Five things I love to do in Lancaster when I'm not studying

by Emma Swindlehurst

Before Covid19 made an appearance in our lives, life when not studying was lots of fun and very busy. So, I have rounded up all my favourite things I used to do in my free time before Covid19, to show what a great place Lancaster is and all that it has to offer.

Drinking Coffee

I love drinking coffee, and so going to cafes is one of my favourite things to do in my free time. Over the past 2 and a half years that I have lived in Lancaster, I have made it my mission to find the best coffee shops, which have delicious food, amazing coffee and are just all-round lovely places. There are so many to choose from in Lancaster, but my top 3 are, The Herbarium, Brew and Journey Social. I would highly recommend checking out all 3 and you never know, you may even catch me in there!

Playing Netball

When I came to Lancaster Uni, I had no intention of playing netball, as I was not a sporty person at all, however after meeting all the girls who are part of Pendle netball (my college netball team), I had to join. There is no pressure to be good at sport, it is just a nice way to meet new people and through this club I have made some of my best friends for life and had the best time ever. Netball training occurs twice a week, matches are once a week, and a social every other week, so it takes up a lot of my free time. However, it enabled me to meet new friends, have lots of fun, and get some exercise, so it is definitely worth it.

Attending Socials

Attending netball socials was always my favourite part of the week. As I am part of my college netball team, they hold socials regularly in bars or someone’s house and they often have themes, in which you wear fancy dress. At the socials you play games and get to hang out with your mates, and after the social you have the option of going out, to the night clubs in Lancaster, which is always good fun. Socials are a great way to relax, meet new people and have an amazing time.

Games with my housemates

I spend lots of my free time with my housemates. We usually do much more chill things such as movies nights and we often play card games and board games together. This is a nice way to wind down in the evening after a long day studying and it is something that isn’t too tiring, but it always good fun.

Writing for The Lancaster Tab

The Tab is a university news site, where articles, quizzes and memes are written and made by the students and it’s student-run. I joined the Lancaster Tab as I love to write, and I wanted to write in my free time in a way that was fun and enjoyable and not in an academic way. Writing for the Tab is a great thing to do if you are an aspiring writer or journalist, as it is an easy way to gain experience and it is very chill; you can write as few or as many articles as you want, so long as they are relatable to Lancaster students.

It is so important that you have free time when at university, as studying for hours a week can get tiring and often draining. It is essential that you make time for yourself and to do things that you’re passionate about, as it will enable you to have a good life/work balance. All the things mentioned above, are what have made my university experience great and have allowed me to have the best time that I can at university.

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Emma is a third year undergraduate at Lancaster University and is studying Sociology.

Lancaster University employs students to create authentic content from a student perspective. All views expressed in this article are those of the students, and do not necessarily reflect the views or position of Lancaster University.