Anyone from Nottingham..

[kirstinm]

Hi all,

I have been offered a PhD place at Nottingham Uni for 2020 which I am keen to accept. It will be a bit of a move for us as we are in Scotland. Just wondered if anyone has any advice about good areas to live in, even as a starting point for looking on letting websites as we literally have no idea? I will be moving with my boyfriend so looking for a private let, one or two bedrooms. I have visited Nottingham once very briefly for an interview, but don't know the area at all, and it is unlikely we will get down very much before we move (maybe once in the Spring). Thank you!

I did my PhD at Nottingham. I'd choose Wollaton or Beeston, you can walk from parts of those areas to the university. Both are safe, quiet and good transport links.

Congratulations, Nottingham is a great city. I’d go Beeston certainly,

Congratulations. Beeston is great.

I used to live in Beeston and it was lovely. Very easy to get to both the university and the centre of Nottingham from there, either driving or on public transport.

Fantastic, thank you so much! Just very briefly googled flats to rent in Wollaton and it looks good, prices are great compared to where we are (probably priciest place to rent in Scotland). I will google Beeston too.

Would you genuinely recommend Nottingham as a city and Uni? We liked what we saw but it was VERY brief.

Yes, great city and lots going on. Beeston and Wollaton are green and pretty too, like the campus.

Moved 15 years ago for uni and love the city- hence staying. Beeston and wollaton great suggestions for nice and close to university

Agree about Beeston. I lived in Lenton and love it. Lenton does have a reputation as a student are. But my road is very quiet. And walking distance to work, and everywhere else. My friend is doing a PHD at Trent and lives at castle Marina.

I loved Nottingham until I discovered Liverpool. It it it is a nice city to live in, and is easy to get in and out of. Peak District is on your doorstep.

Recent PhD graduate eldest lives in Beeston/ bramcote . Easy to uni and tram to town from there.
She went at 18. Loved it and never left 😂.
From visiting it’s a lovely city.

Thanks so much all! Shall check out the other suggestions too. Woolaton park looks lovely. Getting a bit excited now. :-)

@Toddlerteaplease ahh we absolutely fell in love with Liverpool this summer when we visited, such a fab city!

Wollaton Park is lovely, and bradgate park in Leicestershire is even better. And only 30 min down the M1

From what I know of Nottingham (have visited occasionally) there are certain areas with bad reputations. Bulwell is one that springs to mind. In terms of nice areas, I've heard West Bridgford is nice.

I had my best ideas in Wollaton Park. Used to walk about with my friend (and our babies) in there for hours and bore each other with our PhDs and publications.
Hope it all goes well for you kirstin.

Nottingham native here. Wollaton is nice, Beeston good for transport links as PPs have said. Lenton is a bit rough, wouldn't be my first choice. Avoid living in the city centre.

It's a lovely city.

Good shopping centre, friendly people, excellent transport links, easy access to the Peak District.

Beeston is also a bit studenty but not as much as Lenton. I’d go Wollaton if you need to be close by or West Bridgford if you want to be somewhere nice and don’t mind a drive.

West Bridgford is nice. Lady Bay is next to it and a bit cheaper. Wollaton is very nice but more of an older persons place but a very good standard of living. West Bridgford is a bit more lively but would be a pain for you travelling. Beeston and Lenton are very student areas. The Waitrose in Wollaton is being turned into a Lidl. Wollaton Hall is free to visit and has an extensive park which hosts a music festival every year and other events.

West Bridgford is lovely! But like all lovely places comes with a higher price tag. And you would need a car really if you lived there.

Lenton isn't rough!! West Bridgford is lovely but not convenient for the uni campus as there is no direct transport.

Long Eaton is near Beeston and much, much cheaper. Not as nice, but if money is tight it could be worth a look.

Nottingham native here, Chilwell is nice, close to Beeston and very family orientated. We lived in Long Eaton a few years back and that's ok, West Park is nice green space there. Wollaton and Bramcote are nice, not sure on transport links from Bramcote but the main campus is walkable from Beeston/Wollaton.

Attenborough is also nice, buses to the university and has a lovely nature reserve.

I have lived in the city for 20 years. I agree that Beeston and Chilwell are both lovely, and have good schools, as does Wollaton. Bramcote, where my SIL is is very nice too. Avoid Strelley/Bilborough and Cinderhill which are all off the ringroad.

West Bridgford and Edwalton (where I live) both very nice too with good amenities, but WB has a hefty price tag and they are not close to the University public transport wise, and although you can drive down the A52, its not a great journey at peak times.

I have a friend who lives in Sherwood (which I love) and gets the free hospital bus from the city to the QMC and then on to the uni, but I am not sure how reliable or frequent they are.

Beeston/Chiwell is your best bet. It’s changed massively over the last few years, both have a great high street with some lovely independent cafes and restaurants.

Great transport links as it has the tram straight to the university. Good bus links. Also it’s right near Attenborough nature reserve and not far from Wollaton park.

Both Beeston and Attenborough have a train station so you can get the train in to town, or you can get straight to London if you want.

@TravellingSpoon the Medilink bus is pretty good, I think it's about every 10-15 minutes. But gets very crowded. Non hospital staff have to pay £1 to use it now.