Nice Uk university towns near sea/countryside

[madzone]

it's underwater atm.

guess who tried to go to sithians today...

Ooops

We were thinking about it but the weather was just too fierce.

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

When I lived in Swansea in the mid 80s, every old bloke* I spoke to in pubs, said that they knew Dylan Thomas and that he owed them money for drinks! Good luck on collecting the dosh fellahs

I also lived for a year in Cwmdonkin Terrace, around the corner from where he was born...

*slight exaggeration

I might move to Swansea just so that I can say I live on Cwmdonkin Terrace. That's quite possibly the best address ever.

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

I loved living in Brighton. And it's only an hour or so away from London.

And an ex of mine lived in Cardiff and then Merthyr Tydfill, so I spent a fair amount of time in and around Cardiff and absolutely loved it. I'd definitely recommend living in Cardiff. Plus the Welsh accents are so sexy.

And a friend of mine did his MSc in Aberyswyth. I've never been, so can't personally vouch for it, but he loved it, had a brilliant time, it's quite a close knit community by all accounts.

What about Edinburgh or Glasgow?

 

[Cid]

Pretty Buildings: Bath and Cambridge

Lively town: Brighton, Bristol

Good countryside: Bristol, Bath

Good beach: Brighton

Oh, Sheffield has awesome countryside too of course... Don't know much of Welsh unis, know someone who went to Aber and wasn't impressed by what he said. Unis listed above are obviously all very good for many subjects so are probably going to have better employment prospects than others.

 

[toggle]

Ooops

We were thinking about it but the weather was just too fierce.

and i came home with 2 fleeces and a pair of baby crocs

 

[marty21]

I might move to Swansea just so that I can say I live on Cwmdonkin Terrace. That's quite possibly the best address ever.

it has an excellent view, it up a steep hill above the uplands area, and looks out over the bay

 

[elbows]

yeah i went to uni there so lived there for 3 years. I loved lancaster but i can't handle the months of endless rain and greyness. Plus it's a bit far away and jobs are hard to find up there.

Yes and the seaside there isnt exactly awesome, and the nuclear power station isnt a joy to behold.

 

[Roadkill]

Norwich and Exeter are both great little cities, in very pleasant countryside, near the coast, and with excellent universities.

Sheffield is a city I've a lot of affection for, it's not far out of the Peak District, and the both universities are good.

Durham is a beautiful little place, close to lovely countryside and Newcastle, and obviously the university is great. I'm not sure I'd actually want to live there though. It's too small and too dominated by the university.

York might be worth a look - superb university, historic and beautiful city. I've heard mixed reports about it as a place to live, though.

Predictably I'm going to finish by plugging Hull. The university is very good and the city far better than its reputation suggests. I'd gladly move back. Its immediate surroundings are a bit flat and uninspiring - aside from the Humber - but it's a short drive or bus ride up onto the Yorkshire Wolds, which are lovely.

 

[llion]

Aberystwyth definitely! About 50 pubs within one square mile, loads of history, friendly

 

[Clair De Lune]

so do I, I used to go running from my house, down to Caswell, then along the cliffs to Langland, then back up to my house, up a steep hill...

I grew up very close to there

Another swansea vote here obviously.

 

[sned]

I spent 2 years - one of which at uni - in Portsmouth so it gets my vote.

Granted, its got its pretty grim areas but Old Portsmouth and Southsea are pretty nice, especially the former.
Southsea common is amazing.

Not too far from the countryside too.

 

[Dillinger4]

Keele.

 

[sned]

Oh yeah, Portsmouth has the 'excellent' Spinnaker Tower - the tallest publically accessible building outside of London.. or it was.
... and the isle of wight!

I'm shocked and appalled that Pompey wasn't mentioned earlier!

 

[tangerinedream]

University of Cumbria has a campus in Ambleside. Can't really get more countrysidy than that.... Mind you it is alway's so rainy grey and depressing in the north so that's out... *sigh*

A rare glimpse of sunshine in the frozen north

 

[Dillinger4]

Aberdeen.

 

[tangerinedream]

Aberdeen.

That's in the Arctic Circle mate...

 

[tangerinedream]

Actually, sarcasm aside, there is a uni in Inverness - I never knew that... http://www.uhi.ac.uk/home

 

[Vintage Paw]

Keele.

I was refraining from saying Keele because you need a car, strong biking legs or plenty of money and patience for buses to get to the proper countryside, but the campus does have a lovely feel to it. It's proper lovely with all the trees, pretty chilled out etc. It's not smack bang in the middle of a town or city, but near the little village of Keele, and a short bus ride from the market town of Newcastle-under-Lyme. If you are willing to get on yer bike etc then you're near the Peak District, the surrounding Staffordshire/Shropshire/Cheshire countryside, and you can go to Wales for a day trip if you've got a car or a mate with one. You could manage Llandudno on the train but I imagine it'd be a ball ache to do it in a day.

 

[Dillinger4]

I was refraining from saying Keele because you need a car, strong biking legs or plenty of money and patience for buses to get to the proper countryside, but the campus does have a lovely feel to it. It's proper lovely with all the trees, pretty chilled out etc. It's not smack bang in the middle of a town or city, but near the little village of Keele, and a short bus ride from the market town of Newcastle-under-Lyme. If you are willing to get on yer bike etc then you're near the Peak District, the surrounding Staffordshire/Shropshire/Cheshire countryside, and you can go to Wales for a day trip if you've got a car or a mate with one. You could manage Llandudno on the train but I imagine it'd be a ball ache to do it in a day.

Llandudno is definitely do-able.

I know this because I did it.

 

[Vintage Paw]

Llandudno is definitely do-able.

I know this because I did it.

 

[weepiper]

St Andrews?

 

[DaRealSpoon]

Nobody mentioned the Mighty Duchy yet?

Theres loads of campuses all over the county for both Exeter and Plymouth Uni.

CORNWALL baby yerrrrr!!

 

[han]

I lived in Bournemouth for a year, doing a course at the Uni, and loved every minute of it. It really has the best of both worlds. Gorgeous countryside nearby, New Forest nearby, and the loveliest beaches in the country. Big gay scene as well and lots of arty stuff going on due to the art college and uni. Pretty cosmopolitan for Dorset. I'd definitely live there again.....

 

[PursuedByBears]

I think this was mentioned before, but now is a really really bad time to be expecting to get a job at a university. I work at UCLan in Preston and there is a moriatorium on all recruitment except for very specialised positions. Friends that work at Lancaster tell me that loads of fixed term contracts are not being renewed, departments are merging etc.

The HE sector is in for a rough ride over the next few years I think...

 

[Hellsbells]

I think this was mentioned before, but now is a really really bad time to be expecting to get a job at a university. I work at UCLan in Preston and there is a moriatorium on all recruitment except for very specialised positions. Friends that work at Lancaster tell me that loads of fixed term contracts are not being renewed, departments are merging etc.

The HE sector is in for a rough ride over the next few years I think...

Is this the case for administrative roles aswell, do you know? Or just teaching and managerial positions?
There seems to be quite a few vacancies on the university job site i've been looking at

 

[PursuedByBears]

Is this the case for administrative roles aswell, do you know? Or just teaching and managerial positions?
There seems to be quite a few vacancies on the university job site i've been looking at

Yes, admin positions are affected as much as teaching. Lots of admin staff in the faculties have just had to apply for their own jobs. My department can't recruit general admin staff to replace people who've left until at least 2010-11.

 

[Hellsbells]

Yes, admin positions are affected as much as teaching. Lots of admin staff in the faculties have just had to apply for their own jobs. My department can't recruit general admin staff to replace people who've left until at least 2010-11.

oh, well that's pants.
so do you think alot of the jobs advertised on this site i'm looking at are posts that internal people already are working in and are just having to apply for again..?

 

[PursuedByBears]

Very likely, yes.

 

[se5]

Canterbury.

Unis:

University of Kent
Canterbury Christ Church University
University of Creative Arts (formerly Kent Institute of Art & Design)

Six miles from the coast - nearest seaside village/town is Whitstable, then a little further to other seaside resorts like Margate, Broadstairs, and then Dover, Ramsgate etc.

Canterbury is a lovely town - the cathedral, lots of old buildings, river Stour, old city walls etc. Surrounded by loads of nice little villages with good pubs.

And not too far from London should you wish to visit friends etc. And it doesn't rain all the time, like in Wales ;-)

Giles..

I'd second that - great city, close to London, close to lots of Kent countryside/seaside, close to France too

 

[Hellsbells]

how frustrating. I mean, the amount of time it takes to complete an application form these days - it's a HUGE amount of work. I kind of feel reluctant to even bother applying if there's a high chance these jobs aren't even up for grabs anyway.

So if uni jobs are hard to find atm, can anyone advise me on where i should be looking - if there is actually any sector or area where i'd have more chance finding a job that actually exists....

I have substantial (i.e. nearly 10 years) experience working in admin in unis and adult education colleges, but presumably my skills are pretty much transferable for any workplace.