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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

Original poster

Durham Open days

21 replies

AlpacaHat · 15/05/2018 23:23

Please forgive my utter ignorance but I’m new to all this UK university stuff.
There’s an open day coming up at Durham and we will need to stay over the night before. All the city centre hotels are either sold out or ££££. I assume we might as well pick a hotel/guest house outside of town and then get cabs to the station and the university. If so, is there anywhere to be recommended/avoided?
Thanks in advance

OP posts:
okdok · 15/05/2018 23:25

Tried airbnb?

myrtleWilson · 15/05/2018 23:26

hello - have you tried here www.victoriainn-durhamcity.co.uk/accommodation/ It is a lovely pub with accommodation in centre of the city...

Also www.thegeorgiantownhousedurham.co.uk/cafe/

and www.gardenhouseinn.com/

Don't know how much they all are but worth a look...

AtiaoftheJulii · 16/05/2018 08:49

Newcastle is ten minutes away on the train and might have more choice? Depends when their open days are I suppose!

ButFirstTea · 16/05/2018 08:57

Try the arnison centre premier inn, not far from the city centre and you'll be able to get a bus into town (and probably to the uni depending on which part you're visiting).

BubblesBuddy · 16/05/2018 09:18

There are quite a lot of hotels available (June 23-25) that are not very expensive. Newcastle looks a bit cheaper but you then have to factor in train tickets. You could also look at Darlington.

You can walk everywhere in Durham. The university is not campus and is central but you need to know where the faculty is that you are visiting and possible halls of residence.

AtiaoftheJulii · 16/05/2018 11:33

Train ticket from Newcastle is about 6 quid Grin

The day we wanted to collect dd from Newcastle is the night Ed Sheeran is playing St James Park! Didn't fancy paying £300 so we're going the next day Grin

RhinoBlue · 16/05/2018 11:38

Return train ticket to Newcastle is £9.20! Or £8 off peak.

I agree that staying in Newcastle is probably just as easy if not easier than outside Durham.

I wouldn't say anywhere was no go. The main problem is relying on buses and taxis are expensive.

MarmaladeIsMyJam · 16/05/2018 11:38

Premier inn in the town is £109

The other two (Belmont and Arnison) are only £40? Both only a 5 minute cab ride from the uni.

MarmaladeIsMyJam · 16/05/2018 11:39

Bus is £1.80
Taxi normally about £8-10

Original poster
AlpacaHat · 16/05/2018 23:59

Thanks all. It’s the 30th June open day and most places are full already, including the twin bed ones that Myrtle kindly linked to.
I will check out Newcastle as that sounds like a possibility.

OP posts:
myrtleWilson · 17/05/2018 07:27

@AlpacaHat try The Honest Lawyer (not stayed there) but on an easy route into the centre and walkable to some of the colleges. Hope you have a good day on the 30th!

workshyfop · 17/05/2018 07:34

highfieldhoteldurham.co.uk

This is a 20 min bus ride to the city centre.

Fozzleyplum · 17/05/2018 07:38

Have you booked the open day yet? DS has registered an interest and wants to visit on 30th, but he's not been contacted yet to say that booking is open.

jaguar67 · 17/05/2018 08:05

Website is still showing as booking not open yet. However I also remember it saying somewhere that booking would open around 6 weeks before, so any day now I guess.

Original poster
AlpacaHat · 17/05/2018 08:21

We’ve registered an interest but not been able to book, however from hearing from fellow parents they have already booked travel and accommodation so I started looking and realised that I had better take the risk.

OP posts:
Fozzleyplum · 17/05/2018 08:27

Thanks. See you all there!

Wonderwine · 18/05/2018 17:16

When I went to Durham Open Day last year with DS we actually stayed in university accommodation - is this not an option, or do you not want to? I have to say it was a bit basic and probably put DS off Grin

Wonderwine · 18/05/2018 17:18

I seem to remember that we got offered the option to book uni accommodation when it opened for booking the open day. Like you, I'd panicked and booked an overpriced hotel which I then was happy to cancel, so either give the Uni a call to ask, or don't book anything that can't be cancelled without a fee.

jaguar67 · 22/05/2018 09:27

Open Day booking now open x

RainbowFairiesHaveNoPlot · 22/05/2018 09:40

I stayed in uni accommodation when I went. Just a couple of notes of caution - it looks like a nice compact walkable city but the hills can be evil (there's one on the science site with the nickname Cardiac Hill) and cobbles are really really really fucking evil (the health centre was forever full of students with beer+cobble induced ankle injuries).

Could look at hotels out along the A690 in the Sunderland direction and then drive to the park and ride out at Carville and get into the city that way. Parking was abysmal in the city centre back when I went to uni there waaaaay too long ago so can imagine it's even more abysmal relatively speaking now.

Wonderwine · 22/05/2018 11:40

The public buses are pretty good iirc - just use Google to check the timetable and its easy to hop on and off. I think there might even be a day travel card?

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