[Closed] Cardiff vs Manchester vs Leeds

Manchester. Greatest city in the world

Cardiff if you like riding

Went to uni for three years in Leeds and always enjoy going back. If biking is a consideration I'd go for Cardiff though.

Manchester maybe, just have to accept that the M60, M62 & M56 will be hell when you want to use them but 2 hrs to the lakes, 1 hr to the middle of the peak, north wales and more all on the doorstep. Very good train links and a proper airport.

Lives 8 miles from Manchester , It has its good points and bad like any City but I love the fact im 30-60 minutes from a good days ride out ,West Yorkshire ,Derbyshire , North Wales , the Lake District

I live on leeds but id say Manchester as its an hour closer to the lakes and i cant stand a welsh accent. Granted a manc ones not that much better 😉

Bristol rather than Cardiff !!

Leeds. It's smaller than Manchester, has better access to the Peaks, the Dales and the Moors. The Lakes is only 1.5-2 hours away.

Leeds has Harrogate, York, Ilkley and Otley in its surrounding area, all great places to visit, live and ride.

Cardiff, but I'm bound to be a bit biased. Never been to Leeds, but my brother went to Uni in Manchester. Visiting in his Moss side flat in the 80's put me off the place a bit 😯

Leeds - its a lot less sprawling than Manchester but has the same big city feel. Fabulous countryside within an hour and places like York and Harrogate within easy reach.

If living in the centre, Manchester. If commuting from outside, Leeds.

I like Cardiff. The centre is flat and compact soon very easy to get around. As a capital it also has a lot more than a city of its size should have. Some nice places to live near the centre. Good riding and great countryside and coast a short drive away.

Why are you moving? Work or uni ?
Manchester is grey and damp, Leeds is colder and a bit drier
Both have God awful traffic problems, both have great places to live, bars, restaurants etc
They also have some very dodgy areas

Leeds has good access to Dales and Northumberland but is not as good as MCR for access to Peak, Lakes, Wales. I've lived in both and can see their pros and cons

If you llisted your criteria or requirements it will help narrow it down

Oh not this again

How many times do you need to ask?

And on how many different website forums?

Leeds. It's the only one in God's Own.

Leeds is best for all your stated needs .

Leeds. It's smaller than Manchester, has better access to the Peaks

Has Leeds been moved recently then? Or has the Peak shifted location. 😉

Leeds is a city that's been decimated by sixties planning corruption so it is not a pleasant place to visit. Manchester OTOH is a compact, relatively traffic-free city centre that you can walk around easily and enjoy. It has the great Joseph Holt brewery so fresh, affordable beer aplenty. There's easy access to Rossendale and Calderdale, which have some of the best mountain biking in Britain thanks to the industrial heritage. There's a reason why ST Towers is in Calderdale. Manchester also has easy access to the Lakes, the Dales and the Pennines, although traffic on the south and south-east side is a bit grim.

Don't know anything about Cardiff except that there's great sea cliff climbing further down the road in Pembrokeshire.

I would say Cardiff due to its proximity to the sea. Apart from different accents most cities are pretty similar. Good bits bad bits etc etc

Cardiff, for the coast! I couldn't live as far inland as Leeds.

I like all three cities, but Leeds has the most infernal bloody ring road / one way system it's ever been my displeasure to drive around. The only reliable tactic seems to be to drive round it faster and faster until you eventually reach escape velocity and fly off at a tangent.

Visit them, see which you like the best?

FWIW, I have, and I live in Leeds. I'd probably be happy in all three though - all have great selling points (except I wouldn't live bang in the centre of any of them).

Leeds. It's smaller than Manchester, has better access to the Peaks, the Dales and the Moors.

For a start it's not closer to the Peak (note the lack of an 's'). Secondly, surely it's a no-brainer in terms of access to various biking areas? From Manchester, The Peak, North/Mid Wales, The Pennines, The Lake District, and the Borders are all easily accessible for day trips. Even the southern Highlands is do-able in a day if you're sufficiently committed. Yes Leeds is probably better for the Dales and obviously the NY Moors, but I'd say that's a price worth paying. I'm not going to comment on the other pros/cons, other than every time I go to Leeds I end up asking myself 'where are the nice bits?'.

Leeds is a **** shithole, I'd much rather live in Manchester, or possibly even Cardiff. And I say that as a Yorkshireman born and bred.

I lived there for over two years so I do have plenty of experience of the place, before you start.

Cougar - Moderator

The only reliable tactic seems to be to drive round it faster and faster until you eventually reach escape velocity and fly off at a tangent.

this is true, it's the only way out. it also invariably sets you on a course towards Harrogate.

no recommendation for Sheffield?

We've got proper culture and that, excellent pubs, and this:

[img] [/img]

right on the ****ing doorstep.

Thanks everyone very helpful

no recommendation for Sheffield?

Only been a couple of times, my lasting impression was that it'd be really nice if they washed it.

I never get the thing about Sheffield. I've been there a lot and it always seems like a smaller version of Leeds with some extra trees and hills. I suppose it at least has some nice bits on the western side next to the Peak which Leeds doesn't, but it's still pretty drab. And apart from the Peak, it's got sh*t access to anywhere else that's interesting from a biking/outdoors point of view. You'd get pretty bored riding round the eastern edges all the time. Good if you're a climber though.

Essentially (and as you have observed from the above):

[i]Pick one and be a dick about it[/i]

OP, very hard to answer without knowing what your preferences and dislikes are.

Great biking and outdoor activities on your doorstep from all 3. 2 of my daughters went to Uni in Leeds and one still lives there, they love the city. Manchester is a vibrant city too with a clear identity. Cardiff is probably the sleepiest on a relative basis but would be my choice of he three in terms of proximity to friends and family and being on the sea. Manchester has the best airport in terms of holiday connections but Cardiff is only 2+ hours to Heathrow.

For a start it's not closer to the Peak (note the lack of an 's').

Why refer to the area in singular if there is a Dark Peak and White Peak (plural)?

if we're allowed to call The Lake District 'The Lakes'

(i've never known anyone complain about that)

I don't see any problem calling The Peak District 'The Peaks'

After all, as any fool knows there is only 1 lake in The Lake District, but there are many peaks in The Peak District. So, if anything 'The Lake' is more accurate than 'The Peak'

Manchester also a great trail centre in the city. Behind the velodrome there nice one in the park called Clayton Vale

Leeds has a lot of really crappy bits unless you can live in Roundhay/Chapel Allerton.

I think you'd be hard pressed to find any major city that didn't have some really crappy bits, to be fair.

What other cities would you suggest? It needs to be a decent size due to work. Good access to mountain biking and other outdoorsy stuff within driving distance. Thanks

Bristol?

Glasgow?

Strasbourg?

How about: get a job in one of them. If you don't like it, move to a different one.

leeds is good for riding - depending on where you live

decent riding straight from the door if you live around Apperley Bridge (which is nominally Bradford really) including Esholt

train stations within a 30 min cycle that take you to Hebden / Calderdale (from whence you can cycle back)

airport within 10 min drive to take you to Geneva / Granada or other good riding locales

several decent bike shops within 5 miles

motorways relatively easy to get to

gisburn within an hour (not bad given that the last 8 miles normally takes 20 mins)

etc etc etc

Born and bred in Manchester. Spent a fair amount of time in and around Leeds. Moved to Cardiff 15 years ago and wouldn't go back to either of the others. As others have said - if you like to ride and/or spend any quality time in/at the sea, it's the only choice of the three. You'll also have a massive amount of fun trying to work out what the **** half the population are saying for a year or two.

Main thing about Cardiff is as mentioned - the large number and high standard of amenities there compared to other cities of that size. Because it's the capital you get the Welsh National this and that, which brings in money both in terms of grants etc and visitors. The fact it's the biggest city in Wales and the closest to London means you get a lot of businesses located there which again brings money. Then there are various grants for deprived areas which still seem to be coming in. Then add in the fact that the transport links to the Valleys are good, so they act like extended suburbs supplying commuters and shoppers that don't actually swell the city. The geography keeps these places separate.

Upshot is the facilities of a big city without the large size. Traffic isn't really a problem (even though the locals moan, but then locals always do - my Dad complains bitterly about traffic going through Hereford if he has to wait 2 traffic light cycles by the bridge) and I don't recognise the tales of driving aggro that people keep coming out with on here.

The riding from the city is good, but not the best in the UK. But far from the worst. The road riding isn't too great I must say - not bad, but not that good.

Some suburbs (like anywhere) are a bit soulless, and the busses from the further suburbs are bad so you have to drive which is a pain. Only takes 25 mins though. However there are some great places to live in the closer suburbs - nice 1920s terraces with parks and local shops etc - I rather like them. Not expensive either. And you can walk to the city centre in 20 mins.

The fact it's only 2 hours from London or Heathrow is pretty useful too, certainly for my work. When I move from here it'll be to a small country town.

Main thing about Cardiff is as mentioned - the large number and high standard of amenities there compared to other cities of that size. Because it's the capital you get the Welsh National this and that, which brings in money both in terms of grants etc and visitors. The fact it's the biggest city in Wales and the closest to London means you get a lot of businesses located there which again brings money. Then there are various grants for deprived areas which still seem to be coming in. Then add in the fact that the transport links to the Valleys are good, so they act like extended suburbs supplying commuters and shoppers that don't actually swell the city. The geography keeps these places separate.
Upshot is the facilities of a big city without the large size. Traffic isn't really a problem (even though the locals moan, but then locals always do - my Dad complains bitterly about traffic going through Hereford if he has to wait 2 traffic light cycles by the bridge) and I don't recognise the tales of driving aggro that people keep coming out with on here.

The riding from the city is good, but not the best in the UK. But far from the worst. The road riding isn't too great I must say - not bad, but not that good.

Some suburbs (like anywhere) are a bit soulless, and the busses from the further suburbs are bad so you have to drive which is a pain. Only takes 25 mins though. However there are some great places to live in the closer suburbs - nice 1920s terraces with parks and local shops etc - I rather like them. Not expensive either. And you can walk to the city centre in 20 mins.

The fact it's only 2 hours from London or Heathrow is pretty useful too, certainly for my work. When I move from here it'll be to a small country town.

Cardiff is surrounded to the North by the Valleys, and to the East by Newport. East of Newport is lovely, but you have to go through Newport to get there. Not a huge deal, but it's the last 8-10 miles of your ride. To the West is the Vale of Glamorgan which is ok, but unless you live in West Cardiff you have to go through Cardiff to get there - and it's not a huge area of virgin countryside.

The uppser Valleys have some great (in fact absolutely classic) climbs, but mostly it's dual carriageway bypasses, parked up streets of terraced houses, or insanely steep lanes leading onto the top of the mountains. As I said it's not BAD, but it's not great. Having said that I don't think Manchester fares any better for road - possibly worse. I used to live in Didsbury and getting out to the Peak for a road ride took an hour of heavy urban riding!

The best way to ride in the Valleys is with a CX bike or something like my Salsa, built to cover miles. You can do a really good 50/50 mix road and off-road. There are loads of tracks all over the mountains with beautiful high impact views, but they don't link up. So my rigid 29er is ideal - covers the road miles easily and quickly but still does the trails.

If I want a good road ride I can pick some stuff out from the more rural bits of the Valleys, or for a long one I do Monmouthshire or head up to do the classics up North. But that ends up being 100km+ 🙂

Sounds good

Most of the nicer bits of Leeds are north of the city, and mostly outside the outer ring road. Which coincides nicely with most of the decent off road riding, which gets better the further northwest you get, imho.
Great for shopping if that's your thing - plenty of city centre parking (not all that cheap mind, £3/hr except the Merrion Centre at weekends, £1/hr for the first 3 hours ) and the CBD is really very compact.
Good music scene too, and now the Arena is open, good sized artists have a decent venue to play.

The Loop is not that difficult once you get used to it. Airport is nicer than Manchester Airport IMO - and easier to get to except by train - although granted not as many destinations.