Bus Route 23A — Heartsease to Longwater Retail Park: Times, Stops & Fares (2026)

The 23A bus service runs from Heartsease to Longwater Retail Park, operated by First Eastern Counties. This complete 2026 guide covers the stops in order for each direction, first and last buses, frequency, journey times, fares and answers to common questions — all worked out from the registered open timetable data.

🧭 Route 23A at a Glance

Route	23A — Heartsease to Longwater Retail Park
Operator	First Eastern Counties
Direction	Heartsease to Longwater Retail Park · Longwater Retail Park to Heartsease
Stops listed	103 stops across 2 direction(s)
Typical journey	Around 82 minutes end to end (Longwater Retail Park to Heartsease)
Runs	Daily

🚌 Route 23A: Stops from Heartsease to Longwater Retail Park

First bus from Heartsease: 06:12 · last bus 18:20 · 24 departures.

1. Retail Park, Heartsease
2. Williamson Close, Heartsease
3. Purland Road, Heartsease
4. Towers, Heartsease
5. Play Area, Heartsease
6. Racecourse Road, Heartsease
7. Munnings Road, Heartsease
8. Springfield Road, Heartsease
9. Noble Close, Heartsease
10. Manby Road, Heartsease
11. Soul Church, Heartsease
12. Rider Haggard Road, Norwich
13. Orchard Close, Norwich
14. The Heartsease, Norwich
15. Hilary Avenue, Norwich
16. Vincent Road, Norwich
17. Gas Hill, Norwich
18. Ferry Road, Norwich
19. Prince of Wales Road, Norwich
20. Castle Meadow, Norwich City Centre
21. Rampant Horse Street, Norwich City Centre
22. Charles Square, Norwich
23. Adelaide Street, Norwich
24. St Philips Road, Norwich
25. Bowthorpe Road, Norwich
26. Holly Drive, Norwich
27. Winchcomb Road, Norwich
28. The Gatehouse, Norwich
29. Whistlefish Court, Norwich
30. Cadge Road, Norwich
31. Aldi, Norwich
32. Marshall Close, New Costessey
33. Oval Road, New Costessey
34. Sunny Grove, New Costessey
35. The Crown, New Costessey
36. Kabin Road, New Costessey
37. Hill Road, New Costessey
38. Folgate Lane, Costessey
39. Myrtle Avenue, Costessey
40. Lime Tree Avenue, Costessey
41. The Harte of Costessey
42. Medical Centre, Costessey
43. The Loke, Costessey
44. East Hills Road, Costessey
45. Roundwell Medical Centre, New Costessey
46. Lord Nelson Drive, New Costessey
47. McDonalds, Longwater Retail Park
48. Link Road, Longwater Retail Park

Some journeys on this direction run a shorter working — Heartsease to Queens Hill.

🚌 Route 23A: Stops from Longwater Retail Park to Heartsease

First bus from Longwater Retail Park: 06:06 · last bus 18:35 · 25 departures.

1. McDonalds, Longwater Retail Park
2. Copper Beach, Longwater Retail Park
3. Magnolia Way, Queens Hill
4. Wilderness Road, Queens Hill
5. Kestral Avenue, Queens Hill
6. Magnolia Way, Queens Hill
7. Copper Beach, Longwater Retail Park
8. Longwater Gravel, Longwater Retail Park
9. Lord Nelson Drive, New Costessey
10. Roundwell Medical Centre, New Costessey
11. East Hills Road, Costessey
12. The Loke, Costessey
13. Medical Centre, Costessey
14. Cleves Way, Costessey
15. The Harte of Costessey
16. Lime Tree Avenue, Costessey
17. Myrtle Avenue, Costessey
18. Folgate Lane, Costessey
19. Hill Road, New Costessey
20. Kabin Road, New Costessey
21. The Crown, New Costessey
22. Sunny Grove, New Costessey
23. Oval Road, New Costessey
24. Marshall Close, New Costessey
25. Jamieson Place, Norwich
26. Aldi, Norwich
27. Cadge Road, Norwich
28. Whistlefish Court, Norwich
29. The Gatehouse, Norwich
30. Winchcomb Road, Norwich
31. Holly Drive, Norwich
32. Bowthorpe Road, Norwich
33. Adelaide Street, Norwich
34. Co-op, Norwich
35. Rampant Horse Street, Norwich City Centre
36. Castle Meadow, Norwich City Centre
37. Prince of Wales Road, Norwich
38. Prince of Wales Road, Norwich
39. Gas Hill, Norwich
40. Vincent Road, Norwich
41. Hilary Avenue, Norwich
42. The Heartsease, Norwich
43. Orchard Close, Norwich
44. Soul Church, Norwich
45. Retail Park, Heartsease
46. Williamson Close, Heartsease
47. Purland Road, Heartsease
48. Towers, Heartsease
49. Play Area, Heartsease
50. Racecourse Road, Heartsease
51. Munnings Road, Heartsease
52. Springfield Road, Heartsease
53. Noble Close, Heartsease
54. Manby Road, Heartsease
55. Soul Church, Heartsease

⏱️ Times & Frequency — Route 23A

Summary from the main timetable (Monday to Friday), aggregating every journey pattern of each direction:

Direction	First	Last	Frequency	End-to-end
Heartsease to Longwater Retail Park	06:12	18:20	every 34 minutes	around 62 min
Longwater Retail Park to Heartsease	06:06	18:35	every 25 minutes	around 82 min

Departures from Retail Park, Heartsease (Heartsease to Longwater Retail Park, fullest pattern): 06:12, 07:30

Departures from McDonalds, Longwater Retail Park (Longwater Retail Park to Heartsease, fullest pattern): 06:06, 06:46, 07:00, 07:15, 07:38, 08:18, 08:45, 09:32, 09:52, 10:32, 10:52, 11:32, 11:52, 12:32, 12:52, 13:32, 13:52, 14:32, 14:55, 15:35, 15:55, 16:45, 17:05

Day-by-day running — Longwater Retail Park to Heartsease

Days	First	Last	Buses
Monday to Friday	06:06	18:35	25
Saturdays	06:20	18:35	22
Sundays	08:24	17:24	10

First bus times — Longwater Retail Park to Heartsease

The first bus on the fullest pattern calls at its stops at these times (Monday to Friday):

Stop	First bus
McDonalds, Longwater Retail Park	17:24
Copper Beach, Longwater Retail Park	17:25
Magnolia Way, Queens Hill	17:28
Wilderness Road, Queens Hill	17:30
Kestral Avenue, Queens Hill	17:30
Magnolia Way, Queens Hill	17:32
Copper Beach, Longwater Retail Park	17:35
Longwater Gravel, Longwater Retail Park	17:36
Lord Nelson Drive, New Costessey	17:38
Roundwell Medical Centre, New Costessey	17:39
East Hills Road, Costessey	17:40
The Loke, Costessey	17:40
Medical Centre, Costessey	17:41
Cleves Way, Costessey	17:42
The Harte of Costessey	17:42
Lime Tree Avenue, Costessey	17:44
Myrtle Avenue, Costessey	17:45
Folgate Lane, Costessey	17:45
Hill Road, New Costessey	17:47
Kabin Road, New Costessey	17:48
The Crown, New Costessey	17:49
Sunny Grove, New Costessey	17:50
Oval Road, New Costessey	17:50
Marshall Close, New Costessey	17:51
Jamieson Place, Norwich	17:52
Aldi, Norwich	17:53
Cadge Road, Norwich	17:54
Whistlefish Court, Norwich	17:55
The Gatehouse, Norwich	17:56
Winchcomb Road, Norwich	17:57
Holly Drive, Norwich	17:58
Bowthorpe Road, Norwich	17:59
Adelaide Street, Norwich	18:00
Co-op, Norwich	18:01
Rampant Horse Street, Norwich City Centre	18:09
Castle Meadow, Norwich City Centre	18:18
Prince of Wales Road, Norwich	18:19
Prince of Wales Road, Norwich	18:21
Gas Hill, Norwich	18:24
Vincent Road, Norwich	18:27

📍 Areas Served

Within the Norwich area this service calls at stops in Norwich, New Costessey, Norwich City Centre, Heartsease, Costessey.

🔀 Interchanges on this Route

At Prince of Wales Road, Norwich you can change to 22 other services, including route 14, route 15, route 16, route 2, route 23.

At Prince of Wales Road, Norwich you can change to 13 other services, including route 14, route 15, route 16, route 2, route 23.

At Cadge Road, Norwich you can change to 8 other services, including route 23, route 24, route 24A, route 24B, route 34.

At Whistlefish Court, Norwich you can change to 8 other services, including route 23, route 24, route 24A, route 24B, route 34.

🔀 Connections & the Operator

Route 23A is operated by First Eastern Counties — see the full First Eastern Counties operator page for the rest of its Norwich-area network. More Norwich routes are listed on the Norwich bus guide, or browse the Norfolk bus hub.

🎫 Fares & Payment

• Fare cap: single fares on this service are capped at £3 under the England national fare cap — the cap falls to £2 from 1 January 2027. See BusUpdate’s fare cap guide.
• Paying: most operators in this area accept contactless bank cards and mobile payment as well as cash; smaller community operators may differ — check with First Eastern Counties for this route.
• Day tickets: if you make several journeys, ask the driver about First Eastern Counties day tickets, which can beat paying capped singles.

❓ Route 23A — FAQs

How long does the 23A take from Longwater Retail Park to Heartsease?

Around 82 minutes end to end on the main timetable, varying with traffic, time of day and how many stops are requested.

How often does the 23A run?

Every 25 minutes on the main weekday timetable, with first bus 06:06 and last bus 18:35 from Longwater Retail Park. Services on other days of the week (Monday to Friday, Saturdays, Sundays) can differ.

How much is the fare on route 23A?

Single fares are capped at £3 under the England fare cap (£2 from 1 January 2027). First Eastern Counties day tickets may be cheaper if you make several journeys.

What days does the 23A run?

Daily — calendars in the registered timetable: Monday to Friday, Saturdays, Sundays.

Sources: Timetable data from First Eastern Counties / Bus Open Data Service (BODS), 21 October 2026; stop locations from NaPTAN. Open data (OGL v3.0), independently compiled by BusUpdate — check the operator before travelling for any short-notice changes.