(no subject)

[pensnest]

Beast and I just went on a preliminary exploration of Norwich, checking out (a) gyms and (b) areas and streets we think we'd like to live in. And whether we can get cable broadband. Hah.

Well. It was interesting. I'm a bit baffled at the absence of 'local shops' in most areas, excepting only the post-office-mini-supermarket hybrid which seems to struggle on at random intervals. Here, we have a Chinese takeaway, a convenience store/small supermarket (?), an excellent butcher who also sells vegetables, a delicatessen (quite new), a bakery, a pharmacy and a post office/newsagent all in a neat little line and less than ten minutes' walk away. And a hairdresser, beauty salon and dentist up above. Indeed, all the differentiated areas contained within the town have a shopping parade, ours being one of the smaller, but there doesn't seem to be anything comparable in most of Norwich (honourable exception of Unthank Road, near where my Boy lived as a post-student). Just a scattering of random hairdressers. Odd. And I think I'm going to miss those shops, if/when we move. During the snows of last year's winter, I didn't bother to get the car out to brave the roads, I just pulled on my wellies and went to the local shops. I'd like to think I'd be able to do the same thing if we move east, but it looks as though I won't.

It was quite interesting, moderately enjoyable, hot (I got burned scarlet on the back of the neck, sigh), and also pretty. On our many previous visits to Norwich we'd never taken much note of the rivers, but this time, our guest house was across the road from a river (we had supper in the pub's riverside garden one night), and as one of the gyms is next to a river, we went along the riverside walk to find it, which was lovely. There is a Norwich Railway Station and a Norwich Yacht Station. Seeing a place in May is cheating, of course, one should really be braving it in November for a less fabulous impression. Still, it was a good start.

Comments

[turlough]

That's weird about the lack of shops. I wonder why it's so different from Hemel Hempstead.

I've never been to that part of England. And the only thing I associate with Norfolk is Dame Julian :-) Maybe we could have Camp Sparkle on the Norfolk coast some day?

[pensnest]

I wonder if it might be because Hemel is a 'New Town', so perhaps the squares and parades of local shops were part of the way it was put together. I shall have to take more notice of how other towns work.

We have looked at a handful of places on the East coast, although not found an ideal house so far. But it's worth looking again, definitely.

[turps]

That would be weird not having shops so close. I'd miss not being a few minutes walk from a load of different shops.

[nopseud]

I had a look at the map, and it doesn't seem like there's much in the way of big supermarkets near you in Hemel. A superstore being built is what usually kills off all the local shops.

[pensnest]

I've been wondering if it's because Hemel is a 'New Town', and might have been set up specifically to have a bunch of communities with a village hall and shops at the centre. We do have a fair number of supermarkets—Tesco's is only a 25-minute walk from here, not that anyone ever walks to the supermarket anyway—but possibly they didn't arrive until well after the local shops had been established. Apsley, which has a big Sainsbury's, has what is effectively a High Street.

I wonder if HH is just unusual, and that most reasonably sized towns and cities have the 'random corner shops/mini supermarkets' model these days. I've never had occasion to think about it before.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_titch/]

Ooh you're moving near me? That's quite exciting!! I'd offer assistance but it seems as though you know Norwich better than I do and I've lived in Norfolk for 10 years now. :D

[pensnest]

Yes, indeed! Our children both live in Norwich, and it's a city that we've liked every time we've been to visit. At present, we're mostly in research mode, plus getting this house respectable mode, but the exploratory trip was very useful.