r/basingstoke • u/lif3line88 • 15d ago
is there really nothing to do?
i (20f) moved to basingstoke for my placement year, and even though it’s only been a month i’m really starting to regret it. it feels like outside of festival place there isnt really anything? i’ve realised though it’s most likely because i haven’t made any friends here yet. i’ve never struggled with that before since i’ve had uni and it’s dead easy to make friends there, but i just feel so lonely and bored here? if there’s any social groups or anything like that for people around my age i’d love to take part in some things, i just can’t stand being alone here. thanks :)
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u/SturdySnake 15d ago
Sad to say it - but there’s a reason I moved out of Basingstoke after uni. Where’s your placement and how long is it for?
I will say one of the benefits of Basingstoke is how close it is to places like Reading and London. There are always gigs and stuff in Reading and it’s like 20 minutes on the train
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u/lif3line88 14d ago
im only here for a year, its near the station. and yeah i travel a lot to london where i grew up and to my uni city where my mates are. Just looking for something here lol. did you go uni here? seems like everyone moves out for uni seeing as i havent seen many people my age
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u/Quikthistle 14d ago
Yeah I moved to Basingstoke in my mid twenties after living and going to Uni in Cardiff. It's a bit of a shitter compared to an actual city and not having a Uni makes it even more boring.
Best bet is to jump on the train to Winchester or back into London. As for making friends its tough but look for local hobby groups or running clubs etc.
Sad thing is that after Uni the real world sucks haha!
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u/Dense-Apartment-7120 14d ago
But it sucks less when you're in the city! I moved here from Manchester
From fucking Manchester 😬😬
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u/tigerfan4 14d ago
the ice hockey usually Saturday nights has a good atmosphere
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u/lif3line88 14d ago
this sounds cool! can I get some more info please?
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u/SteveBison67 13d ago
Another vote for the Bison. Family friendly (despite what happens on the ice!) and fans will be too happy to share their knowledge of the game as it an be a little confusing for new fans.
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u/FanDapper5716 14d ago
Genuinely, get yourself a young persons railcard if you can and take advantage of the proximity of London and Reading. There are plenty already night trains back so it’s fairly viable, if hopefully not massively expensive
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u/lif3line88 14d ago
yeah i grew up in london so no trouble there.. but it looks like there really is nothing in Basingstoke 😭 thank you for the advice
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u/sloppy_johnson 14d ago
I agree with the rest of these comments. I go to work in London and essentially every day out is a trip out of Basingstoke to Winchester, Salisbury etc… there’s nothing there whatsoever
Looking forward to moving away, I can’t think of one thing I’d miss other than some of the people
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u/Business_Machine7365 14d ago
There's a good group down at the tavern gaming cafe if you like board games. They have social nights on the first Thursday of every month. There's a few running clubs etc. Also Basingstoke Community Mixed Socials (can find them on meetup) run quite a few events and activities. There's a lot out there, just depends what you're into.
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u/rosylux 13d ago edited 12d ago
Admittedly I moved to Basingstoke from Fleet (where’s there’s really nothing), can’t imagine what it’s like coming from a city. But I like how many little pockets Basingstoke has. Festival Place is thriving compared to where I grew up, but if I don’t fancy the town centre I can have a mooch around Chineham, the Viables or Gastons Wood. And there’s somewhere to get coffee in all of them. Waitrose has a wine and tapas bar! I’m Hatch Warren end with lots of pretty venues on my doorstep (Holly Blue, Thread and Toast, Honesty Dummer Down). If I drive ten minutes I’m in town, if I drive ten minutes the other way I’m in the countryside.
I’m also ten years older than you with young kids so I appreciate my priorities are different lol, but I like that things like swimming, bowling, restaurants, scenic walks etc. are so accessible. As a teen I had to travel from Fleet anyway for clothes shopping or the cinema - it was part of the reason we moved here as adults.
“Love Basingstoke” also host a lot of events and they’re worth a follow on socials.
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u/Mikeysaurus2009 14d ago
The parkrun every Saturday morning at war memorial park is a great social event it regularly draws 500-600 attendees!
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u/Shrink_Laureate 13d ago
There's an anime society at the White Hart, as well as an Xbox gaming group, Magic: The Gathering, and even a fur meet.
If you like board games, D&D etc there's the Tavern gaming cafe.
(fyi, there's a bunch of different venues in and around town called the White Hart. There's even two different White Harts on two different London Roads!)
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u/IntravenusDiMilo_Tap 13d ago
Basingstoke has always suffered from being somewhere where everyone has moved to for work / convenience. That said, when I worked there, Thurs - Sunday still had stuff going on, it wasn't exactly sophisticated but the top of town was busy enough, Lunchtimes had lots of office groups having a liquid lunch and Fridays spilt over.
Ultimately we used to go to London, Southampton or Reading for anything more exciting.
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u/MRJSP 14d ago
Basingstoke is a town that was created as a London overspill. It's very modern & easy to get to places like Southampton & London. It doesn't have a soul though, there's no meaningful culture here. It doesn't really have a scene as such. Just a town of workers with no connection to it. It's hard to meet people because as you said, there's nothing going on unless getting drunk in Weatherspoons is your thing.
What do you enjoy? Basingstoke is ugly but just outside there's great rural areas to ride bikes & hike. Lots of places sports like tennis.
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u/needless90210 14d ago
Had a familiarisation trip before my relo to UK and lived there for 4 days. Functional place but god I felt so depressed in those 4 days, I almost decided to not move to the UK. Moved to Southampton eventually, the city has its moments but has a lot more to offer and is buzzing.
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u/DroneMusic 14d ago
Yeah there's nothing :/ especially as a queer individual I can't seem to find any community in the town. Also the music scene! We have the anvil and stuff but no cool venues. If I'm wrong please tell me because I'm dying to play at a cool venue
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u/Sergeant_Fred_Colon 14d ago
White hart at the top of town has live music regularly and has been lgbt+ friendly as long as I've been going there 30+ years
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u/TheRebeccaRiots 14d ago
I don't know if a pub recommendation from Sgt Colon is the best venue or the worst
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u/lif3line88 14d ago
it’s so cool that you make music.. i can’t request chat but if you could send me a dm i’d love to ask a few questions about it!
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u/alisha1444 5d ago
Hi i’m actually in the same boat, 22f and moved out this year for my training year after graduating from uni. i came from a massive city, nottingham and here it just feels like there’s barely anything
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u/Sergeant_Fred_Colon 15d ago
For a social pub you can try the white hart at the top of town.
If you like dancing than we have Salsa lessons and social dancing every Thursday in Oakridge, we're having a beginner session and social dance at Carnival Hall this Saturday.