Leeds is a big, beautiful city in the north of England that students, yuppies, hipsters, and everybody else love to call home. And where do all of the coolest, youngest, most beautiful people live in Leeds? Certainly not in Garforth! Horsforth, you say? Yuck! It’s Headingley, obvs.
So if you want to be part of the Leeds scene, find one of the best spare rooms Leeds has to offer in Headingley. Here’s our brand-spanking-new Headingley area guide.
Background
Sitting a comfortable 10-minute bus journey away from town (or 10-minute taxi back the following morning!) Headingley has a lot of history, with the impressive Headingley Stadium, Leeds Beckett University’s Beckett Park campus and the Otley Run – Leeds’s notorious pub crawl.
Full of students, afternoon drinkers, shoppers and generally wicked people, Headingley is the place to be in Leeds. With housing so affordable and a high turnover of rooms (you know what students are like…), you’ll have no trouble finding flats in Leeds.
Food and Drink in Headingley
You can’t walk more than 10 meters in Headingley without being surrounded by great places to eat and drink. From basic boozers like the Dalesman and Woodies, to iconic Three Horseshoes – the starting point of the infamous Otley Run (half-baked costume compulsory), there’s no shortage of affordable alcohol to be had here.
Celebrating a birthday? Look no further than the Olive Tree. We’re big fans of Greek cuisine, and the Olive Tree is certainly up there in the lofty, Olympian echelons of Leeds’s Greek culinary “scene”.
Carrying on along the Mediterranean theme, Salvo’s on Otley Road serves up classical Italian dishes with a modern twist.
Are you a fan of meat? Who’s not happy with a sausage in their mouth? Well, Red’s True Barbecue opened in Leeds city centre two years ago and now it’s opened a sister site in Headingley. Perfect for your classic Headingley hangover, we’d recommend the hotdogs (and everything else on the menu, to be honest).
Nightlife in Headingley
Here’s where Headingley comes into its own. First off, it’s the home of the Otley Run, which takes you from the Three Horseshoes all the way to Dry Dock on the edge of town. It’s a boat, goddamn it!
If you’re looking for a less raucous, more sophisticated evening of fine beers, we highly recommend Arcadia, a craft beer and real ale heaven. With great bevs like Brewdog Dead Pony Club and a more hopsy Flying Dog Snake Dog IPA (at a delicious 7.1%) you can’t go wrong.
Another special drinking spot comes from the owners of Leeds institution, North Bar: Alfred, which positions itself as a local, neighbourhood pub/bar, but with the sensibilities of a ‘50s living room.
Where to Live in Headingley
Headingley isn’t a massive place – that’s what makes it so special. Within 10 or 15 minutes of leisurely walking you can get around the whole thing. This makes finding all the Headingley-based flats in Leeds great.
Of course, if you want to be right in amongst the action, your best bet is to find a room around the Arndale Centre, home of Arcadia, all supermarkets under the sun, a KFC and a Subway. Delicious. The buses into town are right outside, too.
Famous for…
Writers! It’s odd, but this little suburb of Leeds has been home to J.R. R. Tolkien while he worked at Leeds University, Arthur Randsome, best known for children’s classic Swallows and Amazons, and the playwright Alan Bennett once lived above a butcher’s shop – now a dry cleaner’s opposite The Horseshoes.
