Headingley is a suburb of Leeds. Famous for its cricket and rugby stadium, it is also especially popular with students of both Leeds Universities. Headingley has a host of restaurants, bars and shops and is well worth visiting to see the famous stadium, eat a lovely meal and go relax in one of the beer gardens or bars nearby. Far Headingley, a mile or so further out of town is home to Cottage Road Cinema and a small range of shops and pubs. At the other end is Hyde Park Corner and has a funky, bohemian vibe and several retro/vintage shops, boutiques and cafés.
Headingley has its own train station, or a frequent bus takes no more than 40 min (as koittle as 10 min in off-peak hours) minutes either way, though in rush hour buses can take up to 40 minutes.
Headingley Carnegie Stadium is a must for cricket and rugby (both League and Union) fansand is unique in serving both sports. The annual Test match is a highlight of Leeds' sporting calendar.
There are few specific sights in the area, but the old cottages and shops of the Far Headingley conservation area are very pretty (especially Cottage Road), as are the leafy streets and Victorian terraces and villas to the north further up the Otley Road. There is an old Victorian folly in Queenswood (behind Leeds Metropolitan University) built to celebrate the visit of Queen Victoria to Leeds in 1858.
Another odditiy is The Bear Pit on Cardigan Road, the last vestiges of Leeds Zoological and Botanical Gardens, an unsuccessful Victorian business. Built in 1840, bears were displayed in a circular pit, with the public viewing them from the castelated turrets.
Go watch a rugby [1] or cricket [2] match if possible.
Go for a meal or go for a few drinks in one of Headingley's many pubs and bars.
Take a walk up to the beautiful Victorian Headingley campus of Leeds Metropolitan University or onto Weetwood via the Meanwood Valley Trail into the extensive gardens of the 'Hollies' arboretrum (about 15 min walk from the centre of Headingley).
A short Otley Run (or Headingley Mile) pub crawl (more below) is certainly a good way to acquaint yourself with the various watering holes on and around the Otley Road.
Headingley has plenty of small shops, including the gift shop at the stadium, as well as a range of boutiques and charity shops. Oxfam usually have a good selection of books and records.
There is a monthly farmer's market in the Rose Garden on North Lane on the second Saturday of each month.
The Hyde Park end is home of Best Kept Secret, [3] a fancy dress shop located in what used to be a petrol station.
Citrus - another local favourite with inexpensive prices and a vibrant atmosphere
Caliente Café - a great little Mexican restaurant
Dare Café - a stylish, urbane and inexpensive café-restaurant-bar with a range of decent food.
Lilliputs, 27 North Lane. fresh sandwiches made to order, Illy coffee, great selection of cakes and cookies, stylish surroundings and great value for money. edit
Headingley is famous city-wide for student drinking,but local residents still manage to find the odd oasis to enjoy a pint or two. There are a wide variety of drinking establishments (of varying quality) to keep even the most seasoned of drinkers happy. Unfortunately, with the sheer popularity of recreational drinking in Headingley, the village and its community suffer at times.
Headingley is home to the famous Otley Run pub crawl (also known as The Headingly Mile). For those undertaking the Otley Run (student or otherwise), it is almost compulsory to adopt some kind of theme to mark the occasion, so it is usually very easy to spot those taking on the challenge. In recent years, it has become the fashion to adopt fancy dress, but themed headgear, a marked out stag/hen or a three-legged crawl may also be the order of the day. Some Otley Runs may be relaxed affairs, but Pub Golf, pint in each pub or drink a particular beer dry rules may be used to gain momentum. Some groups may even be in competition to complete the Run in the shortest time possible. The length and the scope of Otley Runs are hotly debated, but they often begin at Woodies in Far Headingley and may continue all the way to the Dry Dock or Met Bar in the City Centre.
The Original Oak (known as The Oak), with its former bowling green beer garden (brilliant but overcrowded in summer), is a Headingley institution with a lively (but more traditional) atmosphere. You may have to queue to get in at weekends, but The Oak is always good fun, drawing a younger crowd upstairs and a more mature crowd at the downstairs bar.
Other major Headingley pubs include The Skyrack, Headingley Taps, The Three Horseshoes, Woodies and The New Inn.
Arcadia, in the Arndale Centre, has an impressive range of delectable drinks and ever-changing real ales. The bar attracts a a more mature and sometimes cerebral crowd looking to enjoy conversation or a quiet pint away from the revelry on offer elsewhere in Headingley.
Dare Café has a small atmospheric basement bar.
At Hyde Park Corner (2 mi from the middle of Headingley, towards central Leeds), The Hyde Park is a big, fun pub.
The Box is one of Headingley's biggest bars, full of young people on the weekend (and most of the week to be honest), has a multitude of screens to watch televised sport though the sport theme is often lost on a lot of the clientele. The Arc and Trio (both on North Lane) are similar bars with the latter having a floor devoted to food. There are great cocktail bars upstairs at both.
Headingley stadium features a hotel, which is reasonably priced and has views across the cricket pitch, Headingley Lodge Hotel.
Leeds has many hotels within easy reach of Headingley, but there are also a number of B&Bs of varying quality along Cardigan Road (by the Cricket Ground) and the larger, award-winning Haley's Hotel and Restaurant, [4] on Shire Oak Road.
Back on the bus, in the taxi or on the train to the city centre.
It is a nice walk on a sunny day back into Leeds. Just follow the main road and road signs. You will walk through Hyde Park.
