The Student Room Group

Can anyone tell me a bit about Colchester itself?

I have seen the uni but have never actually seen Colchester and was wondering if people could tell me a bit about what it's like. Absolutely anything about it. Is it big or small? Does it have good shops? Is it pretty? Because I know it's quite old so it probably is. Is there a lot to do in the actual town, or do uni students tend to stay in the uni? If anyone knows of any websites with photos of Colchester as well that would be cool :smile:

Also... how far away is the closest beach? And where is it?

Thanks x
hiya. im not actually from colchester but im going to essex uni in september. i have friends up there and go their quite often. colchester isnt a hudge town its not too small either. it has the normal shops like topshop, river island, new look. and shops like that. chelmsford is better for shopping which is like 15mins on the train.. and london is wat 50 mins on the train.its lovely.. there is a big park with the castle their which is pretty. and the nightlife.. i went out to route last thursday when i was in colchester and had an awesome night. there are a few gd bars and a few clubs. hippodrome,route,playhouse. etc.
there is a beach at southend. which is about 40 mins away. and there is another beach about the same distance. cant remember the name, my friend told me. lol
im from cornwall so moving up there is september is going to be a big change but i cant wait.
wat are you looking at studying.
hope this was some help
jules:smile:
Reply 2
Hey, thanks!!! :smile:

Actually, it's strange I posted that when I did. Because yesterday I went to Chelmsford, which is where my brother lives, for the day. And we randomly decided to go to Colchester! I loved the park you told me about. And from what you say the nightlife sounds great! I'm so happy that beaches are quite close by lol. That'll be great. Never been to any beaches round there though. Maybe Clacton was the other beach by the way?

So you like Colchester? I think it looks nice.

I want to study English language at Essex. How about you? And have you put Essex as your firm choice?

PS: Would still be great to hear from others what they think of Colchester. Especially if you're actually a student there. It's interesting to hear about when you're going somewhere you've never really been before! :smile:
Reply 3
Lulu87
I have seen the uni but have never actually seen Colchester and was wondering if people could tell me a bit about what it's like. Absolutely anything about it. Is it big or small? Does it have good shops? Is it pretty? Because I know it's quite old so it probably is. Is there a lot to do in the actual town, or do uni students tend to stay in the uni? If anyone knows of any websites with photos of Colchester as well that would be cool :smile:

Also... how far away is the closest beach? And where is it?

Thanks x


I think Colchester is just your average, normal town. It's got your average, normal shops. The castle is pretty and it has a big park around it, there are a few nice pubs and the nightlife is okay. You are probably about half hour (or a bit less) train ride away from clacton, walton and frinton which are three relatively nice beaches.

I think, especially in your first year, most of your socialising will be on campus. Colchester town is about twenty minutes away on the bus. http://www.colchesterguide.co.uk/ has a few pictures of the town and a bit of information about the attractions and stuff.
Reply 4
Thanks Steerpike :smile: That helps lots!
Reply 5
Lulu87
I have seen the uni but have never actually seen Colchester and was wondering if people could tell me a bit about what it's like. Absolutely anything about it. Is it big or small? Does it have good shops? Is it pretty? Because I know it's quite old so it probably is. Is there a lot to do in the actual town, or do uni students tend to stay in the uni? If anyone knows of any websites with photos of Colchester as well that would be cool :smile:

Also... how far away is the closest beach? And where is it?

Thanks x


Hey, I've lived in Colchester all my life. Or rather Wivenhoe, where Esex Uni is based. But its 20 seconds from Colchester so yeah..!
Colchester is a fairly big place, town centre wise, the shops are fairly good, the layout of town is nice as nothing is too far away from anything else. You've got your average shops & if you know where to look some little unique shops as well..
Colchester I guess could be classed as "pretty" castle park is great, love sitting there in the summer & then you've got all the roman sights & those from the seige of colchester too..
nightlife in town is pretty good generally i think. & yeah well the closest "nice sandy" beaches are Frinton and Walton. Clacton isn't my cup of tea but its still nice. I wouldn't go down to Southend for beach its a waste. Frinton & Walton are like 25 minutes away..
London is so close. I go up on the train it takes 50 minutes and is always really good, as well as being 40 minutes from Lakeside and Bluewater.
Shopping is nice in Ipswich which is 20 minutes down the a12 and Chelmsford is great too which is 30 minutes the other way, oh & Norwich isnt much more than an hour away which is great too :smile:
+ its one of the warmest parts of the country :smile:

also don't discount wivenhoe from anything, once you have to get your own place at uni its the perfect place to stay at. the river colne is great dwn by the front with a nice pub on the front its a nice relaxing place but at the same time fairly big for a village, its great!

fully recommend the area :smile:
Reply 6
It's a nice place, i go to college there everyday, and i have the pleasure of walking through castle park at least twice a day. In the summer, castle park is really nice, and the town has a fair few shops, not THAT many, but theres Ipswich and London not too far away for serious shopping. I haven't been out at night in Colchester but from what i hear its good, there are plenty of restaurants not sure about clubs though.
Lulu87
Hey, thanks!!! :smile:

Actually, it's strange I posted that when I did. Because yesterday I went to Chelmsford, which is where my brother lives, for the day. And we randomly decided to go to Colchester! I loved the park you told me about. And from what you say the nightlife sounds great! I'm so happy that beaches are quite close by lol. That'll be great. Never been to any beaches round there though. Maybe Clacton was the other beach by the way?

So you like Colchester? I think it looks nice.

I want to study English language at Essex. How about you? And have you put Essex as your firm choice?

PS: Would still be great to hear from others what they think of Colchester. Especially if you're actually a student there. It's interesting to hear about when you're going somewhere you've never really been before! :smile:




hiya ive just got back from colchester again. lol. we went to one of the beaches which is walton and frinton. they were ok. nothing special but stil nice for a day trip. i really like colchester yea. well im going to colchester institute next year to do business management with pe. but ill be living at essex uni in the uni quays and using all the unis facilities. i cant wait. yes its my firm choice. wat bout u?
chelmsford is lovely aswell i went there yesterday..
hope i have helped. im in the same shoes as u though. usure of the area.
julesx
Reply 8
chelmsford rocks! :smile:
Do students tend to get into a lot of fights with squaddies?
^^ No - As long as you're sensible and stay away from the Hippodrome on the weekend, you'll be fine.
Reply 11
..and if you're REALLY sensible, you'd avoid the hippodrome completely :biggrin:
Reply 12
I'm going to Essex uni in October. I currently live in Witham which is inbetween Chelmsford and Colchester. I go to Chelmsford all the time because that's where my 6th form and friends are but I occassionally go to Colchester as well. Colchester is ok for shopping, I think there's a few clubs there but no better than Chelmsford or Southend. It made me laugh to see people asking about beaches! The Essex coastline isn't exactly exotic, Southend and Clacton are horrible places.
Reply 13
Hello all,

I should normaly go to study at the University of Essex as well next October. Could somebody tell me whether it is imaginable to live in Colchester while studying at the university (and if some actually do it)? Would you advise it?

Thanks in advance for your help!
Hey miccim.

It is possible to rent propeties in and around colchester, in Greenstead which is about a 20 min walk from the uni, in wivenhoe 30min walk (i walk slowly) and then there are propeties in the actual town center but they are more expensive and it is further to walk to when you've had a night out at the uni.

I personally like the center as you've got the cinema , a nice range of shops and plenty of placesto eat. and you can get to the uni by bus in about 15 min, by cycling in about 20 min

I dont rent off campus yet, im still in the campus but i know of people who are living in colchester, greenstead and wivenhoe and all enjoy where there are.
Reply 15
greensted isn't the nicest place in the world..
wivenhoe is great though :smile: because i live here