Norwich - Guide for Gays, Lesbians and Queers

Norwich's queer scene centres on a handful of steady addresses in the city centre. The Birdcage on Pottergate is an LGBT-friendly bar decked out in rainbow colours, serving coffee by day and cocktails by night - a favourite spot for karaoke nights, board games, or just a pint after work. Nearby sits The Castle, which bills itself as Norwich's leading gay venue, with the attached club U-NITE housed in a converted barn.

For dancing, head to Loft NR1 on Rose Lane. Running for over thirty years, it remains the city's only dedicated gay nightclub, open Thursday through Sunday. Things are calmer at the Catherine Wheel on St Augustines Street, a welcoming community pub. Just outside the centre, Lollard's Pit Pub draws a crowd to its cosy beer garden, especially in summer.

Norwich currently has no gay sauna of its own; anyone looking for that kind of venue has to travel further afield. What the city lacks in sauna culture it makes up for in compactness: all the venues above sit within easy walking distance, so a night out rarely needs a taxi.

Norwich's queer scene stays modest but dependable - a short list of addresses with long histories and a loyal crowd that keeps coming back.