The University and city of Exeter

The University and city of Exeter

The student centre of Devon, home to a stunning cathedral, the County Council, and a university where everyone is supposedly either from Surrey, has had private school education or was rejected from Oxbridge (only 2 out of 3 apply to me), Exeter has been my beloved home away from home for the last two years.

I’ll give a brief overview of the negatives before I begin describing why I love studying and living in this city, which is definitely worth a weekend-vist at the very least. Everything is expensive – meals, alcohol, rent, cigarettes – but this is England. Also, the weather – prepare for rain at any given time of the year. I’d generally avoid England in the winter anyway; the best time to visit the country would be between April and October, in my opinion. There are quite a few homeless people, which is usually shocking to visitors, but they are mostly all very friendly, lovely individuals who will wish you a “good day” no matter what. If you don’t want to give them money, they’ll be more than grateful for a cup of tea or coffee, or maybe some food. With regards to the population, it’s not the most ethnically diverse city, as people of all races are likely to comment. And the hills... if you visit the Streatham university campus, no one will judge you if you take the bus (either the H or D bus). If you do decide to walk up the hill, wear comfortable shoes and be prepared to break a sweat. Asides from the campus, it is possible to walk around the entire city if you don’t want to rely on the bus, but being a British student I am not easily phased by a 40 minute walk.

All of this doesn’t detract from the fact that this city has the perfect environment for a student. It is safe, beautiful, has a lot of culture, plenty of things to do and the customer service in shops, bars and restaurants is of very high quality. Every city has its negatives, but these are overshadowed by the efforts of the local community and the University of Exeter to maintain its golden reputation. I will describe all my favourite things and recommended places in more detail, which will hopefully inspire you to pass through one day.

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St David’s station

In my first year of university, I lived in off-campus halls near Exeter St David’s, the main train station. Despite not loving my accommodation, I thought the location was very advantageous. In addition to being shouting distance from the train station, there is also Exeter’s largest 24-hour taxi service Apple Taxis and a bus stop. The university provides a free shuttle-bus service from the train station in the mornings, and it’s only a short walk to the city centre (if you know the shortcut) and the Quay. Inside the train station there’s a Starbucks, and next to the Apple Taxi office there’s a Costa. There are also small express supermarkets in the area for a quick snack or drink. Here is where most visitors to Exeter will arrive, although there are other train stations in the city.

Opposite the station is a Premier Inn, a chain of hotels in England that isn’t the cheapest. There are hotels and B&Bs spread throughout the city, and there might also be a backpacker’s hostel somewhere. On the right of the Premier Inn, there’s a sign that indicates a path to the university. Before taking it, be warned that it’s a rather steep incline that most tend to avoid. You will see after climbing the first hill a sign for “The Imperial” pub, known locally as “Impy”; it’s part of a popular chain of pubs called “Wetherspoons” (or Spoons) and well-known by students and residents alike. If you want a typical English pub meal for a decent price, you’ll get a good deal at any Spoons. They have a variety of options, including vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free, and honestly, the quality could be much worse. My friend and I sometimes go to a Spoons and take advantage of their two bottles of Bulmer’s cider for £5 deal.

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University of Exeter

Passing the Impy, to the left and round the corner, you’ll be at the foot of the University campus which is absolutely worth visiting if you’re not studying there. To be specific, I’m referring to the Streatham Campus. The St Luke’s campus, more focused on medical studies, is on the other side of town in Heavitree, near the RD&E Hospital. Streatham campus is beautiful, quite big and modern. The core of the campus has to be the Forum. It has seminar and lecture rooms, the main library, the Student Information Desk (SID), the Career Zone, lots of study spaces and lots of options for food – whether it’s curly fries from the Ram (our student bar), a sandwich from Costa or Pret-A-Manger, or the delicious cookie dough brownies from Comida. My personal favourite lunch order on campus is an £2. 55 Urban Eat sandwich (always Bhaji Bonanza) from the Student Guild Shop, where you can also buy Exeter University hoodies, t-shirts etc, and a chai latte from Comida. As a languages student, I usually spend most of my time in Queen’s Building, studying in the café or the FLC (Foreign Language Centre), which also offers evening courses in a variety of languages.

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If not to have an insight into the daytime student atmosphere here, the University of Exeter is worth a visit purely for the gardens by Reed Hall. There’s a group of dedicated, talented gardeners who care for the lands on the campus and their diligent work is evident. The gardens are the most beautiful in the spring, in my opinion, with the dandelions and flowers in full bloom, complimented by the sunlight on the rare day that we have good weather.

As an Erasmus student, you’ll be aware of the Erasmus associations such as ESN. However, another benefit of British universities is the student-run “societies”. These are types of clubs or groups, and there’s something for every interest. To give you an idea, in my first year of university I joined around 4 societies: Hispanic, Dead Poets, RAG and Hindu. The Hispanic Society is in the “Academic/Employability” category, and members are those who study Spanish at the university, or have an interest in the language. Almost each subject studied at the university has its own society, e. g. Archaeology, Film, Classics, Politics, etc. Dead Poets Society, now disbanded, was for spoken word poets or people who liked writing/reading poetry. It was categorised as “Arts & Culture”, and has now been assimilated into Exeter’s Creative Writing Society. I joined RAG or Raise and Give as it was one of Exeter’s charitable societies. There’s also ESV (Exeter Student Volunteers) which does very good work with the local community, Amnesty International, YMCA, Exeter Nightline and many more. The Hindu Society was very helpful in that it provided me with a connection to my culture and a refuge for when I felt particularly homesick. There are many religious and international societies for all ethnic backgrounds, providing communities for international students and a piece of home abroad.

I continued my membership with the Hispanic and Dead Poets Society in my second year of university. I became more involved with the Hispanic Society by becoming a committee member, in charge of organising and leading Spanish conversation classes for beginner and advanced speakers, and I also joined and wrote some articles for Exeposé, the university student newspaper. It has an online version which I highly recommend giving a read, for a better insight into student life and living in Exeter in general.

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There are so many different categories of societies and you should really join at least one or two, even if you’re only studying for a semester. This is the best way to be integrated into Exeter’s student life, as you can meet new people and practice your English at the socials and events organised by the societies. A lot of the events do involve drinking alcohol, but there are many groups whose events don’t focus so much on frying your liver, for example the Outdoor/Adventure societies. There are also many sports societies, membership to some can be a bit expensive, but there are cheaper ones too. Click here to see all the categories and the entire list of societies. There are over 200 to choose from. I hope you find one that you like.

In addition to the International Societies, the INTO Building opposite the Forum is the hub of international students. You’ll find students from all over the world there, and if you’re having serious trouble it could be a good place to go for advice.

Queen Street

The first of the main streets in the City Centre. Starting from the very beginning, at the Farmer’s Inn, where I spent my Thursday’s in my second year of university doing the pub quiz with a group of friends, it leads to Gandy Street, the Guildhall and the High Street, all of which I shall describe later with the details they deserve.

Highlights of this street: Urban Underground, a cocktail bar under their burger restaurant. They’re known for serving cocktails in teapots and fishbowls, and they are worth trying. My favoruite is the Urban Zombiekiller; it costs £10, and is the strongest drink you’ll find in Exeter, containing tequila, rum, absinthe, rum, more rum, and passion fruit juice. Also a sprinkle of cinnamon which they set on fire. You can make it weaker and split it between two people, which I’d highly recommend doing.

UPDATE: unbeknownst to myself, Urban Burger has since been bought and replace with something entirely new. Link to the website - maybe it's worth a try.

For something more quotidian, The Angel Inn, a pub that looks slightly dodgy from the outside, but inside has a lovely atmosphere and friendly bartenders. Another of the main train stations of the city, Exeter Central, can also be found here. Further up, there’s a Five Guys, a few independent shops, Brody’s– the best restaurant for breakfast in the city. One of the epicentres of culture in the city can also be found on this street– the Royal Albert Memorial Museum (RAMM – closed on Mondays). It has everything you can imagine, the history of Exeter, artefacts from all over the world, including a full Samurai suit of armour, artwork, taxidermy, entomology... literally everything.

Las Iguanas, a Hispanic restaurant chain, is great for cocktails and something spicy. It’s not the cheapest, but if you get two pitchers of cocktails they’ll give you a free plate of nachos. There’s plenty of places for coffee, my personal favourite being Boston Tea Party, for the extensive range of tea, the white hot chocolate and the chai latte. Carrying on, you’ll see the Guildhall to the right, which I’ll talk about later, and then where the High Street begins.

Gandy Street

Before leaving Queen Street, I want to tell you about my favourite place in Exeter: Gandy Street. It runs alongside Queen Street, just turn left at Las Iguanas, then right. It begins with Exeter Phoenix, “a vibrant, world class multi-artform venue, and home to several art galleries, a theatre, cinema, film production resources, a radio station, print workshop and recording studios, all centred around a buzzing café bar. ” I know it best for Taking the Mic, an evening on the third Wednesday of every month that is dedicated to the performances of local poets, comedians and sometimes musicians too. Sometimes they do club nights, and the bar makes a really good chai latte, which I always appreciate. There are some really lovely independent, vintage shops on the street too, such as Moko and Sobey’s, and some jewellry shops too. A delicious quirk is the two chocolate bars, which I’ve heard do the best hot chocolates – I have yet to try them.

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In addition to the shops, culture and chocolate, the street has two of my top three recommended clubs– Cavern and Vaults. Cavern is an underground club with a very grungey vibe. It’s down an alley that connects to Queen Street, leading to Boston Tea Party. Every two weeks on Fridays they do an event called “Magic Hatstand”, £6 entry, involving a lot of glitter and hats. It’s a lot of fun. Saturday nights are my favourite, Indie Club, where local bands perform live, generally in the indie/alternative/hard rock genre. Afterwards they play all the classics, and it’s £4 entry. I think one of my favourite things about Cavern is that if you lose your friends, you simply need to hit up the girl’s bathroom and you’ll find new companions to spend the night with, whom you’ll probably never see again. It’s spontaneous, easy-going, and the music suits my preferences very well. Also during the week, there are a variety of events and live gigs from local bands, tickets are a bit more expensive but worth it. Vaults is Exeter’s one and only LGBTQ+ club. It’s a pretty standard club, but quite significant for some people, being a safe space to express your true self. Mostly £4 entry, sometimes it’s free, and it’s open Sunday nights too.

There are a couple of bars on the street too, such as John Gandy’s. It has a mixed clientele, usually the non-student residents of the city, however, the drinks are cheap and they play music too. A new addition is The Cauldron Inn. It has replaced Cuba Cantina, which was my favourite place to eat in Exeter, so that’s a bit annoying, but this Harry Potter-themed bar has become very popular. So I guess that’s goodbye to my veggie burritos…

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Guildhall

For all the student necessities, Guildhall is the place to go. It’s opposite Boston Tea Party, on the right of Queen Street, but honestly you can’t miss it. If you need groceries, stationery, clothes, household products, make up, a decent meal, a night out, Guildhall has got it all. It’s a very useful area of Exeter, especially for students, but I don’t want to waste too much time listing everything it has.

A NOTE ON SUPERMARKETS: If you have access to a kitchen during your stay in Exeter, there are some things I’d recommend buying and trying from the supermarket. Sainsbury’s in Guildhall, or Tesco’s at the end of Queen Street are the cheapest in the city centre, there is an Aldi by the Quay. On Queen Street there’s also an M&S, and the Food Hall is amazing. Unaffordable, but one can dream. Waitrose is also a typical English supermarket chain, quite “posh” but inexpensive if you buy the supermarket brand products. If you’re staying in England for more than 2 months, and you’ll be living in the St Luke’s area get a Waitrose Card so you get a free takeaway coffee/cup of tea with your shopping. Asides from the “full English breakfast” that my country is known for, there are many other breakfast options in addition, such as toasted English muffins or crumpets. They can both be eaten with jam, chocolate spread, with plain butter is more than good, or my personal favourite is cheese and barbeque sauce. And of course, it must be accompanied with a nice cup of tea.

Cathedral Green

As you might expect, the Cathedral Green is where, shockingly, you’ll find the Anglican Cathedral dedicated to St Peter, in a Norman/Gothic style. It has the longest uninterrupted vaulted ceiling in England, which might be interesting information to those who know what that means. From the outside, it’s simply magnificent and breathtakingly beautiful, providing a stunning view for a picnic on the grassy areas. You have to pay to enter and see the inside, unless you tell the staff that you’re “there to pray”, in which case they’ll let you in for free. Although this is more believable if you’re on your own.

The green itself is surrounded by shops and restaurants, and hosts a lovely Christmas market during the winter, perfect for finding unique Christmas gifts, like bonsai trees and chocolate wine! It was also the location of the Royal Clarence hotel, which was the oldest hotel in England, before it was completely destroyed by a fire in 2016. It was quite dramatic, the smoke could be seen and smelt in all parts of the city. Read more here.

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High Street

The High Street is the main shopping street of Exeter, which also has some banks, restaurants and coffee department shops. My favourite place to stop along here is the Waterstone’s near John Lewis. It’s a chain of book shops that you can find in most English cities, in Exeter there are three. This one in particular has three floors and a nice coffee shop right next to its travel section. Heaven.

The High Street is the link with connects all the main commercial areas of Exeter’s city centre, but it’s nothing particularly special in itself. John Lewis, a large department shop, is used by most as a point of reference or a meeting place. If you go left the Waterstone’s/John Lewis, you’ll find something really special and unique to Exeter: the famous Old Firehouse. Here you’ll find the best food, and more importantly the best pizza, that Exeter has to offer. It’s very popular with everyone, so finding a table is not easy. Also, be warned, the pizzas are absolutely huge. They are typically shared between 3 or more people, along with an £8 bottle of house wine (or two). It’s got a wonderful atmosphere, with candle and fairy lights, and if you are in Exeter for a prolonged period of time it’s a must-visit.

Just off the middle of the High Street, to the left of Pret-A-Manger, is one of Exeter’s best clubs (in my opinion), Timepiece, or “half-decent” according to their slogan. It has been famously dubbed “the easiest place to pull in Europe”…. It’s got three floors and outdoor seating. The bottom floor is always free entry, playing generic pop music throughout the week, but on Tuesday’s it converts to a salsa/reggaeton paradise until 1:30am. The second floor has more of an alternative/rock vibe, but the top floor, or “top-top” is the crowd favourite, playing hip-hop/R&B songs. It’s very crowded on Wednesday and Friday nights, Wednesday being the day when all the sport clubs have their socials there. Another quality of the place is that outside most days there’s a burger van, and their spicy bean burgers are amazing.

A NOTE ON THE NIGHTLIFE: Burger/chip vans are quite common in Exeter, feeding fried foods and cheesy chips to all the hungry, drunken students from late evening til dawn. You’ll also find crowds in Subway and McDonald’s after the clubs close, typically between 2-3am. Yeah, it’s very early. The shops close at 6pm, the restaurants and bars around 11pm-midnight. Going for dinner at 6pm is relatively acceptable. Usually people go out at 10pm ish, to the club or for a drink in a bar. It’s definitely a good idea to predrink, because as I’ve already mentioned Exeter is very expensive. Some places have drinks deals, but you can very easily blow the budget on a night out.

Princesshay

Princesshay is the place to go for shopping, it has most of the main high street brands. Also, if you’re still confused from the 2014 “cheeky Nando’s” meme, you can discover it for yourself here. Giraffe is also a great place for lunch or dinner, especially if you want top-notch customer service from Exeter’s friendliest waiters, and also if you’re vegetarian like me (and they have good vegan options too). The fast-fashion shops here that I haven’t seen in Europe are Topshop, Cath Kidston, River Island, Fat Face and Hollister. However, all of these are quite expensive. There’s also a New Look, a Tiger a Zara and apparently a Kiko. Hotel Chocolat is a good place to stop for high quality, delicious and a large range of chocolate. Also not the cheapest but you won’t regret trying it.

A tourist site in this area is the Exeter Underground Passages. These medieval, subterranean passageways built in the 14th Century used to transport water throughout the city. Guided tours are on offer, but the times are subject to change, so if you’re interested it’s best to check in advance.

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Sidwell Street

Although not the nicest street or area in Exeter, it’s one of my favourites for three reasons. Firstly, it’s full of charity shops (known as thrift stores in American English). If you’re looking for cheap, second-hand clothing these are the places to look. However, my favourite thing to do if I have a free afternoon, is to visit the book shelves in each of these shops and take myself on a sort of “book crawl”. I do this about twice or three times a year, and end up walking home with a pile of 8-10 books that cost me between £5-10, in a cute vintage backpack that didn’t exactly break the bank either. Also, if you’re looking formore opportunities to practice English, these charity shops may also be looking for volunteers to help with customers, handle donations and stock the shelves. They are also good places to donate any unwanted clothes or objects you had to buy in Exeter and won’t fit in your suitcase.

Sidwell Street is also home to a favourite bar of locals and students, “Monkey Suit”. Here you’ll find some of the best cocktails and atmosphere in the city. It is expensive, but Monday’s there’s a 2-for-1 night for students, including pitchers of cocktails. Just remember to bring your student card with you.

Finally, the third reason for why I like Sidwell Street – Dana Pani, Exeter’s best Indian restaurant. It’ s not the cheapest, Indian food never is in Europe, but the best I’ve had in Exeter. The owners are friendly, and the dishes are authentic. Just don’t order a Chicken Tikka Masala – it’s a British invention and not real Indian food.

Sidwell Street also has a butcher’s, a greengrocer’s selling organic fruit and veg, and lots of little supermarkets such as Sainsbury’s, Iceland and Tesco Express. If you need a cheap haircut, there are a few barber’s and Celly’s, where I usually get my haircut for £14. Most offer student discounts.

The Quay

This is truly one of the most beautiful areas of Exeter, found when walking down the river. I used to see a lot of The Quay in my first year, being a mere 20-minute walk away from St David’s. The main highlights have to be On the Waterfront, a restaurant serving one of Exeter’s best pizzas. It’s usually very busy, so I’d advise going early or late to try get a table – there’s little hope if you go between 7:30-9pm for example, unless you’re willing to wait for someone to finish their dinner. Bar Venezia is also pretty cool, very purple. Not the cheapest but you’ll get a good meal. Occassionally, there’s a Street Food Market held at various times throughout the year, check Facebook for more times and days of these events. One of Exeter’s well-known clubs is there too, formerly Cellar Door, now called Move. It’s... an interesting place. It’s an underground club, so it gets very hot. Don’t touch the walls. Also, the people who frequent this club aren’t always in a particularly sober state of mind. Anyway, The Quay has to be visited if you have the time.

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Transport

Some students spend their entire degrees here without using public transport or taxis, with the exception of the trains to travel home for weekends and holidays. I’ve mentioned Apple Taxi, and there are also two taxi ranks by Exeter St David’s station and on Sidwell Street by John Lewis. Taxis are an expensive way of travelling, but ok for a one-off if home feels too far to walk after a night out. There’s a relatively reliable bus service, owned by the company Stagecoach, that runs during the day from early morning to midnight ish. Check online for bus timetables. To the university, via the City Centre, or back, you want a D or H bus. There are 4 train stations in the city: Exeter St David’s, Exeter Central, St James Park and Polsloe Bridge. If you catch the train from those last two stations, there’s no ticket machine so be sure to find and purchase it from the ticket inspector. You won’t be fined as long as you say that you got on the train from St James Park/Polsloe Bridge. Exeter also has many cycling routes, being a cycle-friendly city so a bike is another good option for getting around the city. There are a lot of people cycling around, including Deliveroo employees who pick up and deliver food to your doorstep. You can buy a cheap second-hand bike or rent one from the various companies who offer that service. Click here for more info about cycling in Exeter.

The clubs I’ve not mentioned

• Unit 1– on Sidwell Street, open every day except Wednesday and Sunday. It’s a very basic club, part of the UKCN chain of clubs found all over the UK, and it’s really popular with most students. If I had to pick the best day to go, for me it would be Thursday when it’s open until 3am, or Saturday when you get free entry/half price drinks before 11pm. The most popular night is “Cheesy Tuesday’s”, when they play cheesy pop music from all eras. It’s a marmite kind of night, you either love it or hate it, but you’ll have to try it at least once.

• Rosie’s– used to be called Mosaic. A generic club like Unit 1 but not as popular. Ok on Mondays.

• Fever Boutique– a new club that opened nearby Rosie’s. It's very popular and apparently the place to be on Thursday/Friday nights. I have been once - at first it was shocking, being relatively sober amongst people who were not. I'm not sure I would go again but the students seem to love it.

• Lemon Grove – also known as the “Lemmy”, it’s the student club on campus. Yeah, our university has a club, it’s at the bottom of Streatham campus next to Lafrowda, the most popular student halls. I think you need a University of Exeter student card to get in. Most popular on Saturday nights, and honestly it could be worse.

Speaking of Lafrowda and student halls

I remember that, in my first year when I lived in student residences, the Erasmus students were pretty well integrated. I’m not sure of the procedure for allocation of accommodation to Erasmus students, but wherever you end up, I’m sure you’ll love it. I myself was in Point Exe, because it was relatively cheap for a private room with an ensuite in a shared flat. The most popular are Lafrowda and Birks Grange, which I spent a lot of time in as that’s where most of my friends lived. There are also studio apartments available, but I feel like that’s a bit isolated and detracts from the student experience. My rent is usually covered by student loans from the UK government; I’d recommend checking the rent prices in advance to make sure you have enough funds. The money from the Erasmus grant can’t be relied on, as it doesn’t always get deposited in your bank account when you need it. Also the monthly allowance won’t cover your whole rent. Save up some money, try get a part-time job in the city, or hopefully your parents and family will support you financially. For some perspective, in my first year in the Point Exe halls I paid about £127 (€144) a week including bills, so £508 (€577) a month for my ensuite room in a shared student flat. My bedroom in my second year house was £450 (€511) a month all bills included. Most international students tend to opt for Printworks or a Unite Students residence, but those are even more expensive. Very nice and comfortable, but expensive.

Beware of silverfish. And don’t leave windows open and lights on at night, especially when its warm, otherwise you’ll be hoovering flies from the ceiling...

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When to visit Exeter

October-beginning of November is an interesting time to visit. You can experience one of Devon’s unique “Bonfire Night” traditions in the beautiful town of Ottery St. Mary– the Flaming Tar Barrels. The website with information on the events warns that: “This event becomes very crowded and you are in close proximity of fire and burning tar barrels. If you are scared by flames and do not like being in crowded areas then this event is not for you! ” I was a little bit shocked when I witnessed this event, especially when my friend got almost run over by a screaming man carrying a flaming barrel on his back, but it was really thrilling. Just outside the town's centre, there’s also a huge bonfire and typical fair ground rides for the adrenaline seekers. No fireworks, unfortunately, but an unforgettable experience. If you join a big society on campus such as RAG, they usually sell tickets for coaches to Ottery St. Mary from the university around the time. Otherwise I’m not sure of how else to get there. If you do go, don’t wear nice shoes, as the fields are very muddy, especially if it has rained. It’s generally a good idea to have a pair of shoes you don’t mind throwing away after your trip. Click here to read more about the hundred-years old tradition of the Flaming Tar Barrels.

I love Exeter at Christmas, for the beautiful lights that illuminate the city, the speciality hot chocolates in coffee shops, and the Christmas Market on the Cathedral Green that I’ve already mentioned. The only issue is that England is cold and it might even snow, so wrap up warm with hats, gloves, scarves and thermals, and get on that mulled wine and hot cider!

Between April and September, Exeter is a bit quiet due to Easter holidays, exam season, and then the students all going home or on their travels for the summer. However, the parties do see a spike when exams end, so May-early June might not be the worst time to visit. It’s also when the big societies and groups get their suits and dresses on for thesummer balls. In addition, there’s a small one-day festival that occurs usually at the end of May called “Poltimore Festival”. It’s 20 minutes from Exeter itself, at Poltimore House, and involves a magical day with live music from talented local bands and singers, spoken word poetry, art exhibitions, film, comedy and theatre performances. It’s absolutely my favourite day of the year, and truly a special festival, with little quirks such as the “glitter pirates” (what they call the volunteers hired to decorate your face with glitter), yoga and slacklining in the woods, a bouncy castle and this year they’ve even invited local guide dogs to play with festival attendees. They organise coaches there and back from Streatham. Tickets this year cost £15, £13 for concessions (e. g. if you’re a student), but it’s worth it.

Harry Potter

As you may already know, J. K. Rowling is one of the more notable alumni of the University of Exeter. It’s said that there are many spots in the university and city that have inspired key aspects of the Harry Potter series. Here’s a list of the ones I’m aware of on campus, for the die-hard fans who want to take a self-guided tour:

1. Washington Singer: the Psychology building, also home to “Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom”. It’s been refurbished though so it may not look exactly same as the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets, but you can sort of see traces of what it might have been. The electric hand dryers seem a bit out of place though.

2. Amory: the moving staircases (having had classes in this labyrinth of a building, that makes perfect sense to me). On Streatham campus.

3. Mardon Hall: student residence on campus that is said to be the inspiration of Gryffindor common room.

In addition to those on campus, there are alsoa few other spots in the city centre.

1. Gandy Street: Diagon Alley

2. The Cauldron Inn: Harry Potter bar

3. The Old Firehouse: The Leaky Cauldron (although JK Rowling said she never went there... )

4. The Cathedral: the Great Hall

Beach day

If you visit at the end of Spring or Summer, then the weather is likely to be good enough for at trip to the beach. Taking the train from Exeter Central or Exeter St David’s to Exmouth, the last station, it’s a half an hour journey that costs £5 for a return ticket. The village of Exmouth is small and quiet, a few shops and supermarkets, and the same goes for the beach. The sea will most likely be cold, but it’s a nice place for a walk or a picnic in sunny weather, to relax away from the fast-paced nature of university life.

That’s all I have to say about Exeter and the university. It’s an incomplete guide, based on my experience of living and studying there for two years, but it’s more than enough information to get you started in the city. I missed out a lot of information about the sports scene, for instance football and rugby in Exeter, but my exercise is limited to walking and running around the city, and sometimes a trip to the gym. It’s up to you to discover the rest for yourself and build your own life in this wonderful place. I’m certain you will really enjoy an Erasmus experience here, as I love being a student in Exeter. Wherever you go, in England, you’ll have a great time, but I went back to Exeter 3 times during my Erasmus year for a reason – my friends, but also because it’s become a second home, and no matter where I go it will always have a place in my heart. Safe travels and good luck! Don't forget to follow this link to check out the top 10 universities in the UK and general information.

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