I don’t know about the rest of you but, this time of year always seems to coincide with feeling well and truly miserable. It’s halfway through term, your bank balance seems to be lacking a fair few noughts at the end, or is just one big fat nought for some, and deadlines are being thrown at you thick and fast! If this concoction doesn’t quite push you over the edge the dreary weather probably will. Just when we thought those artic conditions had disappeared, (we had at least a day in our house where our breath was no longer visible, halleluiah), and the sun finally made a rare appearance, Mother Nature shows us what a tease she really is by giving us and another dose of sub-zero temperatures. It is scientifically proven that vitamin D, generated by that elusive creature called the Sun, improves your mood. With daylight saving ending in a months’ time surely it can’t be long before we can ditch the three layers of jumpers and soak up those rays of joy, can it…?! While HCX hasn’t managed to bottle sunshine, (we’re still working on it), we can make sure you’re fully prepared to make the most of the sunshine when it does finally appear, and hopefully put a smile on your face by reminding you of all the fun there is to look forward to once summer descends upon Exeter.
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1) Alcohol anyone?
Whilst we all know Exeter students are notorious for liking an alcoholic beverage or two the appearance of sunshine means we are no longer confined to enjoying this past time after dark. The slightest raise in temperature seems to justify midday drinking at the Impy or Ram, and whilst everyone complains about the severe over crowdedness it wouldn’t be summer without having to sharpen your elbows to ensure you nab a square centremetre of grass to sip your Pimms on.
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2) The great outdoors
Second and third year equals an increase in the work load. But it also has its plus points, such as owning a house. Whilst winter leaves you confined to the four, usually moulding, walls, summer introduces you to a whole new way to entertain yourself in the form of the garden! I don’t know about you but after months of sheltering from the elements even mundane things done out in the sun seem way more exciting than they should. Whist pre drinks outside, or any other social gathering for that matter, may seem like nothing to write home about it means you no longer feel as though you’re playing sardines all night, and allows the boys to demonstrate their masculinity around the BBQ whilst us females are left to enjoy our cocktails.
Fresher’s can most certainly make the most of the outside space too. I know for a fact some of the best pre drinks we had we during the summer months were when lopes lawn was turned into an obstacle course of drinking games!
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3) The Quay
The quay is a beautiful place to go for a walk whatever time of year. But, as the sun begins to shine it means number one, you can ditch the wellies and number two, make the most of the river! Believe it or not the river is not just to be enjoyed by avid rowers. It provided me and my friends with hours of entertainment last year, especially in the form of pedaloes. With the sun shining what’s not to love? You can hire them out for up to an hour, and splitting the price four ways means it really is a pretty cheap day out. What’s more, you don’t even have to feel guilty about whiling away the hours as it proved to be a pretty hard core leg work out! Another HCX lady recently told me of her slightly more upmarket interpretation where she “hired canoes last year and went up the river and had lunch at double locks!” Sadly, our culinary delights stopped at some sweets and the ever so classy invention of box wine (HCX does not endorse pedaloing whilst under the influence however, we feel it was justified as a fuel for our overworked leg muscles). Either way you get the picture, food, drink, and some sort of watery transportation are a winning combination in the sunshine.
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4) The beach!
Sometimes it’s hard to see past the remnants of Timepiece burgers scattering Exeter after a night out but, we actually live in a beautiful part of the country. Devon is known for its gorgeous coastlines and its array of beaches are all a relatively short car or train journey away. Exmouth seems to be a firm favourite with HCX girls, and I can see why. It’s so quick and easy to get to via either car or train. Plus, if you make the effort to keep walking past the rather crowded areas you are rewarded with rolling sand dunes and while the tide’s out you can wade out for ages on to sandy mounds surrounded by the sea, who needs the Caribbean Islands? Last trains from Exmouth to Exeter leave at around 11pm so you can easily make a day, and night, of it. For two friends birthday’s last year we even chipped in for a disposable BBQ and have a beach side birthday meal, complete with food, drink, and cake! Sidmouth is also within easy reach, being a half an hour car or coach journey away, and possess a beautiful beach and a cliff top café complete with a balcony to sit and soak up some rays. With the whole of Devon in reach, and Cornwall as your neighbouring county, it really would be a crime to not explore the stunning beaches, you could even give surfing a try (or lounge on the sand and laugh at those brave enough attempting to catch a wave).
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5) The return of the ice cream van…
On my quest to find out what summer past times are getting Exeter students through the dismal winter one thing topped the list by a mile, the return of the ice cream van. It seems that sometimes it’s the simple things that please us the most! Many harked back to their time in halls where the arrival of the ice cream van triggered stampede like scenes in the quest to ensure they bagged a coveted screw ball or twister lolly ( I never had this problem as I’m more of a solero ice girl myself). So as you don your thermals tonight take strength from the fact that there have been a few sightings of the ice cream van, and as one HCX member has noted “you can sometimes hear the ice cream van’s dulcit tones on the wind…summer is coming!”