Anna Walker
On the fourth day of freshers, Impact presents a review of Anna’s top places to chill on campus.
If you want a rest from all the hustle and bustle of student life, then you’re going to need to know some of my favourite places to chill, in and around the university. Whether it be catching up on some reading, or grabbing a coffee and some lunch from the Portland Building and wondering where to go and sit; this is the perfect place to find those peaceful spots.
The Old Botanic Garden
The first, and definitely one of my long-standing favourites, is The Old Botanic Garden. This small and almost-secret garden is located near the Portland Building on University Park Campus. A winding path, dotted with trees and vegetation, takes you through the garden. The occasional rabbit is to be expected and probably a squirrel or two. This location is one of the more tranquil and usually more secluded areas, so proves perfect for a relaxed read. Although it is usually quiet here, there are only a couple of benches, but one could free up before you know it!
The Lake
My next recommendation would have to be the lake. This gorgeous visage is a much larger and busier area, especially in the warmer months. As well as taking a chilled walk or maybe a row on the water, the plethora of grassy spaces and shaded wooded areas are perfect for a picnic. Appealing to those of you who like animals, you are sure to spy plenty of geese (as you may have done already), but most excitingly fish and herons are a regular find! The only slight criticism is negotiating bikes and larger groups of people. But, the paths are mostly quite wide, but do narrow on the side closest to the Trent Building.
Trent Café
You may have heard of Portland Coffee, but you might not have known that there is a lovely little café downstairs in the Trent Building. For a quieter experience this is the place to go, and their outside seating looks over the lake. Why not grab a coffee and a slice of cake and enjoy the scenery! It’s slightly more difficult to find as the Trent Building can be a bit of a maze, but once you’ve been there once it’s easy enough to find!
Wollaton Hall and Deer Park
Wollaton Hall and Deer Park is a fantastic area! There may be fewer students there but it is very busy when the weather is good and equally lovely in the autumn when the leaves are falling. This is a large area to sit and walk around with a small lake and of course the picturesque Wollaton Hall. You will often see the larger Red deer and the smaller Fallow deer, but watch out for rutting season! The Deer Park is a bit of a trek from Beeston and even further from Lenton, but if you are up for spotting some deer and enjoying a vast green space then this is a wonderful place to go and chill.
Millennium Garden
This brings me onto my absolute best place to chill. Medium in size but with a water feature, many places to sit, grassy areas, trees, and sculptures… is the Millennium Garden. This beautiful location is perfect if you have lectures or seminars in the Monica Partridge Building as it is right across from it! This also makes it reasonably close to the Hallward Library and is the perfect place for a study break without having to walk too far (but still stretching your legs!).
Monica Partridge Building
If you’re feeling chilly and all these outside spaces just won’t do, then there’s seating on every level of the Monica Partridge building. There are relaxed spaces on the ground floor, a quiet section of tables on the top floor, and everything in between. If it’s full don’t be too disappointed… there’s always the library! Whilst the Monica Partridge building may be different due to the current situation, when you don’t necessarily want a place solely to study, this is a good building to chill in.
Anna Walker
Featured image courtesy of Anna Walker No changes made to this image.
In-article images courtesy of Anna Walker. No changes made to these images.
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