Tell me about Leeds (and the surrounding area)

Move towards Sheffield if possible?

Skipton is nice but full of older folk. Hebden Bridge has nightlife (great live music/club venue with national touring acts) as well as nice countryside, but for £160k you’d probably need to be looking at Mytholmroyd.

send me an email to my profile and il send you the whole lowdown

Thanks Stumpy very much for the kind offer. If this progresses a bit more, I certainly will take you up on that offer. Really pleased you are happy with the Spitfire.

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

How did you find the Department? Looks great, from the internet!

Thanks all for the advice.

Not much to add other than I am a student in the Earth and Env Department currently, I think it’s really good (although I have little to compare it to). The staff I’ve interacted with have all been great, from a student’s perspective. The uni itself is really nice and vibrant.

The riding is pretty great, once you get into the woods to the north of the city centre.

The architecture is good at the uni, I love the brutalist buildings, particularly Roger Stevens!

The architecture is good at the uni, I love the brutalist buildings, particularly Roger Stevens!

Having just Googled it, its more attractive than Durham’s student union! Its not all 1000 year old Cathedrals up here 😛

Always great to hear of happy students, that suggests its a good Department. Hope you carry on enjoying your studies.

Having just Googled it, its more attractive than Durham’s student union! Its not all 1000 year old Cathedrals up here

I think Dunelm House (the Durham SU building) gets an unfairly bad press. With a lot of hidden-to-the-public service areas, the floorspace is enormous in relation to how, from pretty much every angle, unobtrusive and small looking the building is.

It presents about one and half storeys to the road, and with very broken up frontages on the river side, it is a very clever design indeed – it’s really only looking from the side (a view that doesn’t impose on anyone) that you get any sense of the true scale of the place.

I also love the similarly modern and reinforced concrete pedestrian bridge over the river next to it.

We lived in Morley for +10 years (many years ago), decent enough especially compared to some of the 5h1t parts of Leeds.

One thing though, before looking to buy somewhere try commuting from there…

Skipton is nice but full of older folk. Hebden Bridge has nightlife (great live music/club venue with national touring acts) as well as nice countryside

Cheeky sod. Most of the old folks get shipped in from the cities for the day. They disappear into the Edinburgh Woollen Mill and various dodgy eateries. Town is lovely and quiet before 11am, and after about 4pm.

I take it you’ve never heard of the legendary Auction Mart music venue? The smell of animal faeces never fails to enliven the live acts I’ve seen there. And if you were ever wondering what the hell happened to Toploader, then this is the kind of place they’ve ended up playing. 😀
Then there’s Kooky nightclub, always good for a fight.

What is Shipley like? Looks like good links to Leeds (train) and only a 12 mile ride looking off road the whole way to the Uni. Looks affordable. Still incredibly speculative (havent even applied yet!) and will depend where the OH gets work. Just working out if we can actually afford the move!

Edit: just found this about Shipley! There is a reason its cheaper!

Shipley is a hole. However, Saltaire, which borders Shipley, is nicer, with lovely historic terraces, Salts Mill. You may also enjoy Fanny. Not sure I’d want to be in the oasis of middle-class affluence in the middle of that lot though. Not without window-locks and an bloody good alarm, anyhow.

Love Leeds. Fantastic place to live. A great choice of independent bars (Bundobust, Friends of Ham, North Bar, Tapped, Adelphi, etc, etc.), restaurants (Reds Tru BBQ, Corner Café, Fuji Hero, etc, etc.) and shops (I don’t do that much shopping but there’s loads to choice from and more coming). Loads of mainstream places and chains too.

There’s plenty of money being invested and growth happening and lots of sporting and cultural events taking place.

North Leeds seems to be very popular and a good place to start looking. Roundhay, Oakwood, Chapel Allerton, Meanwood, Alwoodley, Adel, Headingley, etc.

Think parts of Meanwood more so as it’s on the way up with the introduction of Waitrose and Alfred (a sister bar to North Bar) and a few restaurants. It also has quick access to Otley Road and Headingley but remains at arms length from the students. More importantly Meanwood Park is the gateway to some decent riding.

Having lived in Sheffield for 12 years previously (I’ve now lived in Leeds 5) I’d say the riding is much better (from the doorstep) in Sheff. That said I enjoy my riding here and there are some lovely wooded singletrack elements to link up and play with. I think my loop is 32km. Plus there’s still plenty of stuff I don’t ride, don’t know about or have not discovered (that the Leeds cycling community can help with).

Personally I really like the riding Bingley way (40 mins at most by car or train) but there’s Ilkley Moor and Otley Chevin in reasonable distance. Halifax/Hebden/Calderdale. Dales. Peaks. Lakes all one to two hours away.

If you need or want any more info let me know (email in profile).

I take it you’ve never heard of the legendary Auction Mart music venue? The smell of animal faeces never fails to enliven the live acts I’ve seen there. And if you were ever wondering what the hell happened to Toploader, then this is the kind of place they’ve ended up playing.
Then there’s Kooky nightclub, always good for a fight.

Hmmm taxi to Skipton for a night out is probably only about £100 return, maybe I should go and see what I’m missing. 🙂

A bit further up the Aire valley from Shipley should provide a reasonable house in your budget in nicer places, 30min train ride into leeds (way better than trying to drive in) and hills/riding/country pubs on your doorstep.

Wharfedale similar, but more expensive (Otley a bit cheaper, but no train).

I know lots of leeds and bradford uni employees that live in one of the two options above.

Glen, are you a university employee?

Well I am still waiting to hear about the job – full interviews wont be till the end of the year if I even get one, but been starting to look round a bit more at stuff. Steeton area does look interesting and affordable! I know a lot of people from the Department I have applied too live in Chapel Allerton, but we were ideally wanting something a bit more rural (with good train link!) – I know moon on a stick! Anyway, some of it will depend where the OH gets a job. Anyway, if the very small chance of me getting a job comes off, I may well take kingofbiscuits and stumpy up on their offers of advice!

a reasonabnle place to live would be Idle, or Greengates.

Once the station is finished then the house prices will start to go up dramatically, its a great location for riding, and is developing quickly.

Some great houses tucked away and some good indian restaurants and a couple of good pubs, but you have Calverley, Thackley, Esholt woods on your doorstep then Baildon moor, Bingley just a couple of miles away.

I live in Otley, been here 23 years now. It’s a great small town with all mod cons but only a bus ride out of Leeds. You can also get the train from Menston and there’s a regular bus link to the station.

The people are friendly, there’s off-road riding within five minutes, you are only an hour from the proper Dales and there’s Gisburn and Stainburn (closer) within easy distance. I ride out and take Stainburn in for a bit of teeth jarring fun.

As above, If prices in the Wharfe valley are too steep, look at Saltaire, Baildon, Nab Wood, Bingley, Steeton, Silsden, basically anywhere down the aire valley except keighley.

Great, thanks all. Some places to go and have a drive round next time we are down there, to get a feel for things. Otley does appeal – just fancied a train ride rather than the hour bus into Leeds, but a bus link (or Brompton), but still make that work.

So….6 months later, this is all happening! We will be in Leeds by the end of August! I got one of the University fellowships (massive shock!) and the husband has followed up getting a new job too (based in Bramley!)! House is on the market (though slow) and we are in the desperate throws of looking around Leeds. We have decided to up our budget to ~£230k. Currently looking at LS16 type postcodes of Meanwood (like kingofbiscuits suggested), West Park, Moortown, Adel etc. Also considering Guiseley and if we can afford something, Menston! Also wondering about Farsley, but feels a bit more ‘trapped’ between Leeds and Bradford in terms of escaping! Think we have decided though we love the likes of Bingley and Baildon, the commute is just too much.

The market is moving so fast in Leeds we might have to end up renting so we are competitive with offers, but trying to avoid it if we can. Thank you for all the advice to date – these places are starting to make a lot more sense having spent a lot of time looking at maps lately.

Next we will be asking for ride suggestions!

nice 3 bed semi going in rothwell. 150k or 100k and a nice camper van.
😀

nice 3 bed semi going in rothwell. 150k or 100k and a nice camper van.

😛 Lol – thanks ton! Afraid our van does not qualify as a ‘nice’ camper!

Rothwell a bit of a b***h for getting to Bramley! Otherwise you would have just saved us sooooo much time and hassle!

Have a look round Apperley Bridge – BD10

Handy for canal, new train station just built and a load of new housing being built (or soon to be built)

Have a look round Apperley Bridge – BD10

Thanks tmb467 – struggling for houses round there – not a lot on the market with a garage and the one new build estate I can find with houses currently for sale is totally out of our budget!

No one’s said Ilkley. On the train line so under half an hour from Leeds station, or a nice ride in at this time of year. I say nice. Okay. On the crossbike.

Main downside is that it’s correctly described as the graveyard of ambition. Move to the good life here and there’s a strong risk you will lose any enthusiasm for work.

If I was in your position I’d probably go for somewhere in or above the Aire valley, but if you’re looking at Menston have a look at Burley too. Next stop along on the train…

We are just finding as we go further along that line, the prices just go up and up (unsuprisingly!). And seeing we have quite major requirements for a garage, it just doesn’t work! We had a look at a house at £230k in Ikley and it was shocking! Lol!

Aire valley does look good and better priced, but just a bit worried about the husbands drive to work. He does 12+ hour shifts so epic traffic just isn’t ideal. Any views on this in terms of getting to west Leeds would be appreciated.

If I’m driving in it’s in late/back late for clearer roads. Dunno about Aire valley. I can think of a potential rat run from high up baildon through menston, back of the chevin to west leads. Yeah, go for baildon. Though I’d’ve thought £230k would get a small semi in Burley no?

Or go for Tinshill, or as people who’ve just bought there call it ‘Horseforth’.

We really like Baildon. I have to change trains (I have to go public transport to the Uni) and the OH isnt keen on adding that to my travel. Houses are a decent price though.

We could get a terrace in Burley for that money, but no garden and I like a veg patch!

Lol at Horseforth!!

Rothwell a bit of a b***h for getting to Bramley!

agreed…..40 minutes in the rush hour traffic. I work in armley, 30 minutes in the car, 25 minutes via the canal on the bike.
16 years without using the car… 😀

I drive through Farsley quite regularly – seems OK, nice mix, nice houses. Would be very good for Bramley, train into the centre from New Pudsey is pretty good, and is close to the ring road for getting the hell out of Leeds purposes.

I take it you can’t afford Calverley? That has similar advantages.

Thanks Martin

I take it you can’t afford Calverley? That has similar advantages.

No not really, it would again be ok if we didn’t need a garage. Really we can only get a small terrace. Looks nice from street view (!) but think we can get more house. Its the old location, location issue!

My folks live near Farsley, not too bad and not as trapped as you think. Not far from Rodley if you fancy a canal-side ride, reasonably easy to get out of Leeds to the Dales.

Commuting is reasonable as there are plenty of bus options, train station at New Pudsey and not far from the new Cycle Highway between Leeds and Bradford – the latter may or may not be a good thing as all sides seem up in arms about the design.

the latter may or may not be a good thing as all sides seem up in arms about the design.

Looks decidedly crap to me. Seems to be stopping at every side junction unless they plan to give it priority, which the unmarked design suggests to me is the case.

Or go for Tinshill, or as people who’ve just bought there call it ‘Horseforth’.

Hey – when we lived there we called it ‘Cookridge’! Really comical how Horseforth has become a desirable location!

Really comical how Horseforth has become a desirable location!

We went to look at one place and it was awful for the price. Estate agent explained its all down to the school catchments, and if you dont need the schools, look elsewhere! Think even he thought it was amusing!