One of my favourite towns is Great Yarmouth. Like all port towns it’s got a bit of an edge and swagger to it, but unlike most of its neighbours along the Norfolk coast it has managed to resist commodification by the well heeled Guardian readers fleeing the the depravities of London in a search for an England they remember from their childhood. Much of the old town including the market, where once you could see the herring catch, or traders juggling plates has, of course gone, having been replaced by something ugly designed by an expensive architect. Despite that Yarmouth still retains the spirit that Dickens found in it. If you go make sure you check out the Market Tavern - a proper local pub and Klobber & Western World on Regent Rd.

The growing of pumpkins in the peat rich Cambridgeshire Fens is a profitable business thanks to the proximity of a number of US airbases and the American enthusiasm for celebrating Halloween. For almost fifty years the community of Soham has come together in the autumn to show off their husbandry skills and compete to grow the heaviest pumpkin or the longest leek.