2, Norwich to Potter Heigham

The Konectbus 2 is a friendly local service that bridges the gap between Norwich city centre and the heart of the Norfolk Broads. From the busy stand on St Stephens Street, the bus pulls past the medieval flint walls of St Stephens Church and crosses the inner ring road, with the bulk of Norwich Castle's keep visible on its mound to the right. A short loop through Castle Meadow and Prince of Wales Road brings the bus down to Norwich Railway Station, where the Victorian brick frontage of Thorpe Station marks the true beginning of the journey east.

Crossing the River Wensum, the route climbs gently along Thorpe Road past handsome Edwardian villas before settling into Thorpe St Andrew. Glimpses of the river appear between gardens, with moored cruisers and the occasional sail giving an early hint of the watery landscape to come. The bus rolls through Dussindale Park's neat modern estates and out into open country, where hedged farmland and copses of oak replace the suburbs.

Thorpe End and New Rackheath pass quickly, then Salhouse with its long village street, the Stag pub and the lane that drops away to Salhouse Broad hidden in the woods. By now the land is unmistakably Broads country: low, green, threaded with reed-fringed dykes. The approach to Wroxham and Hoveton is one of the highlights of the ride, the bus crossing the narrow bridge over the River Bure with a sudden, brilliant view of boatyards, hire cruisers and the bustle of what is often called the capital of the Broads.

Beyond Hoveton the route threads on through Ashmanhaugh and Beeston St Lawrence, past the entrance to BeWILDerwood, and into Horning, a classic Broadland village of thatched cottages, riverside pubs and slipways busy with day boats. Ludham follows, its medieval church tower a landmark for miles, then Catfield and Sutton, where Sutton Mill's tall brick tower rises above the fields. The bus continues toward Stalham, market town for the northern Broads, with its Museum of the Broads down on the staithe. The 2 stitches together city, suburb, farmland and waterway into a single, very Norfolk, journey.

A day out on the Konectbus 2 works beautifully as a slow exploration of the Norfolk Broads, starting in the centre of Norwich. Before boarding at St Stephens Street, it is worth a short wander to Norwich Castle, the Norman keep that crowns the city, and a coffee in the Royal Arcade with its tiled Art Nouveau frontage. From the stop you are quickly out of the city and heading east.

As the bus rolls through Thorpe St Andrew, look out for the glimpses of the River Yare and the pretty riverside pubs around River Green. It is a pleasant area to break the journey on the return, with walks along the Wherryman's Way that follow the old trading river towards the city.

Continuing on, you reach Salhouse, where a short walk from the village leads down through woodland to Salhouse Broad. It is one of the quieter, more natural broads, with a small beach, rowing boats for hire in season and a footpath that connects to Wroxham Broad. Birdlife is excellent here, with great crested grebes, herons and the occasional marsh harrier overhead.

The bus then drops into Wroxham and Hoveton, the twin villages either side of the River Bure that bill themselves as the capital of the Broads. Roys of Wroxham, often described as the world's largest village store, sprawls across several buildings, and the staithe is lined with day boats from Broads Tours and Barnes Brinkcraft. A short river trip from here gives you the Broads from the water, which is really the only way to appreciate them.

Further along the route, Hoveton is also home to BeWILDerwood, the treehouse and marsh walk adventure park inspired by Tom Blofeld's children's books. It is excellent for families and a natural stop for anyone travelling with younger children.

Horning is the next highlight, a long village strung along the Bure with thatched cottages, the Swan Inn and the New Inn both right on the water, and little ferries crossing to Cockshoot Broad and the nature reserve beyond. It is a fine place for lunch, watching cruisers manoeuvre past the moorings.

Beyond Horning the bus calls at Ludham, where Toad Hole Cottage and How Hill nature reserve lie a short walk away, with their drainage mills and reed beds, and then runs on through Catfield and Sutton, the latter overlooked by Sutton Windmill, one of the tallest in the country. Stalham, at the far end, offers the Museum of the Broads on the staithe, packed with old wherries, steam launches and stories of the waterways. Whether you ride the full route or hop off for a riverside walk, the 2 is a relaxed way to experience Norfolk's most distinctive landscape in a single day.