Cambridge crowned the eighth best night out in the UK

Despite popular belief that Cambridge nights out are lackluster, a recent study has ranked Cambridge the eighth best night out in the UK, coming in behind York (first), Telford (second) and Warrington (third), to name a few.

The study ranked nights out on a variety of factors, notably the number of drinking venues per head, the cost of a pint, and a series of safety concerns, giving each town a cumulative score out of 10.

With an overall score of 6.46/10, Cambridge managed to squeeze into eighth place, just above Newcastle upon Tyne, which had a score of 6.42/10. Some (if not all) Geordies may protest this placement.

Cambridge’s strong overall score is largely attributed to its high safety score of 70.21/100, making it the fourth safest city within the top 10. Notably, York – which was ranked the best night out in the UK – also had the highest safety score of 75.87/100, evidencing the importance of safety to the enjoyability of a night out.

Also bolstering Cambridge’s rating was the high number of pubs per 100,000 people – an impressive 126.16. It’s safe to say that you don’t have to walk far to find a pint! However, the cost of a Cambridge pint was to its detriment, averaging a staggering £4.26 per pint, and making it the only town in the top 10 to have an average pint cost over £4.

Despite a high number of pubs per head, Cambridge falls short on the number of bars and clubs per 100,000 people, with only 31.54, miles behind Newcastle’s 43.29 and Plymouth’s 77.95.

News of Cambridge’s high ranking was surprising to many students, with one remarking that they believed Cambridge to have “the worst nightlife in the UK”. However, the fact that this research is based on general public perception, rather than just student insights, may explain the disjuncture in perception and results.

Equally, the fact that the study looks at more than just clubbing may have influenced the results as well, with Cambridge’s pub culture evidently being of great benefit to the city.

Forget the clubs, this research shows that pubs, pints and pitchers are at the heart of Cambridge’s night’s out, and make it worthy of a top 10 ranking.

Feature image credit: Matilda Head

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