Accommodation review – Heronbank, Canley & Earlsdon

I’ve lived in three different accommodations over my three years as a student as a Warwick, and here are my opinions on each of them.

Heronbank:

• I lived here in first year. It was my second choice after Lakeside, but I wasn’t bothered which of the two I got because Lakeside and Heronbank are actually very similar on the inside.
• In my opinion, Heronbank is one of the best accommodations on campus, based on room size and price. The rooms are cheaper and bigger than most of the other en-suite accommodations on campus.
• The walk to central campus really isn’t as big as people make it out to be. I could get to the SU in 10 minutes. It’s also the closest accommodation to the new sports centre, so it’s ideal if you plan of spending a lot of time there.
• 8 people to a flat was a good size. Our kitchen had enough space for all of us.
• I had good flatmates, especially considering that—like most freshers—I didn’t get to choose who I lived with.
• Having an en-suite bathroom was a really nice luxury, and the water pressure and temperature was amazing. I could never fully enjoy it though, as I lived in fear of a fire alarm triggering somewhere in the building at any moment.

Canley:

• I lived in a house in Canley in second year, and it felt a lot more independent than living on campus, plus I got to choose who I lived with, which was probably one of the main reasons I liked it more.
• For me, it was the ideal proximity to campus. My house was about a 20-25 minute walk to central campus, which was sometimes a struggle if the weather was bad and I was carrying a lot of stuff, but overall I enjoyed the walk, and I preferred it to taking the bus every day.
• While campus felt very safe, Canley felt less so. I lived on the edge of Canley, just off Charter Avenue, so felt pretty safe, but it’s always best to exercise caution. View a house and check out the surrounding area before you sign a contract. The presence of streetlights, security cameras on pubs and shops, and a house alarm can be good deterrents against crime, but of course, there’s always a risk.

Earlsdon:

• I lived here in my final year, which was hit by the pandemic, so I spent most of my time in the house.
• The bus ride to campus took about 15 minutes, which was okay, especially because I didn’t have to go to campus very often. If I had to do the commute on a daily basis, it might have been a bit annoying, especially if the buses had been busy, but it was manageable this year.
• You can also walk to campus from Earlsdon. It took me around 45 minutes, and of course will depend on the part of Earlsdon you live in, but it’s possible. My housemate would often cycle the journey.
• Most of the places I viewed in Earlsdon had relatively low rents. I had a really large bedroom, and it was also the cheapest place I have stayed in while at university.
• Like Canley, some of my friends had experiences in Earlsdon where they felt unsafe, so it’s always best to view the house and surrounding area to help you make an informed decision before choosing a house.

Of the three places I lived, Canley was my favourite. Each different accommodation had its merits, but Canley’s proximity to campus made it ideal. It was more independent than living on campus (and I didn’t get woken by fire alarms), but was still within walking distance. I rarely felt unsafe while living off campus, but I was always careful. Like most places off campus, there’s always a risk that something bad may happen, but do your research first.