All the reasons why Bowerham is the best student area in Lancaster

Ah, Bowerham. I’ve lived there for six months and been an avid Bowerham-hater for every minute of it. However, I sat down to write an article about why I hated Bowerham and found that I couldn’t actually think of enough valid reasons. That’s when I realised I’ve just been hating on it for the fun of it.

Yes, every Bowerham student house is full of mould, the 100 sucks and there are far too many hills, but I’ve come to the conclusion that Bowerham is unjustifiably hated on, so here are some reasons to love Bowerham instead.

1. The 100 Bus

It may take years to get to campus, and you have to fight your way through the crowds at the Bowerham Hotel bus stop to get anywhere, but when it’s sunny and you can see the Lakes, it all feels worth it. It can be one of the worst days in the world, but as soon as we reach the top of those hills in Hala, every worry melts away for a few seconds. It breaks the monotony of the campus commute, and we’re incredibly lucky to have that view.

2. The takeaways

Oh my lord. Jasmine Garden and The Bowerham Chippy are some of the best takeaways in Lancaster, don’t fight me on this. There’s nothing a good chow mein from Jasmine Garden can’t fix, and honestly, that’s the selling point of Bowerham for me.

3. Living between campus and town

While it’s annoying that town is a 20-minute walk away, and we’ve got to fight for a place on the bus, it’s nice to be away from the hustle and bustle of it all. It’s like a happy medium between living in the middle of town and on campus. While the scenes at the Bowerham Hotel are bad, at least it’s not like Common Garden Street.

4. Golden hour

You haven’t experienced a golden hour til you’ve experienced a Bowerham golden hour. There’s nothing quite like watching the sunset from the top of the 100, or walking back from uni with the setting sun shining in your face. It makes all the terraced houses look so pretty, like you could imagine being a little Victorian boy watching the sunset after a long, hard day of sweeping chimneys.

5. The convenience store

The little convenience shop next to the Bowerham Hotel bus stop is my happy place. It’s so much better than Spar, with its cheap cans of Monster, bottles of alcohol, and the infinitely better snack selection. The people who work there are so sweet and sometimes give out free lollies when we go in there drunk. I love it so much, and I’ll be sad to leave it when I leave Bowerham.

6. Williamson Park

Sometimes all you need to decompress is a good walk around Williamson Park, and we’re lucky it’s just on our doorstep. If I’m feeling stressed, it’s literally less than a five-minute walk from my door, and it’s always a good little trip for a cute sunset date or to watch the dogs run about.

7. The hills

Okay, so this one is hard to justify. Walking up the hill to my house is awful and I avoid it when I can. But, sometimes power-walking up one of Bowerham’s many hills with some good tunes blasting in your ears is the only way to get out the frustrations of uni life, so they’re not ALL bad.

Related articles recommended by this writer:

• 2023 ECOChallenge: What happened?
• Lancs students: Here are 11 things you can do on campus when you want a break from studying
• UCU strikes: We asked people on the Lancaster picket lines why it’s important to be there