Gloucester City Guide
Gloucester; home to the annual Cheese Rolling Event, the Harry Potter Cathedral, the inspiration of Beatrix Potter’s ‘The Tailor of Gloucester’ and residence of the cherry reds rugby team that featured retired stars, Mike Tindall and Louis Rees Zammit. This city has the perfect mix of countryside, quays and vibrant urban nightlife. Making it a buzzing hub for students at the University of Gloucestershire as well as Hartpury University.
Universities
The University of Gloucestershire ranked in the UK Top 20 for Student Support and for International Student Experience in the WhatUni Student Choice survey 2023. UoG also made the UK’s top 20 for career prospects in the WhatUni Student Choice Survey 2023, ranking them in the top 20 universities in England for graduate outcomes.
The city’s closest university campus is nestled in the heart of Gloucester and opens later in 2024, just in time for the new academic year. On top of this, Oxstalls is just a 15-minute walk from the city centre, allowing you to be close to all of the festivities. In Cheltenham, there are another three campuses belonging to UoG: Francis Close Hall, Hardwick and Park, along with Pittville Student Village which houses over 800 students.
Hartpury University also lies just further outside of the city on the rural 360-hectare estate boundary.
Student areas and accommodation
In Cheltenham, students usually live at Pittville Student Village. Here, you are a two-minute walk from the Pump Room and Park and twenty minutes from town, with a bus route that takes you to any of the campuses.
At Gloucester, most students stay at Oxstalls Campus accommodation; here you just have to jump out of bed to make use of the great sports grounds and gym facilities. Further into the city, you can find more private rental accommodation opportunities, allowing you to be closer to the shopping centre as well as the historic docks and quays.
After the first year, students tend to move out into shared houses or flats, close to the centre.
Getting around
Gloucester is a great city for students due to its easy travel connections – with a train station located in the centre it takes less than two hours to get to the larger areas like London. For those in Cheltenham, you have the Cheltenham Spa Station as well as the Bus and Coach Station where all of the Megabus and National Express routes run from. There are many other means for transport around this area with lots of students bringing bikes to campus or using the e-scooters dotted around or hopping on local buses.
Despite staying close to the countryside, at Cheltenham and Gloucester you have the bonus of visiting neighbouring places to expand your career and internship prospects. Cities like Bath are close-by and if you need to catch a quick flight you are also located in between two airports, Bristol and Birmingham, which are both roughly an hour away.
Best places to go as a student
If you are looking for the best icebreaker activities for when you meet your new flatmates, then look no further.
At the Paint-It-Yourself Pottery Co you can take your friends for a wholesome couple of hours painting any item that you choose. The small pottery pieces start as low as £10. Whilst you chat and get crafty, the café is open to serve cakes and drinks. Every fortnight there is also a Paint and Prosecco class that you can get involved in.
Bored of the gym? Boulders Cheltenham has its own Student Wednesday event where you can book a climbing session for £8 and this deal includes free shoe hire, with memberships also available. Eat Sleep Axe also lets you and 4 friends hire out a lane to do some axe throwing. So, if you’ve struggling to find a way to work off that exam stress, maybe this is the place for you.
Food and drink
In Cheltenham, YoSushi, Nando’s and Wagamama’s are favourites for their student discounts, but you also have Cosy Club, Fight Club and the Alchemist for top tier vibes. If you fancy something a bit different, go to Mowgli’s for some Indian Street Food, or visit Pho for Vietnamese cuisine with a modern twist, The Giggling Squid for an easy-going atmosphere and a taste of Thai staples, or try The Coconut Tree for Sri Lankan style dishes. For special occasions you also have The Ivy, All Bar One or Montpellier Wine Bar.
In Gloucester, you’re spoilt for choice when it comes to Italian takeaways and restaurants, but you could decide to choose a classic fish and chips from Ye Olde Fish Shoppe instead. Or, you could try the barge that serves tea on the waters of the docks, called The Café On The Cut.
Nightlife
It’s a must for every student to know the location of their local JD Wetherspoons by heart. In Cheltenham, you have The Bank House in the centre of town, but The Moon Underwater is located closest to the student nightclubs, MooMoos and PopWorld. In Gloucester, The Regal is located close to the train station and The Lord High Constable of England is down by the Docks.
Most students tend to avoid clubbing at Gloucester’s Attik and instead head over to student nights in Cheltenham. Which consist of:
The Frog and Fiddle. A great pub that acts as a music venue with plentiful live bands, many music students from the university have performed there in the past and present. Yates is also a popular venue for societies.
Bentleys and Lounge 72, are next door to each other and share the same unique vibe, with their quirky cocktails, plant aesthetic, dark mood lighting and pool tables. They occasionally have the ‘Beat the Bartender’ offer on, where you have the chance to get two cocktails for the price of one if you win a game of Heads or Tails against the bartender.
The University of Gloucestershire also has an active Students’ Union where lots of society events are always occurring and fundraisers, so keep an eye out for the posters around campus, you may get the chance to take part in UoG’s Take Me Out fundraiser.
Study spots
When you need quiet time to study away from the noise of your student flat, on campus, you have many quiet spots and study booths within each of them. But, if you need a pick-me-up treat to keep you motivated, then there are many cafes to choose from and every student has their favourite. Whether it be, Suffolk Coffee, The Coffee Dispensary, Boston Tea Party, The Scandinavian Coffee Pod, The Sober Parrot or just plain old Costa. My personal favourite being Café Nero as it’s cheaper than most but still has a relaxing vibe.
Local amenities
In Cheltenham, your main options for food shopping are (big) Tesco for the best selection or Lidl for the best price, most students also go to B&M, Savers and Home Bargains for the knocked-down prices too. In Gloucester, depending which accommodation you choose you have Asda, Sainsburys, Morrisons and Tesco (each at a different corner of the city.)
For a bit of retail therapy, Cheltenham has their beautiful, regent town centre which has plentiful antique and craft markets along with high street shops and the Regent Arcade. Gloucester does have a wider selection of shopping malls though, where you can choose from Gloucester Quays, Kings Walk or Eastgate Shopping Centre. Once you’ve received your student finance, you may fancy a quick bus ride to Swindon Retail Outlet for low prices on the big brands.
With the University of Gloucestershire if you are part of a sports society, you can get access to the high-tech sports facilities and gym whenever you want. If you aren’t part of a club or team but still want to keep fit, at Pittville Student Village you can use the gym facilities for free. To ensure the full home-from-home transition you can sign up to the university’s medical centre which is run by the Underwood Surgery located at Park Campus for students at UoG.
Insider tips
Don’t spend money on a ticket to see the fireworks on Bonfire Night, instead climb Cleeve Hill where you can see landscape views for miles, you’ll get the best view and all for free!
