The main UCLan campus is based in Preston, a city at the heart of Lancashire and in the North West of England. One of the best things about the city is you get to experience a busy city centre with lots of heritage and culture, but also some amazing outdoor spaces and scenery.

If you’ve moving to the city this September, there’s going to be lots of great places to visit and things to experience. Which is why we’ve put together our top 5 things you need to experience when you get here!

1. Try the local delicacies

Preston is full of restaurants and food venues for you to try, with loads of variety! The city itself has a few dishes which Preston is well known for, you might want to give those a try to. The two we’d suggest is the famous Butter Pie and a Lancashire Hotpot (why not book onto our Lancashire Welcome Meal where we’ll be serving up some delicious hot pot!)

2. Visit the amazing scenery

Preston has some amazing scenery and parks - perfect to go out and explore with your new house mates or course mates! Avenham & Miller Park and Moor Park are all a walking distance from campus, with other parks like Haslam just a little bit further away. If a longer walk or cycle is your thing, why not visit the Guild Wheel. Preston even has its own docks for you to have a wander around too!

3. Watch a PNE game

Preston North End is the local football team who play in the Championship. Prestonians are passionate about their football and PNE was even one of the founding members of the English Football league, making football a key part of the city’s history. Their stadium is next to Moor Park in Deepdale, which isn’t too far from campus and tickets are reasonably priced, especially if you just want to go once!

4. Explore the local history

Preston is rich with history! From historical buildings like Preston Town Hall to monuments based on historic people of Preston dotted around the city, there’s always something new to learn. The best place to start your history tour is definitely the Harris Museum, Art Gallery & Library, which is right in the middle of the city centre! There’s also lots of random bits of history and facts about Preston that might surprise you, like the fact the first ever KFC in the UK opened in Preston and St Walburge’s Church (round the corner from Roeburn Halls) is the tallest spire in England.

5. A route to other places

Preston Train Station and Bus Station are both pretty big and cover journeys that reach all over the UK! Most key rail routes to places like London and Scotland run through Preston, but it’s also a central place to explore other surrounding areas like Liverpool, Manchester, Blackpool, Yorkshire and more rural places like the Lake District. Why not check out some other places of interest and take a day trip with some friends!

There are plenty more exciting things to experience while you study here in Preston that aren’t on this list. Our main advice is to get stuck in and really learn and experience what the city is like.

We love it here and hope you do too!