Excel Peterborough to Norwich - which town shall I stop at?

[SouthEastBuses]

Which of the towns served by the Excel bus route (Peterborough - Norwich) is the best one to stop for a visit?

Wisbech
King's Lynn
Swaffham
Dereham

 

[Techniquest]

I liked Kings Lynn when I visited in autumn 2021, Wisbech I wasn't blown away by at all. I've not seen Swaffham yet, and I've not been past the Mid-Norfolk Railway's station and nearby supermarket area, so I can't comment much on there either.

That bus route from Peterborough to Norwich has been on my list to do for a long time, and based on my experience of cycling in North Norfolk you'll have a nicely scenic journey between Kings Lynn and Norwich

 

[SouthEastBuses]

Sounds good then. Kings Lynn certainly is somewhere I'd like to go although a friend of mine at uni told me it's not the most exciting town!

 

[Techniquest]

It's not thrilling, perhaps, but it's a nice little market town and has some interest from a railway enthusiast point of view. There's the level crossing that's a reasonably short walk away to take pictures at, there's some beautiful parks near the station and the cycle route towards Wells takes on a former railway route out of the town.

You've also got the waterfront, and the buildings around the market square (this is all based on memory from around a year and a half ago) have some beautiful architecture I seem to remember there's a number of nice cafes/bakeries around the town too, not just the usual High Street places, although I'm having a moment and forgetting the name of the nice place I went to.

I was only there for a couple of hours myself, so I didn't see and do everything. There's a good size Morrisons next to the railway station which might come in handy for supplies.

You'll have enough to see and do to keep you occupied for a handful of hours at least. I'd probably also hop off at Dereham, but then Swaffham being a town I've never seen that would probably be my choice too if it looked appealing on arrival.

Have a great journey and I hope the above makes the decision a little easier. Oh, and final thought, if your friend thinks Kings Lynn is without thrills then I dread to think what they'd say about Wisbech!

 

[SouthEastBuses]

It's not thrilling, perhaps, but it's a nice little market town and has some interest from a railway enthusiast point of view. There's the level crossing that's a reasonably short walk away to take pictures at, there's some beautiful parks near the station and the cycle route towards Wells takes on a former railway route out of the town.

You've also got the waterfront, and the buildings around the market square (this is all based on memory from around a year and a half ago) have some beautiful architecture I seem to remember there's a number of nice cafes/bakeries around the town too, not just the usual High Street places, although I'm having a moment and forgetting the name of the nice place I went to.

I was only there for a couple of hours myself, so I didn't see and do everything. There's a good size Morrisons next to the railway station which might come in handy for supplies.

You'll have enough to see and do to keep you occupied for a handful of hours at least. I'd probably also hop off at Dereham, but then Swaffham being a town I've never seen that would probably be my choice too if it looked appealing on arrival.

Have a great journey and I hope the above makes the decision a little easier. Oh, and final thought, if your friend thinks Kings Lynn is without thrills then I dread to think what they'd say about Wisbech!

She says the same for Wisbech! But she said I should do some Lynx routes and go to places like Hunstanton, Wells-next-to-the-Sea and Fakenham (I can see why she says Hunstanton - she lives there haha).

Thanks, btw, the Excel trip will be combined with a cheap first class advance single on a LNER Intercity 225 from London to Peterborough. I have a thread about this if you're interested in contributing: https://www.railforums.co.uk/thread...to-peterborough-worth-the-extra-price.246421/

 

[Techniquest]

I don't have a lot of great things to say about LNER MK4s to be honest, but their First Class lounge at Kings Cross is worth the effort of getting to I went twice on my ALR last year, which has to be a good sign! If you do it, try for a seat near the windows that overlook the platforms.

Wells-next-the-Sea is a nice place, I only stopped for a short time to refuel during a heatwave in September 2021, but what I saw I liked. Fakenham I didn't do much of, I got a tad lost following National Cycle Network Route 1 (I might have even done a trip report on that epic cycle ride actually) but they do have a big Morrisons! I saw glimpses of the town, worth investigating even it just for an hour between buses kind of thing. Hunstanton is one of those towns I could have done if I'd stayed on my westward trajectory from Wells, but it remains on my list to investigate one day. I want the coverage on my map after all

 

[30907]

Lynn definitely beats Wisbech, don't know the others.