At the end of May half term, Ella and I spent a weekend in Exeter for the University of Exeter open day.  Exeter is one of the universities that Ella has been most excited to look around.

University Visits

The University of Exeter is about 180 miles away from where we live so it made sense to spend a weekend in Exeter to justify the four-hour train journey it was going to take to get there.  It was our fourth uni visit so we knew a bit more about what to expect from the experience, which meant we were able to go into the day better prepared.

We’ve already been to Edinburgh (uni visit #1), Birmingham (#2) and Dublin (#3).  We’ve now whittled down the types of talks that are useful for us to attend and which of the information stalls are helpful for us to visit, along with which parts of the uni campus are very important for us to see & explore (mainly the library and the different accommodation options) and which parts we know we can skip.

A Weekend In Exeter

Considering that we’ve holidayed in Cornwall (Devon’s next door neighbour) as a family every year for the last decade, meaning that we have literally circumnavigated the city of Exeter – the Devonshire gateway to the county of Cornwall – many, many times… we haven’t actually ever stopped to visit it properly.

I thoroughly enjoy exploring new-to-me places so I was very much looking forward to spending a weekend in Exeter.  Ella was too and between us we had quite a lot mapped out on our collaborative itinerary to try and see & experience whilst we were in the city.

This eatery (The Flat) was two doors down from our airbnb – the smell from the pizza floating up to our apartment every evening was mouthwatering!

Thursday

It was a long travel day to get to Exeter, but it was worth it.  I spend ages researching places for us to stay whenever we go away for uni visit weekends, and I was really pleased with this little airbnb flat I found for us in Exeter.

Our airbnb had such pretty light! I definitely didn’t choose it for it’s aesthetics, nope, not me 😉

Once we’d successfully checked in, unpacked a bit and got ourselves settled, we headed straight back out into Exeter itself to explore for the remainder of the afternoon.  We were based in an area full of local indie shops so we had a little wander around those (Ella fell in love with one called Helen Of Troy, which was crammed full of cute art prints and happy little trinkets).  We also found a second-hand bookshop (we can NEVER resist those!) which we had a quick mooch around.

Our main objective was Stepcote Hill (which we found a little underwhelming – it had an ok view but it wasn’t quite as impressive as I’d been expecting.  At a different time of year with the sun in a different position it would be an ace spot for the sunset though).  We also wanted to find The House That Moved.  Merchant House, also known as The House That Moved, dates all the way back to the 1400s.  It was due to be demolished in the 1960s to make way for a brand new road that was being built.  Local residents persuaded the council to save it, and it got moved (fully intact, in an incredible feat of engineering) ninety metres down the street.  I thought that was a pretty cool story so I wanted to see it.

Book-Cycle was a really cute little second hand bookshop that we accidentally stumbled across

Stepcote Hill

The House That Moved

After a quick bite to eat back at the airbnb, we went out one final time.  Or so we thought.  We were making our way to Quayside when an enormous seagull with VERY impressive aim flew overhead and pooped dramatically and spectacularly right on me, getting me square on the chest of my favourite hoodie and also covering my camera.  It was like a brilliantly timed missile launch.  Ella thought it was hysterical.  Me…less so.

We turned around and went to clean up – I was mostly worried about my camera to be honest.  By the time I’d managed to get as much of it off as I possibly could, I was starting to see the funny side.  Now it’ll be a travel story that gets told and retold long into the future.

We tried again and this time made it to Quayside, fortunately with no more excrement-related mishaps.  It was quite a sweet area – a little selection of bars and restaurants lining the river with fairy lights strung around and live music playing.  I imagine it gets busy and has a great atmosphere on Friday and Saturday nights, especially during the summer months.

Exeter Quayside

Bridge (and sunset!) at Exeter Quayside

Friday

Today was the University of Exeter’s open day, and the main purpose of us spending a weekend in Exeter.  It was a long and busy day – interesting, useful, productive and fun in equal measure.

University of Exeter

Exeter is one of the university open days that Ella has been most looking forward to attending and we both had high hopes for it after hearing lots of good things from other people who have studied there, visited it and/or teach there.

We walked to Streatham Campus from our airbnb as it wasn’t too far away, about a half-hour walk.  The University of Exeter campus itself is absolutely lovely: it’s very green and leafy; and it felt compact and somehow spacious at the same time.  There was a pro-Palestinian encampment taking place on the campus – a cluster of tents pitched in some open space opposite one of the university buildings – which seemed relatively peaceful.

As the day went on, active protests started to take place.  There were megaphones, leaflets being handed out, pieces of paper being dropped inside the main university hub building from the floors above with messages on, rolls of fabric being unfurled on the main pathways outside covered in bloodied handprints (actually red paint but very realistic) and lists of names of people who have lost their lives…

It felt quite loud and disruptive and overwhelming, especially as it was so busy with open day visitors and student helpers, which I’m sure was the intention.  It was never aggressive though and we tried hard not to let it impact on our perception or impression of the uni itself.

Protest aside, the open day talks we attended were both informative and entertaining; the accommodation was ok (although we only looked at one set of halls); and the history undergraduate degree sounded like it incorporated modules related to the kinds of thing Ella is keen on, plus we both liked the lecturer.  Exeter has made it into her top three universities to potentially apply to.

The entrance to the University of Exeter (Streatham Campus)

Exploring Exeter

The University open day talks we wanted to go to were finished by early afternoon so we headed into the city to explore for the rest of the day.  It’s important to Ella that she feels safe in the city, that it has all the shops she likes, and that she connects with the vibe of the place.  Exeter had a really good high street and contained everything she could possibly need or want, so that was a big positive. (Yes, we’re keeping a tally of the pros and cons of every university we visit!).

We took a brief detour down Gandy Street, a little side alleyway that had very Harry Potter-esque vibes and vintage shops aplenty.  We popped into a couple of them but it was getting near to closing time so we didn’t have long enough to hunt through all the treasure contained within them properly.

We also spotted Parliament Street, tucked inconspicuously and incongruously next to a Greggs – it is (apparently) believed to be the narrowest street in the world at just 25″ wide, which is a pretty cool claim to fame.

Ella loved browsing through the clothes, bags and jewellery in all the vintage shops and I loved playing with my camera and the mirrors

After the busy-ness of Exeter’s high street, we wandered over to lovely Northernhay Gardens, which run around the back of Exeter Castle.  They were both pretty and peaceful, with an abundance of gorgeous rose bushes in full bloom which made me very happy indeed.  The quiet little oasis was a welcome respite and we spent 20 minutes or so there.

Northernhay Gardens were very pretty – rose bushes in full bloom everywhere

We found this discarded bloom in one of the flowerbeds still in perfect condition – it smelled amazing!

From there we walked around to Rougemont Gardens.  Ella is fascinated by history in general and that’s what she wants to study for her undergraduate degree.  She has several main areas of high interest within it which she may well incorporate into her studies further down the line: wartime (both the first and second world wars); ancient Greek mythology; women & gender studies; and witchcraft.  Exeter is well-known for it’s connections to witchcraft, dating all the way back to the 1500s, so I made sure we visited this plaque documenting the place where the three final women to be hanged for witchcraft in England were put on trial.

The gardens themselves were lovely too, and also circled the perimeter walls of Exeter Castle, but from a different side.  They felt a bit more wild than the more manicured Northernhay Gardens, which was a fitting contrast.  I liked them both!

The Devon Witches plaque in Rougement Gardens

Rougement Gardens felt a bit more wild & mysterious than the more neat & formal Northernhay Gardens we’d visited earlier. I love this photo of Ella.

We ate a delicious dinner at a particularly bustling (and very pretty inside) branch of Zizzi’s in the town centre, then walked back to Quayside to catch the sunset. It wasn’t the most spectacular, but the reflections in the River Exe were pretty.  We wandered along the river path for a bit and came across some lovers locks that we hadn’t seen the previous evening.  I like looking at them and seeing all the names/initials, trying to find the oldest one on there.  I reminded me a little of my trip to Paris with my best friend last year.

Sunset at Quayside

Lover’s Locks at Quayside

Saturday

We were checking out of our airbnb and travelling home this morning but I had one final little solo wander around the city before we left whilst Ella was packing up her stuff.  I do love a bit of early morning exploring whilst it’s still quiet.

I returned to Exeter Cathedral to get a better look – it really is quite special.  It wasn’t open to visitors at the time I was there so I wasn’t able to go inside – we’ll save that for another trip because the interior is supposed to be spectacular.

I also revisited some of the pieces of street art I’d spotted during our explorations from the previous two days.  People really are ridiculously talented.

Another piece of cool street art…

…This one was my most favourite though!

Majestic Exeter Cathedral (side view) – the photo really doesn’t do it any justice

We slowly made our way to the train station to make the long journey home. We stopped to pick up some train snacks at the gorgeous Jar Deli/Bakery.  I highly recommend whatever variety of flapjack they have on the day if you ever happen to visit, because it was delicious.  The Exploding Bakery is a few doors away and is also supposed to be very good – they didn’t have anything we fancied but it looked yummy.

There was absolute chaos at the train station when we arrived, with trains being delayed and cancelled all over the place.  As I stood watching the departure screens, trying to figure out what was going on, Ella tapped me insistently on the shoulder, an excited glint in her eyes.  “Mum, LOOK!” she whispered, pointing.  I turned and looked, not sure what to expect, only to lock eyes with… a book vending machine!  We’d both heard of them before, but we’ve never come across one in real life, so we were both a little bit thrilled at this unexpected sight.  And yes, Ella bought a book 🙂

It turns out that the disruption to the trains was due to ‘cows on the line’.  We figured that at least it’s a better reason than ‘leaves on the line’ causing everything to come to a halt.  It ended up making our journey home somewhat tricky and it took far longer than it should have done – it wasn’t the best ending to a weekend in Exeter, but at least we got home eventually.  It’s all part of the adventure and Ella handled it very well all things considered.

Jar Deli/Bakery – home to possibly the best flapjack in the world?

A book vending machine(!) at Exeter St David’s train station

All in all, it was an excellent visit.  A weekend in Exeter allowed us enough time to cover plenty of the things we wanted to see and do, and at the same time I’m sure there was more for us to explore.  What would you add to an itinerary for a weekend in Exeter?  Leave any suggestions below!