Visiting Norwich/UEA: help needed re parking/travel!

[Appuskidu]

We are taking DS to the Open Day on Saturday and am just planning the logistics.

The UEA website says to park in the park+ride (NR9 3LX) and then you’ll be bussed in to the university. We also want to look around the city afterwards though-how would we be best off doing that? It looks quite a trek from the campus to the shops?! Do we get bussed back to the park and ride and then drive into the city or will that be a nightmare?

Any travel tips gratefully received!

It is a proper trek into town, but you could drive to the Thickthorn park and ride and get another bus into the centre, perhaps? It’s only a junction (or maybe two?) down the A47 so really easy to get to.

There’s a bus stop on campus with a route that goes into the city, or pick up your car and park in the city after the campus tour. Traffic not usually an issue.

Or park in the city to start with and bus into campus and back again.

I had tried to book a Premier Inn or something but they are all sold out, which made me think it might be quite busy! Which city car parks are worth heading to on a Saturday afternoon?

When I last took ds1 to an open day there’s a few years ago, we parked quite easily just off campus. (He’s still there now and gets a bus from city centre to UEA, he says takes about 25-30 minutes as lots of stops). I’m taking ds2 Saturday for the open day too, I was hoping to park just off campus again. I admit I’ve not read the email they sent this week properly about park and ride parking!

If you park at the park and ride, it would probably be easier to bus from UEA into city. There’s a few main roads closed off in the city making traffic ques and with Xmas shopping it’s even busier at the moment.

was hoping to park just off campus again

Can I ask whereabouts you are heading? To a car park or a particular area?

Park at Riverside multistorey and get the bus to the University from the train station. After you've finished at the Uni, bus into the city and have a look around and its a 10-15 min walk from the city centre to riverside

We did the last open day. Parked at the suggested P+R site. Constant stream of buses to and from the uni. I think I would get the bus back, and then drive into the city. I'm not sure how long the uni organised buses were running for.

I can't really help but go to Norfolk every year on holiday and just wanted to say enjoy Norwich, it's my favourite city in the UK. The lanes with all the independent shops and cafes are lovely and there's great street food in the market. The focus on the arts at the universities make it a really creative city and it feels really vibrant. I'd move there tomorrow if it wasn't so far away from all our family. We normally park at St Giles carpark because it's near the lanes and a lovely cafe called Bread Source for a cup of tea and cake. Sorry, I have no idea about how to get into the city from the uni but just wanted to say how much I like it because it's a city that tends to get a bit of stick! Have fun!

Park & ride if you can, lots of road works going on in Norwich atm. UEA is out of the city centre, but lots of buses will take you into the city. We live just outside the city centre and find the park & ride service easier than driving in tbh. If the P inns are booked up try Holiday Inn Express.

I'm not sure how long the uni organised buses were running for

Yes, that’s what is worrying me! If we park at the park+ride and get the uni bus onto campus, then get another bus into the city later, if we don’t get back until after 4 (when the open day ends), we’ll be stranded!

@Appuskidu I have no idea of the road name, but almost opposite UEA where the halls are, we parked there (and when I visited ds1 we parked along the road there too).
But you will be able to get a P&R bus from city back to the P&R.
I’m actually now debating getting a train up to Norwich to stop all the faffing about with car parking.

ime, if you email the admissions team, they can tell you how late the park & ride buses are still running.

From NR9 3LX, at 4pm (ish) I can recommend just drive into city centre, Chapelfield is a fairly good place to park for a few hours.

@lljkk

ime, if you email the admissions team, they can tell you how late the park & ride buses are still running.

From NR9 3LX, at 4pm (ish) I can recommend just drive into city centre, Chapelfield is a fairly good place to park for a few hours.

I reckon we’ll arrive at about 11, do a few hours around the university and then head to the city at 2, so we’d be leaving the city at about 5.

It’s difficult to know what will be easier!

We live near Norwich (Ds goes to school in the city centre) and actually I’d just park at the UEA itself, there’s loads of parking and then I’d drive back into the city centre and park at Chantry Place shopping centre - lovely big underground car park. I absolutely HATE driving and find Norwich really easy to drive round, nice clear lanes and not that busy. I drove my dd to university in Nottingham the other week and thought I was literally going to die with stress in comparison!!

*chaplefield is now called chantry place but everyone local still calls it chaplefield!

(Also meant to say, when you arrive for the open day id try and park in the sports park car park almost as soon as you come in, there’ll be more spaces. The stewards will try to direct you to one of the car parks further down and these do fill up quickly - we went to the open day last year and parked easily no problems).

actually I’d just park at the UEA itself, there’s loads of parking

Really-even on the open day?

@Appuskidu

actually I’d just park at the UEA itself, there’s loads of parking

Really-even on the open day?

Yep. Honestly. No issues parking at all last year.

Park here and visit the UEA

https://passenger-line-assets.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/konectbus/KCTB/510-timetable-20210913-c62e7c6d.pdf
Then drive to Thickthorn 5 mins away and park here to access the city centre

https://www.konectbus.co.uk/services/KCTB/501?date=2021-11-15&direction=outbound

I wouldn't drive into the city as it will be busy, any other questions give me a shout!
Norwich is a lovely city.

Thickthorn roundabout is horrible. Really horrible. Loads of lanes, super confusing. I’d avoid Thickthorn at all costs.

I don't think I would be keen to drive into the centre of town and try and park on a Saturday, the traffic usually seems to be terrible and parking is quite expensive. Couldn't you get a bus into town and then a normal park and ride bus to wherever you've parked? The normal ones go on into the evening. I don't know if there's a day rider option or something that would cover both though.

Try and park here - then you can walk down into the main university bit (literally 5 mins walk).

Couldn't you get a bus into town and then a normal park and ride bus to wherever you've parked?

I’ve no idea! That would be good though

This is Thickthorn roundabout. I was there yesterday. It gives me nightmares My Mum used to drive 20 mins the other way just to avoid it when she went to the hospital (one of the turn offs is to the Norfolk and Norwich hospital, one is park and ride and there’s several others).

@Bagelsandbrie

Thickthorn roundabout is horrible. Really horrible. Loads of lanes, super confusing. I’d avoid Thickthorn at all costs.

it’s just a roundabout

Do park and ride

Then drive into the city, there are boards with the car park numbers on.

Or put John Lewis into your satnav and park in John Lewis (always spaces) and walk into town, takes 2 minutes. Well 0 minutes are you’re in town!