The Great House Hunt of 2015: Leamington vs Canley

By this point, first years should be thinking where they would like to live next year.

Being a resident of Canley, and having been one for two years, I shall be defending the suburb staunchly. However, don’t think for a second that this doesn’t mean I haven’t understood the benefits of living in Leamington. This won’t, by any means, be an exhaustive list of comparisons, but it should definitely help!

Canley

The main benefit here is the proximity. Canley is, at its furthest point from the centre of campus, 0.9 miles away: 18 minutes walking distance. Being this close to campus means you can get to your lectures in minutes. One of the best things about this proximity is that you can go home, make lunch and be back to uni in time for your lectures.

The average rent in Canley is £80 a week per person. That is cheaper than Rootes.

Also, Canley has fantastic rail links. You can get a train from Canley station directly to London Euston. Equally you can go in the other direction, direct to Birmingham New Street in half an hour. From Birmingham you can go almost anywhere in the country.

Not to mention you can get to Leamington in 15 minutes and, if you have a rail card, for the same price as a bus. Now I don’t know about you but I would take 15 minutes on a train over 45 on the U1 any day.

But I think one of the most pertinent perks of living in Canley is the rent. The average rent in Canley is £80 a week per person. That is cheaper than Rootes. And the quality of the accommodation is vastly better. With this much spare cash, as well as not having to worry about shelling out £200+ for a bus pass (as you have to in Leam, unless you drive).

Leamington

Leamington Spa is not a hard sell. Anyone who has been there knows it is pretty. But, more importantly, the majority of your friends will be there. Whether they are in North or South they will always be a short walk away.

Another great thing about Leamington is the vast variety of restaurants; something Canley is lacking (unless you know how to cook better than restaurants, in which case everything is swell). There are 199 restaurants in Leamington Spa. My favourite is Momenti, which did the single best chicken saltimbocca I have ever tasted. I told the waitress to go and hug the chef after I finished.

Most of the big parties will be happening in Leamington. In that respect, Leam is ‘where it’s at’

It would be ignorant to say that the rail links in Leamington are not as impressive as those in Canley; there is a direct to Birmingham which gets there 3 minutes quicker than the Canley train. By the by, if you haven’t seen the new Birmingham New Street, or “Grand Central” station, please do. It is magnificent.

Most of the big parties will be happening in Leamington. In that respect, Leam is ‘where it’s at’. Smack; Neon; The Assembly; Dukes; Zephyr Lounge; Moo bar… the list goes on and on. Each of them have their unique charms, well apart from Smack. This isn’t even to mention the vast amount of bars and social spaces in the town. So if you don’t want to get completely and utterly hammered and cast into a room full of (but not exclusively dedicated to) sweaty, morally questionable students, there are places for you too!

So there it is, a brief view of the pros and cons of both places. Be sure to consider Kenilworth and Earlsdon, both of which are fabulous. Choose wisely…

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