ABOVE: Konectbus 611 (SN62 AVO), an ADL Enviro400, is seen on the Norwich Road, near Wymondham Town Centre. All photographs in this article were taken on (Easter Weekend) Saturday 4 April 2026.
A Tale of Two Setbacks
Setback One
16 May 2026
We all know that things don't always go to plan. My trip to Whitby a while back was a case in point.
It doesn't always spoil the day, though, although it can push it in a completely different direction - sometimes literally where buses are involved.
Easter Weekend has brought me back to Norfolk, where I am setting out to explore some routes and areas that I have not done before. Saturday is the only day of the holiday weekend to offer a Saturday service (ahem!) so I want to make the most of it (I know that statement sounds daft but the day before and the two days after are all Sundays as far as the buses are concerned, with reduced services to match)!
I've been out from Norwich to Thetford on Coach Services route 90 (I'll come to this innovative service as part of a future article). I have broken off the return journey in the market town on Attleborough, more-or-less exactly halfway between Thetford and Norwich. I have actually been here before, and I want to catch the First Bus route 13 into Norwich which I have also travelled on before.
Attleborough has been established since Anglo-Saxon times and appears in the Domesday Book as Attleburc. The Griffin Hotel, a former Coaching Inn, has stood on Church Street since around 1560. Reportedly, prisoners on their way to the March Assizes in Thetford were confined overnight in The Griffin, tethered by chains to rings in the wall. Their presence aroused public interest, and eventually a traders' fair, known as Attleborough Rogues Fair, was established whenever the prisoners came!
I'm standing virtually outside The Griffin but scarcely notice, as I'm focused on the bus on the stand, which is going to be the 10:55 departure to Norwich (and on to Spixworth in the northern suburbs of the city). It's 10:52 so the timing is perfect...
ABOVE: Queen's Square in Attleborough Town Centre
Except that the timing isn't perfect... "I've broken down," explains the driver. That's a bit of a setback, and, although the standard frequency is 30 minutes on this route, there just happens to be an extra 10-minute gap after this departure, so the next one is at 11:35.
My regular reader knows that I like to keep moving, so a 40-minute delay is frustrating, to say the least. I don't want a tea break (I've just had one), so I'm looking for other ways out. At this time of the morning I don't mind if those ways out take me slightly off the beaten track, as I have all day to get back on it (although my planned route - yes, I do have one on this occasion - is going to be in tatters).
There's only one other obvious way out, in the form of route 82 to Watton. I have no real idea where Watton is, but there's a local bus so it can't be too far out. And Watton has a direct bus to Norwich, so I can find my way directly from there to the City Centre!
The 82 service runs broadly hourly, so I'm anticipating an ADL Enviro200 or similar is going to give me a nice ride across a bit of rural Norfolk. But what turns up is a 15-seater Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Cityline. The problem with these minibuses is that I don't really fit into them. None of the seats are especially comfortable, being too tight both on width and legroom. At least, unlike two previous recent experiences with similar vehicles, there is no radio playing this time!
This route is run by Konectbus. Alongside fellow East Anglian operators Chambers and Hedingham, Konectbus was part of the Go-Ahead Group until Autumn 2025, when all three operations were sold to Transport Made Simple (TMS). TMS also trades as Central Connect, and it's the Central Connect livery that is carried by the midibus.
We set off on time at 11:20. Being a Mercedes, it's a very smooth runner. After a circuit of the town that brings up back round almost to the starting point, we head onto what very quickly becomes a country lane. We call in at the occasional village - including Great Ellingham, followed by Rockland St Peter.
ABOVE: Rockland St Peter's bus stop flag has full information, but is let down by the QR Code in place of the timetable.
Rockland St Peter Church is one of about 185 existing English round-tower churches; roughly two-thirds of these are to be found in Norfolk.
ABOVE: Rockland St Peter Church
On into Caston, the 16th Century residence of Edward Gilman, who was one of the earliest recorded ancestors of Abraham Lincoln, and Griston, where the hall and nearby woods are said to be the setting for the "Babes in the Wood" story.
The journey to Watton only takes 27 minutes, making a round trip on an hourly service ideal for a one-bus operation. However, the bus / driver are relieved here, giving the unusual sight of two buses together:
ABOVE: Konectbus 228 (RX25 TCJ, left). a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Altas/EVM Cityline, has just brought me into Watton, where it is seen here on the High Street overtaking fellow Sprinter 230 (RX25 TFU), which will provide the next run to Attleborough.
Watton is 13 miles north-east of Thetford, nine miles south-west of Dereham and about 25 miles south-west of Norwich. The town was significantly rebuilt in the 17th Century after a major fire destroyed 60 houses in 1674. It also housed an RAF base from 1939 until operations ended in 1963.
Following the fire of 1674, a Clock Tower was built five years later by wealthy local merchant Christopher Hey, with a bell designed to act like an alarm bell to surrounding villages. It has been restored a number of times but is still in situ.
ABOVE: Watton High Street with the clock tower visible (centre left). As can be seen, the clock face is on the side of the building rather than on the tower itself.
The 'setback' of the cancellation of the route 13 journey might have only occurred an hour or so ago, but is already forgotten as I board the 12:00 number 6 service to Norwich. Also operated by Konectbus and this time admitting to the fact, this is an ADL Enviro400. The front seat is free and we set off just as the sunshine becomes dominant and strong; the morning having started rather dull and cool.
This turns out to be a delightful trip. I love to explore villages that I have hitherto not heard of, and to travel through the countryside in between. And this route runs through miles of rural Norfolk. Sometimes there isn't much to see - just fields. But, especially in the sunshine, and when all I want is a bit of an escape from the humdrum, this feels great!
ABOVE: A few minutes out from Watton (the timetable suggests this should be somewhere near Scoulton, but I have no idea)! Konectbus 620 (SK15 HKD), an ADL Enviro400, heads for Watton on route 6.
The town of Hingham is another that was blighted by fire in the distant past. Mostyn John Armstrong, an 18th century author, wrote in 1781 of how the town was gentrified afterwards with handsome Georgian homes:
...rebuilt in a finer form, and the inhabitants, suitable to the place, are taken notice of as a genteel sort of people, so fashionable in their dress that the town is called by the neighbours, "Little London".
History and Antiquities of the County of Norfolk
Mostyn John Armstrong (1781)
It is certainly a pretty spot. St Andrew's Church dominates the view coming into the town, rebuilt by 1359 to replace an earlier Norman Church:
A grand wooden bus shelter adjoins the Market Place:
Route 6 runs hourly, but is duplicated over this section from Watton by irregular service 3, which branches off after Hingham to take a different route to Norwich. At some points of the day this means a half-hourly frequency over this section, but not consistently.
Reuniting with route 13, we come to Wymondham (pronounced Win-dem). The market here was established in 1204. Industrially, Wymondham was a centre for woodturning and brush-making.
ABOVE: Market Place, Wymondham
The territory changes after Wymondham. We are within 12 miles of the City Centre and this is now more suburban than rural. Route 13 dives into the local housing area but we continue along the Norwich Road. One of the new First Bus electrics is heading towards us:
ABOVE: First Bus Eastern Counties 63644 (BK24 ABF), a Wright GB Kite Electroliner, is on route 15 towards Harts Farm, Wymondham. It is seen at the "Hethersett Bus Shelter" stop. Hethersett itself is down the road to the left, but this is as close as the 15 gets (and, indeed, the 6).
We reach the Cringleford Interchange, where many new houses have appeared since I was last up this way. It's then a brisk run into Norwich itself, where we arrive, on time, at 13:04.
What a lovely ride I have had on route 6. And I wouldn't have discovered it if the 13 had not failed in Attleborough!
ABOVE: A lunchtime view of Norwich Bus Station finds four First Bus Eastern Counties vehicles in residence. 37274 (LK58 EDF, far right), a Volvo B9TL Wright Eclipse Gemini, prepares for its departure to Lowestoft on route X2. An almost-new Wright StreetDeck Electroliner is visible (left, centre) on Park & Ride service PR1 (Airport Park & Ride to Thickthorn Park & Ride via the City Centre).
But this has merely been the first part of the day. I have more ground to cover and it starts right here in the Bus Station. There will be another set-back this afternoon, but it will actually push me into some unexpected new ground...
TO BE CONTINUED...
BELOW: A representation of the route covered so far
(including the 90 from Norwich to Thetford and back to Attleborough, which will feature in a future article)
(including the 90 from Norwich to Thetford and back to Attleborough, which will feature in a future article)
