Choosing a uni based on location- yay or na?

Hi there. I'm currently waiting to get my AS results and go into year 13 where I'll be applying to uni (hopefully 😕) to study geography. Most of my current uni research has been into the absolute best unis in the country. This is partly due to the fact I'm in the inspire and challenge group at school which makes every student in there believe they have the potential to go to the best unis due to good GCSE scores which now I know mean that you won't necessarily do well at A level. Anyhow, I've just been looking at the general good Russell group unis etc and I've come across Durham etc which is really good for geography and Lancaster etc. However, recently I've been starting to look at unis due to location. For example one sport I've always wanted to take up (after doing it on holiday) is surfing. Now I live on the Essex coast and although there's some nice beaches, there's zero surf apart from in once in a blue moon conditions. Now Exeter for example is a very good uni, not as good as Durham etc but still very good and has the biggest surf club of any uni in the UK lying close to some of the best surf beaches in the UK. Is it justified reason to go to a slightly lower down uni for its location? Or is it best to go to a uni for course only? I'm not even sure I will get the results to go to unis like Durham etc anyway. Thanks for any advice.

I believe that this sort of thing does play a part in your decision as you want to feel at home in a certain location. And if it helps you to settle in whilst accommodating your hobby, that's a major positive. Have you been to visit the places that you are looking at? As I think feeling comfortable to live, study and work in a place is way more important than prestige

Ah cool. No not yet. I'm going to Durham open day and UEA in September but I may swap out Durham with Exeter as it's the same day.

You can always go and look later on an applicant day (Exeter have at least 3 a year). If you don't mind me asking, which campus are you looking at for Exeter? I'm at the Penryn Campus and the surfing is awesome here What other unis are you looking at apart from those 3?

Penryn Campus too! Due to the surfing aha. My other unis are Durham, Lancaster, Britstol, UEA, York. Out of those my favourites are Durham and Lancaster with UEA being a good option too.

If you have any questions about Penryn, feel free to ask. I originally was going to apply for geography but switched to politics and one of my friends is doing geography so I know quite a bit about the course. Are you going to visit any of the other unis?

Ok thanks! Apart from UEA and Durham no as it's a long drive to most of the ones I want to look at. I went to a Cambridge open day in July but have since went off it. Do you know what your friend's offer was? Thanks.

She did IB and that was 34 points, I think she said others were offered AAB though for A Levels. On the website, it says it varies from AAA to ABB. Exeter at Penryn are known as being lenient if you just miss your offer