Colchester - Britain's Oldest Recorded Town

1 From the car park, keep the wall on your left and follow it along Priory Road to East Hill. Turn left and walk to the top of the hill. Here is the keep of Colchester Castle surrounded by the lovely grounds of Castle Park. Walk through the park keeping the castle on your left and note the obelisk at the rear, which marks the site of execution in 1648 of two aristocratic upstarts, Sir Charles Lucas and Sir George Lisle, who lay siege to the town during the Civil War.

2 With the castle still on your left, take the first exit and turn right into Madenburgh Street, where amidst a row of terraced Victorian houses, at No 74, are the remains of the Roman theatre viewable through a glass panel. Continue walking downhill and turn left into Northgate Street, formerly known as Dutch Lane. At the end of Northgate Street, turn left into North Hill passing the timber-framed Ye Old Marquis inn and a row of 18th-century houses. A little way along on the same side of the road, stop and admire St Peter's parish church with its Victorian clock.

3 Walk straight on to Head Street keeping the High Street on your left. After 200yds (183m) posts on the left indicate Sir Isaac's Walk, a pedestrianised area of specialist shops leading to the town centre. Turn left into Trinity Street with its Elizabethan timber-framed cottages and stop at Tymperly's Clock Museum. This early 15th-century house, one of the oldest in the town, was the residence of William Gilberd, physician to Queen Elizabeth I in 1601.

4 At the end of Trinity Street is the Holy Trinity Church, with its Saxon tower, still standing after 1,000 years and incongruously surrounded by the modern shopping precinct. Turn right here into Culver Street West and follow the fingerposts into Lion Walk where the United Reformed church, with its 17th-century portal, stands at ground level while the remainder of the church is hidden above shops.

5 Keeping the church on your left, turn left again into Eld Lane where a lift leads to the market (open Friday and Saturday) and car park. Peer over the side and you will see that you are on the old city walls. Take the lift or walk down the steps and continue along Vineyard Street where you can pick up the old wall again on your left.

6 You are now outside the wall. Cross St Botolph's Street into Priory Street where you'll see the remains of 12th-century St Botolph's Priory, a good example of early recycling by craftsmen who, due to the absence of suitable building material, used the remains of Roman buildings. Turn right and return to the car park.