ABOVE: First Bus Eastern Counties 36902 (YN69 XZE), a Scania N250UD ADL Enviro400 City, stands in Norwich Bus Station at the end of the long run from Peterborough. All photos in this article were taken on Good Friday, 3 April 2026, unless otherwise stated.
Riding the Excel
Part Two: King's Lynn to Norwich
8 August 2026
The buses purchased by First for the major Excel service between Peterborough and Norwich are of a very high specification. These Scania N250UD ADL Enviro400 Cities were delivered in late 2019 and entered service in early 2020.
High-backed leather seats are the standard; there are two tables on the top deck, and the two seats adjacent to the stairs are single seats to improve the circulation space. Note also, in my photo below, the route diagrams adjacent to the stairs, and the fact that there are four, extra-wide, seats (with individual armrests) at the back:
The curiosity for me is the (unintrusive) "next stops" display at the front of the bus. As Peterborough Railway Station is the next stop from Peterborough Bus Station, and Thorney comes later, that arrow, to me, is pointing the wrong way!
The automated announcements don't quite sound right. All the way along, I am told that: "This is the Excel (pause). A service to Norwich". I suppose I wouldn't notice so much if I was on "the Excel. B service to Norwich", which surely would have a buzz about it. Same for "the Excel. C service...", highlighting the one thing that this 85-mile service does not stumble across, being inland throughout.
The B and C routes have minor route variations compared to the A service, but neither run on Sundays or Public Holidays (today is Good Friday). There's a D variant as well, but this seems to be just one weekday trip that takes a short-cut from Dereham to Norwich in the morning rush hour, with no corresponding evening peak journey.
Here's the route of the A:
A few weeks ago, I wrote about the first 'half' of this lengthy run from Peterborough. You now join me at King's Lynn Transport Interchange, where we have a six-minute pause before the journey continues to Norwich. We are actually slightly less than half-way, with at least 46.2 miles to go. Virtually everyone else on board has left here, but there are a fair few people seemingly waiting to replace them:
A sizeable town, with a population of more than 47,000 at the 2021 Census, King's Lynn was named Len Episcopi (Bishop's Lynn) while under the temporal and spiritual jurisdiction of the Bishop of Norwich. During the reign of Henry VIII, the town was surrendered to the Crown and took the name Lenne Regis, or King's Lynn. During the 14th century, "Lynn" ranked as England's most important port - sea trade with Europe being vital at the time. (But the town is about five miles inland, and the commercial seaport actually sits on the River Great Ouse.)
Back to the Excel (a service to Norwich!), and the second half is not going to be as busy as I thought it might be. Buses in both directions serve the same stand at King's Lynn, and hardly anyone boards my bus - they're all going the other way! The Peterborough bus arrives a moment behind mine, and everyone heads for that. It looks as though I am going against the flow, and my journey will remain fairly quiet throughout.
When the bus arrived, there were no other vehicles parked on the departure stands (see picture in Part One). What a difference six minutes makes. As we leave, there are no fewer than five other buses loading up...
ABOVE: As my bus pulls out of King's Lynn Transport Interchange, a whole collection of other vehicles have pulled into the departure stands. Stagecoach East Midlands 10901 (YX67 VCO, left) is an ADL Enviro400 MMC. Next to it is Go to Town SK68 TNE, a Wright Streetlite WF, on King's Lynn local circular route 3 to South and North Wootton. To the right are three buses from operator Lynx - 62 (SK21 FNH), an ADL Enviro400 MMC, is about to depart on route 36 for Hunstanton and Fakenham. The Optare Tempo alongside might be working route 48 to Grimston, and, to finish the set, Lynx 32 (YY24 ELC), an ADL Enviro200 MMC, is awaiting departure on route 42 to the nearby Fairstead Estate. The two Lynx Enviros can be seen on stand in the photo in Part One.
We come to the Railway Station. This Grade-II listed building dates back to the early 1870s; the station dates back to 1846. It was once a much busier station than it is today, with the extensive cutbacks of the 1950s and 1960s hitting it badly. Lines towards Spalding, Hunstanton, Dereham and Wisbech all disappeared, leaving only the Fen Line to Ely and Cambridge.
We must now retrace our steps for a full one-and-a-half miles back to the A47. This brings us back, of course, to the South Gate. This stone-faced brick tower was built in 1437 by Master Mason Robert Hertanger. It served as the main southern entrance and toll collection point for the town. It's a stunning and imposing sight!
ABOVE: Believe it or not, the Excel buses do fit through the South Gate, but this coach driver is being cautious and driving round it!
The bus garage is just around the corner and we are having a driver change here. I think that means that I will be the only person on this journey who undertakes the entire 85 miles!
The trek back to the A47 takes us past a variety of out-of-town retail parks, all busy with cars parked up and many more coming in to join / replace them. It's no wonder town centres are struggling to survive.
We get back to the A47 and resume our journey-proper. The first stretch is called Constitution Hill, which brings us to the village of Middleton. The "Middleton Crown" (closed for refurbishment as I write this) appears as the "Crown Inn" in a detailed county map of Norfolk created in 1826, by cartographer Andrew Bryant.
Once again, the territory becomes very rural and there isn't a huge amount to talk about...
We leave the main road to serve the village of Narborough. The village is situated in the Nar Valley, with the river Nar flowing through on its way to the River Great Ouse.
RAF Narborough, opened in 1915, was the largest First World War aerodrome in Britain. It was closed at the end of 1919 and returned to agricultural use, although the last hangar (of seven) survived until 1977.
ABOVE: First Bus Eastern Counties 36910 (YN69 XZP) heads for Peterborough. Location is probably in the Narborough area.
The market town of Swaffham, still off the main road, had an emerging sheep and wool industry by the 14th / 15th century. The town features in much folklore, including the story of a black, hairy dog called the Black Shuck, which was rumoured to have wandered around the three settlements of Swaffham, Castle Acre, and Great Cressingham, ambushing merchants who were on their way to large towns to sell their goods. There are still rumours of a puma-like black cat wandering around Norfolk and Cambridgeshire.
There is also a tale called "The Peddler of Swaffham", which is set out in full here. It's a variation on other similar stories under the title of "The Man Who Became Rich through a Dream", collected here by Professor D. L. Ashliman.
ABOVE: Market Place, Swaffham
The road out of town to the east is the Norwich Road - a sure sign that we are starting to glimpse our terminus on the horizon. But there's a fair bit of ground to cover yet...
ABOVE: Norwich Road, near Swaffham. The public footpath to the left doesn't seem to have existed for long, based on old Google Streetview images.
Back to the A47 (there isn't really an alternative round here), the next major milestone on the journey will be Dereham. Before that, we have another succession of small villages to pass through, with little to comment on. It's a lovely brisk ride and the roads are fairly empty - ideal long-distance bus riding, to be honest!
Necton (pronounced "Nay-ton") sits at the foot of a ridge and is first referenced in the Domesday Book. Little Fransham is broadly the mid-point between King's Lynn and Norwich. And we come off the A47 to dive into the villages of Wendling and Scarning.
ABOVE: First Bus Eastern Counties 36915 (YN69 XZV) passes the entrance to the FY "retreat", at the Hulver Street bus stop between Wendling and Scarning
Scarning divides into Old Scarning, the original village which has existed for over 900 years, and New Scarning, an estate built in the 1990s.
ABOVE: Dereham Road, Scarning
We pass under the A47 to head into Dereham. The town is the centre of the administration of Breckland District Council.
The Domesday Book records that, in the 11th century, "St Etheldreda held Dereham that was already an important market centre with three mills". But there is evidence of much earlier settlement here. A Neolithic polished greenstone axe head was found near the town in 1986, with another Neolithic axe head, flint scraper and other tools and worked flints also found in local fields during the 1980s. There is evidence that the area was occupied during the Bronze Age, with burnt flints from a pot boiler site being found in 1976 and another burnt mound site located in 1987.
In 2000, an enamelled bridle bit dating from the Iron Age was discovered, with pottery sherds also being found by field walkers in 1983. The town is believed to have been on the Roman Road linking Brampton with the Fen Causeway. Some pottery and furniture remains have been found in local fields, and a haul of over 1000 Roman coins was discovered in 2004, albeit with no evidence of Roman occupation.
ABOVE: Dereham War Memorial
The centre of Dereham is attractive, with several imposing buildings in view. The Market Place became the new location of the town centre after a fire in 1581. It was mostly rebuilt in the 18th century after a second fire in 1679.
Shops now stand on the site of the "King's Arms" hotel. The old building had a porch and façade dated to 1820. The main building was 17th century with two fireplaces. The Corn Hall and Assembly Rooms still survive, and have since been converted into a cinema and council offices. Other buildings around the Market Place are mostly Georgian (source: Norfolk Heritage Explorer).
ABOVE: Dereham Market Place. Just past "Boot's" on the left-hand side can be seen the spire of the Cowper Memorial Congregational Church, built in 1874 on the site of poet William Cowper's last home. The distinctive building on the right, next to "The Perfect Catch", is the Cinema.
A tight double-run around the Market Place (it's not even market day!) and we're finally homing in on Norwich.
On the way out of Dereham, a chance to look at some converted 1881 Malthouses, which became residential properties in the 1990s:
Back to the A47 again, and this dual-carriageway section confirms that we're almost on the home strait. Only another 14 miles!
Hockering lies five miles east of Dereham. The name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for the "people of the rounded hill". Nearby Hockering Wood is one of the largest Ancient Woods in Norfolk, extending over an area of 220 acres and recorded as a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
ABOVE: Hockering
Beyond Hockering, there is serious construction underway.
This is part of a major scheme to improve and widen the A47. The section between North Tuddenham and Easton is due for completion in 2027, at a cost of between £100M and £250M. It's a completely new alignment, and there are sections of the existing road where there is nothing to see...
Other sections have significant and (seemingly almost complete) sections of new infrastructure:
ABOVE: New road infrastructure, somewhere near Easton.
This is a major scheme and National Highways has made a video about it. I wonder whether, and how, this scheme will impact Excel services in the longer-term?
Easton itself has a 1902 Grade-II listed water tower, which dominates the landscape. There must be foggy days when it looks like a flying saucer!
As we cross into Costessey (pronounced "Cossey"), we come to the Royal Norfolk Showground, which has acted as the venue for the Royal Norfolk Show since the 1950s. The bus stop opposite the Showground is in a poor state of repair. Although the stop flag is comprehensive and informative, the timetable case is badly damaged, and only one timetable is displayed.
ABOVE: The contrast between the Bus Stop flag (inset, left) and the timetable case (right) at the Norfolk Showground stop in Costessey could not be more stark.
We are very much on the last lap now. I've been in my seat for about three hours as we take one final quick burst down the A47, passing another Excel A heading back. On this section, we are going south-east, although the direct route would be east. We're actually on a bypass and, without a change of routing, will completely miss the city!
But we're pulling off...
We come to the Cringleford Interchange. Buses from various different directions all come together here - over 20 routes or variants are listed by Google Maps. As well as the stop below, there are two further stops on the opposite side of the road. As far as I can tell, buses into Norwich stop here, and buses out of the city stop over the road.
ABOVE: Cringleford Interchage
Finally, we have broken away from the A47. The last three miles will be on the A11, a road that will take one to North-East London in the other direction.
ABOVE: On the A11 Newmarket Road, a Konectbus ADL Enviro400, branded for routes 3 & 6, heads for Dereham on route 8!
The road changes from a dual-carriageway to a leafy approach road:
We reach the City Centre. The main road into the heart of the shopping district, St Stephen's Street, is right in front of us. We are going to turn right because, although it isn't obvious from this angle, the Bus Station is right behind the NCP, and some of the rooms in the Travelodge probably have Bus Station views...
ABOVE: With St Stephen's Street to the left, and the Bus Station behind the Car Park, a Volvo B9TL Wright Eclipse Gemini 2 on route 13 to Attleborough takes centre stage. A Konectbus ADL Enviro400 can just be picked out in the distance (left).
And so, at 16:20, we come to journey's end. Five minutes later than scheduled, and after a journey of three hours and 20 minutes, I tap-off and alight into Norwich Bus Station. My legs seem to have stopped working momentarily, and the facilities I have been looking forward to in the Bus Station closed 20 minutes ago, but it's been a lovely ride. And incredible value at three pounds!
ABOVE: Norwich Bus Station, on Saturday 4 April 2026, sees First Bus Eastern Counties 33815 (YX63 LKD, extreme left) and various other buses awaiting the off from Norwich Bus Station.
And so, this epic journey has come to an end. Peterborough Bus Station feels like a very long time ago! We have covered 85 miles, at an average speed of over 25.5 miles per hour.
There's a decent queue waiting to retrace (some of) my steps back, although only as far as Wisbech in the case of the 16:30 departure - the 15:30 having been the last through service to Peterborough. After this one, there will be two more hourly departures to King's Lynn. On the inward service, there will be five more arrivals from Peterborough today. The last - the 18:00 from Peterborough - is due here at 21:15.
If you have found this interesting but can't get to the Excel in person, this video by "Backpacks Travel" really brings it to life.
I hope I have done justice now to this amazing route. The 456 words of my original article were never going to be enough! Hopefully these 4791 words and 53 pictures, plus maps, have made amends!
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