Boat your way down the broads

Without a doubt this is my favourite activity to do in Norfolk. A mere 15 minute train ride or 30 minute car journey from Norwich, and you arrive in Hoveton and Wroxham. Or should I say Roy's of Wroxham. Roy must be very rich, for he owns a department store, a large supermarket complete with its own mcdonalds, a gardening store, a children's shop, a women's clothes shop and a toyshop in a village with a row of shops, that are of comparable size to the row on Unthank Road.  In fact it's quite fun playing 'spot a shop that doesn't belong to Roy'.
 



Forgetting Roy, the main purpose of a trip to  Wroxham is to rent a boat out on the broads.With  Fineway leisure you can rent out a variety of 2-12 seater orange boats. If there is enough of you it normally works out around 6/7 quid a head which is ridiculously cheap for a whole day out on the water.

After a quick safety talk and instructions on how to use the boat, you are let loose on the broads! Now its time to navigate the gear stick, the wheel and broads all by yourself. Unfortunately it only really goes upto 7mph but trust me the speed doesn't stop you from cruising into the banks, trees and weeds.

You have to navigate around sailing boats who weave across your path, and the biggest challenge is finding a mooring/parking when you fancy a drink/pub lunch. Oh and not forgetting the fun and challenge of finding your way back to the launch site of course. As you make your way down the waterways there are windmills and impressive houses to nose at, complete with boat garages. A pub I would recommend for a stop off would be the Swan Inn, as it serves great food and drinks at a relatively good price, and has outside seating where you can watch the boats go by on the bank at Horning. An excellent day out, a day on the broads is an essential and exciting experience for all. After you've disembarked the Kings Head by the mini roundabout in Wroxham is well worth a visit too.

Shoot 'em up at Quasar

Transport yourself back to being a kid again, and hit up Quasar Elite on St Stephens Road (just off of the main roundabout by Iceland). Split yourself into teams, protect your base and strive to be top gun! Luckily they still hand out the catty score printouts after so you know whose been attacking you, especially those on your own team. It's a great laugh and a pretty good set up inside, with plenty of alcoves, barrels to hide behind and a raised bridge to spy on your prey from. They offer a great student deal whereby two games are a fiver (Mon-Fri before 4pm). Its a great activity for a rainy day or a birthday celebration.

Waffle on in St Giles Street

 The Waffle House on St Giles Street is always popular and rampacked, and for good reason. Before coming, I was unsure I would like a waffle as a savoury main, but the bolognaise waffle proved me otherwise. The savoury combinations are a little out there, for example the humous, rocket and avacado waffle, asian tuna salad waffle, or you can even go for a vegetable curry waffle; however all are executed with perfection.  The puddings are definately were it's at though, in particular I would recomend the Chocolate Mousse with banana and chocolate flakes.



Another excellent waffle for the sweet toothed is the hot dutch apple - guaranteed to warm you up on a cold winter day. What's great is they do 10% student discount and offer a £6.60 two course lunch menu. This limits your choice of waffles, but it's excellent value and often includes the favourites (the lunch menu is available Mon-Fri 11am-4pm).

Tee-Time in Eaton Park

Got a couple of hours to spare? Challenge yourself to complete the 18 holes in Eaton Park's Pitch and Putt. It even has bunkers! And lots of trees to inevitably lose your balls in. For just over a fiver, its a great laugh and way to spend an afternoon. Open throughout winter you can pay, hire clubs, balls and tees from the little hut by the University corner of the park. For updated prices and details click here. Good luck!

A taste of Italiano in Norwich

Wow was I happy when I found this quaint little delicatessen, Amaretto.  It is relatively hidden down the cobbled St Georges street (Delaneys is on the corner and it is opposite St Andrews church). At Amaretto you can get a pizza slice almost the size of your face for £1.90. With a range of toppings, grab a slice fresh out of the oven (I recommend the chorizo and red onion one).

If your not in the mood for pizza, they do a range of gorgeous looking baguettes, sausage rolls, cakes and various other fresh and tempting offerings. But I assure you, go for the pizza - you will not be disapointed.

Seal there is to see at the Beach

Jump aboard a 35 minute direct train from Norwich, and you will arrive to the smell of fresh salt air, blue seas, and white glistening sand. The destination: Great Yarmouth. I will admit that the town does live up to the attached stigma and seems a little run down and tacky.  However the beach is lush, and you can get chips in a cone off the market for a quid! There is so much to do, and in the end like everywhere, it's what you do/make it that counts.


Walking down the bustling Regent Road there are the usual seaside tack stores, selling buckets, sticks of rock and I <3 GY tees. Tickles joke shop with the man chundering in a toxic bucket outside is my personal favourite. At number 18 Regent Road there is even a mini- maddame toussads in the form of  Louis Tussauds House of Wax.

Check out the pier, the rides and the arcades. Watch kids ride donkeys or the oldies with their metal detectors hoping for a good find. Play a game of adventure golf, buy a picnic for the beach at the ASDA next to the train station, or grab some fresh fish and chips. The shopping centre isn't bad either with most of the main shops including topshop, new look and Miss Selfridges.

The best thing and what I would highly suggest you do on your visit to Great Yarmouth is catch a boat to Scroby Sands to see the grey seal colony. Scoby Sands was one of the first commercial offshore wind farms in the UK and houses 30 turbines. It is now also home to a large seal colony, who come right up to the boat, and are a delight to watch.

You catch the boat, on the beach just right of the main pier.

Paris in 48 hours!

For a whirlwind, all encompassing perfect 48 hours in the City of Lights or the city of Lurrrve then follow this guide!

Start your morning (from around 8am) in the Latin Quarter, and from the bottom of Rue Mouffetard all the way up to