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Bunch of new friends. Away from home for the first time. Bank account bulging with student loan. The last thing you'll want is to spend your student days locked away in your digs - Alan Partridge-athons aside of course...

The good news then, is that whether you're new to the area or you've lived here all your life there's loads to do. So grab your coat, fire up the bus pass and get exploring! And to get you started, here's a quick run down of the highlights.

Stoke-on-Trent

Shopping

High-Street: From those essential student purchases - not forgetting the guitar that'll sit in the corner for three years after you pop the E-string - to everyday bits and bobs, Stoke-on-Trent offers some great shopping.

Head for Quadrant Road, Hanley where you'll find The Potteries Shopping Centre. And with high-street names spread over 90 stores there's something to suit everyone's overdraft facility.

Markets: After a week of living on Sugar Puffs and Guiness, a hit of Vitamins is probably a good idea. You'll find a selection of markets around Stoke-on-Trent's six towns all selling fresh fruit and veg', along with household goods - including a daily, in door market in Hanley.

Eating

Italian, Chinese, Indian... Whenever you fancy taking a break from Mr Heinz's finest on toast, Stoke-on-Trent's got the lot.

Hanley's Cultural Quarter is the main restaurant district. And with a great selection of places to eat, from Thai to Mediterranean, it's the perfect venue for a chill out or stomach liner, ready for a big night. Or there's Festival Park, where you can build up an appetite at Quasar or bowling before taking your pick from the spread of big name restaurants and fast food outlets.

Whatever you do though, just make sure you don't miss out on our local speciality, the Staffordshire Oatcake served warm with cheese and bacon. Beautiful.

Activities

Go Karting

Student life's all about decisions. Like, 'go to the library or get your petrol head rocks off at Fast Lane Karting?' Well, we didn't say they were tough decisions...

Just 5 minutes from Stoke and 30 minutes from Stafford, Fast Lane Karting is a great place to have a laugh with your mates while pretending you're the next Lewis Hamilton. Start your engines.        www.fastlanekarting.co.uk

Aerial Extreme

Get a bunch of your mates together for a tree top challenge at Aerial Extreme. On the grounds of the Trentham Estate the high-rise assault course is great laugh, with 20 challenging obstacles held above the ground - without the risk of falling of course.             www.aerialextreme.co.uk

Theatre

Knock, knock... who's there? Some of the big names of comedy, that's who! And they're just 15 minutes down the road from the Stoke campus.

You've also got high-profilers from the world of music - Paul Weller, KT Tunstall, Jason Donovan, er, moving on... and loads of other shows to take your fancy as well. So get yourself down to the Regent Theatre or Victoria Hall, both in Hanley, to rock out or laugh your Green Flashes off.                                                 www.regenttheatre.co.uk                                                      www.victoria-hall.info

Stoke City Football Club

The Britannia Stadium (known as 'The Potteries') is home to Stoke City Football Club, the second oldest club in England and once team of Sir Stanley Matthews and Gordon Banks. Mean nothing to you? How about pie, peas, chips and a pint all for a fiver? Ah, now you're interested.                                         www.stokecityfc.premiumtv.co.uk

Port Vale Football Club

You'll find Port Vale Football Club at Vale Park, in Stoke-on-Trent. Get down there, give them some support and you might even bump into the likes of Robbie Williams - he's a huge fan and investor of the club.                                                                                                         www.port-vale.co.uk

Cinema

Pop Corn? Check. Large coke? Check. Should be in a seminar but you can pass this off as some form of cultural/media studies? Check, check.

With a Vue Cinema and Odeon in Stoke all the big blockbusters are on your doorstep. Or if you're feeling a bit beret and French cigarettes, there's also the Film Theatre on the College Road campus for the best in independent and world cinema.

Gladstone Pottery Museum

Find out why Stoke-on-Trent is known as 'The Potteries'. Visit a complete Victorian pottery factory where you can see traditional skills demonstrated, original workshops, bottle kilns, the 'Flushed with Pride' toilet exhibit, the Tile Gallery and an 1890's Doctor's House.      www.gladstone.stoke.gov.uk

The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery

Chow down on a slice of local culture. The Potteries museum and art gallery contains the best collection of Staffordshire ceramics found anywhere, along with natural and local history galleries. You'll also find works of fine art, art history and archaeology. Plus there's a great programme of events and exhibitions to discover too.           www.stoke.gov.uk/museums

 

Stafford 

Shopping

High Street: Shops are great. And so conveniently positioned on the way to the next pub too.

In Stafford the best place to splash your cash is Market Square, just off Greengate Street. It's packed full of high-street names and leads off to the Guildhall Shopping Centre - that's a further 40 stores to scour for the obligatory Che Guevara poster.

Specialist: If arts and crafts are your thing then St Mary's Mews, Church Lane, Mill Street and Bridge Street are the places to check out. And if you want a present to thank the parents for paying your fees, try Paperhouse on Greengate Street.

Markets: Keep the student scurvy at bay with a visit to St. Johns Market. You'll find over 70 stores selling fruit and veg' along with bric-a-brac and French sausages, probably. You'll find it by the Guidhall shopping centre. Plus there's are specialist markets held on Market Square every now and again too.

Eating

Is eating cheating? Nah, especially not when the pub you're in serves great food. The Sun Inn and The Swan serve some of the best food in the town centre. And if you find yourself in the nearby village of Salt, make sure you check out the Holllybush Inn - it features in the Good Pub guide no less!

Everyone loves cake, right? Well here in Stafford, home-baked cakes are a speciality. For some for the best around get along to The Soup Kitchen on Church Lane or The Grove Coffee House on St Mary's Grove.

Activities

Theatre

Go along with your mates, laugh at the comedy, cry at the dramas or stomp your feet to the music. The Gatehouse Theatre always has loads of stuff going on, so keep your eye on its listings for a great night out.                                                                          www.staffordgatehousetheatre.co.uk

Cinema

De Niro, Pitt, Pacino, Day-Lewis... we've got all the stars here at Stafford you know. You'll find them at the Apollo Cinema. And there's a student discount as well. Result.                                         www.apollocinemas.co.uk

Shugborough Hall

A bit of culture this. Historic Shugborough Hall is a stone's throw from the Stafford campus. As well as the estate and hall to look around, each year Shugborough holds a massive fireworks display. So check it out.                                                                                   www.shugborough.org.uk

Shire Hall Gallery

If you're into your visual arts and crafts, then The Shire Hall Gallery the place for you. Set in a Grade II listed building once used as the Crown Court, the Shire Hall gallery has an impressive mix of old and new, giving you loads to enjoy.                                          www.staffordshire.gov.uk/sams

Stafford Castle

Grab your sword and pack your cod piece, Stafford Castle has 900 years of history to get in to. The home of the Stafford family the castle is great day out with a 'hands-on' approach to history. It also has loads of events going on, including the well established 'Shakespeare Under The Stars'.

 

Staffordshire

Eating

There's loads of great places to tuck in around Staffordshire - and have a few drinks of course... Have a look through this guide for the best places to try, and where to buy ingredients too.                  www.tasteofstaffordshire.com

Activities

Alton Towers

Hold on to your loose change, strap your glasses to your head and scream like a baby, it's rollercoaster time! The legendary Alton Towers has huge rides to make you puke and small rides, to make you puke. It's a great day out and just 45 minutes away from both campuses too.                                                                     www.altontowers.com

Drayton Manor Theme Park

Rides to make you wet yourself and even ones that do it for you, Drayton manor has got everything from vertical drop roller coasters to log flumes. And don't forget the zoo where you can see if the monkey enclosure smells better than your mate's room. It's usually a close call.                                                                             www.draytonmanor.co.uk

Snowdome

Snowball fight! And in between volleys you can get some snowboarding and skiing In too. The Snowdome at Tamworth is the UK's premier real snow centre. And it's less than an hour away from both campuses. Break a leg.                                                    www.snowdome.co.uk

Waterworld

Kevin Costner with gills and a watery mullet? Not quite. Grab your speedos and Hasselhoff it up on loads of wet rides at the UK's number 1 aqua park - including the UK's first ever indoor water roller coaster. Just don't forget your towel.                                          www.waterworld2000.co.uk

V Festival

Massive live acts, bottles of coke half full of Vodka and a drunken night in a slightly collapsed tent. The V Festival is a huge weekend of music and revelry held every year at Weston Park, Staffordshire. Book your tickets and enjoy!                                                    www.vfestival.com

 

Fresh Air

Get out of that stuffy lecture theatre and breath some fresh air! There are loads of outdoor attraction within a stones throw of the campuses - so get exploring.

Trentham Italian Gardens

Don't forget your walking shoes for this one. As well as the amazing Italian Gardens themselves (taken on as England's largest garden restoration project) there's also 400 acres of woodland to explore! Should keep you busy for a bit.

Then you can pay a visit to the shopping village, take a boat ride on the lake and have a go at Britain's first 'barefoot' walking experience - just watch out for those stingers!                                           www.trenthamleisure.co.uk

Hanley Park

There's loads to do at Hanley Park. Check out the lake, fountain and modern sculpture, connect with your inner child at the play-areas, get stuck into a big 'un with a spot of fishing or get active with the bowling greens (well, active-ish) and sports courts. Just up the street from the Stoke campus it's the ideal place to go for a wander to clear your head or enjoy an ice cream on a warm day.

Cannock Chase

A proper spot of natural beauty this. Cannock Chase is the largest surviving area of lowland heathland in the Midland - an internationally scarce and threatened wildlife habitat. It's actually officially classed as an 'area of outstanding natural beauty' and has extensive areas of forest and woodland along with designed parkland, sand and gravel quarrying and mixed agriculture. A great place for a day out.           www.cannock-chase.co.uk

Trentham Monkey Forest

Everyone loves monkeys, and if you try hard enough you might even be able to train them to write your dissertation! The Monkey forest is part of the massive regeneration of Trentham Gardens, and home to 140 Barbary Macaques living in total freedom in 60 acres of forest. Brilliant!                                                                                  www.monkey-forest.com

Consall Hall Landscape Gardens

With a series of beautiful landscaped views you won't want to forget your camera for this one. The gardens actually consist of 4 intersecting valleys, with the views created high above the Consall Forge with its canal and steam trains. Well worth a visit.                 www.consallgardens.co.uk

Weston Park

Weston Park's awe-inspiring buildings are full of as much character as any English castle, and their histories have as many stories as any royal home. Plus they play host to the annual V festival (see Staffordshire activities) - so you'll probably see them will you're rocking some air guitar at somepoint anyway!                                www.weston-park.com