# Moving to Bristol



## Doctor Carrot (Feb 22, 2009)

Much to my delight I have been offered a place on the social policy course at Bristol university .  I will be moving there in September, providing I pass my access course.  As the rent's cheap (compared to London), as i'll be 28 and don't wanna live with 18 year olds, and as I have a pet chameleon in tow, i'm going to live on my own.  Ideally I wanna live near to campus and halls so I won't be far away from people, what area do you suggest? i've been looking on gumtree but I don't know what areas to live in, where to avoid etc.  Can anyone recommend a decent letting agency?

More importantly where's the decent places for gigs, comedy etc? I know Bristol's got a quality music scene and I wanna get stuck into it.  Yeah I could google all this stuff, and I have, but I find it's always better to get views from people who actually live there.

Cheers


----------



## electrogirl (Feb 22, 2009)

Hello! 

I have to say, if you wanna live near the Bristol Uni campus, it won't be _that_ much cheaper than London. The campus is in clifton which is the poshy posh posh part and is really quite expensive, however if you look nearer the Redland/Cotham area it gets cheaper, and even Gloucester road is not that far away (although a few hills away, but you get used to that in Bristol) and would be cheaper too.

Gloucester road is more interesting in a lot of ways too, there is a comedy club down there called Jesters which is pretty grimey in a good way, and there are cool bars and live music stuff going on down there.


----------



## wiskey (Feb 22, 2009)

come south of the river, the rent is much cheaper 

and is it a real chameleon?


----------



## electrogirl (Feb 22, 2009)

wiskey said:


> come south of the river, the rent is much cheaper
> 
> and is it a real chameleon?



Sometimes. Southville isn't actually that much cheaper these days though I've noticed.

And it's a fucking trek to Bristol uni.


----------



## wiskey (Feb 22, 2009)

well no, but the non poncey bits are cheaper


----------



## electrogirl (Feb 22, 2009)

wiskey said:


> well no, but the non poncey bits are cheaper





I asked for that.

I still reckon Bedminster is getting more expensive, and Totterdown is getting pricier aswell.


----------



## Doctor Carrot (Feb 22, 2009)

electrogirl said:


> Hello!
> 
> I have to say, if you wanna live near the Bristol Uni campus, it won't be _that_ much cheaper than London. The campus is in clifton which is the poshy posh posh part and is really quite expensive, however if you look nearer the Redland/Cotham area it gets cheaper, and even Gloucester road is not that far away (although a few hills away, but you get used to that in Bristol) and would be cheaper too.
> 
> Gloucester road is more interesting in a lot of ways too, there is a comedy club down there called Jesters which is pretty grimey in a good way, and there are cool bars and live music stuff going on down there.



Oh yeah i've heard that Clifton is the real posh part, that's all the info I have in terms of areas.  Are all the halls in Clifton too? i'm fussed about being really close to halls or campus, I don't mind a short bus ride or a 10-15 minute walk.  

Gloucester Road sounds cool.  If I was looking on gumtree what area should I look out for to be near that?



wiskey said:


> come south of the river, the rent is much cheaper
> 
> and is it a real chameleon?



Yeah he's real (a few people have said that to me  )

Here is baby Isambard, he's 3 months in this pic but he's 6 months old now and fast becoming a stroppy teenager!


----------



## Isambard (Feb 22, 2009)

Smoky said:


> Here is baby Isambard



I was having a bad hair day!


----------



## electrogirl (Feb 22, 2009)

Smoky said:


> Oh yeah i've heard that Clifton is the real posh part, that's all the info I have in terms of areas.  Are all the halls in Clifton too? i'm fussed about being really close to halls or campus, I don't mind a short bus ride or a 10-15 minute walk.
> 
> Gloucester Road sounds cool.  If I was looking on gumtree what area should I look out for to be near that?



Redland is one side, nearer uni, St Werberghs and Montpelier are the other side.

Half the halls are in Clifton, half are in Stoke Bishop..which is donks away.


----------



## Doctor Carrot (Feb 22, 2009)

Isambard said:


> I was having a bad hair day!



Ha did you get a text message when I made that post?


----------



## Isambard (Feb 22, 2009)

Heh heh.  Good advice so far, not that I know Bristol that well.
Clifton is too rah-rah-rah. If you did live in Bedminster or further in the deep south remember that the buses in Bristol are seriously shit.


----------



## electrogirl (Feb 22, 2009)

Isambard said:


> Heh heh.  Good advice so far, not that I know Bristol that well.
> Clifton is too rah-rah-rah. If you did live in Bedminster or further in the deep south remember that the buses in Bristol are seriously shit.


Yeah forget getting an easy ride from Beddo to Clifton, it would be 2 buses, and ridiculously expensive. It's about a 45mins walk, but a nice one.

Unless it's raining, when Park Street becomes The Travelator.


----------



## Doctor Carrot (Feb 23, 2009)

It seems that most of the halls are either in Clifton or Stoke Bishop and are about 3 miles from the main uni.  Where's a good place I can move to that would be between the uni and Stoke Bishop/Clifton? ta.


----------



## Yetman (Feb 23, 2009)

electrogirl said:


> Yeah forget getting an easy ride from Beddo to Clifton, it would be 2 buses, and ridiculously expensive. It's about a 45mins walk, but a nice one.
> 
> Unless it's raining, when Park Street becomes The Travelator.



Surely it doesnt take that long does it?  I get from Bedminster parade to Clifton in around 20 mins if using the short cuts and with a bit of a stomp on. That said the hills are crap, good exercise though.

What course are you doing? I have to go to Ashton Vale as the art block is there - way out of the centre. Lots of other blocks are out of the centre as well so you might want to check that out first as the buses in bris are seriously shit and expensive.


----------



## electrogirl (Feb 23, 2009)

Smoky said:


> It seems that most of the halls are either in Clifton or Stoke Bishop and are about 3 miles from the main uni.  Where's a good place I can move to that would be between the uni and Stoke Bishop/Clifton? ta.



I honestly wouldn't bother about trying to live near Stoke Bishop, there's nothing going on there and most students travel into Clifton/Centre to go out.

I would go for the places I mentioned earlier, Redland etc.


----------



## electrogirl (Feb 23, 2009)

Yetman said:


> Surely it doesnt take that long does it?  I get from Bedminster parade to Clifton in around 20 mins if using the short cuts and with a bit of a stomp on. That said the hills are crap, good exercise though.
> 
> What course are you doing? I have to go to Ashton Vale as the art block is there - way out of the centre. Lots of other blocks are out of the centre as well so you might want to check that out first as the buses in bris are seriously shit and expensive.



Really?! Fucking hell. Maybe it depends where in Clifton.

I can normally get from North Street to the top of St Michael's Hill in about 40 mins.

I mena, it takes about 20 mins to get from North Street to the centre.


----------



## Thora (Feb 23, 2009)

Clifton is expensive, but not as expensive as London - so if you're used to London rents you may be ok.  A friend of mine rents a 2 bed flat in Clifton for £700 a month, whereas the 2 bed flat I was living in Hackney was more like £900.  I live in St Pauls and work in Clifton btw, and it takes me about 20-30 minutes to walk there.


----------



## electrogirl (Feb 23, 2009)

.


----------



## Pip (Feb 23, 2009)

If it's going to take a while to walk to uni, get a bike. Imagine whizzing down all the hills - wheee!


----------



## dervish (Feb 23, 2009)

I was going to suggest getting a bike.

Bristol is really easy to get round by cycling, we're not the first cycling city for nothing!


----------



## Thora (Feb 23, 2009)

dervish said:


> I was going to suggest getting a bike.
> 
> Bristol is really easy to get round by cycling, we're not the first cycling city for nothing!



But what about all the up hill bits?


----------



## electrogirl (Feb 23, 2009)

Thora said:


> But what about all the up hill bits?



Yeah FUCK cycling up Park Street tbh.


----------



## wiskey (Feb 23, 2009)

Smoky said:


> Yeah he's real (a few people have said that to me  )
> 
> Here is baby Isambard, he's 3 months in this pic but he's 6 months old now and fast becoming a stroppy teenager!



we have a gecko. I'd like a chameleon but they get scared by people 

he's lovely


----------



## Yetman (Feb 23, 2009)

electrogirl said:


> Really?! Fucking hell. Maybe it depends where in Clifton.
> 
> I can normally get from North Street to the top of St Michael's Hill in about 40 mins.
> 
> I mena, it takes about 20 mins to get from North Street to the centre.



Yeah, it may be my freakishly long strides or stealthly use of shortcuts (across Queens square up the back steps of the church onto college green) or the fact that I class Clifton as 'that triangle bit at the top of park st' though


----------



## electrogirl (Feb 23, 2009)

Yetman said:


> Yeah, it may be my freakishly long strides or stealthly use of shortcuts (across Queens square up the back steps of the church onto college green) or the fact that I class Clifton as 'that triangle bit at the top of park st' though



I use those steps too! I'm feeling very inadequate now. I do have very short legs though tbf.

I'm only about 5 minutes further from the Triangle.


----------



## Crispy (Feb 23, 2009)

electrogirl said:


> Yeah forget getting an easy ride from Beddo to Clifton, it would be 2 buses, and ridiculously expensive. It's about a 45mins walk, but a nice one.



If you time it right, you can actually do Bedminster - Clifton Down in 35 minutes on the train and only £3 (!) But I think you'd have to be some sort of train-obsessed loon to take the train as a sensible commuting device in Bristol.


----------



## Thora (Feb 23, 2009)

Cheaper by train than bus.


----------



## Crispy (Feb 23, 2009)

Yep! Although the uni is a bit of a walk from Clifton Down. In fact, if you look on a map, it's a stupidly roundabout route. It's 1.3 miles in a straight line from bedminster station to the uni, but 9 miles on the train plus nearly a mile walk the other end.

In fact, forget the train entirely. Best to pretend that Bristol doesn't have any, because they're all useless, more's the pity


----------



## Doctor Carrot (Feb 23, 2009)

wiskey said:


> we have a gecko. I'd like a chameleon but they get scared by people
> 
> he's lovely



Isambard's ok, he's got used to me being around all the time and he spent time in the living room of a house with a large family as a baby so he's ok with people.  He won't let me hold him though, i'm cool with that, he's so funny and relaxing to watch I don't have any need to hassle him.


----------



## Doctor Carrot (Feb 23, 2009)

Thanks for the advice.  

Is Montpellier a shit hole? prices are very cheap round there


----------



## Thora (Feb 23, 2009)

Smoky said:


> Thanks for the advice.
> 
> Is Montpellier a shit hole? prices are very cheap round there



No, it's really nice - it's a bit hippy/alternative.


----------



## phildwyer (Feb 23, 2009)

When I was a kid growing up in Cardiff, we thought Bristol was terribly posh.  I went there a year or so ago, and Cardiff is now ten times posher.


----------



## electrogirl (Feb 23, 2009)

Thora said:


> No, it's really nice - it's a bit hippy/alternative.



yup, this ^^

It's a good location too because you're near the uni, but you're only a short walk from the town centre too.


----------



## JTG (Feb 23, 2009)

Smoky said:


> Thanks for the advice.
> 
> Is Montpellier a shit hole? prices are very cheap round there



It's full of smug nobheads


----------



## Yetman (Feb 23, 2009)

JTG said:


> It's full of smug nobheads



lol


----------



## JTG (Feb 23, 2009)

I'll expand - it's full of the sort of smug nobheads who have so much money they can afford to throw it away on gong washing, reiki and other assorted bollocks. It's empty in the summer cos they've all fucked off to smug liberal hippy wank festivals like Shambala and Big Chill

I apologise if you're some sort of rich hippy tit who thinks they'd enjoy this, go for your life 

One Stop Thali Cafe and the Old England are alright though


----------



## Thora (Feb 23, 2009)

That's the same One Stop Thali Cafe that you'll find at smug hippy festival Shambala, is it?


----------



## JTG (Feb 23, 2009)

You'll find it at lots of other places too, like Glastonbury.

Hoping to make money out of smug hippy tits does not mean you make shit food.


----------



## butchersapron (Feb 23, 2009)

When i win the lottery i'm going to build a wetherspoons bang in the middle of fuckiing mont-prolier.


----------



## JTG (Feb 23, 2009)

butchersapron said:


> When i win the lottery i'm going to build a wetherspoons bang in the middle of fuckiing mont-prolier.


----------



## electrogirl (Feb 23, 2009)

Some people have very strong negative feelings about certain areas in Bristol. Maybe it's because I'm not from Bristol that I don't.


----------



## Thora (Feb 23, 2009)

electrogirl said:


> Some people have very strong negative feelings about certain areas in Bristol. Maybe it's because I'm not from Bristol that I don't.



Some people are very ghetto, so of course have little patience for middle class hippies.


----------



## JTG (Feb 23, 2009)

Some people just think middle class hippies are dicks


----------



## electrogirl (Feb 23, 2009)

Where am i allowed to live?


----------



## butchersapron (Feb 23, 2009)

Thora said:


> Some people are very ghetto, so of course have little patience for middle class hippies.



There are places other than the ghetto and middle class hippy bubbles.


----------



## JTG (Feb 23, 2009)

electrogirl said:


> Where am i allowed to live?



Come round to strung_out's gaff and we'll take you through a list of approved areas


----------



## electrogirl (Feb 23, 2009)

JTG said:


> Come round to strung_out's gaff and we'll take you through a list of approved areas



I wouldn't take advice from him, he's scared of going south of the river.


----------



## breasticles (Feb 23, 2009)

hey electrogirl! i liked living in montpelier loads. i would move back to the werbs or montpelier in a fucking shot. its near the cube and the here shop and gloucester road and town. also, i'm middle class, and a bit of a hippy. so fucking kill me. no seriously, do your best. i will fight you off with tai chi and then heal myself with reiki. 

also, it's a 25 minute walk from clifton or if you have a bike you just go over the top past the BRI and there's not even any hills. are there? i probably wouldn't notice hills nowadays, so inured am i to living in BORING BORING totterdown. don't move to totterdown. it is so boring, i am losing the will to live on a daily basis.


----------



## butchersapron (Feb 23, 2009)

St Werburghs? That's even fucking worse. People not cool enough to get into Monpelier. Fuck the Farm, fuck your mural and fuck...er..The Herb garden!

(Will this do?)


----------



## kalidarkone (Feb 23, 2009)

Crispy said:


> Yep! Although the uni is a bit of a walk from Clifton Down. In fact, if you look on a map, it's a stupidly roundabout route. It's 1.3 miles in a straight line from bedminster station to the uni, but 9 miles on the train plus nearly a mile walk the other end.
> 
> In fact, forget the train entirely. Best to pretend that Bristol doesn't have any, because they're all useless, more's the pity



No I disagree the train that runs from Temple meads to Avon mouth and Severn beach is fantastic! I take it from Easton to Clifton Down most mornings and it cos me £6 for unlimited journeys for 7 days! Plus it only takes 9 minutes to get from Easton to Clifton down!

Therefore Smoky based on that you could also consider living in Montpelier. If you course is based at Woodland road then Clifton Down station is only 10 minutes away by foot.


----------



## Thora (Feb 23, 2009)

Fun fact for you:  my friend's dog's puppy now lives at the St Werb's farm pub.


----------



## electrogirl (Feb 23, 2009)

I'm annoyed with St Werberghs for charging me a fiver to get into what was essentially, a fete.

Call it a 'festival' all you want, but it was a fete.


----------



## kalidarkone (Feb 23, 2009)

butchersapron said:


> St Werburghs? That's even fucking worse. People not cool enough to get into Monpelier. Fuck the Farm, fuck your mural and fuck...er..The Herb garden!
> 
> (Will this do?)



The Herb Garden - that's going back a bit aint it??


----------



## Crispy (Feb 23, 2009)

kalidarkone said:


> No I disagree the train that runs from Temple meads to Avon mouth and Severn beach is fantastic! I take it from Easton to Clifton Down most mornings and it cos me £6 for unlimited journeys for 7 days! Plus it only takes 9 minutes to get from Easton to Clifton down!



Well, yes, from Easton it's great. Crazy to come from bedminster and change at temple meads though 
£6 though! Awesome! When we move to Bristol, I so want to be able to take the little train


----------



## Thora (Feb 23, 2009)

You moving to Bristol Crispy?


----------



## butchersapron (Feb 23, 2009)

Plus, if you going rush hour (morn or evening) and you get on the other end from the guards it's usually free.


----------



## butchersapron (Feb 23, 2009)

kalidarkone said:


> The Herb Garden - that's going back a bit aint it??



Old waters run deep.


----------



## Crispy (Feb 23, 2009)

Thora said:


> You moving to Bristol Crispy?



Eventually, yeah, looks like  Maybe in 2010-11?


----------



## Geri (Feb 23, 2009)

Nobody has mentioned Kingsdown/Stokes Croft - not very far at all from the university, along Upper Maudlin Steet past the BRI and onto Park Row and you are practically there. Or through the back streets.

There are loads of student flats along Jamaica Street (not the Turbo Island end) and some more (which I assume are student flats) in King Square Avenue. I assume they are for university students.


----------



## big eejit (Feb 23, 2009)

Smoky said:


> Thanks for the advice.
> 
> Is Montpellier a shit hole? prices are very cheap round there



If it's very cheap, it's possibly St Pauls rather than Montpelier, or some tiny rat-infested shack. And Montpelier does have its share of smug gits, as does St Werburghs. I like both areas tho.

Getting around by train is great, if you live anywhere near the Severn Beach line. A monthly ticket between Clifton and Temple Meads costs about £22, which is great value. Especially compared to the buses which, as others have pointed out, are shit and expensive.


----------



## xenon (Feb 23, 2009)

JTG said:


> I'll expand - it's full of the sort of smug nobheads who have so much money they can afford to throw it away on gong washing, reiki and other assorted bollocks. It's empty in the summer cos they've all fucked off to smug liberal hippy wank festivals like Shambala and Big Chill
> 
> I apologise if you're some sort of rich hippy tit who thinks they'd enjoy this, go for your life
> 
> One Stop Thali Cafe and the Old England are alright though




It's a bit yoghurt wieving, middle class hippy mung bean consuming, mixed with a bit of street sketchnyness round there. 

Cadbury house is a good pub up that way too though.


----------



## Gerry1time (Feb 23, 2009)

Montpelier and St Andrews are nice and walkable to the uni, lots of students round there (one of the Bristol Uni halls is at that end of the Gloucester Road). St Werburghs i'd say was a bit too far of a trek to walk to uni regularly, though is nice enough. Generally the more interesting friendly students live round the gloucester road kind of area, Montpelier is a bit hippyish though, and what JTG says about it being empty during the festival season is almost literally true. 

On the other side, Redland and Cotham are close to the Uni campus and studenty, but definitely the home of the posher more well to do students. Students living in clifton 10 years ago was plausible, but now the only ones who can are the very, very well off. If you want to live somewhere posh and stupidly expensive, live in clifton. I wouldn't anymore though. The Clifton halls are actually very close to the uni, just behind the student union on Queen's Road really, and are definitely nicer than the Stoke Bishop halls. They're both going to give you that authentic first year uni experience though, which i guess you're trying to avoid. 

So, my vote would be for montpelier/ st andrews or the bit of cotham that runs either side of cotham brow, given you're new to the city, want to live somewhere nice, and i guess not be around the sort of pretentious wanker bristol student that generally stays in the clifton/redland kinda of enclave.


----------



## big eejit (Feb 23, 2009)

xenon said:


> It's a bit yoghurt wieving, middle class hippy mung bean consuming, mixed with a bit of street sketchnyness round there.
> 
> Cadbury house is a good pub up that way too though.



I'd say the Cadbury is the acme of wanky studentness. Old England is an experience, but my fave round there is The Beaufort. Lovely pub.


----------



## Geri (Feb 23, 2009)

big eejit said:


> I'd say the Cadbury is the acme of wanky studentness. Old England is an experience, but my fave round there is The Beaufort. Lovely pub.



Is it still a haunt of the SWP?


----------



## xenon (Feb 23, 2009)

never been to the Beaufort. Old E once or twice years ago. Good nights. TBH when I frrequented the Cadbury more, I was a wanky student. Well maybe not so wanky. Most peple in the hall seemed to go for White Ladies Road. Brew House, Hob Goblin Cadbury and Star and Garter for late ones were more our thing. Too scruffy for the rah rah bars.


----------



## Geri (Feb 23, 2009)

My drinking circuit was this:

Cat & Wheel
Montpelier Hotel
Cadbury
The Bell

Never used to go to the Old England until I started working there, but for a few years we never went anywhere else!

Then the Brewhouse opened and the Old England lost a lot of trade.


----------



## xenon (Feb 23, 2009)

Ah yeah the Cat and Wheel. My mate lived on Zetland Road, just up the way. Used to have a quiet one in there on Sundays. Brew House was great for gigs mid week. 4 quid 3 bands. Not been so much now it's the Croft. I should drag myself a bit further north these days.


----------



## Geri (Feb 23, 2009)

A lot of pubs on the Gloucester Road have changed quite a bit - I went in the Prince of Wales the other week, it's been done out and is now quite trendy and studentish. It looks a lot better but it's expensive and I did not like the fact that the toilets were unisex.


----------



## big eejit (Feb 24, 2009)

Geri said:


> Is it still a haunt of the SWP?



I think they moved to the Cat and Wheel:







My partner doesn't like the unsiex loos in the POW - drunken blokes leaving the trap door open while they have a slash. It's not one my favourite pubs, tho I did prefer it before they tried to do it up.


----------



## kropotkin (Feb 24, 2009)

I'm moving down to Bristol in a few months as well.
Very excited to be getting out of London and starting a new life in a new city 

I unfortunately have no idea where I will be working, what I will be doing, what I will get paid, what my hours will be and consequently where I can live. But on the plus side, I do have a job.


----------



## electrogirl (Feb 24, 2009)

kropotkin said:


> I'm moving down to Bristol in a few months as well.
> Very excited to be getting out of London and starting a new life in a new city
> 
> I unfortunately have no idea where I will be working, what I will be doing, what I will get paid, what my hours will be and consequently where I can live. But on the plus side, I do have a job.



Yo uhave a job but you don't know where it is? Mysterious.


----------



## butchersapron (Feb 24, 2009)

Kropotkin sounds like a fishponds type person.


----------



## kropotkin (Feb 24, 2009)

electrogirl said:


> Yo uhave a job but you don't know where it is? Mysterious.


I'll be a junior doctor/murderer.


----------



## electrogirl (Feb 24, 2009)

I wonder why everyone is moving to Bristol.

I think it's because of Skins.


----------



## kropotkin (Feb 24, 2009)

I'm coming because it seems to be a very good city. Near to lots of countryside- mountain biking, climbing, walking, camping. Good music. Smaller than London- won't take me an hour to get _anywhere_. Skins.


----------



## Yetman (Feb 24, 2009)

electrogirl said:


> Yo uhave a job but you don't know where it is? Mysterious.



Hitman.

I'd want the cash first though definitely. Or do you have to do it as payment cos you killed someones brother in a deal that went wrong? The mystery deepens


----------



## JTG (Feb 24, 2009)

electrogirl said:


> I wouldn't take advice from him, he's scared of going south of the river.



don't blame him, he hasn't had the right jabs


----------



## kalidarkone (Feb 24, 2009)

kropotkin said:


> I'll be a junior doctor/murderer.



In that case I might bump into you


----------



## Isambard (Feb 24, 2009)

Crispy said:


> In fact, if you look on a map, it's a stupidly roundabout route. It's 1.3 miles in a straight line from bedminster station to the uni, but 9 miles on the train plus nearly a mile walk the other end.



After revolution when I'm Peoples Commissar for Railways one of the first projects would be to build a metro tunnel from Temple Meads towards Clifton.


----------



## Crispy (Feb 24, 2009)

Tricky incline... Maybe you'd have to spiral it


----------



## Gerry1time (Feb 24, 2009)

I've always thought you could put an underground system through the layers of soft clay in the city, especially the ones that run up valleys (gloucester road, etc). Where the stop ends up well below ground level, like clifton, you could put in some of those badass long escalators like they have in the tube in Russia.

ETA: Oh, and put on going up and one going down Park Street whilst you're at it.


----------



## butchersapron (Mar 2, 2009)

Latest issue of Venue has a big feature on best places to lvie in bristol/bath if that's any use. ('best' in their perpsepctive means 'best for a lefty/liberal graduuate type' - really).


----------



## BlackArab (Mar 3, 2009)

JTG said:


> I'll expand - it's full of the sort of smug nobheads who have so much money they can afford to throw it away on gong washing, reiki and other assorted bollocks. It's empty in the summer cos they've all fucked off to smug liberal hippy wank festivals like Shambala and Big Chill
> 
> I apologise if you're some sort of rich hippy tit who thinks they'd enjoy this, go for your life
> 
> One Stop Thali Cafe and the Old England are alright though



I KNOW IT'S STILL EARLY BUT THIS IS MY POST OF THE YEAR 

(and accurate too!)


----------



## BlackArab (Mar 3, 2009)

I'd recommend Easton, piss easy by train, cheap rents and good pubs. Great if you want to avoid the rah student scene which is wank.

Good tips when you arrive is to join the Jazz, Funk, Soul and/or Reggae Soc if you're into that type of music, we had the best nights going. 

ps you can get a student pass for Bristol Rovers which will get you in for kiddies prices.


----------



## electrogirl (Mar 3, 2009)

BlackArab said:


> I'd recommend Easton, piss easy by train, cheap rents and good pubs. Great if you want to avoid the rah student scene which is wank.
> 
> Good tips when you arrive is to join the Jazz, Funk, Soul and/or Reggae Soc if you're into that type of music, we had the best nights going.
> 
> ps you can get a student pass for Bristol Rovers which will get you in for kiddies prices.



Yeah but he's going to be a student, so it might be nice to actually be near other students, or at least, his university.


----------



## BlackArab (Mar 3, 2009)

electrogirl said:


> Yeah but he's going to be a student, so it might be nice to actually be near other students, or at least, his university.



I had thought about that but was thinking as a mature student there he might want to be away from it all. I was one up to a couple of years ago at the same uni and it was quite refreshing to be out the student ghetto. Factor in the trains and its actually quite easy to get to and from.


----------



## Geri (Mar 3, 2009)

My friend did the same course, also as a mature student, and she didn't want to hang around with the other students at her age. Luckily there were a few other mature students on the course. I think they ended up being more pally with the lecturers.


----------



## Doctor Carrot (Mar 8, 2009)

Been down there these past couple of days for a mature student open day.  Bristol looks like a good place to live and the course is fucking brilliant, it's all the stuff I bore people down the pub with wrapped up into one course .  

Got talking to a woman who lives there and she gave me a list of places to live that are near the uni, it's pretty much the same as what's been said on here.  While I don't wanna be right in the student scene I do wanna be somewhere on the edge of it. Afterall it's going to be my permanent home for the next 3 years at least so I need to be in a position to meet people, especially as I plan to live by myself.


----------



## Portia (Apr 5, 2009)

I'm going to Bristol uni in september as well, I was thinking of going into halls though the ones on the campus, just because I hate getting up early that much. I'll be 26 by then but I get on fairly well with younger people.... some of them anyway... or is that a really bad idea? I don't want to live on my own though and I don't know anyone I want to move in with, all my friends who live there already are mental party heads and I'd never get any work done living with them.


----------



## BlackArab (Apr 6, 2009)

Smoky and Portia, why don't you get a shared place together


----------



## Doctor Carrot (May 22, 2009)

So i'm really starting to have a good look now and have narrowed it down to a few places based on their proximity to the university and the centre.

Redland
Montpellier
Werbergh's
Hotwells
Clifton
St Pauls (Shit hole? I called an agent about a flat that's been available for a while, he said it's probably cause it's in the middle of St Pauls, like that's a bad thing)
Cotham 
Kingsdown

What do people reckon on these places?


----------



## Thora (May 22, 2009)

Redland's probably a bit dull, and Clifton's expensive.

I live in St. Paul's and it's fine, I love how central I am and how easy it is to get everywhere - I can walk to work in Clifton, walk into the centre, Cabot Circus.  It is a bit "edgy" though, but quieter than Hackney where I was living before 

I would go for Kingdown/Montpelier/Cotham if I was you.


----------



## Geri (May 22, 2009)

Redland                    NICE ENOUGH, VERY UPPER MIDDLE CLASS
Montpellier                BOHEMIAN MIDDLE CLASS, FULL OF HIPPIES & WHITE PEOPLE WITH DREADLOCKS
Werbergh's                LIKE MONTPELIER BUT FOR TEACHERS
Hotwells                   NICE SCENERY, A BIT DULL
Clifton                     FULL OF CUNTS
St Pauls                  SOME PARTS OK, SOME PARTS DODGY
Cotham                   QUITE COOL, HANDY FOR CLIFTON AND ALSO GLOUCESTER ROAD
Kingsdown               SOME PARTS POSH, SOME PARTS DODGY


----------



## Doctor Carrot (May 22, 2009)

Geri said:


> Redland                    NICE ENOUGH, VERY UPPER MIDDLE CLASS
> Montpellier                BOHEMIAN MIDDLE CLASS, FULL OF HIPPIES & WHITE PEOPLE WITH DREADLOCKS
> Werbergh's                LIKE MONTPELIER BUT FOR TEACHERS
> Hotwells                   NICE SCENERY, A BIT DULL
> ...



This is the kind of succinctness I was looking for thanks   and thank you Thora too.  I think I could probably handle St Pauls, seems like it's only shit in certain parts of it rather an all over.  Is lower Ashley Road one of those shit parts or good parts?


----------



## Thora (May 22, 2009)

Smoky said:


> This is the kind of succinctness I was looking for thanks   and thank you Thora too.  I think I could probably handle St Pauls, seems like it's only shit in certain parts of it rather an all over.  Is lower Ashley Road one of those shit parts or good parts?



It's alright - lots of shops, places to eat, some pubs round there.  Near the centre of town, but also near st. werburghs too.  Road is a bit busy though.


----------



## Geri (May 22, 2009)

It would be a bit of a trek, as it's quite far down. Personally I think St Werburghs and St Pauls are a bit too far away from the university, unless you lived at the other end of St Pauls - nearer to Stokes Croft.


----------



## Doctor Carrot (May 22, 2009)

Geri said:


> It would be a bit of a trek, as it's quite far down. Personally I think St Werburghs and St Pauls are a bit too far away from the university, unless you lived at the other end of St Pauls - nearer to Stokes Croft.



20 minute walk according to google maps, which would translate into a 10-15 minute bike ride.

Gah it's annoying all this flat hunting, especially as i'm still not sure whether to live on my own or not.  I'm just a bit fed up with sharing.  It's pot luck who you live with and I haven't been all that lucky in the past.  The advantages of it though is getting to know people straight away.  I don't wanna be isolated but i'm sure this is easily avoidable if I make the effort to get out there.  

Plus there's the fact that my chameleon will be coming with me.  I'm not too sure how housemates will feel about sharing a property with a lizard who eats various creepy crawlies for dinner


----------



## Geri (May 22, 2009)

Smoky said:


> 20 minute walk according to google maps



Well - not if you are me 

On a bike it's easier, although you do know that the university is at the top of a big hill, right?


----------



## BlackArab (May 23, 2009)

My school was near the Uni and I used to cycle some times via Lwr Ashley Rd so can confirm that it's not the easiest or most pleasant of journeys. 

Once you get through the pollution of the rush hour traffic on Ashley Rd, you've got to assault the hill which is indeed a gurt big'un, not the nicest thing on a rainy dark morning. 

On the flipside you will develop a well toned lower half by spring. 

Walk-wise nearer 30 mins btw. If however you choose Montpelier you'll be near the train and its 5-10 mins to Clifton Down station and will carry bikes. 

http://www.severnbeachline.org/


----------



## Crispy (May 23, 2009)

hooray for the little train


----------



## Doctor Carrot (May 23, 2009)

Ah i've been doing it wrong.  I've been looking at Ashley Road and not Lower Ashley Road.  Yeah it looks like it would be very busy on that road and a bit far away.


----------

