Places to shop
Here are some great places you could spend that student loan or just spend a chilled day looking round the shops.
Nearby…
To start with, your Student Saver bus pass can take you around Chatham, so you can easily get to:
Dockside Outlet Centre
which has some interesting has some to mill around, the Cadbury’s outlet shop is an absolute must for chocolate lovers out there! It also has some pretty decent shops for your University needs such as Denby if you are still in need for cutlery, plates and other kitchen/dining essentials and the Range for any stationary needs.
The Pentagon shopping centre
in Chatham too if you haven’t been yet has some of your classic high street stores such as Boots, Foot Locker, JD Sports and more.
Or further afield…
Our academic discounted bus passes aren’t just for use in only Chatham, they’re valid for our whole south east region so we’ve taken the liberty to find some great places around Kent you can get to with your pass to do a bit of shopping:
Bluewater
has most shops you could really want, with Topshop/Topman, River Island, Footasylum, Fred Perry, H&M, JD Sports, Missguided, New Look, The North Face and loads more!
Simply get on the Arriva Sapphire 700 bus which features eco-leather seats, USB charging points and free wi-fi!
Hempstead Valley
has some pretty cool stores such as JD, select and New Look as well as places to eat like Friendly Phil’s Diner, Nando’s and Subway. The 132 bus will take you there.
Fremlin Walk
in Maidstone is home to all your high street essentially such as Topshop/Topman, H&M, Office, New Look/New Look Men and River Island to name but a few. You could also grab a few bits in Maidstone’s shopping centre The Mall, too! Hop on the Arriva Sapphire 101 bus for Maidstone.
Nights out
Whether you’re into casual drinks or clubbing into the early hours there’s no need to fret as Arriva have you covered. Our specially discounted bus pass for the academic year not only takes you from your accommodation into University but is also valid throughout our whole South East region too. We’ve done our research (thank us later!) and found the best routes for you to enjoy the nightlife that Kent has to offer you.
Maidstone
boasts a cracking weekend nightlife, with clubs such as:
There are also great pubs and bars if you don’t fancy the club.
The last bus home from Maidstone back to Chatham is at 23:10 on a Friday and 00:10 on Saturday night. Anyone looking to stay out all night the first bus back on a Saturday morning is as 06:46 from Maidstone East Train station, with Source bar open until 5am.
Chatham
has some cool clubs too, such as:
Rochester
What’s more, Rochester has a selection of clubs like:
The last bus back to Chatham from Rochester is 23:13 from Star Hill.
Great places to eat
You’ll never be spoilt for choice for food!
Bluewater
Take the Arriva Sapphire 700 bus to Bluewater where there are some really great places you can go to eat and if you have an NUS card there are these exclusive discounts you can get, though we recommend verifying this discount with the restaurant before ordering!
Hempstead Valley also has plenty of coffee shops too!
Maidstone
Jump on the Arriva Sapphire 101 – Chatham to Maidstone bus to Maidstone and discover great places to grab a bite to eat with some places such as:
Gillingham
The bus will take you into Gillingham where there are some cool places to grab some food with pals such as
Tunbridge Wells
Tunbridge Wells has a wealth of restuarants to try, including Wagamama. Catch the 7 – Maidstone to Tunbridge Wells bus.
Aylesford
Hop on the 155 – Chatham to Aylesford bus where you’ll find Nando’s amongst other independent restaurants.
