How to enjoy a sustainable city-break in Leeds

If you like a bit of green with your city-break – a trip to Leeds is the perfect option, combining a vibrant and walkable city-centre with breath-taking countryside on the doorstep. And more than that, Leeds is perfect as a green travel option for those who are looking to make sustainable choices in their travels, with amazing public transport links, abundant locally sourced food options and green accommodation options. We’ve outlined some of the many ways you can enjoy a sustainable city-break in Leeds.

Travel to Leeds with sustainable ease

Leeds’ location and accessibility makes sustainable travel easy. Located 200 miles south of Edinburgh, and 200 miles north of London, with Hull and Manchester just under 50 miles to the east and west respectively, Leeds is arguably at the heart of the UK with fantastic rail connections in all directions.

It’s around two hours from London Kings Cross by train, which is also very convenient for onward travel from the Eurostar at St. Pancras. It’s around three hours from Edinburgh, with frequent train services also run to Leeds from cities to the north, south, east and west. For example, Manchester — Leeds takes a mere 40-minutes, while Liverpool — Leeds takes less than two hours. The train from Hull takes just under two hours and the port there, which has ferry connections to Rotterdam.

Explore the waterways by bike

There’s no better way to see many of the key tourist attractions in Leeds than by cycling the city’s canal towpaths.

For shorter, city-centre based explorations, you can travel Leeds Waterfront by bike, which takes in Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds Dock and many iconic bits of street art.

For a longer route it’s possible to follow the Aire Valley Towpath to the UNESCO World Heritage Site – Saltaire. The route that begins near Granary Wharf in the city centre. Stop off at medieval Kirkstall Abbey before passing Bramley Fall Woods, Rodley Nature Reserve, Calverley Woods and Apperley Bridge.

It’s possible to hire bikes in Leeds with the Beryl Bikes scheme.

Uncover the city on a walking trail

In good news for travellers who like the freedom and spontaneity of exploring cities on foot, Leeds has a walkable city centre, full of beautiful buildings and stunning Victorian arcades. The city also offers a wealth of guided and self-guided walking trails that invite immersion.

Specially-curated routes cover everything from street art and ale, to theatrical history and LGBTQ+ venues.

Green Day Trips

While in Leeds you can make the most of the excellent local bus and rail services to attractions across West Yorkshire, the Yorkshire Dales, and the Yorkshire Moors.

Thanks to Leeds serving as a gateway to heritage-rich villages and glorious green spaces, it’s a top city break destination for travellers who want the best of both worlds. Namely, city buzz and countryside calm.

Here are some of the best day trips from Leeds:

Haworth Village

Surrounded by moorland that’ll have literature lovers thinking they’ve been transported into the pages of Wuthering Heights, the hilltop village of Haworth – famously the home of the Brontë sisters – boasts a bounty of boutiques, galleries and pretty places to eat and drink.

Exploring the impeccably restored Brontë Parsonage Museum is a must-do around these parts. So, too, is following the footpath to see the Brontë waterfall and Top Withens – a ruined farmhouse that’s thought to have inspired Wuthering Heights.

How to get there: take a 25-minute train from Leeds to Keighley, then board the Keighley Worth Valley Railway steam train to Haworth.

Don’t miss: fancying soaking up the landscape that inspired the Brontë sisters? Board a Brontë Bus between Keighley, Haworth and Hebden Bridge. Talking of which…

Hebden Bridge

Handsome Hebden Bridge once played host to the first mills of the Industrial Revolution, which were powered by water from the surrounding wooded hills.

These days, the hills are the perfect place to reconnect with nature, with trails traversing valleys and heather-carpeted moorland.

How to get there: trains from Leeds to Hebden Bridge depart every 15 minutes and take around 45 minutes.

Don’t miss: scenically sited in Hardcastle Crags woodland, Gibson Mill has been sustainably restored to its historic glory. After exploring the nearby nature trails, enjoy ethically-produced food in the Weaving Shed Café.

Saltaire UNESCO World Heritage Site

Taking its name from its founder, Sir Titus Salt, and the River Aire that runs through it, Saltaire’s UNESCO World Heritage Site status comes courtesy of it being an incredibly well-preserved Victorian village.

Built so Salt’s textile workers could live away from Bradford’s polluted city centre, his vision for a cleaner, greener future is epitomised by the Grade II Listed Salts Mill building.

Today Salt Mill is home to the 1853 Gallery, which houses one of the largest collections of David Hockney’s art, and an array of indie eateries and boutiques.

How to get there: Saltaire is served by frequent trains from Leeds, with a 15-minute journey time.

Ilkey Moor

Head to the pretty Victorian spa town of Ilkey to access soul-stirring walks on Ilkey Moor.

Boasting notable Neolithic sites and geological marvels, there are five Heritage Walks to choose from, the most popular of which leads to the legendary Cow and Calf rock formation.

The town itself is the perfect place to treat yourself to some of Yorkshire’s finest food and brews, including sipping a pint in The Flying Duck, which has its own micro-brewery.

How to get there: take a train from Leeds to Ilkley (25 minutes), or catch bus X84 (one hour).

Enjoy Locally Sourced Food & Drink

In more good news, Leeds is loaded with local indie businesses that ooze ethical credentials, not least dozens of restaurants that reveal exactly why Leeds has been hailed the foodie capital of the north.

Take Eat Your Greens, for example – a fabulous farm-to-fork, organic restaurant that’s dedicated to serving the freshest, finest local produce. While the historic Leeds Kirkgate Market is a vibrant place to shop local for fresh produce as well as enjoy a mouth-watering variety of street food stalls.

Shop ethically and enjoy sustainable, re-cycled fashion

Leeds is full of beautiful arcades and shopping centres including Leeds Corn Exchange and Thornton’s Arcade,  which in turn are full of independent shops where you can buy from local makers and traders. There are also regular makers markets held throughout the city. And for shopping sustainable fashion, Leeds has plenty of vintage stores, like North South Vintage, Blue Rinse, Glass Onion, Ryan Vintage to name just a few.

Check into a Sustainable Hotel

When travelling to the city by train, where better to stay than in the heart of the action at the train station. The iconic four-star Queens Hotel is a beautiful Art Deco master piece, and the best bit? It’s won several accolades for it’s sustainability practices including the Double Gold Award in Green Tourism and Green Meetings, the world’s leading sustainable tourism accreditation scheme. So it really ticks all boxes.