Don't let the rain win: Five ways for students to make the most of the bad weather

It's not unfair to say that the UK weather is somewhat unpredictable. We have all made the mistake of seeing a glimpse of sunlight and immediately ditching the trousers for some shorts and sliding sunglasses on. However optimistic you are, though, there's always that true gut feeling where you knew deep down that it is not hot, the sun is not out to stay and in a matter of minutes it will bucket down with rain. So here are a few different things you can do while avoiding the erratic weather.

1) Eager to get out of the house and do something to get your adrenaline pumping? But when you look out the window the colour grey does not exactly appeal. Why not try indoor go-karting? Whether you go with your housemates or want to take a date that you want to put to the test, you get to enjoy some competitive racing on a small budget. It will excite you much more than reaching another level on the PlayStation.

2) Alternatively, if go-karting is not quite your forte but you still want to do something that will give you a thrill, find out where you can go indoor rock-climbing. It is a chance to get a super aerobic and anaerobic workout, and if you decide to go with a group of people, you can find out whether you trust your friends enough to let them hold your climbing ropes. Furthermore, you get to climb up colourful walls and descend by abseiling mid-air.

3) However, these indoor sports might be something that you have absolutely and utterly no interest in. But if there are only brain-numbing television programmes on and you know every time you go to the cinema you end up falling asleep, how a spontaneous trip to your closest theatre for some cheap last minute tickets. Step into the world of live theatre where you can't fall asleep because the actors may see and get offended - and you won't be able to fall asleep because the atmosphere is so electric. The magnetism of the actors and live music really is liberating and you are given a chance to escape reality for a while.

4) If you just want to relax and do something a little more calming you should explore the artist within you. Why not consider life drawing? If you can sit in silence and draw someone in the nude, then you can do almost anything. Otherwise, you can find a painting or pottery-making studio to go to. It is relaxing and also useful for those on a budget who have a lot of birthdays coming up. Make something personal for a friend or just enjoy squishing and squashing wet clay because that is fun too.

5) And finally, the idea of walking out the front door may be too traumatising. Staying indoors is the only option but cleaning your room is an activity for tomorrow, so find something else to do with all your housemates. Get everyone together in the kitchen and prepare a feast for dinner. Put all of the fridge contents out and experiment. It will get messy, it might taste disgusting, and you may have an argument afterwards over who should clean up but overall this is therapeutic, fun, and a lot cheaper than takeaways. And who knows, you may discover you are a natural master chef.

In time, the sun’s hibernating ways will come to an end, and the weather will improve, but in the meantime use the cold and rain as an excuse to do something new. Besides, as John Ruskin says “there is no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather”.