Wednesday 26th October 2022

It is school holiday week, and also beer festival week in Norwich. It had been a while since I last went, not because of COVID either, I think its been five years.

As its school holidays, all of the Premier Inns and Travelodges are as expensive as a room in a decent hotel, especially for the solo traveller, so I booked into the Maids Head.

There's posh.

Anyway, so Jools left for work at seven, giving me at least two hours to get ready and pack, but the internet diverts, and the stuff I wanted to do got forgotten. But I had a shower, shave, and packed. And called for a taxi so I could catch the ten to eleven train.

Only taxi I could get was from the village, and it'll have to be right now, at ten, as I have a booking right after.

Fair enough,

So, chatty bloke in his cab was waiting outside, I lugged the small case and camera bag out, and his words powered the car down to the Deal road and into town, going down Jubilee Way and up to the station.

I already had my ticket, so had 40 minutes, time for a coffee and a bun. Or muffin as they're called now, apparently.

There was already a lot of passengers waiting for the train at Dover, so waiting for the second one out of peak service in the hope it would be less used had failed.

But I got a seat, facing backwards though, and off we went.

It was pretty full by the time we left Folkestone Central, standing room only after Ashford and they didn't let people into our carriage at Ebbsfleet.

I was glad to get off at Stratford and make my way through the cathedral to commerce, Westfield. Put your phone away once you've stopped using it, announcement said, as its private property they are strict about snappers. I've been stopped twice here myself.

I walk on.

I had a half hour wait for a train north, so snapped trains coming through the station, including a freight hauled by two snazzy class 90s.

The rear of the Norwich train was rammed, but the front empty. So I settled at a table in the front coach and watched as London slipped by.

Glorious light turned the countryside into an autumnal spectacle, I tried to get shots, but failed.

We pass through Chelmsford, Colchester, where the refreshment trolley came round (less than £6 for sandwich, bag of crisps and a drink) then to Manningtree, Ipswich and into Suffolk, through Stowmarket into Norfolk and Diss.

Dis is Diss said the announcement.

One last shot run into Norwich, over the river and into Thorpe. It almost feels like coming home.

I walked along the river to Bishop's Bridge, then to the Cathedral Close, through the Erpingham Gate and there is the hotel.

My room is a three hour hike, so it seemed, along narrow corridors and passageways, up stairs, down stairs and back up.

My room overlooks Ss. Simon and Jude on Wensum Street.

I take my camera and go out, down to Elm Hill, all cobbles, timber framed houses and golden fallen leaves, then back round through Tombland to the river and The Ribs of Beef where I was to meet a friend.

Dawid arrived, and so we have a drink. What about dinner, he asks?

Well, I wasn't hungry, but I knew of a Japanese place up the road where we could possibly get in.

We do, so feast on panko and Japanese katsu curry.

Dawid has to leave as the poor chap has work, but I have the evening, so I make my way to The Hall for the beer festival.

No queue to get in or a glass, so let's get drinking!

I only had two drinks, but the second was La Choufe at 8%, so that was quite enough.

I walked back, tipsy, snappy as I went, Elm Hill looked spectacular as always, but this late at night, no parked cars.