Norwich on 26th January

[sheffield hatter]

Those of you who keep up with football results may be aware that my team unexpectedly progressed to the 4th Round of the FA Cup and are due to play at Norwich on Saturday, 26th January. We were allocated 4,000 tickets and as our home attendance is in the region of 6,000 I anticipated no problem getting a ticket, so have already purchased my train tickets. Imagine my shock and horror on finding out this evening that the whole allocation has been sold out already.

A quick rethink was required, and the obvious solution emerged after about three or four nanoseconds: a Norwich pub crawl.

I'll be arriving at 12:18 and departing (assuming I can still find the station) at 18:57. Any suggestions for pubs to include or (perhaps more importantly) exclude? I've previously been to the Coach & Horses near the station and the Fat Cat (but not the Fat Cat Brewery Tap), and one or two others (the Catherine Wheel rings a bell, but it would have been more than 10 years ago and I'm a bit hazy about that far back without notes). I've never been to the Kings Head that several trusted reviewers have raved about, so I want to include that, of course.

A route of about 10 to 12 pubs with a fair bit of walking would be good. And preferably finishing within spitting distance of the station...


...and of course if anyone is around please feel free to join in!

[Real Ale Ray]

Hi Will, was there end Oct/beg Nov and had a great time (planning another trip in Feb). Some brilliants pubs, here's a few that we enjoyed:

The Plough (the home of Grain Brewery - great beer)
Rumsey Wells
The Ribs Of Beef
Adam & Eve
Take 5
Coach & Horses
Gardeners Arms & Murderers Cafe Bar
Fat Cat Brewery Tap
The Vine (great Thai food and four ales)

Also, if you can, defo go to the Kings Head - a fab pub with a great choice of ales.

Have a good trip

[sheffield hatter]

Thanks Ray. That's 10. I'll have a look on the map and see what sort of a route I can make of them

Anyone else got any more?

[Al 10000]

Hi Sheffield Hatter,

This one is well worth a visit The White Lion and this is also quite a nice pub The Alexandra Tavern

There are so many nice pubs in Norwich and i could go on and on nameing more decent pubs.

I am sure you will have great day out there.

[sheffield hatter]

Thanks Alan. Those two will fit in nicely between the Plough and the Kings Head if I also take in the Fat Cat and the Catherine Wheel. It's beginning to take shape.

I see you're managing the links OK now.

[PaulOfHorsham]

Here you go, Will: a thread about last year's Norwich trip. It deviates off into a debate about CAMRA & real ale, but it does at least end up with a trip report. I daresay the pubs mentioned overlap quite a bit with suggestions you already have, but you may get a few more tips.

Enjoy your day out (not a hard task in Norwich, I have to say) - if your team wins, the beer will taste all the better.

[sheffield hatter]

Here you go, Will: a thread about last year's Norwich trip. It deviates off into a debate about CAMRA & real ale, but it does at least end up with a trip report. I daresay the pubs mentioned overlap quite a bit with suggestions you already have, but you may get a few more tips.

Thanks Paul. I knew there was a thread somewhere but hadn't got around to looking for it.

I've now been recommended these pubs:

The Plough
Rumsey Wells
The Ribs Of Beef
Adam & Eve
Take 5
Coach & Horses
Gardeners Arms & Murderers Cafe Bar
Fat Cat Brewery Tap
The Vine
Kings Head
The White Lion
The Alexandra Tavern
Coach & Horses (again)
Ketts Tavern
The Kings Head (another duplicate)
The Glasshouse ‘Spoons
Walnut Tree Shades
The Bell
The Champion
The Gardeners Arms a.k.a. the Murderers (third duplicate)

I also want to return to The Fat Cat and The Catherine Wheel, so this amounts to (eliminating the duplicates, of course) 19 pubs, which would be a doddle if I were Al 10000, but is just a little over the top for me. I'll let you know which ones made the final cut.

[Al 10000]

Hi Sheffield Hatter,

I would check the Catherine Wheels opening times before going there,when i last did one of my large Norwich crawls in June 2012 the pub was closed mid Saturday afternoon with no sign of it opening,it looked more like a live music type pub so probably opens in the evening.

Doddle, it has took years of training to do the amount of pubs i do

[RogerB]

I've got a double whammy of Cup football that weekend - Dartford are away to Halifax in the FA Trophy on the Saturday (26th) and then the following day down the road, Spurs are at Leeds. Already booked my extended Yorkshire weekend arriving on 25th so if anyone is around Sowerby Bridge (25th), Halifax (26th) or Leeds (27th), let me know.

[sheffield hatter]

I would check the Catherine Wheels opening times before going there,when i last did one of my large Norwich crawls in June 2012 the pub was closed mid Saturday afternoon with no sign of it opening,it looked more like a live music type pub so probably opens in the evening.

I only included it because I went there a few years back and I wondered if it was still the same, but looking at their website it is a) not my scene at all, and b) not open until 5pm anyway. Thanks for the tip.