least a little bit more than 8 hours to travel from Hawick, Scottish Borders, Scotland to Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England. We especially took the A1 highway instead of the wider M6 and M1 highways as we knew that the traffic could be heavy at M1. It was the best option as we planned to go to Colchester in Essex, England.

When we saw Purple Hotel Cambridge now called Days Inn Cambridge at the Cambridge Services in Boxworth, Cambridge, we decided to stay in that hotel. For one thing, the hotel had a Wifi connection. We checked in at around 7:13pm, and afterwards had our dinner at the mall almost attached to the hotel. After dinner, we went back to the hotel as we needed a good sleep for another long trip the next day.

The next day, we got up early and left the hotel at around 8:43am. We passed by the University of Cambridge first, then on the way to Colchester we used the small roads via Haverhill and Halstead instead of using M11 highway and main road A120. It was a good decision, there was no traffic and the scenery was better going to Colchester, Essex, England.

The trip from Cambridge to Colchester via Haverhill and Halstead was not that long. Travel time was only about 1 hour and 40 minutes. We arrived in Colchester at around 10:23am. We drove around the town first, then tried to visit A and P that Hub have not seen for so many years, but they were not around. So we decided to go to Colchester English Study Centre along the Lexden Road.

Colchester English Study Centre (CESC) was set up in 1969. It is accredited by the British Council. CESC is an exam centre for International English Language Testing System (IELTS), and for the University of Cambridge English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) exams. CESC offers several English language courses, and since 1988, it has run a junior residential and homestay summer programmes.

After visiting Colchester English Study Centre, we went back to the house of A and P. We got lucky because they were home already. We actually did not inform A and P that we were visiting them. It was meant to be a surprise and they were surprised indeed. We did not plan to stay overnight in Colchester, it was just a short stopover, so we continued our trip.

We were almost outside the town when I realized that I did not have a photo of the billboard stating that Colchester is Britain’s oldest recorded town. So we went back where we came from, took some photos at the main road where the billboard “Welcome to Colchester” was located. Colchester is situated in the east of England within the borough of Colchester in Essex. It is about 90 kilometers or 56 miles northest of London.

Colchester is said to be the oldest recorded town in English history. It was the first Roman town in Great Britain. Colchester was the first settlement of the Romans when they arrived in 43 A.D. in Great Britain even before London, York, Bath among others. The history of Colchester, they said, really began upon the arrival of the Romans although it has existed as a Celtic community even before the Romans came.

There are a lot of things to do and places to visit in Colchester. You can go, visit or see the Jumbo Water Tower, Balkerne Gate, Colchester Garrison, Castle Park, Colchester Castle, Temperleys Clock Museum, Hollytrees Museum, Natural History Museum, St. Botolph’s Priory, St. Peter’s Church, Holy Trinity Church, Roman Church, St James’ Church, pubs and restaurants like The Hole in the Wall, The Leather Bottle, and The Marquis among others.

Jumbo is the local name for the water tower which was constructed in 1883 located at the Balkerne Gate and said to be the largest Victorian water tower in England. The Balkerne Gate is the oldest Roman wall in Britain. It is an archeological ruin, the first century entry into the town of Colchester and partially now under the Hole in the Wall pub.

Colchester Castle is a large complete Norman castle and is the medieval Colchester main landmark built in eleventh century. The castle was first opened to the public as a museum in 1860. Colchester Castle is one of the most important historic buildings in England.

On the day we went to Colchester, Essex, England on July 18, 2008, we also left Colchester on that same day just before 1:00pm, and arrived at around 2:36pm in Leeds Castle, Maidstone, Kent, England.

Updated on October 21, 2009

Links to Our Scotland Golf Vacation in Summer 2008
Scotland Golf Vacation in Summer 2008
Scottish Borders Tourist Route to Edinburgh
First Day, Edinburgh City, Scotland
Second Day, Edinburgh, Scotland
St. Andrews, The Home of Golf
Scotland’s Malt Whisky Trail
Inverness, the Mouth of the River Ness in Scotland
Scotland Lochs: Loch Ness, Loch Lochy, Loch Linnhe, Loch Creran
Oban, The Little Bay in Scotland Trip
Inveraray Castle, Inveraray, Scotland Side Trip
Hawick, Scottish Borders, Scotland Trip
Colchester, Essex, England Side Trip
Leeds Castle, Maidstone, Kent, England Side Trip

Related Links:
Visit Colchester Essex Tourism Tourist Information Guide
Welcome to Colchester Borough Council
Colchester, Essex, England
St. Peter’s Church
Colchester English Study Centre
Colchester, in Wikipedia
Days Inn Cambridge formerly Purple Hotel Cambridge