Sunderland Reviews

Living in Sunderland

Sunderland, a northern bustling city within a countryside environment with award-winning coastal scenery - it's hard to beat that combination!

The north of England may be known for its industrial past, but it’s hard to beat the golden coastline at Roker in Sunderland. It’s only a short walk away from the University of Sunderland campus, but if the distance between your bed and window to check the weather is just too far the council have a webcam there so you can see it on your laptop. Ah, the student life.

Sunderland originally built up as a port town on the river Wear, so you’re going to come across a lot of boat-themed sights as you go round the city. Along the seafront you’ll find the lighthouse and harbour area (as well as a lot of cafes), a good place to take a refreshing walk or hunt down some food. Sunderland has some great architecture and a lot of it links to the city’s heritage too so check out the Penshaw Monument and Wear Bridge. For hints to the industrial side of things, gadget-lovers and engineers can lose themselves in the Ryhope Engines Museum and Monkwearmouth Station Museum for hours at a time

A big deal is made of the football here, and the home games are played in the Stadium of Light, which is practically a temple for the sport. It’s also used as a concert venue and has hosted world tours by several big name bands. In the city centre you’ll find The Bridges shopping centre, all your usual high street shops, and an indoor market for those who like to get their groceries on the cheap. Every winter an ice rink appears in the city centre, as well as a German market, and in the warmer months there’s a free International Festival of Kites, Music and Dance for the artsy types, and the International Airshow.

Nothing to do this evening?

• Nightlife: The main areas for this are between the High Street and Park Lane. Traditionally Sunderland was more of a pubbing town than a clubbing one, but the clubs that are there often stay open a lot later than the ones in nearby Newcastle.
• Newcastle: While we’re on the subject, it’s only half an hour away by Metro.
• The Theatre: The Sunderland Empire is the only venue for miles that is big enough to host West End productions, so a lot of the major shows stop off here. Check out their website for more details.

Good to know

• Taxi: Station taxis. This company also has an emergency taxi scheme arrange with the university in case you’re ever stranded without money. See the university website for details.
• Metro: It’s a bit like a bus, except it’s a train. It’s most useful for getting to places like Newcastle, and if you’re going to use it regularly it’s worth getting a Metro Student Card.

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