Canterbury - A Student City
As a student at our Canterbury Campus, the hustle and bustle of the world-famous city is just a five minute walk away - and as you'll quickly discover, Canterbury has got a lot to offer.
**Note: The links in this section lead to external websites over which the University has no control**
Shopping
Canterbury is the major shopping centre in east Kent, attracting all the major
high street retailers as well as specialised smaller shops selling a range of
arts and crafts.
Some of the best shopping in the county can be found at the Whitefriars development, with its many popular retailers in one spacious and well-designed location. You'll also find a host of small, independently-run shops in and around the city centre, particularly in the Westgate Towers and the St Dunstan’s area and along the King’s Mile towards Northgate.
Nightlife
There are lots of places to go in Canterbury as the evening sets in. If you
fancy a relaxing drink, you can try out some of the city's wide choice of pubs
and bars, popular with students, locals and visitors to the area. If you're
feeling energetic, you could head to one of several clubs in the city such as
Baa Bars.
And don't forget, the Students' Union also puts on regular events.
The city also has two cinemas. The Odeon, offering all the latest box office hits, and the Gulbenkian Cinema which specialises in the best new films as well as arthouse and independent films.
Culture
If you want to get your fix of culture, head to the Marlowe or Gulbenkian
Theatres. The Marlowe is one of the largest theatres in Kent and regularly shows
dance, opera, comedy or West End productions, while the
Gulbenkian is a smaller
theatre offering music, performing arts and comedy
shows.
Sport and Leisure
On top of the University's own leisure and sporting facilities and
clubs, Canterbury and the surrounding area has plenty to attract both
participants and spectators. The famous St Lawrence ground in Canterbury is home
to Kent County Cricket Club,
winners of the 2007 Twenty20 Cup, while
Gillingham FC play in League One of the Football League. Further afield is
Charlton Athletic
though the
Valley Express offers local pick-up points for home games.
In local football, Canterbury City FC have recently reformed while Whitstable Town FC play in the Ryman Southern League.
Canterbury Rugby Club play in National Division III South and Canterbury Hockey Club represent the city at the top level of the national game. The hockey club's Polo Farm facility is also home to Canterbury Cricket and Tennis Clubs.
Major sporting events are also attracted to the region. The first stage of the 2007 Tour de France finished in Canterbury and the British Open Golf Championship returns to Royal St George's at Sandwich in 2011.
A swimming pool and other fitness facilities are provided at Kingsmead Leisure Centre, a short walk from the University.
History
As well as being a student-centred city, Canterbury's rich history (part of it
dates back to Roman times) has made it one of the UK's major tourist
destinations.
Canterbury Cathedral, St. Augustine’s Abbey and St. Martins church form the trio of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Canterbury. The Abbey was founded in 597AD, and St Martin’s Church is the oldest parish church in England still in constant use.
You can step back into the Middle Ages at Canterbury Tales and join the pilgrims on their journey from London to Canterbury Cathedral. The city's museums are full of artefacts and fun things to do and, if you make a visit to the West Gate Towers Museum, you'll be rewarded with one of the best views of the city.
Places to Eat
As well as a lively nightlife and great shopping, Canterbury offers lots of
places to eat out, whatever your budget. Whether you want a full English
breakfast in a café or just sandwiches there are plenty of places to find food
during the day and night – in addition to the University’s food outlets. Many of
the pubs have lunch and evening meal menus or you could tempt your tastebuds
with the many Mexican, French, Greek, Indian, Chinese and pizza restaurants.
Surrounding Countryside
Canterbury is surrounded by beautiful countryside. There are lots of places to
visit within easy reach of the University including country villages and seaside
towns such as
Whitstable and
Herne Bay.
Whitstable is famous for its oysters and has attracted an artistic crowd with its independent art galleries, boutiques and individual gift shops. You could even get on your bike to explore it by following the old Canterbury to Whitstable railway line, known as the Crab and Winkle Way which forms part of the National Cycle Network Route 1.
Festivals
Canterbury and the surrounding areas are home to several festivals throughout
the year, the biggest being the
Canterbury Festival, held for two weeks every
October at venues throughout the city. The festival has 200 events including
classical music and opera, theatre, comedy acts, music and film as well as
exhibitions and walks. There are also summer festivals in Herne Bay and the
Whitstable Oyster Festival, featuring music, dance and comedy acts.
Music events include the annual
Lounge on the Farm festival
Transport
The transport infrastructure in Canterbury has received major investment in
recent years. The city has three
park and ride sites, a
bus/coach
station and two mainline railway stations,
East
and
West, offering frequent trains to and from
London Charing Cross and
London Victoria (journey
time approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes) and elsewhere in Kent. The city has good links to the M20 (M25/M26) and M2 motorways,
providing easy links to London and its airports -
City,
Gatwick,
Heathrow,
Luton and
Stansted. The A2 and A260 connect
Canterbury with the Channel port of Dover and the
Eurotunnel
car shuttle terminal near Folkestone. From Ashford International you can catch
the Eurostar train to the
Continent.
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Information from the Wikipedia website on:
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