Tell me about Leeds (and the surrounding area)

I’m seriously considering a post at Leeds Uni. It will be super competitive, so very well might not get a chance, but it will be a major change from the Uni I’ve been at for 12 years! Obviously there is a reasonable amount of riding on the doorstep or within an hour or two, which is great. Tell me about the city, as a place to live and work. Any things to look out for/avoid? I’d probably commute from Newcastle for a bit to allow us to sort out house and husbands job, but in the process of working on whether it is worth leaving my current post for as we’d be in the area for several years.

Thoughts very welcome. Cheers!

leeds city center is fantastic. proper buzzing, smart bars/pubs and place to eat.
lots of nice places to live, by the river is getting a bit cheaper at the armouries end.
just outside the city center is a shit hole, and to be avoided like the plague, then it gets a bit nicer again, apart from south leeds, where I live, which is terrible.
me and my wife are thinking of moving somewhere on the river in a year or so.

Commute from Newcastle? Every day?

No way – you won’t last five minutes.

John – no, I agree. Not every day. Parents live north of York so I have more local bolt hole and Universities typically allow some remote working. It wouldn’t be long term.

Commute from Newcastle? Every day?

It’s not that bad, I did it two days a week for four years whilst my OH did her medical degree and I was going out to Guiseley. The 7.08 train gets you in at 8.40 which would be enough time to get up to the Uni.

Fair enough – a train might be bearable. In a car you would be killing people by week two.

I like Leeds, and the uni is good – I know a few people there. Some people commute from my town but it would probably be a bit far for my taste. If working there I’d probably live somewhere to the north, perhaps around Skipton (end of the decent train service), depends how much you value nightlife over countryside.

Fair enough – a train might be bearable. In a car you would be killing people by week two.

Oh yes, but that goes for driving in Leeds in general.

depends how much you value nightlife over countryside.

Countryside and old man pubs for us! 😛

Otley would be my suggestion for where to live. Great town, riding from the door, climbing up the road, great pubs.

Great city, and getting better every year. You do need to take local advice on where to live as half a mile can make a big difference in desirability! Most areas of Leeds have nice bits and naff bits and some really expensive areas are only a few streets away from some absolute grot. Personally I like the bit of South Leeds I live in, it has great motorway links and is 10mins away from Leeds centre by train (or 6 miles along the canal). Leeds Uni is good too (I studied there and keep in touch with my old faculty). Good levels of research and a vibrant feel.

Did have a brief look at Otley. Houses in our price range (~£160k, with garage), looked a bit hard to come by! Would have to find some more pennies. Looked very nice online though.

I like rodley and farsley. both seem ok.

At £160k you will be in the less desirable places. I think there are a few nice 2 bed terraces in Otley for around £200k though.

Ten miles due west of Leeds you have Bradford. Houses generally cheaper, and to the north & west you have some great riding. Roads in the Leeds-Bradford area are seriously congested at most times, not just rush hour. Public transport links not as good as you might expect for a county containing over 2 million people.

Leeds is ace. Great city, loads of work, loads of stuff to do. Excellent woodland single track all over north Leeds and within the city boundaries. I live 3 miles from the city centre in a buzzing, mulicultural local neighbourhood yet I can be on trails in 5 mins which take me out into proper countryside without seeing another house. I love it. Great hill riding (north peaks, calderdale, southern yorks dales, Hambletonian hills) all doable in 40 mins by car. Lakes, Wales, and other areas all under 2 hrs

Yep cracking city with a great centre for drinking and eating and some good riding nearby. Unfortunately I live on the flat side of Leeds!!

At £160k you will be in the less desirable places.

Pish!!

160k will buy you a nice 3 bedroom house where I live in sunny rothwell.

el_boufador , do you live in my buzzing multicultural neighbourhood of the junction of chapeltown potternewton chapeltown?
Leeds is very nice good thriving city centre of bars shops restaurants some nice local outer areas Horsforth, Chape- Allerton (the Nottinghill of the North {pmsl}) Otley Wetherby.

The roads between leeds and Bradford leeds and wakefield and all city centers can easily grid lock so if you need to commute train or bike is best.

Surrounding countryside to the north and west is lovely too.

oh east Bradford gives you leeds benefits at Bradford prices.

£160k will get a nice house in a nice area to the north of Bradford eg Bingley Baildon and maybe Saltaire

East Bradford sucks though. Laisterdyke, Thornbury, Holme Wood, Tong Street especially

bearnecessities – Member
At £160k you will be in the less desirable places.
Pish!!

Fair enough – I guess it depends on the size / type of place they want.

Thanks for the heads up on the bad road situation, that is very helpful and not something I knew about. North and north of Leeds looks to make most sense in terms of travel and access to the countryside, if we can find something we can afford (or find some more money!).

In my couple of limited trips to the city centre, it does seem nice and good to hear good things about the Uni.

Grew up in Leeds and now I don’t live there I like it that much 🙂

It’s not bad as cities go, most of the nice bits have horrible bits nearby. West and North tend to have more nice bits than South and East.

If you’re planning on working at Leeds University and can’t wangle a staff parking space forget the car, even with parking a commute to where the University is will have you bald and insane within 6 weeks.

A commute from north of York will not be nice, York itself is pretty much gridlocked on a morning and the A64 isn’t the best once you get to Tadcaster you can normally hit a clearish run onto the A1\M1 and down to Garforth where you can get a train into Leeds.

If you’re moving into the city with no ties I’d probably recommend somewhere out of Leeds to the East where it’s flat, decent links to motorways and there are plans for a major Park and Ride improvement around the Micklefield area in the next few years which should make the commute in better.

Fair enough – I guess it depends on the size / type of place they want.

To be honest, we would be a year off buying something so not going to stress to much at the moment. We currently live in a 3-bed 1960’s semi detached. Garage and garden are the key things for us.

Re commuting from York, I can get a train from Malton (about 15 mins drive from my parents).

Thanks for the heads up on the bad road situation, that is very helpful and not something I knew about

It’s not that bad, yeah peak times can be bad but otherwise i find it fine most of the time.

I live in a bit where I can be on the M1, M62 or A1 in less than 5 minutes, or train into Leeds from my village is only 10ish minutes. And the canal goes virtually past my house as well.

To be honest, I drive to Durham, any big city will be a shock in regards to the roads!

Ahsat – What’s your field?

Leeds Uni is a pretty good place to work; the usual interdepartmental spats occasionally, and politicking aside it’s like many others IME. The ’50s brutalism architecture takes some getting used to, mind. I lived and commuted there from Calderdale for six years I think – driving, on the train or on bike; it wasn’t as bad as it’s often reputed to be. And in Calderdale the riding is acceptable 😉

The ’50s brutalism architecture takes some getting used to, mind.

You’re not talking smack about the Roger Stevens are you?

Ahsat – What’s your field?

Physical Geography, though think I’d be in Earth and Environmental Sciences.

Like you say, every Uni has its problems 😛

£160K should get you a 3-bed semi in a reasonable bit of Skipton, if that’s your kind of bag. Train is 40mins into Leeds.

Might bump into my Mrs! She commutes by train each day ftom skipton way. Have a look south of skipton along the train line. Places like silsden, Steeton, cross hills. More for your money & cheaper train season tickets. Seems to jump up if your going ftom skipton. Lots of places to avoid but I’d rather not risk offending anyone! Just ask any estate agents for some advice..We found they were extremely honest when we moved up as to where to avoid if you don’t want to see your house value drop.

Surely we’ve not reached this many posts without a discussion on the merits of different bike shops? We can’t have a thread about the joys of living and working in Leeds without the customary mention of the cracking job Al and the team do at garagebikes.co.uk[/url] (south Leeds)

(I don’t work there)

Ah one of the lasses on one of the girly mtb groups I’m part of has something to do with garage bikes. Folk to ride with!

Hi ahsat

Thanks for the great advice about the spitfire Iv got one now and it’s ace! I’m a leeds boy born and bred. I grew up in East leeds and have lived, worked and experienced every corner of it. It’s bed time here but send me an email to my profile and il send you the whole lowdown. We have lived in headingley, Horsforth, chapel a, and now Pudsey. Iv got friends who live in Farsley, Rodley, calverley and thackley too.

Commute in from Harrogate, much nicer to live.

As a former post-doc in earth & environment at Leeds, I feel qualified to answer 😉

I lived in Otley. Probably one of the best places to live, ever. I could ride Singletrack straight from the uni and nearly all the way home although usually I took the fixed road bike in. Riding from the door, stainburnnearby, and proper riding out over Blubberhouses and Skipton way. Pubs and fish n chip shops galore. Market, butchers etc etc.

I miss it and would move back if I could. Now I’m in Norway and planning a move back to academia (Manchester….)