Swaffham

Swaffham is a picturesque market town in the west of Norfolk. It became famous as one of the principal filming locations for the ITV television series Kingdom from 2007 to 2009.

Understand

The town grew to prominence during mediaeval times based on local agriculture. Historically a town whose prosperity came from sheep and wool and thus the town has an unusually large market place (for the population). Whilst many of the buildings have Georgian and Victorian facades on older mediaeval buildings.

Get in

By road

Swaffham is near the crossroads of the west–east (Kings Lynn (15 miles) to Norwich (30 miles)) A47 and the south-north A1065 (London, Cambridge and Newmarket to Fakenham and North Norfolk). These two busy routes provide Swaffham with a large volume of passing trade and travellers, especially at weekends and during the summer months.

By bus

Swaffham's most frequent and important bus connection is the Excell X1 regional bus. Services call every half hour (Monday to Saturday) or hourly (Sundays) in both directions:

Passengers travelling by train to or from Peterborough can buy a through rail ticket to/from Swaffham on the X1 bus, thereby saving on the combined cost of train and bus tickets.

Swaffham has daily National Express service on two routes:

and

Details of additional rural bus routes between Swaffham and neighbouring towns and villages can be found on the website of Traveline East Anglia or by calling the National Traveline service on 0870-608-2-608.

By train

There are stations on different lines, approximately equidistant to Swaffham.

By bicycle & on foot
  • 🌍 Peddars Way. Long-distance footpath (46 miles) passes close by the town. Much of the path can be used by cyclists. The path runs from Hunstanton on the North Norfolk Coast to close to Thetford (updated Jun 2017)

Get around

Swaffham is small enough to be easily explored on foot. There are a number of public transport options within the town, but not train services.

See
  • 🌍 Swaffham Museum, 4 London St, Swaffham PE37 7DQ, ☏ +44 1760 721230. M-F 10AM-4PM, Sa 10AM-1PM. Adults £3, children £1, concessions £2. 
  • 🌍 Ecotech Centre, The Green Britain Centre, Turbine Way, Swaffham PE37 7HT (5 min walk from town centre), ☏ +44 1760 726100. M-F 10AM-4PM. Windmill tours at 11AM, 1PM & 3PM adults £6, children £4, concessions £5. (updated May 2017)
  • 🌍 Castle Acre Priory, Priory Rd, Castle Acre, King's Lynn PE32 2XD (5 miles north of Swaffham), ☏ +44 1760 755394. Adults £7, children £4.20, concessions £6.30. (updated May 2017)
  • 🌍 Castle Acre Castle and Bailey Gate, Pye’s Lane, Castle Acre, King’s Lynn PE32 2XB (5 miles N of Swaffham). Open any reasonable time during daylight hours. Free. (updated May 2017)
  • 🌍 Oxburgh Hall, Oxborough PE33 9PS (7 miles SW of Swaffham), ☏ +44 1366 328258, . House & garden: adult £10.40, child £5.20; garden & estate only: adult £5.80, child £2.90. (updated May 2017)
  • 🌍 Gooderstone Water Gardens, The Street, Gooderstone PE33 9BP, ☏ +44 1603 712913. Daily 10AM-5:30PM. "A meadow too wet for cattle to graze" so nothing daunted, the landowner created a water garden from 1970. They fell derelict after his death but were re-opened in 2003. Adult £7. (updated Apr 2021)

Do

Buy
  • Saturday Market, Market Place, Swaffham, PE37 7AB, ☏ +44 1760 722922, . Sa 9AM-4PM. The market square is occupied by stalls, and the town is usually bustling with people from surrounding towns and villages. Fresh meat, fish, fruit and vegetables are widely available, as well as more specialised local produce. (updated May 2017)
  • Indoor Friday Market, Market Place, Swaffham, ☏ +44 7957 862239 (mobile). F 9AM-2PM. Around 20 stalls. (updated May 2017)
  • 🌍 Waitrose, Castle Acre Rd, Swaffham, PE37 7HT, ☏ +44 1760 336307. M-Th 7:30AM-8PM, F 7:30AM-9PM, Sa 7:30AM-8PM, Su 10AM-4PM. Petrol station (different hours), ATMs, cafe, payphone. (updated May 2017)
  • 🌍 Adsa, Lynn St, Swaffham, PE37 7AU, ☏ +44 1760 774500. M-Sa 7AM-11PM, Su 10AM-4PM. ATMs (updated May 2017)

Eat

Drink

Sleep

Connect

Swaffham and its approach roads have 4G from all UK carriers. As of Sept 2022, 5G has not reached this area.

Go next
Routes through Swaffham
Peterborough ← King's Lynn ←  W  E  → Dereham → Norwich


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