Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
minutes. Leeds is just 25 minutes from York (p. 642) by direct rail link; there are also
direct trains to Leeds from Manchester (p. 562), taking a little under an hour, and
from Birmingham (p. 466), taking about 2 hours.
National Express
buses (
&
0871/781-8181;
www.nationalexpress.com) from
London to Leeds take about 4
1
⁄
4
hours.
Leeds is easily accessible by road from the rest of the country as it's at the cross-
roads of the north-south M1 and the east-west M62. Leeds to Haworth by road is
about 25 miles (45 min.), though Haworth is most idyllically accessed via the scenic
Keighley & Worth Valley Railway
(www.kwvr.co.uk), which runs steam and heri-
tage diesel trains on weekends and some weekdays. The starting point, Keighley, is
25 minutes from Leeds by standard rail. There are also buses from Keighley to
Haworth (www.keighleybus.co.uk).
VISITOR INFORMATION
Leeds Visitor Centre,
The
Arcade, Leeds City
Train Station (
&
0113/242-5242;
www.visitleeds.co.uk), is open Monday 10am to
5:30pm; Tuesday to Saturday 9am to 5:30pm; and Sunday 10am to 4pm.
Bradford Visitor Information Centre,
City Hall (
&
01274/433-678;
www.
visitbradford.com), is open Monday 10am to 5pm, and Tuesday to Saturday 9:30am
to 5pm.
Haworth Visitor Information Centre,
2-4 West Lane (
&
01535/647-721;
www.visitbradford.com/bronte-country), is open daily 10am-5pm.
Hebden Bridge Visitor and Canal Centre,
Butlers Wharf, New Road
(
&
01422/ 843-831;
www.hebdenbridge.co.uk), is open Monday to Friday 9:30am
to 5:30pm; Saturday 10:15am to 5pm; and Sunday 10:30am to 5pm.
SPECIAL EVENTS
Leeds is a great place for big music events, with
Opera in
the Park
followed by the poppy
Party in the Park
in the grounds of Temple
Newsam each July, then the rock-heavy
Leeds Festival
in Branham Park in August.
The
Leeds International Concert Season
comprises 200-plus concerts in and
around the city year-round, some by national and international orchestras in the stun-
ning Victorian Town Hall on Saturday nights. Film buffs flock to Bradford in March,
when the National Media Museum hosts the annual
Bradford Film Festival,
attracting, to date, such big-screen luminaries as Lord Attenborough, Anthony Min-
ghella, and Alan Parker.
Exploring the Area
LEEDS
The Romans set up a small camp called Cambodunum on this spot nearly 2,000 years
ago, but the next step toward modern Leeds didn't come until the 7th century, when
Northumbrian King Edwin established a residence here. In 1152,
Kirkstall Abbey
(
&
0113/2305492;
www.leeds.gov.uk/kirkstallabbey)
—
now one of the best pre-
served Cistercian monasteries in the country—was formed, and in 1207 Leeds finally
obtained its charter. Industrial advances played a great role in the city's growth,
strengthening its position as the focus of the cloth trade in the region, and allowing
for the development of the coalfields to the south with the introduction of steam
power along with such upstart industries as printing, tailoring, and engineering. The
Victorian era saw the glory days of Leeds, which has a surprisingly compact and walk-
able center. At its heart lie two free treats for art-lovers. The
Henry Moore Insti-
tute,
74 The Headrow (
&
0113/246-7467;
www.henry-moore.org/hmi), one of the
largest sculpture galleries in Europe, was named after the greatest British sculptor of
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