The Durham Colleges Bar Crawl

Outside Trevs - our first bar

 If you weren't aware that Durham University had colleges, think again. We're just like Oxford and Cambridge, only 10 degrees colder and less up ourselves (well, most people). 

There are 16 college in Durham University, I won't name them all, but I am in George Stephenson college to give it its correct full title or "Stevo" to the local inmates. 

So it was time for a Rep social - the right picture shows the cool kids that actually turned up. Admitted there was every sports' social under the sun taking place on Saturday evening, for example the Football initiation had to dress up as a female singer and sing one of their songs - there was a Miley Cyrus, with a grey fitness ball, I thought that was a good effort. Regardless of whatever socials were on, the rep team consists of nearly 50 people, there were 6 of us. Not the best turn out, but at least its over 10%!

The full social actually started at 1pm in Stevo bar, the idea being to go round all other 13 bars (minus John Snow because, well, its John Snow and their igloo is tiny and seriously lacking in polar bears and Grey's was closed due to the fireworks...) by 11:30pm when they all closed - this involved a one hour bus journey and stopping to eat... anyway... 

With our cocktails in Trev's

It was 18:30 and we (myself and Natalie Brown - thats Brown like the colour) went to catch the X1- now the X1 to non Durham-ers is a bus, not a very good bus as it is never on time, always full, always too hot and the driver is like some boy (or girl - equality) racer. So we got on after several locals with 15 children and endured screaming and shouting for 26 miles to Durham. 

We were hoping to see Grey College's fireworks, as they are supposed to be really really sparkly. Now, as we live in Stockton, who blow half of their yearly budget on their firework display to draw in the charvs from the local area to spend their moulah we had very, very, high expectations. 

We thought we'd missed them (thats the fireworks at Grey by the way). We got off the X1 at 19:25 and began hearing bangs and fizzes. Thankfully, we managed to have a great view of the fireworks which always get me emotional, Guy Fawkes was such a brave guy. There was clearly no safety precautions as we were rained on several times by glittering after-spray (is that the right word... ashes or light bits) - "Make it make it rain make it make it make it rain"- sing this and pretend you're throwing money everywhere, you got it. We made a wish whilst we were being rained on, so cute. 

Anyway, boring emotional part over it was time to go to our first bar to meet "everyone" - this was Trevelyan college "Trevs" where we got lost in all the anarchy of the masses leaving Greys and had to look at the map to find out where Trevs was thinking it was miles away. We got there eventually, after looking like right Stevo tourists (even more so asking posh Durham-ers to take photos of us outside every college sign) to see four others of the rep team (rep team most represented = welfare. Of course, I'm not saying were the best but the President was one of us, so that kind of does make us the best). 

We were greeted with "do not get the Trevs college drink - it tastes like e-numbers" - now to a girl who gets high on smarties this was great news, but it actually tasted like those Panda pops you got at your year 5 disco, or like R.Whites lemonade which had seriously gone out of date. Not nice, so we got a cocktail, we were going to get two Long Island Ice Tea's but then I was sure they didn't have coke in them (no caffeine allowed and all that) so I had a sex on the beach - in a pint glass, lad. 

Mary's had a Toastie bar! - mind = blown. 

We had to down those to keep up with the others - who had already been to about 5 other bars earlier that day, so were a lot of tipsy then ourselves. Next, after an awkward pose outside the entrance it was time for Mary's - the cutest college, ever. Like a Kiera Knightly film I was in love with the grounds. This college used to be an all girls' college. Which I think is lovely, its now President-ed by a boy - how lovely. We don't judge single sex schools. 

Mary's was slightly on the small side, nevertheless they had a good house shot called "the witch" which we were told was lovely, they meant to tell us it was horrible (Thanks Chelcie and Tom), but it was actually delightful - Archers mixed with Bacardi - mm. There we met El Presidente of the whole university, our very own Daniel Slavin (now pronounced Daniel SlaRvin - because he's not ultra posh), he used to be Stevo's president and now runs the whole uni and is loving it I hear!

So he joined us in our continued mission of the college bars - next it was Castle - in a Castle, yes, yawn, you have to hand in your campus card when you get in - after you have broken your back getting through that ridiculously low door, inside is like some wine cellar, with the proper aches are brick walls. Next it was Hatfield - whose college drink I have to say was incredible - I'm keeping the recipe for my own pleasure and refuse to share it with anyone - sorry! - go to Hatfield! We were entertained there with a few pub golfers after realising time was ticking we needed to get round the rest of the bars.

Me and Thee outside the Cath. 

Next was Chad's - like some weird greenhouse upstairs and then a home from home Durham tube-mapped-esque wall of all the "important" places in Durham - quite cool. There we only had time for a shot - Sambuca obviously - go hard or go home (we did shortly go home, we were slightly tipsy. And you know when Natalie is tipsy as she runs and with those knees she doesn't run when sober, so there we go) We legged it to John's college, to find that is was closed, sad face, then the last one was St. Cuth's, which, when we got there was more like an old mans social club, but hey, the drinks were £1.50, so who's complaining?

That concluded our college bar crawl, admittedly myself and Natalie didn't go to all of them, but the state of us after just six was plenty for one night. We then proceeded to head back into the centre of the city in search of some alcohol-soaking food. We all had noodles as Wok-Sup, mm, lavely - although the next day had that food smell on it. Oh my I cannot stand food smells, I have a change of clothes that I cook in to avoid smelling of food. Vile. 

It was then time for we six reps to go home, at about 1am - we were probably going to leave at 10pm, thats how good a night it was -reps you so missed out! The X1 took 20 minutes to get to the bus station, where I proceeded to shout at a fresher that I saw him in the gym earlier, he just looked at me blank as if I was some kind of freak - just because I was in the weights section! - boys are so mean. We also saw second year football boys in superhero outfits and Danielle Britton in a onesie running after the bus. Note to everyone - sitting on the road so the bus can't drive is NEVER a good option, ever. 

I have eaten half a Terry's chocolate orange whilst writing this and it's nearly time for MIC, so thanks for reading because that was a long one! If you didn't get this far, thanks for the view! 

Go to Durham Uni

Love
RHS x 

p.s. Don't choose John Snow