Wensum Park in Norwich is often overlooked in favour of Eaton Park and Waterloo Park, but it has lots to recommend it, as Lucy explains.
Wensum Park is a bit of a hidden gem. In fact, it wasn’t until I moved to NR3 in the summer of 2020 that I even knew it existed, let alone set foot in it.
It isn’t one of Norwich’s biggest parks, but there’s a surprising amount packed into it.
A River (Wensum) runs through it
The River Wensum runs along one side of the park and is probably my favourite thing about it. Ducks, geese and swans bob about on the water, while gulls circle overhead. We’ve even spotted a kingfisher here a couple of times, which was magical.
There’s now a feed dispenser near the river too, so you can buy suitable food for the ducks rather than turning up with a bag of bread. It only takes cards, which is handy for those of us that never carry cash!
A handful of benches also overlook the water, making this a lovely place to pause for a while. During the warmer months, you’ll often see paddleboarders and canoeists making their way along the Wensum.
Flowers, play areas and sunset views
The park has several attractive flower beds, which volunteers help to look after, as well as two children’s play areas. The play equipment has had an update fairly recently too.
There’s also a pavilion, although I rarely see much happening inside it.
The pavilion’s position does have one unexpected advantage, though. Wensum Park sits in the river valley, which means the pavilion roof comes up to street level. You can stand at the top towards the end of the day and get a lovely view of the sunset across the park.
A handy route through NR3
One of the things I like most about Wensum Park is how well it connects with the surrounding area.
Take the exit beside the river and you can continue towards the Drayton Road retail park, Marriott’s Way and Anderson’s Meadow.
I have absolutely no idea what the walkway is called but it sits behind Clickers Way and is a surprisingly pretty route. There’s a huge weeping willow beside the water and from here you can either head towards the shops or carry on towards Marriott’s Way and Anderson’s Meadow.
It makes Wensum Park particularly handy if, like me, you enjoy linking together different walking routes around NR3 without taking the main road.
Is Wensum Park worth visiting?
Wensum Park probably isn’t somewhere you’d cross Norwich specifically to visit, but if you live nearby or find yourself in this part of the city, it’s well worth knowing about.
It’s small, green and peaceful much of the time, with the river adding far more wildlife than you might expect from a city park.
Like most urban parks, it occasionally has its less appealing moments, although the park has plenty of entrances and exits, so it’s easy to change your route if you need to.
For me, though, Wensum Park remains one of those little pockets of Norwich that I’m very glad I discovered.
