Life Living in Kenilworth :)

Ahh, Kenilworth, a lovely little English town, close to campus, nice and cosy, and just an overall great place to live as a second or third-year student. Of course, you’ve opened this blog to get a better idea of what it’s actually like living in Kenilworth, not just to read my brief opinion of it, so that’s exactly what I’m going to discuss 🙂

Kenilworth is an absolutely lovely town, situated between Leamington Spa and Warwick Uni Campus. (Pst… this means that it’s super close to uni)

For anyone looking to be a bit closer to campus, and to live in a really nice, safe and quality area for a decent price, Kenilworth is a really good option to take into consideration. Here are the top reasons I am living in Kenilworth, and will most likely be staying here next year!

Easy Access to Campus and Leam 🙂

It really is super close to campus. It’s not as close as Canley is, but the bus takes around 10 minutes to get to campus, and there is a lovely bike path that you can take as well, which is around a 15-20 minute bike ride, or an hour-long walk (if you’ve got the time, and want to explore the countryside a bit more).

It’s also only 15 minutes away from Leamington by bus, making a day trip to see friends, or have a nice dinner very doable! There is another pedestrian/bike path from Kenilworth to Leamington, so you can cycle there in around 25-30 minutes too!

A Wonderful High Street!

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The High street, which is at the centre of Kenilworth, has loads of shops, cafes, restaurants and bars, so there really is something for any type of outing. There is a Waitrose, a Sainsbury’s and an Iceland for all your food needs. Then there is an Argos, a Wilko, a Boots and loads of other small shops with literally everything for household, and personal things.

The variety of restaurants ranges from Michelin Star restaurants (The Cross) to quick take away Pizza and burgers. There really is a place for everytone to enjoy classic English food, Mediterranean food, Indian food, Thai food, honestly, you name it.

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And if any of you have big sweet teeth, like me, you might be sad about having to go all the way to Leamington just to enjoy a Creams cookie dough or waffle, but fear not, because there is a delightful little cafe on the high street that serves the same type of desserts for the same price range 🙂

Every major bank also has a branch on this street, so if you need to access the bank, it’s conveniently here for you, whichever bank you use. There are also cash machines outside of each bank.

Abbey Fields and Kenilworth Castle

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One thing that is super special about Kenilworth is the history and the scenery. It truly is a beautiful place to live. The park which ultimately extends into the fields is a great place for a picnic when the weather is a bit warmer, a walk with the flat, and just a great place to get away from the busy student life. The Castle is a sight to see on its own. It’s really cool to be living so close to places where such history was made, especially as an international student from a country where the history doesn’t run nearly as deep, seeing the castle was really interesting.

Affordable Accommodation

Although in my search for housing last year I didn’t actually look at too many houses, I have spoken to a lot of friends of mine living in various areas, and came to the conclusion that I am living in a really good location, in a very high quality house and the price is quite similar to many places in Leamington that aren’t as nice.

My flatmates and I are paying £125 per week for rent, excluding the bills, for a really nice house in an amazing place. I know people in Leamington paying even more, or even the same, and they aren’t getting quite as much out of it.

Of course, there are even cheaper options in Leam, and places like Canley and Coventry, but Kenilworth is definitely worth what you pay for.

The Small Town Vibe – It feels Safe!

Having lived in relatively big city/touristy areas most of my life, I can safely say that those places haven’t been the safest or most homely. The combination of a large influx of strangers and new people with the big city vibe is just asking for some sort of trouble.

Kenilworth isn’t that at all! It really does give you the cut English Countryside living experience. Not so much that you feel like your nearest neighbour is 10 miles away, but enough that it really feels cosy. Knowing that this is a place where a 90-year-old man (my neighbour) can live alone for the past 40 years, or a kid can ride their bike after dark makes living hear really peaceful.

I’ve now been here for just over a month and a half, and already there are so many familiar faces. The people here are also super nice and friendly, and I think most importantly, neighbourly. I’ve found that a lot of the people living here are actually Warwick staff, so they are very understanding that we are students, and are very welcoming and helpful it getting settled in.

Overall

To sum it up, Kenilworth is an affordable, good location in a lovely town, and it really is a good place to live as long as you don’t prioritise the student party life and don’t mind being in a quieter setting.

Good luck with all of your house hunting!