The Grey Outdoors
By Georgie Holt, third year student at the University of Leeds
Long days, short walks out, round the block, to the shop and back. Getting outside regularly isn’t easy. To even a sharper eye, the many patches of greenery in Leeds are hard to spot. Hidden down steep slopes and behind barbed fences it is easy to see the only bit of greenery in Leeds as being Woodhouse Moor. Yet there is much more to see.
Finding green spaces is a great way to get a bit of space away from the city and the every day routine. Walking is also a great way to increase your sense of belonging to an area and is a great change that just trekking from Hyde Park to LS6 Café and back.
Rather than seeing Leeds as a temporary place to be, knowing hidden parks, shortcuts and secret routes helps you to feel at home in a new place, especially if you don’t have a car or the funds for a standard ‘day trip to York’. In my first year, I spent a lot of time walking down by the canal which was really near my accommodation, yet plenty of students in my block didn’t even know it existed. Here is my list of green spots in Leeds that are worth a walk to.
Woodhouse Ridge
1. A classic spot for those lucky enough to live near-by, Woodhouse Ridge is a corridor of greenery. Starting in Woodhouse and stretching to Meanwood and Headingley, the Ridge is a beautiful network of paths that zigzags from the top of the hill, down to Meanwood Beck, a pretty stream that passes through the woodland before running down under the road.
There are many access points, ranging from steep stairs on Hartley Avenue (Melville Place Steps, which also has a tiny community herb garden) to narrow paths next to Leeds City Academy (Bedford Fields Green Link as it’s officially known). The easiest to spot is round the back of James Baillee. You can walk to Meanwood Aldi easily through here. Meanwood is not an especially studenty part of Leeds but still boasts an array of plant and coffee shops. There are also often ponies in the fields nearby!
The Meanwood Trail
2. From the bottom of the Ridge, is the Meanwood Trail. This leads you through various smaller parks all the way to Meanwood Park, a huge park in the north of the city (but closer than the famous Roundhay), it’s within walking distance of most student areas and has many ornamental streams and some quiet woodlands. Just follow the signs from the Ridge to get there.
Leeds and Liverpool canal
2. The canal is one of the more hidden gems in the city. Right in the south of city (near Sentinel Towers, The Tannery and the Refinery), it stretches from Leeds city centre in one direction, all the way to Liverpool, so is one of the longer routes you can take. You can walk into town along it, or go for a walk out of the city. If you’re prepared to walk a few miles, you’ll get to a great pub called the Abbey Inn where you can sit outside on a sunny afternoon. It goes past some amazing old locks and you can see Kirkstall Abbey from there too. There are loads of access points, including if you go under the viaduct by Kirkstall Road Aldi. If you walk down until the marina (you’ll know it from all the houseboats), you can cross over a small bridge and come back through Armley park).
Kirkstall Valley Nature reserve
4. Just beyond Aldi (and before Asda), Redcote Lane comes off the road to the left. As you walk down you go over the river Aire and there is a tiny, narrow path to the left that takes you down to the riverbank and then up to the canal for a shortcut. You see some amazing views of the river as it flows over a huge stone weir. If you’re on that side of town, you can keep walking down the road and take a right to lead you into a Kirkstall Valley Nature Reserve. Occupying brownfield land where a huge old power station stood, it cannot be built on and serves as a rural-seeming spot in the middle of the more industrial part of the city. With great views of the river, it seems a world away from busy Kirkstall Road.
Rosebank Park
5. On your way back up from the south of the city towards Hyde Park, you can cut through the very small, but wildflower-covered Rosebank park. Not a lot more than a steep narrow path up to Bellevue Road, it offers amazing views right out into the hills and offers a more scenic route back than just going up Cardigan Road.
Burley Park
6. If you do end up in that direction, Burley Park is one of the most accessible areas of greenery. Just behind Cardigan Road Co-op, it is a medium sized park that’s popular with the locals. It’s great in the evening for sunsets and also has pick your own fruit trees if you are there in late summer.
Hanover Square
7. Hanover Square is a tiny square of parkland just on the southern side of campus. You can cut though the Faversham and keep walking downhill and it’s just there. It’s great for taking your lunch on a sunny day, especially in spring where there are daffodils and blossom trees planted.
Sometimes a walk through the parks or a moment of reflection can be just what you need, but there might be times when you’re struggling with life at University and would like some more support. Whatever your situation, we’re here to help. Students can talk to their personal tutor. You can find out more about student support and wellbeing. There is also support available for staff.
