#getting about

[queer-goldcrest-of-the-void]

@Brit haters: STOP SPREADING LIES!

The length of time that it takes to get from Central Bristol to Cardiff:

Note: I can't drive due to health problems, so it actually takes me a minimum of 1hr 17mins from Central Bristol.

Getting to Central Bristol takes a minimum of 25mins from the moment the bus decides to put in an appearance. Getting to the nearest train station takes roughly 35mins, because, although the stop I have to get off at is closer to me than Central Bristol, it means a walk of approx. 15mins*.

Here is how long it takes me to get to my favourite holiday destinations:

The Isle of Wight takes a minimum of 3hrs 40min. That's not too bad, considering it takes a minimum of 6hrs 7min to get to North Yorkshire.

Britain is crowded. There are houses all over the place, often with narrow, one-way systems that things like buses can't navigate. There are unnecessary traffic lights and traffic calming measures (like 20MPH zones and speed bumps) all over the place in Bristol and surrounding areas.

On top of that, we've got a lot of rivers, given the size of the land. There are also a lot of hills, cliffs, farmland and other areas that you can't just put a straight road through.

TLDR: Britain is not America on a smaller scale. It is very different and you need to understand that.

*At the moment, the area around the train station is being dug up, so that means it takes longer and it's pretty dangerous as well, because there are impatient drivers, cyclists and pedestrians everywhere, trying to get to the same place in a rammed, tight space with temporary lights.

[askacambridgestudent]

When u say homerton is a 45 min walk are you including the journey there and back or 45 min just to walk to the arts building?

One way - you can check it on Google maps, which estimates the journey to be about 40 mins for me! (Also there are various different buildings for different arts departments, but most of them are located at the Sidgwick site!)

[askacambridgestudent]

Hi! I really liked homerton but in the prospectus I saw a map and homerton looks so far away from everything and I'm not sure whether I should reconsider! Do you know if homerton is a walkable distance to the arts faculty and the shops or would I need a bike / get a bus everyday? Also does being at a far away college make it harder to make friends outside college?

Hi! So everything in Cambridge is technically walkable depending on your enthusiasm (i.e. I will happily put aside an hour for a journey in order to walk somewhere but not everybody is like me lol) - but I would say Homerton and Girton are probably the 2 colleges where it would be a pain not to use bikes or buses, because walking every day will eat up a lot of your time. It’s probably a 45 minute walk from Homerton to Sidgwick (where the arts departments are). I think the bus doesn’t go directly between them any more. BUT I wouldn’t let it put you off if you feel drawn to Homerton, because it’s still a lovely college and relatively speaking Cambridge is a small place and quite easy to get around. It also encourages productivity because you’re more likely to go spend a full day in the library rather than hopping back and forth, once you come into the department for a lecture. It’s definitely not a problem socially speaking, I have friends from Hom!

[askacambridgestudent]

I will be at St John's and most of my lectures will be at the Sidgwick site, do I need to buy a bike or can I walk everywhere given that John's is so central? (I don't like cycling)

For sure! St John’s is about a ten-fifteen minute walk from Sidgwick and really close to Sainsbury’s, you’ll be fine without a bike.

[askacambridgestudent]

I don't cycle but I rlly like girton.. will i feel left out??

I don’t know about left out exactly... poor in time and money, quite possibly. I’m sure there are people at Girton who don’t cycle but it’s either £2 for a bus ticket or 45 minutes to an hour’s walk from the centre of town. I think if you love the college though, you can probably make it work. Is it a question of not knowing how? It’s possible to learn even as an adult, my friend actually did a day’s course at a centre near Cambridge last year. And there’s cycle paths all the way up the road so you shouldn’t have to fend off too much traffic. 

[askacambridgestudent]

When you were a new student, how did you find navigating your way around and finding the right rooms/buildings etc? I actually get really nervous about getting lost or turning up late lol

Honestly anon I missed my FIRST EVER CLASS because I read my diary wrong and then had to run up many flights of stairs to be late to the one immediately after it… And it wasn’t a big deal at all. Another very good friend of mine was 15 minutes late to a supo when we were freshers, because she locked herself inside - yes, inside - her room. We were chuckling about it with our DoS while we waited for her. (Can those events also be put on the record for anybody who is intimated by how organised and competent Cam students are?)

Anyway, yes - don’t stress too much, you’ll be okay! It does take a few days to get to know your way around, but everybody is in the same boat and most of Cambridge is not too hard to navigate. And although obviously it’s important to try to be timely, sometimes turning up 5 minutes late happens unavoidably and if you explain you got lost your supervisor probably won’t be annoyed!

[askacambridgestudent]

Do students usually wear helmets when cycling around Cambridge? Just wondering if I'll stick out if I do!

WEAR A HELMET PRECIOUS FOLLOWER, people come off their bikes fairly often and your brain deserves protection!!! (That is to say, a lot of students don’t bother, but it makes me nervous :/)