The "Ask a Durham Student" Thread :)

I have a new question - are there good outdoor places to run at Durham? I prefer running outside to running in a gym, and one of the fantastic things about moving to the UK from Canada is that the weather is much more mild so I would assume you can run outdoors year round with the proper gear(I know the north is meant to be 'cold', but it's not Canada cold! haha I bet it will feel like spring time! ). I'd like to find something like a flat outdoor trail where I could run.

After being with my partner, who is English, for several years I have come to realise that Canadians and Brits have very different ideas about walking, running, and hiking. He will climb vertically up the face of a cliff and call it a walk (slight exaggeration), while I call anything with an incline a hike. Maybe I'm just lazy. But anyways, I enjoy running but I am not actually that great at it and prefer running on fairly flat surfaces. I guess I'm a high maintenance runner. So are there any flat outdoor trails to run on?

So, the first thing to know about Durham is that it is hilly. Not Rocky mountains hilly (or even Cumbrian hilly) but still, going anywhere in the City involves some up or some down and usually a bit of both. The good news is, it's good for your fitness and you get used to it very quickly.

That said, there are definitely places to run that are reasonably flat. There is a completely flat race track at Maiden Castle sports centre (which is the student sports facility) but it is a circular athletics track. If you want more variety as you run, there are some good options around the riverbanks and some old railway routes nearby that offer some decent running. You might find this site helpful: www.parkrun.org.uk/durham/. This is a community organised run and it will give you an idea of a decent 5k route to start you off. Joining in is free and fun! You will also meet local runners (who know the City and area well) who will be able to recommend other routes for a range of abilities.

Lots of people run in Durham so I'm sure you'll find plenty of options to keep you fit.

Hey, I am an offer holder for Law at St Chad's.

I was wondering when St Chad's send out the questionnaires which they use to allocate like minded people to shared rooms? Is that something that happens in August, or does that happen soon?

Also, what type of details do you discuss on the form?

I'm looking for private accommodation and have found a few possibilities, but most of the leases that I see either end in July or the beginning of September. My postgraduate course is meant to run from September 29 2014 to September 30 2015. I know that the last several months of the course will be devoted to working on my dissertation, so does anyone know if that means I won't need to be IN Durham? Obviously I would like to stay until I'm done, but if I had to move at the beginning of September and still had 30 days left on my course, would that be a problem?

Hey there (: I was just wondering if anyone could tell me about the internet in Durham university and hild-bede college. Is it fast/wireless/free/unlimited? Thanks! (:


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They're currently rolling WiFi out throughout the whole of the university (so not just in communal areas, be these lecture halls or college-based) and so currently, only some colleges get wireless in their bedrooms. I do at the moment, and it's pretty decent speed-wise. The price is included in your accommodation fee, and I can't say I know whether it's unlimited or not, but considering it has to cater to the whole of the student body, I believe it is. I've certainly never experienced any issues with it aside from over Skype (which may just be my very old computer anyway!

Anywhere between £20 and £90 return depending on when you book it, takes about 3hrs and you'll want a 16-25 Railcard (Young persons Railcard) which gives you 1/3 off.

How long/much is the train from London? Is there any reduction card for students?

Thank you!

does Durham uni send out reject letters?I haven't heard back from them and starting to worry.