An honest review of: Barcombe Road

If you are new to our ‘Honest Review’ series, we take a hard look at popular student areas and tell you what you can expect next year when you live in them. So far, we have covered Coombe Road and Lewes Road  but now we take a look at Barcombe Road.

Located near Wild Park, you have probably passed Barcombe Road many a time when heading to Brighton.

It is within walking distance of campus

If you can’t wait to live off campus in your second year but still don’t want to miss out on the comfort of being close to uni and its bar, shops, and sports facilities, Barcombe Road is definitely the right place for you. Let’s say that you want to be a bit healthier and burn off the fresher’s 15, the proximity of the campus means that a quick cycle or walk is on the tables for you. It’s only 10-15 minutes to campus, so why the hell not?

Bus connections to town and uni are great but will always be packed

If walking isn’t your thing then getting the bus is still on the table.  Almost every bus going to town or uni stops at Barcombe Road, so you’ll never have to wait longer than 5 minutes to catch one. Unfortunately, the location of the bus stop means that loads of people will be on the bus heading to uni and if you’re going to town there hasn’t been enough stops to drop a good number off. Our recommendation is not to travel on the hour but somewhere in the middle.

We won’t lie, you feel isolated

The fact that this area so close to campus also has its downsides as it’s further away from the beach, shops, bars, and clubs in the city center. It can be lonely sometimes, many students choose to stay in the Lewes Road area and have a lot more on offer which is something that lacks in Barcombe Road.

Apart from a fish & chips shop and a convenience store, Barcombe Road hasn’t really much to offer in terms of shops and amenities, you can’t even enjoy the sweet joy of Deliveroo.

Wait what?! No Deliveroo?

Yes, many of you may have been looking forward to using Deliveroo next year but sadly they don’t come this far out.

Check for noise

As Barcombe Road is right next to the A270, you will have to get used to the noise of cars and buses driving by day and night, which can get quite annoying if your bedroom is facing the main street and you have to study for exams.

Again, double glazing is key.

It is more of a family area than a student area

In general though, Barcombe Road is a rather quiet area, loads of families and not too many student houses, so if you’re looking for that buzzing student atmosphere with loads of house parties nearby, you might prefer looking for something closer to the Lewes Road area.

If however you want to do your partying elsewhere and annoy the neighbours in someone else’s house then Barcombe is a good refuge after a night out.

So… What’s the verdict?

All in all, Barcombe Road is a nice area if you prefer living close to campus and don’t mind being a bit outside of town. Most houses are pretty decent and have big gardens for summer barbeque parties and the entire area is really flat so no annoying hills to walk up.

If you want to spend a lot of time in town or on the beach, and want to be close to clubs and coffee shops you should definitely cross Barcombe Road off your list. There isn’t much in the way of shops or anything else and you probably would resort back to hanging out in Falmer and East Slope Bar like last year.

Barcombe is super easy to navigate and it isn’t a massive trek after a night out. Just remember that buses will have more people going either direction purely due to your location.