Norwich

One of England’s prettiest large towns, Norwich sits in a wide bend of the River Wensum, an ancient place that in its medieval heyday was the second largest city in the country. These days its cobbled lanes and narrow alleys zero in on the Market Place, a wide and open piazza that is very much the centre of town. There’s lots to see, not least Norwich’s amazing Gothic cathedral, and all of it is within easy walking distance; it also has great restaurants, a fantastic array of pubs (the highest density per square mile in the UK) and a lively performing arts scene, enervated by the city’s large student presence. In short, it’s a world away from the unfashionable rural backwater satirized by Alan Partridge and co, and as such makes for an ideal weekend away.


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