[sallywin]

Hey all,
I know it has been asked before and there is some relevant stuff in the moving to Belfast thread but I'm still shady on where the nice, and safe, spots of Belfast are to be found for southerners in terms of where to live.

I'm a normal person, wouldn't even consider myself Catholic anymore, and just want to be able to mind my own business and enjoy my life when I move up! I have seen ads on propertynews.com, gumtree, a few on daft, and spareroom and I am looking to be in reasonable good distance from University Street area.

Anybody got any suggestions? I'll also have my southern reg car with me and I will be working full-time job up there. Would appreciate any help on good streets, etc. (reasonably priced too)!

[Treadhead]

Use google streetview, streets with flags on the houses and painted kerbs are a nono, other than that you'll be grand...

The general area around queens is good, though expensive and predominantly student accomodation. Avoid the holylands unless you want to live in a student party 24/7.
Ormeau road is a handy spot, plenty of pubs, handy for town, lots of accomodation, ditto the Lisburn road, though there's fewer pubs.

[sallywin]

Cheers for that, never used google streetfinder before but will check it out for sure!

Would you know anything about Malaga Street by any chance?

Also I read a post saying that Cavehill and Black Mountain are nice areas to live in but would these be far from city centre? I do drive but would be using public transport in and around the city for sure.

The other thing I was wondering what your advice on would be if you think it's a good idea to get my own apartment while there or if it's safer to share?

[sallywin]

Seeing UK flags on lamp posts, etc. even on streets off ormeau road. Best to stay away from these areas I presume..

[Treadhead]

Don't mind the lamp posts around major roads, they all get em at this time of year.

Lots of flags on small residential streets, particularly on houses = somewhere you probably don't want to live. Ormeau road


Cave hill is a good way out, right on the fringes of town. I don't know too much about north/west belfast as I've only lived in east/south... Public transport is hit or miss at best - ok if you're near a major route, pants otherwise. That said, Belfast is relatively small as is very accessible to bikes and walking. Taxis are cheap too!

Drop me a PM if you like....

[pow wow]

Some of East Belfast is quite nice, around Ballyhackamore (BT4) and the Upper Newtownards Road. These are a short drive from University Street but a bit more complicated by public transport as you'd have to get a bus in and another bus out of town to get door-to-door. There's also a really nice development around Annadale Green which is closer (not far from Ormeau). I know a lot of people renting there and it's a nice mixed area without an ounce of hassle (though further along Annadale Embankment can be rowdy at times).

Sharing might be more advisable as a good way to find your feet/meet people and also it can be easier to break a sharing lease if you absolutely hate the house/area than if you're renting the property alone.

[darragh16]

Hi there,

Looks like myself and a friend will be heading up there to study in UUJ. Would we be better renting in Belfast c.c. or checking out accom. on campus? I'd prefer to be close to a few bars or somewhere thats a bit vibrant. Also looking for a PT job so I presume that the city would be better than living out in UUJ.

[martinedwards]

there is very little around UUJ.

literally a Gym, a couple of shops and a couple of bars and a newly opened burrito restaurant.

it is as NOT student land as you can possibly imagine.

[awec]

Originally Posted by darragh16

Hi there,

Looks like myself and a friend will be heading up there to study in UUJ. Would we be better renting in Belfast c.c. or checking out accom. on campus? I'd prefer to be close to a few bars or somewhere thats a bit vibrant. Also looking for a PT job so I presume that the city would be better than living out in UUJ.

UUJ is in the arse hole of nowhere.

Live in Belfast. You can live with Queens students as there is a bus that leaves daily from Queens to go to Jordansdown.

[pow wow]

Originally Posted by awec

Live in Belfast. You can live with Queens students as there is a bus that leaves daily from Queens to go to Jordansdown.

+1. Everyone I know at Jordanstown lives in Belfast, usually in Holylands.

[martinedwards]

and as I live in Jordanstown, it keeps the amount of vomit on the pavements to a minimum!!!

seriously, the UUJ is very much a single site campus.

there are halls of residence on site, but the vast majority of students come in by bus or train. there is onsite parking, but it's expensive, and the locals get very humpy about folks parking on the narrow residential streets and blocking them up.

the (2) pubs in the area are middle class places that (for instance) ban visible tattoos, never have live music, and any drinks promotions are likely to be for Chardonnay or Pimms.

if you want a student life (and lets be honest, most of what you learn at university isn't in the lecture hall) then get digs in belfast and commute.

[el tel]

The Holylands are wild, I personally wouldnt live there. I did for a while back in the day and had my car Windows smashed on two occasions and broken into once. Much **** goes down there. I also had a fight on the street with two mucksavage a-holes from up the county. If you are a Viking you might actually like it - the amount of raping and pillaging is unsurpassed.

[awec]

Holylands is full of culchies from the deepest, darkest parts of tyrone and fermanagh. They make a mess during the week and then sod off back down the country at the weekend. I wouldn't live there for free - the place is a total dive.

[martinedwards]

Estate agents would say it has character and vibrancy.

[darragh16]

Cheers everyone, looks like I'll live in Belfast so. The course I'm doing is 2/3 days a week so if there is nothing up in Jordanstown I wouldn't like to live there. Best have a look at places in Belfast