How to spend your weekends!

£4 movie tickets on Mondays!

I couldn’t believe it when my friend told me last year! I had no idea there was such a promotion going on at the VUE and the best part is, it applies for all kinds of films, not just the ones which are weeks old! As long as it’s out in cinemas, you can watch it for £4 at the VUE! This means you can watch the latest Marvel, Star Wars blockbusters with a pal and it’s going to cost the same as one ticket at ODEON!

All you have to do is to register an account under MyVUE and you are good to go with the code attached with your account! You don’t even need to purchase the tickets in advance, you can just go up to the counter, show your unique QR code and you can get discounted tickets too!

Boating in the broads

This is something that is unique to Norwich because we are so near to the Broads that it’s completely possible to rent a boat for a day and tour around the Broads with your friends! They have boats that can carry up to 8 adults so if you split the cost, it’s not going to cost more than 10 pounds for 5 hours! If you are looking for a little holiday on a boat, it’s going to be a little costly but you get to sleep and cook on a boat! They have sizes ranging from 1 bedroom to 5 bedroom boats!

Just a word of caution: it gets rather chilly during spring, so you’re better off going boating during the summer instead. Cool breeze in the hot sun, life just doesn’t get better than that!

Taking a walk around UEA’s lake

It’s no secret that UEA has a beautiful lake near Sainsbury Arts Centre but have you ever been on the other side of the lake? The nature is simply beautiful and it is so easy to get lost in your thoughts strolling around. There are not only joggers but many dog walkers as well! Seeing those happy little pups running around sniffing at everything is just the most adorable thing ever. If you are feeling adventurous, you could walk even further and there are small farms beyond that with small horses in the fields!

Shopping at INTU Chapelfield

I’m pretty sure that there’s nobody in Norwich that doesn’t know where INTU is, it’s the most hip and happening shopping centre around Norfolk! There are fantastic tech stores such as Apple, GAME, fashion shops such as ZARA, H&M, Hollister, a big department store, House of Fraser and so many restaurants! The list goes on and it’s easy to spend hours in there without you even realizing it.

Renting a bike for free under Norfolk Cycle Loan Scheme at Bicycle Links

I came across this by chance when I was strolling around the riverside and it was a small bicycle shop tucked away in a little corner. Their main business is restoring old bikes and then selling them off at a cheap price but they also do occasionally stock up new bikes too! The best part is they have this Norfolk Cycle Loan Scheme whereby you can rent a decent Rayleigh bike for 4 weeks at no cost! All you need is a photo identification card and 10 pounds in deposit, which would be returned to you when you return the bike, and you can just ride away! They provide helmets, bike lights and locks as well so you don’t have to worry would the accessories.

Norwich is perfect for a day out on bicycle because everything is relatively close and you can get to many different places on bicycle. Cycle to the outskirts of the town and take on one of the trekking routes, cycle to Odeon to catch your favourite movie, cycle around UEA’s lake, the fun is endless!

Go to Cromer – Bus X44, Car or Train

If you are thinking of going to Brighton for the beach, save yourself the trouble, there’s one right here in Norfolk! Cromer is just 45 minutes away by train and about an hour on car/bus. They have fantastic fish n chips and you could get it in a takeaway box, buy yourself a drink and sit by the pier and enjoy it as you watch the sunset. The view is certainly no Nice or Santorini but for a small town off Norfolk, it’s pretty awesome. There is also a little theatre ON the pier! There, they have some small time acts and musicals, which is prefect for a day out with the gang.

Go to Cambridge – Bus (National Express) or Train

I’m pretty sure everybody has heard of Cambridge. Afterall, they are one of the best universities in the world! Take a walk down to the Bridge of Sighs and watch as gondolas drift past you below in the little stream. If you fancy a something more modern, the city will not disappoint you! They have all the popular fashion shops around the city and there’s even a shopping mall there too! Step into one of the many souvenir shops around and get yourself a University of Cambridge hoodie!

Be it around Norwich or something a little outside, there are more activities than you know to do during the weekends! Or you could just order from Just-Eat and Netflix the day away, nothing wrong with that!

Eugene Zhang Yuting

Singapore Ambassador