Ep 172 Part 1 w/ Adam Bamford – Why Norwich Should Be on Your UK Travel List: A Local’s Guide

Do you love spontaneous adventures, travel tips and stories that will inspire you to pack up and go? Well, welcome to the Wiggin' It Travel Podcast. I'm James, your host, and each week I bring you travel tales, practical advice and interviews with travelers from around the globe. Whether you're planning a big trip or just dreaming about one, you'll find everything from hidden gems to epic fails because travel is not perfect and that is what makes it beautiful. So grab your backpack and let's wing it.

New episodes every Monday, wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube too. You can find Winging It and more fantastic travel podcasts from around the world at voyerscape.com. The link is in the show notes. Let's go and explore the world. Welcome to this week's episode with Adam Bamford. Adam is a great buddy of mine from Norwich and he was the first ever guest to appear on the Winging It Travel Podcast pretty much four years ago.

and he's returning for another episode. And today we're going to actually take a deep dive into where we're from, Norwich, UK. This was recorded on audio as we sat in his front room talking about the things that we think you should check out in Norwich. We may have missed a few things, a few facts might be quite rogue, but this is a cool conversation about an underrated and under-traveled part of the UK. So if you're interested in somewhere that's not London, and it's fairly close to London, then Norwich is a place for you.

And this is part one of the conversation with Bambi. And in this episode, we're going to discuss some facts and figures for Norwich and the top 10 things to do. And the second part will be cafes, restaurants, other day trips around Norfolk, the county, and of course some pubs. Let's get stuck into the episode. And here is me and Bambi having a chat about Norwich. Damn, press record and I.

Have you?

Right, gone in it.

Granny.

Four years later, the first guest ever on the podcast has returned and his name is Adam Bamford. I would call him Bambi probably in this episode. So Bambi, welcome back to the podcast. How you doing?

Pleasure to be back James, really nice to be back on the podcast. Nice to see you again, it's been a while.

Yeah, we're in your living room in a minute. So can I talk about our mutual home city? Norwich.

Yeah. Although I tried to get away and then the lure of Norwich is strong. Many fine people have tried to get away but the lure of Norwich is... it's it's strong it's strong it brings you back so yeah.

There are where university students for example come here and they stay.

Exactly. People try to get away, try and forge a career in their 20s and then me and my brother both did it, tried to get away, went to London and then the homing instinct kicked in and we came home. You haven't yet, still in Canada for now. Yeah.

but I haven't come back yet.

yet. And I thought I'd mention as well that we grew up here, years, high school. How would you describe growing up in Norwich?

We did.

it's all you know really when you're growing up, isn't it? So it had everything, it had everything I needed as far as I know. Yeah. decent upbringing, got a bit of countryside, got a bit of city. It was fine, yeah. Met lots of friends who we've stayed close, haven't we? So there must be something in that. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Back to the old haunts.

School was alright, wasn't it?

Out there at night, but we're still there.

Yeah, which we'll discuss on this episode. Yeah. And pubs and stuff. Yeah. So I thought we'd get back around, talk about home city. And the reason I actually wanted to talk about Norwich is because is it one of the most popular locations in UK? Probably not. Do you agree? So let's kind of get an alternative place out there because the closest place here that people might know is Cambridge. Everyone goes there.

Yeah, I'd agree with that.

Yeah, I think it's worth visiting, but people don't know about it. It's not on the bucket list, is it? So let's get it on there.

Let's get on there. If you go to Cambridge, pop on the train, 45 minutes, you're there. We're gonna kick off with some facts and figures. We think these are true.

Yeah, we're fairly comfortable on my CD.

Yeah, there could be a few rogue ones in there. Yeah, we spoke to our mate about 20 minutes ago who come up one We don't know if it's true, but we've been in there

throwing it in. I don't think researching it, I think they shine a positive light on Norwich, on the whole don't they?

think so, Yeah, apart from the video I just showed you a minute ago, but.

apart from that video but you know Instagram doesn't tell you the whole story does it?

Instagram, don't. Now,

I'm not. OK, we've got, I don't know, 15, 20 facts here. We'll just wrap them off. But we thought we'd start with where it is. If you're based in USA right now, listen, you might not have a clue where this place is. But there is a Norwich in, I think it's Virginia in USA, or it's definitely in Norfolk, which is very well known for its naval base, I think. So that's a US version, but the original version.

Norwich is in Norfolk and it's in the east of the UK. it's the most easternly city and it's about two hours from London train or drive. And Cambridge is about an hour drive, probably 45 minutes on train. So if pop on Google, Norwich, you'll see us on the east side.

the OG, haven't they? Yeah,

Yeah, I was going to say it's very isolated but connected isn't it Norwich? It's in the fact that it's not really close to other cities, a big cluster of cities in the centre of England isn't it? But Norwich is kind of on its own which is good because it's got that isolation but equally you can get other places quite easily can't you?

Yeah, that A11's always, which is the road, it's always been worked on, innit? It has. Why has that constantly got roadworks? Well... Why has it constantly been built?

as Jill Carriageway.

It's got better, they dueled it didn't they recently? So dueled it through Fetford, made it, people were begging for that for years. Got it. So it's a lot easier to get to Cambridge and beyond though.

Yeah, and we're in the county of Norfolk, which is for any North Americans, probably the equivalent. Well, USA have counties in states and obviously it's much bigger.

It's one of the larger counties, isn't it?

Yes, think the equivalent would be a state in USA is the same as a county in England and Scotland and stuff. So we're one of those. And for Canada, a province. Australia, a state. Yeah, there we go. Norwich is the second city in UK up until Industrial Revolution. I think the joke is we haven't moved on from then.

It was like

in comparison to Europe and then it kind of, guess the big factories weren't built here so.

I why though, I wonder why it just got left behind. I'm sure the other cities had other industries that

question.

The Northern powerhouses kicked off, they? Yeah.

That's interesting. That might come back to us later on when we give some more facts about the medieval Norwich. Have you got a fact for us, Bami?

Erm, Elm Hill. Oh yeah. The oldest street in Norwich from the 16th century. I'm guessing that means paved street, so in terms of a well-established street name probably, so... Yeah, I would have thought so. Yeah, bustling centre near the cathedral.

Was that at Marketplace back in the day?

Yeah, it's got cobble streets, still there. It's got one elm tree left, which I think is an original. That's a fact. If anyone's got anything to counteract that, please let me know. Which you can sit on actually. It's got a little bench around it. Yeah, at the top of the hill. Yeah, it's huge. I've got another fact here. Adam and Eve pub is the oldest pub in Norwich from the 13th century. It's that sloping roof, isn't it? When you go in. It's crazy, isn't it?

drink enough 800 years yes

Next story.

it feels old when you go inside feels like a trip back in time yeah yeah yeah yeah they've kept the old the old things haven't changed it much yeah which is part of its charm

If it's cool, gotta be careful.

Can you stay there? Is that a hotel as well?

Yeah.

I feel like is there an upstairs I've been I've been in Abany for I'm gonna say 10 years

When you walk in it feels like there's more yeah, the building is bigger than what you actually see when you go in So I'm guessing there is something going on there

Okay, it's just around the corner from Elm Hill actually, so you can combine that together. But we'll come to that in second. Yes, I got to say that actually somewhere, yeah. Yeah, yeah. If you get to the centre, everything we're going to mention is pretty much walkable, I think. We'll stick with facts and figures and then we'll go on to the things to do. Norwich has a population of 144,000 in the city and we think around the surrounding areas about 213,000. In UK terms, smallish city? Yeah.

Everything in Orange is walkable, isn't it?

Smallish, mid-size probably isn't it? Yeah I'd say mid-sizey. Probably smaller to mid. I'm trying to figure a comparison. Cambridge is less. Yeah. It's double-edged to Newcastle I think, that kind of size. Not much.

the Cambridge would be less, right?

Newcastle must be bigger, it surely is.

Really? Yeah. But in terms of where we are in the country, we must be the biggest city for... It's bigger than Lincoln, right?

Yeah, yeah, definitely bigger than Lincoln.

and there's nothing else towards London. I don't think Essex has a Colchester. That's a new city, isn't it? Yeah. think that's smaller.

Yeah, Newcastle

The double that.

Question for the podcast is, what is the closest, biggest city to Norwich? Excluding London in any direction.

Birmingham probably I've had yeah in London probably Birmingham two and a half hours to Birmingham drive

Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's a great question, isn't it? I think it could be,

Do you get to anywhere like Leicester or Nottingham first?

Might

do, yeah. I'll two and half out. There's kind Nottingham, Leicester, that kind of area, that kind of ring of things around there, isn't there? Yeah, think Nottingham again, only slightly bigger. Leicester, only slightly bigger. Yeah, Norwich is kind of like one of those mids to lower to mid-sized cities, I'd say.

That'd be bigger, it?

But if you go like south or southwest, if we're not talking about London, there's literally no other big city I think.

locked down and then got bright on the other side of this yeah yeah

not like I can think of probably missing something obvious yeah

question on it.

worry about that. Okay, got to have a fact for us.

Yeah, easy-go-zoo-ne, which is a lion heart. That's about 100 years later than the creature in the castle.

It's a well-known myth that a city is not a city because of a cathedral. think that's a constant, well-known myth in a classic. I think there all sorts of reasons a city can be city. So obviously it's the trade and the market for Norwich. So there you go.

Yeah, and medieval Norwich used to have one church for every week of the year and one pub for every day of the year. That's a classic Norwich fact if you're hearing it. you like Asic, everyone says that, don't they?

Yeah, not sure it's true anymore. I there's been a lot of pub closures, but back in the day. Today it's got more medieval churches than any other city in Western Europe, north of the Alps, which I think is great for us. Didn't realise that at all. That's a lot of churches. That's huge. You do see them about when you're walking around, don't you? A lot of have been converted to various things, like you've got the puppet theatre now is in an old church, but a lot of them still standing and be repurposed and stuff.

like that church next to Elm Hill. I actually don't know what it's called. There's one just nestled in there. Yeah, but that's like a random church that's medieval. Yeah, yeah. But so many of those are dotted around the city, isn't it? You can probably just do like a walk and tour of that. would be pretty cool. Yeah, yeah. If you need some. Yeah. I've got a random fact here that Norwich City Football Ground is the lowest above sea level in the UK.

Just nestled, can't remember his name though.

So many.

Cool, fair fear, them.

Norfolk generally is a pretty flat county isn't it? Although I think people are often surprised by the amount of hills when you're walking around Norwich.

Yes, that's true. Elm Hillwood's mentioned.

Yeah, I'm

a cyclist as well, when you start cycling into the car, it's bit more rolling than you think, it just never gets very high.

Yes,

you're right. Gathill. That's Norwich destination, isn't it? Thankfully.

It's bit steep isn't it?

Walk up Castle and put it as a must see.

Okay, what else we got here? Robert Kett? Yeah. What's your facts about him?

He's like the Robin Hood, he?

What is now known as Hetta.

Which is kind of close to Gato, isn't it? It's in the same area, isn't it? Wonder why I choose Gato. Too steep?

It's in that area.

Great question. Yeah, I mean it is pretty steep so yeah. It probably wasn't paved then either was it? It's probably... Yeah, I don't fancy that. Thanks, not for me. Fair enough.

They won't pass the- That's alright, oooh.

Just carry on down the road and then...

Heya, just a quick one. I just want to say there are many ways to support this podcast. You can buy me a coffee and help support the podcast with $5. Or you can go to my merch store with the affiliate link with T-Public where there's plenty of merch available to buy such as t-shirts, jumpers, hoodies and also some children's clothing. Thirdly, which is free, you can also rate and review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podchaser or Goodpods. Also, you can find me on social media on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook.

and TikTok. Simply just search for Ringin' Travel Podcast and you'll find me displaying all my social media content for traveling, podcast and other stuff. Thank you. Back into the city centre, we're going to the Mayted Hotel. This is one of the oldest hotels in UK. I think maybe Norfolk Tourism Board has it as the oldest. Don't like to claim that because I don't know. Built in 13th century.

Huge, I've been there for a meal, lovely food. Never stayed there. Never stayed there, no. Quite expensive. Yeah, a bit pricey.

Yeah,

but that's right next to the cathedral.

The cathedral, which has been mentioned, second tallest in the UK and built in the 11th century. So it's blooming old and it is very impressive when you go inside. Yes. this architecture just bamboozles you thinking like how did they actually put this stuff up? Free to go in, free to wander around. It's got cafe. Got things to see. Yeah, it's ordered by William the Conqueror. Ordered it after his Norman invasion.

and it's free to go in.

Yeah, and he also got the Norwich Castle on the go, he? He commissioned that. Yeah. Which was built before the cathedral, but this is very old stuff, I you within 100 years or whatever. that area around there, you could walk from Elm Hill to Maidshead, Norwich Cathedral, then walk up the hill to

They're all in the old city centre, they? Within the city walls, which you can still see some of surrounding Norwich today. Yeah, you've got loads of sites. We've got a second cathedral as well, haven't we? Lesson known.

Yeah, no one talks about it, do they?

I think it's the 19th century, I think.

Yeah, it's a bit newer. Yeah, but still quite impressive. Yeah, still a landmark looking spot on the the skyline.

Don't think I've been in there. No. It's kind of like Everton in Lip Hornet. That's in the shadow of the main thing.

As Liverpool fan I like that comparison. yeah. It's in the shadow. No one visits, no one... It's there, we know it's there. No one take it seriously. Take it seriously. Sorry for any Catholic listening. It is obviously a big Catholic hub.

Yeah, second cathedral and yeah, the castle was commissioned by William the Conqueror as well. his little victory. Norwich is the only UK city located in a national park known as the Broads.

Lovely fact. Yeah, you've got Whitlingham Broad is one of the broads which is walkable from the city centre. think most of the other broads you have to travel to on the train or drive or boat. Whitlingham Broad is right near the city centre so it's technically part of the broads. Colman's Mustard from Norwich. You might have seen it on the labels, Colman's and Norwich but you know we were quite proud of it until they left a few years ago.

Quite a fact, isn't it?

Strategy reasons. Yep.

Okay.

Norwich had the first ever postcodes in the UK and the first ever postcode in the UK was NR1 1AA and randomly I was born in NR1.

There you go, all of the people in NL1 1AA know the history that they're living in. Yes, Norwich City Hall, one of the longest balconies in Europe. And the architecture is admired by many, including the late Adolf Hitler, who didn't want to bomb it because he was so impressed by the architectural majesty of the place. So my question is, did he

question.

I don't think he, maybe, yes, great question. Did he have photos? I don't know how he knew about it and why he was so impressed by it. Yeah, was there a Berlin, Hertha Berlin? Were they playing at Norwich City back in the 13, 30s? I don't know.

I love the fact that he admired Paris maybe because of its architecture and the Norwich

and orange.

is one of the longest in Europe, so.

Here's one of the longest, yeah. There you go. The Barclays Bank had its first ever branch in Norwich.

There you go.

Norwich Market, one of longest running open air six day markets. I've got a poster of Norwich Market up in the flat over there.

And if you go to the back of that, by the city hall, where the longest balcony is, that's a nice view over Norwich. You don't quite see the cathedral that well, but you see the castle right there in middle.

see loads of art and photos and things got a market and the cathedral in the background. Very good to compose together. And before you set foot inside that well-known supermarket chain, take your shopping list for a wander around the market. That's what they say.

Okay, there you go, you've been told. Here's a fact we've got which we're not sure. Yeah, Paul McAfwait has come in with this fact. The Lollard Pit, which is a pub at the bottom of Gas Hill, is where they used to burn witches in medieval times. They used to drown them in the river, which is literally the other side of the road, to see if they floated or not. But of course they all floated, which means they burned them all.

Real friends, shout out to Paul McCoy.

This is a bit of a global problem, wasn't it? It wasn't just Norwich, but yeah, a lull-ouse pit, yeah. That was the centre of the Norwich witch burning. Sad. Gashill's got lot of mentions to it, hasn't it? More than I expected. there you go. Script of an effect that steep. Yeah, Boudica. Big fan of the Romans. Obviously we had the Iceni tribe, based in Norfolk, and their centre was in Caestus and Edmonds, which is just five miles outside Norwich. And Boudica led the revolt against the Romans.

It's not even on the things I do. Yeah.

burning down Colchester in her path. She's from basically next to Norwich. 450 AD.

450 AD. I

that's the oldest thing when I mentioned today that. Okay.

can visit it, you can see kind of where the hill was, where the city was, the Iceni city. But yeah, it's worth a visit if you want to history.

Yep, and we're going to finish the facts with some famous people that might be known, which we actually don't define any. We've got Stephen Fry, who's linked to Norwich, not from Norwich. Olivia Common, yeah. Nelson.

Olivia Colman, Oscar

winner. Yeah, Nelson the great. Well, he's from Burnham market, isn't he Nelson? Yeah. Which we're claiming for Norwich.

How fast was that?

Our way, our drive. Fun? Yeah, that's fun.

Wow, what's that 30 minutes?

But still, I say, anyone in North, I think we generally claim it's our own, don't we? Because it's all connected. Alan Partridge, yeah, yeah, yeah. Fictional, of course. Oh.

and

yeah of course Elizabeth Fry who's on the five pound note I believe yeah yeah and we're going to finish with Hugh Jackman's mum

You eat Jack's mum? Yep.

always comes up in the local newspaper every year when he visits.

Yeah, friend Tom Osborne's been in there, music video with Hugh Jackman's mum.

I didn't realize that she was an actress.

Yeah, I can't remember the reason why that ended. No. Just a mum.

Is he Jack Manero?

Right there's facts and figures about Norwich to entitle you in. Now we're going to say and talk about the top 10 things to see.

There's need, that's surely enough. All that history right there. Let's go deeper anyway.

Must say.

Got beautiful grounds that you can wander around and inside as well.

Yeah, the grounds are really nice by the river, they? second tallest in the UK, as we mentioned. And it's free to get in. Got big gates either side. The main big gate is by Tombland.

It's got the rare peregrine falcons as well, nesting in the top of the cathedral tower. They've got camera up there because I think they laid eggs very recently and you could watch them. wow. We're quite proud of our peregrine falcons, they're quite rare aren't they? Rare birds of prey.

really?

That's huge. Yes. Okay.

I think Norwich Cathedral is the thing to see and Yeah. One of the most iconic things in Norwich. I played trumpet in there as well, back in the day. in the cadets. Okay, if you wander out of there and walk up the hill, number two here, I've got Norwich Castle.

Norman, just yes.

And it's quite well built. It's got a little moat around it. Well, it used to be a moat right on top of the hill in the city center. She's pretty. Yeah. She's been there for a while. Yeah. And the reason he built it within the conqueror, he won the battle. Was it Hastings? And went up there and thought, well, do you know what? Locals, they could revolt. So we need a castle. And he built it there just to watch over them. So that all the soldiers were living and based there.

that inch.

I wonder if there's a natural hill or a man-made hill. Because it is quite in prominent position overlooking the city, isn't it?

So it's almost too good to be true, isn't it? In terms of.

Too

hilly, it? It's like perfect. Perfect. Yeah, this bit is right there on top. looks like it's not real, but yeah.

Yeah, there you go. that's number two. Number three, I've got the lanes. Yes, 14th century Tudor style.

Elm Hill's part of that, isn't it?

Cobbled does feel like a trip back in time. They've got lots of nice antique shops down there. Yeah, cobbled streets. No cars, no traffic down there.

independent shops.

the trendy part of the Norwich City Centre, I'd say. Yeah. Yeah. And if you look, do a bit of shopping.

Yeah

I'd say go there. feel like York's got, obviously the area around York, it's got lots of cobbled streets and Tudor buildings, it? I'd say it's like York light in that it's got like, it's just a little snippet of... What's that camera's called? No, not gonna guess.

No. Nah. Shocking. And you mentioned this already, Elm Hill. Yep. This is number four. And we talked about that. So Aldous Street, Norwich, 16th century. see. Number five, this is an interesting shout. Mouse Hold Heath. Yeah. So let's take this back to Robert Kett. Yep. Walks up what's now Kett's Hill. Yep. So if you walk up that hill. Yep. And take a left.

you get to Mousehole Heath. And it's got great views over Norwich.

rebellion but yeah really good views yeah see the cathedral see the castle see all of it prison still there yeah

Prison still there? Yep.

Don't be put off.

It's not really, it's tucked away. You're not going to see any inmates.

It used to be a cafe, but I think it's closed now.

Yeah, a calf run by prisoners on their way out of prison. They say that very popular, apparently.

Yeah, went in twice actually. Yeah, three times, maybe.

Yeah, it's like trying to integrate prisoners back into society by giving them a little job in the cafe and apparently it was very successful. For a while. Yeah, don't know if it's still there anymore. Covid casualty, was it?

Is it closed? I think so. Unfortunately.

Yes, possibly. There you go. Number six, Norge Market. Yeah. Mentioned. Yeah. Loads of different stores in there. Buy food.

No, imagine that.

Constantly

changing as well. I've got like craft beer stalls, I've got vintage football shirt stalls, I've got you know food, drink. Good for lunch yeah. Yeah. Cred chips.

It's great for lunch, isn't it?

on Jumpman's Walk. Chip chips. Chip chips, yeah. Okay, Adam and Eve pub is next. We mentioned that before. Yeah. So you're walking around, you want a drink, go in there, get some history. Now we mentioned Norwich's second cathedral next. And Plantation Gardens.

Yeah Plantation Gardens is a little, it's a well-kept gardens that's just kind of tucked behind the newer cathedral just sort of outside the city walls isn't it? But yeah we really beautiful, very beautiful gardens well kept and nice to have a little wander around.

Okay, and the last two number nine is Assembly House. It's a grade one listed building next to number 10, which is Theatre Royal. We'll do them together. So Assembly House, can go there for afternoon tea.

Afternoon tea, very popular for afternoon tea, you can always get packages there. You can stay in a hotel there. We've attended our friend's wedding there, haven't we? Got a wedding venue. It's quite iconic. It's got a grand entrance, doesn't it? As you go in, it's got the gates at the front kind of opening up, right in the centre of the city.

Yep, that'd be what's the closest thing we've mentioned? Yep, next to Theatre Royal which is number 10.

It's next to Fiesta Royal. Yep.

Yeah, it's near the market, isn't it actually? Just up from the market, the orange market.

seen a lot of plays isn't it?

It's still a very popular venue. gets a lot of good touring shows and comedians and whatnot. So that's our...

are

10 things to see and do. Any bonus ones that come to mind?

Nah, just wander around the streets and take it all in. I was gonna say Dragon's Hall. Dragon's Hall is an old Tudor building down King Street. Yeah. That's a... They've just restored it recently, it into a of a museum, but that's where I voted recently. In the recent election. But yeah, that's again another very historical place. think down most streets you'll find something that's got a fair amount of history behind it as well. They call it the City of Stories.

I've been there.

There you go. Plenty of stories. Thanks for tuning in today. You might be quite thirsty after hearing that. Don't worry. The next episode is cafes, restaurants, pubs and day trips. Be sure to check into Winging It Travel podcast in a few days for part two and I'll see you there. If you've been inspired by today's chat and want to book some travel, if you head to the show notes, you'll see some affiliate links below which helps support this podcast. You'll find booking.com to book that accommodation.

Want to stay in a super cool hostel? You'll see Hostel World down there too. You'll find Revolut to get your travel card sorted and more importantly, you'll find Safety Wing Insurance to get that travel insurance for your trip. So when you click that link and book your product, a small commission goes towards me and the Wiganet Travel Podcast. Thank you in advance and enjoy your travels.