Exeter University

The second in the Uni series…

On Wednesday we visited Exeter, in the glorious sunshine and spring breeze. Before we went, I didn’t really have a plan of what to look out for, or what to expect. But knowing I loved the look of the course and the distance from home was a stone’s throw away compared to Durham, a 6hr slog up the country, I knew I had high expectations. And it didn’t disappoint…

A bit about the city:

Exeter is a cathedral city in Devon, England, with a population of 129,800. The city is located on the River Exe approximately 36 miles from Plymouth and 65 miles of Bristol. The combination of rolling hills in the countryside, to modern city creates for a good mixture of busy life and escape to the country!

What gifts it has: beaches, hills, wilderness, astonishing food and hobbity old pubs, medieval gothic townhouses, proper coffee at last!
– Guardian

Well connected? Trains: to Taunton (28 mins), Exmouth (30 mins), Bristol, Plymouth and Yeovil (all 1 hour). Driving: half an hour to the sea at Exmouth or to the wilds of Dartmoor, 45 mins to Taunton and 90 mins to Bristol. If you wish to visit London, it’s less than a 3-hour train journey or you can fly from the airport to London, Manchester, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Glasgow and abroad.

We arrived in the city late morning and walked through the Guildhall shopping centre to reach the main high street, a slightly tainted and commercial approach to the ‘beautiful campus’ I had read about. Having had a coffee and wandered around for a bit, we found the cathedral and more historic part of town – with the sunshine creating a lovely scene for exploring. I decided to find the quayside for lunch and sitting by the river Exe having lunch in the sun was definitely a highlight.

Exeter Quayside

But I had come to see the university, and we hadn’t been up there yet! So a slow 20 minute walk up the hill, to the Streathem Campus took us through suburbs and old military barracks. The campus itself with library, student union, café etc were all very modern and well laid out but were surrounded by green landscaping and well-maintained paths. There seemed to be a good compromise of modern, practical, up to date buildings and facilities with history and nature. We then explored a little further, finding Holland, Marden and Reed hall, all with beautiful buildings, gardens and views.

Main Campus
Holland Hall

We walked back down the hill towards the city centre and past the Exmouth Central station – having found our bearings and built a mental map of the place, we hit the road and travelled the 2-hour car journey home.