At the beginning of April, we headed off on our first trip away as a family - a city break in Norwich. Travel always felt like an unknown when we thought about what life might look like with a baby. We knew we wanted to do be able to do it but equally, I’ve never really bought the whole ‘the baby will just fit in with you’ thing (which is a good job really, I’d have been seriously disappointed) so it was hard to know exactly what any potential getaways might look like. We’ve made a very loose don’t-hold-us-to-this decision to do a handful of local breaks this year, as opposed to a longer trip abroad and as we didn’t want to be too far from home for our first trip with a three-month-old in case it all went tits up, we settled on a weekend in Norwich. We fancied exploring a new city and it’s only an hour’s drive away from us.
We stayed along the quayside; in the row of pastel-coloured cottages (the pink one) you see above and it was the perfect central location for being able to explore and nip back easily enough should there be a poo explosion; a new requirement when booking trips these days.
We’d probably only been there for a few minutes before I realised that I really, really liked Norwich. I felt like someone had been keeping it a secret from me; how did I not know what a great city it is? It’s full of pastel houses, gorgeous nooks and crannies, cute coffee and craft beer places galore, independent shops and an excellent cathedral (which we all know I am inexplicably drawn to). It is the perfect place for a bit of gentle wandering for two sleep-deprived new parents who are happy to just flit between photogenic corners and the next coffee shop.
Our little fella likes constant (and I do mean constant) entertainment which can be quite tricky given he’s only a handful of months old and can’t actually do very much, so being able to strap him in the carrier facing outwards whilst wandering around a city turned out to be a bloody brilliant way of keeping him stimulated. He genuinely seemed to be having a ball which was great for all involved. We found Norwich to be very baby-friendly in general, although some of the cobbled streets aren’t great for a pram just FYI in case you are also planning a trip with a baby.
.jpg "Norwich")
Food highlight was undeniably Bread Source; an artisan bakery we accidentally stumbled across. The cafe was so chilled and the pastries so delicious that we ended up there three times in two days, including just before we left so we could take a goodie bag of baked treats home with us. Big shout out to the raspberry and pistachio danish in particular. As well as plenty of cafe hopping, our wanders took us to the castle, which was actually closed for renovations but it was still worth going up the hill for the views of the city, along the river for walks and impromptu stops in pub gardens, into the lanes which was full to the brim of independent homeware stores, foodie places and - should this be your vibe - a board game cafe, and to the beautiful cathedral. I hadn’t been there long before my Harry Potter senses started tingling and I realised it was one of the filming locations; a pleasant surprise for this longtime fan-girl.
Norwich is easily doable as a day-trip but I’m glad our first trip was for a whole weekend; it really gave us the opportunity to soak in the city and not feel rushed (not that we do anything in rush these days). It’s not a big city so very walkable and I felt like two days was the perfect amount of time to see everything. Without a doubt, a big success for our first trip away.
Comments