Now this is where it all gets a little bit complicated. Northumbria is split into four sites. Two are in Newcastle, Coach Lane and City, one is outside of the city on a country estate, Longhirst, and one is in Carlisle.
The main facilities are located at the City campus. This is in the form of a three floor union building. The first floor has a bookshop and travel centre and a pub called Bar One. This used to be the place for bearded mature students to meet and discuss interesting rock formations and the revolution in modern garden shed design. Plenty of old charm, with antique maps and real ale, but it now attracts a younger crowd. Because of the way the main bar is closed in late afternoon to prepare for evening functions, Bar One gets packed out, especially on Fridays. Food is pubby and good. We have it on good authority that their breakfasts are excellent.
The middle floor is called The Venue. It has a motorway café style food outlet which is your standard school dinner affair. In the evenings it is a concert and party venue, and with a capacity of 2000 it is pretty much the dogs bollocks. You should definitely head here on Fridays and Saturdays.
The top floor is where the refurb has taken place. Reds is bright and friendly. It has good food on a continental theme. During the day it's a good spot to meet friends.
The other sites at Carlisle and Coach Lane each have a bar and although they do run events and have cheap drinks, it's City that is the centre for most activities. The Longhirst site is where many of the international students are based and this has a fairly large effect on the social activity. Things are a bit quieter and groups are a bit more cohesive.
