How to have an edgy night in London when you’re bored of Egham

Were you lured to spend three educational years at Royal Holloway under the appeal of it being a “University of London” only to get here and find you’re actually 23 miles away from the capital? It’s safe to say the acronym “RHUL” is a LIE.

However, London isn’t a million miles away and it’s the best place in the country to go for a night out. Here’s how to have the best night out when you get there.

Step one – Line your stomach

Ready for a bite

If you catch the train from Egham to London Waterloo and change to London Liverpool Street, you’ll be right on top of Spitalfields and Shoreditch, places which are buzzing with tons of quirky little places to eat.

The Breakfast Club in Spitalfields (directly opposite Liverpool Street station) is full of eclectic memorabilia and does great cheesy nachos. If you watch carefully, you may see some people disappearing into a giant Smeg fridge.

Don’t worry, you’re not off your head just yet, but about to find out The Breakfast Club is actually the portal to a secret speakeasy. Ask the waiter if you can see “the Mayor of Scaredy Cat Town” and you’ll be led through the notorious fridge, down a dark staircase lit with L.E.D signs, into a secret underground bar decorated with cat-related art. Just make sure you leave via the secret door in the toilets so as not to reveal all.

Step two – Get the drinks in

A month into being back at Royal Holloway, you get tired of drinking in Monkey’s every week. Shoreditch re-invents “grabbing a drink” with comical pubs themed like your grandma’s sitting room and bars which make you feel like you’ve just stepped into an episode of The Mighty Boosh.

Once you’ve snuck out of the speakeasy, indulge your inner geek and visit the Far Rockaway bar which is decked out in the weird and wonderful, including a roof tiled with skateboards, and a comic book reading corner. If you wanna venture elsewhere, try Covent Garden’s The Roadhouse, The Adventure Bar and the tiny Jamaican bar, Dub Jam.

Step three – Hit the club

SO edgy

We all like to satisfy our need for a little cheesy night out once in a while, but after Freshers’ Week, you’ll be looking for something less mainstream than the nights the SU puts on. Trafik in Shoreditch is a great place to start an all-nighter. It’s a chill little bar, with resident DJs playing minimal techno and underground house music. Plus its free entry.

Then if you’re feeling up to it and don’t mind catching the 5am train back to Egham, London is host to an array of underground clubs. Fabric is just around the corner from Farringdon station while Fuse put on some good nights at The Village Underground.

Just bear in mind these clubs aren’t the places you wanna roll up to in a glamorous dress and high heels. In order to avoid the slightly embarrassing “sorry you’re not on the guest list” knock back (when you definitely are) try pairing some jeans or jean shorts with a graphic tee and a touch of leather. Sticking to the colours black or grey is an easy way to looking that bit more “techno”.

Edgy look on fleek

Don’t worry if the night goes horribly wrong and you end up rolling about like a drunken turtle while Fabric’s security guards are trying to call you a taxi. Why? Because no one at Royal Holloway will ever know: you’re miles away from the lurking camera phones which are normally ready to put you on Spotted.