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Good hill walking and climbing Universities

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Andrew 321 07 Oct 2018

Hi all

I'm currently applying to university and i'm looking for universities that offer good hill walking and climbing nearby that are close (within 4 hours on Public Transport) from manchester. I obviously want it to be fairly cheap to get to hills cos student debt and all that

I've got Sheffield and Bristol up there and i was wondering about Newcastle and nottingham for climbing and things. A nice green hilly city would be nice too hence sheffield(green) and bristol(suprisingly hilly).

Many thanks for anyone that can help its appreciated

Regards

A stressed student

 spenser 07 Oct 2018
In reply to Andrew 321:

Hill access from Newcastle is a bit of an arse, however the climbing and hills up there are great (also a very good local scene with a solid university club and a very friendly local mountaineering club, the NMC with whom lifts can easily be scrounged).

Sheffield has easy access to the crags/ hills, plenty of people perpetually keen to get out.

Lancaster

UHI - it's in Fort William

Bangor University - close to the hills, shouldn't have any issues with partners

Leeds - bit like Sheffield from what I've been told.

 

I would suggest looking a list of the best universities which you can realistically get a place on the course at and then strike out all of the universities which are a long drive from the crags, Loughborough, Nottingham, Leeds, Sheffield, Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester etc all have active university mountaineering clubs who you will be able to share lifts with.

 PPP 07 Oct 2018
In reply to Andrew 321:

Surely the university and the structure of the course is more important than the access to the hills?! 

 

You will be spending 3-4 years at the university, a longer ride to the hills won’t make a huge difference. Clubs at uni do have club trips with minibuses, which are apparently quite cheap. I was never part of the club at uni, but for other (social) reasons. 

3
 Trangia 07 Oct 2018
In reply to PPP:

> Surely the university and the structure of the course is more important than the access to the hills?! 

My thoughts exactly!

 

1
 timparkin 07 Oct 2018
In reply to Trangia:

Actually, the reputation of the university is way more important than the structure of the course and once you've got your first decent job, the place you got your degree from is mostly irrelevant. (I used to lecture at a couple of Uni's so know a little about it). 

Even more important for getting a decent job is showing that you have a personality and that you can prove some leadership, organisation, self-motivational skills in some way. There's certainly scope for doing that in the outdoors through clubs/trips/events so perhaps getting somewhere with access may actually help in a future hunt for that first job. 

Tim

2
 plyometrics 07 Oct 2018
In reply to Andrew 321:

Lancaster?

Cumbria?

 abr1966 07 Oct 2018
In reply to PPP:

> Surely the university and the structure of the course is more important than the access to the hills?! 

> I couldn't disagree more....being somewhere you enjoy, fit in, find like minded mates and have 3 years of good experiences is crucial....especially nowadays when you pay lots of money for it!

 

OP.....Sheffield is good....good housing and public transport. Bangor ok but a bit small for some and Glasgow for access to the highlands!

 

 summo 07 Oct 2018
In reply to Andrew 321:

You could also join local mountaineering and sporting clubs as well..  don't limit yourself to uni clubs. Provided you aren't looking to make weekend trips away into just another party many clubs will welcome some young blood. The bonus is most of these clubs will have car owning members who won't mind the odd contribution towards fuel for their weekly excursions. 

In reply to Andrew 321:

You're putting the cart before the horse by quite a distance.  First, what do you want to study?  Which universities have a good reputation in that area?  What grades will they want you to have?  Can you get those grades?  Only then should how easy is it to get to the crags or hills play a part in your assessment.

Good luck answering those questions and making your choice.

T.

 Jaomes 07 Oct 2018
In reply to Andrew 321:

I can recommend Leeds. 

LUUHC (Leeds hiking) run regular weekend and day trips all over the country. 

There's an abundance of glorious Yorkshire grit nearby accessible via public transport (see http://luumc.org.uk/php/where_to_climb.php) and an active climbing club -LUUMC.

 inboard 07 Oct 2018
In reply to Andrew 321:

Dundee or Abertay - Best located Scottish unis for access to highlands. Just over 4hrs by train from Manc but easy with a quick change at Edinburgh. Also good value for living expenses.

(Yes, Glasgow has the edge for SW highlands, and Glasgow and Edinburgh a little better for Trossachs, likewise Aberdeen for Deeside. But from Dundee you’re only a little further to any of these and - importantly - closer to anything up the A9 and beyond (Cairngorms, central Highlands, NW), while Angus is on the doorstep.).

 Doug 07 Oct 2018
In reply to inboard:

Or maybe Stirling ? - On the A9 & quick to get to the southern Highlands & much of the Cairngorms, but also good for heading south (eg the Lakes) and with easy access to several Central Belt outcrops for summer evenings. Hill walking in the Ochils a few minutes from the campus.

But as said earlier, look for a university which offers a course you want & with a good reputation first.

 Heike 07 Oct 2018
In reply to Andrew 321:

My vote is for Stirling! That's where I did my MSc and PhD and where I met my husband in the very active Mountaineering club USMC and I am still in touch with a lot of them 20 years later (now in the guise of the Stirling Sentimentalists Mountaineering Club). Nice campus and good uni, too.

pasbury 07 Oct 2018
In reply to Andrew 321:

Bangor has it all from the outdoor activities perspective, no clue as to it’s reputation. I did a PGCE there about 25 years ago.

 Jim Lancs 07 Oct 2018

I would look for a good course, at a good University and then check to see if it has an active mountaineering club. Ironically, actual proximity to the hills isn't necessarily a guide to how active the climbing scene might be.

Distant universities (like Cambridge and London) often organise regular trips and people tend to go come what may on the arranged date, and then make the most of it when they get there. Some even have there own huts. People at closer universities are more 'weather aware' and sometimes end up doing less as they lack the incentive to 'do it now' because they'll still be there the following week when maybe the weather will be better. Or the week after . . . 

 pec 07 Oct 2018
In reply to PPP:

> Surely the university and the structure of the course is more important than the access to the hills?! 

When I was choosing which university to go to I looked at a map of Britain and chose them in order of preference based on access to climbing and mountains as my primary concern. There were other considerations like they had to offer my subject (obviously) and I ruled out campus universities, ones in small towns and Micky Mouse institutions but access to climbing was the main factor.

 

 Lornajkelly 08 Oct 2018
In reply to Andrew 321:

I do see where everyone's coming from with choosing the Uni first, but the thing is you'll have a great time wherever you go, the different degrees and different universities don't make too much difference afterwards with regards jobs and further study (except for the likes of the Oxbridge reputation) and whatever you study will be interesting and useful.  So looking at what city you're going to be living in and how you can access the things that make you happiest is a great idea.  I did a PhD in Leeds and when it started to get hellish having the escape to crags and walls with friends was my best coping strategy.  

Leeds is super useful if you like gritstone but I don't recommend it if, like me, you're more of a dolerite or slate fan.  You've got a long slog in the car to get to anything really enjoyable.  I'm not active in the LUUMC these days but I've recently heard they're putting some great trips on in the winter, teaching ice climbing.  If they still do the same trips then they'll take you to Northumberland, Snowdonia and the Lakes, but Yorkshire grit is within an hour, Eastern grit within 1h20 and Western within 1h30 or so.  


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