Student Life #9

You arrive at the University of Exeter and there’s one trip everyone wants to make as soon as possible – a day out in Exmouth. However, trust me when I say that there’s a better beach to visit.

Yes, okay, one of the main reasons I chose Exeter was so I would be in closer proximity to the sea. I’d lived eighteen long years of my life in landlocked Birmingham and had been teased by family holidays and my time spent in Bangor, Northern Ireland, to live closer to the waves. They’re just so peaceful and pretty and… You get the idea.

Whether your find the sea as magical as I do, or just think it’s fun to visit, Dawlish is an excellent spot to visit and is, in my opinion, better than Exmouth. Dawlish is so much more aesthetically pleasing – there’s a river running through the town to the sea which has multi-coloured lightbulbs overhanging it; you can’t get much cuter than that.

Food wise: Gay’s Creamery is the best place to get ice-cream, especially if you miss soft Mr Whippy style 99 Flakes and there’s a selection of old-fashioned sweet shops, all of which are great. Seriously, prepare yourself for a sugar rush.

There’s a museum which I cannot yet claim to have visited and a small theatre, both of which look inviting. Admittedly, winter isn’t the best time of year to visit because a fair amount of Dawlish is shut; it is a seaside town after all. Still, you can walk along the beach whenever and that’s always my favourite part.

When the sun comes out I hope that Exeter students won’t hesitate before catching a train to Dawlish – it’s as easy as hopping on at Exeter Central or St. David’s. People actually go on holiday to Dawlish, which is a mere twenty minute train journey away, you’d be crazy to miss out.