MINI GUIDE
Weekend in Leeds
COMPILED BY LORNA PARKES, WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM NEIL WILSON. PHOTOGRAPHS: ALLAN BAXTER/GETTY IMAGES, JOHN MORRISON/ALAMY, TOM JOY, JON SPARKS/ALAMYLeeds essentials The know-how
FURTHER READING
Lonely Planet’s
England
(US$24.99)
includes a
chapter on
Yorkshire that
can be downloaded
individually from lonely
planet.com (US$4.95). The
dialogue between some of
the characters in Wuthering
Heights, set in the Yorkshire
moors, will help prepare
you for the at-times-
bewildering Yorkshire
accent. The Leodis
Collections (leodis.net) is a
new online portal providing
easy access to the Leeds
Libraries’ photo archive – a
fascinating curation of
historic images of the city,
plotted onto a map.DALES ON THE DOORSTEP
The Yorkshire Dales National
Park is within 30 miles of Leeds.
Geography The Yorkshire Dales’
glacial valleys are characterised
by high heather moorland and
flat-topped hills. In the limestone
country of the southern Dales
you’ll find England’s best
examples of limestone karst
scenery.
Highlights The Dales have been
protected as a national park since
the ’50s. Grassington, Malham,
Wensleydale, and Ribblesdale and
the Three Peaks are particularly
well loved. The park’s official
website (yorkshiredales.org.uk) is
a useful source of information.
Transport The park is reachable
on the scenic Settle–Carlisle train
line (below; settle-carlisle.co.uk),
which calls at Skipton, Settle and
numerous villages, offering
unrivalled access to the hills
straight
from the
platform.org.uk; 83 Kirkgate; twins from
US$68).
Quebecs shows off Victorian
grace at its opulent best. The
elaborate wood panelling and
stained-glass windows in the
public areas are matched by the
contemporary design of the
bedrooms (quebecshotel.co.uk;
9 Quebec St; from US$110).
Original 18th-century mill
features and exposed beams make
42 The Calls unique. It’s in a quiet
riverside spot, but still close to the
Call Lane area. Whitby kippers and
sausage sandwiches are on the
breakfast menu (42thecalls.com;
42 The Calls; from US$161).WHERE TO STAY
Leeds’ new Art Hostel
provides a decent budget option
in the city. Artists have designed
the rooms and adorned the walls
with artworks; the common area
has retro furniture and the rooms
rock an industrial look (arthostel.TRANSPORT
Connect to Leeds from Singapore
or Kuala Lumpur on KLM via
Amsterdam (from US$959; klm.
com). Alternatively, fly into
London on British Airways and
then take a train (from US$1,226;
ba.com). London trains to Leeds
are operated by Virgin’s East Coast
line, from King’s Cross (from
US$40 return; virgintrainseast
coast.com). Leeds is compact and
easily walkable; sights such as
Kirkstall Abbey, the Royal
Armouries and the Industrial
Museum can be reached via short
bus journeys. Most buses run
down Boar Lane, Headrow or
through Leeds Train Station (single
ticket around US$1.25).The Art Hostel’s ’50s style
reception and lobbyShopping Drinking Entertainment Sights Eating Sleeping.