The UK city with the country’s most famous pub crawl and one of Europe’s biggest indoor playparks
THE PUB crawl is a legendary British tradition, with people in every town and city doing their best to visit to as many pubs as possible in one evening.
While most pub crawls are usually unstructured and at the whim of the participants, there are some routes that are more defined.
One of which is the Otley Run in Leeds, described by drink blog as the most famous crawl in the United Kingdom.
Depending on who you ask, it features somewhere between 14 and 18 pubs, however most agree with its start and end points.
First on the list is a trip to Woodie's Craft Ale House, which claims should have somebody stood with a starting gun next to its front door, such is the popularity of the venue among pub crawlers.
Some say its status as the start of the crawl adds to the pub's character, with plenty of excited revellers enjoying their first drinks at the start of their journey.
Read More on UK Cities
One wrote on TripAdvisor: "Fun atmosphere on a Saturday as it’s the first pub on the Otley Run."
The pubs on the run vary from gastropubs, student bars and older more established haunts.
However, the back end of the run tends to have some of the more popular establishments.
Stop number 11, the Pack Horse, is one such place, which Leeds List describe as one of the best bars from the list.
Most read in Travel
They said: "With its warm welcome, timeless wood-topped bars and cosy sofas ideal for sinking into, The Pack Horse is one of the highlights of the Otley Run."
It's known as a live music venue, as well as having a good selection of both rum and gin, making it a good place to switch to spirits if you haven't already by this point in the evening.
A few more pubs down the line and those still going will reach the Fenton, described by on Google reviewer as a "friendly, classic and unchanged boozer".
It's a favourite among people in the city, ranking fourth in list of the city's best bars.
Otley Run pubs
- Woodie's
- The Three Horseshoes
- New Inn
- Taylor's Sports Bar
- The Headingley Taps
- Box
- Skyrack
- The Original Oak
- Hyde Park
- The Library
- The Packhorse
- The Eldon
- Leeds University Union
- Handsome Brewhouse
- The Fenton
- Dry Dock
They said of the establishment: "With its cheap pints, live music and friendly welcome, The Fenton is one of the last establishments around the city centre not to have succumbed to the lure of the gastro-pub makeover, and has instead retained its rock ‘n’ roll attitude and favour among students for many years."
From the Fenton, you're on the home stretch to the final pub of the run, Dry Dock, a huge blue boat that has somehow found itself near an overpass just on the edge of the city.
In there, groups of people starting off their evenings collide with those who have successfully made it to the end of the run, having conquered the many pubs before it.
There's much more to Leeds than just booze, however, with one of Europe's largest indoor playparks the perfect place to take kids.
is not only massive, it also claims to be one of the "most original indoor playgrounds" as well.
Its website promises children "four interconnected worlds of space, air, the jungle, and sea".
It uses play elements like high-level walkways and spiralling tunnel slides to create places for youngsters to "step into a brand-new world of indoor adventure".
There's also a toddler zone, giant slides and interactive games, making it a place for people of all ages to enjoy, not just younger kids.
The park has thousands of five star reviews on TripAdvisor, where it picked up a Travellers' Choice award for this year.
One reviewer claimed it was the best park of its kind they'd ever visited writing: "Fab place for anyone with kids.
"The play areas cater to all age ranges and the kids said it was the best playground ever."
Another said: "One of the best play complexes in the country I’m sure. Nothing is too large or small for anyone."
A third added: "The Playzone is absolutely amazing, the best indoor play park I’ve ever seen."
The Playhive is not the only Travellers' Choice award-winner in the city however, with one of the best preserved medieval Cistercian abbeys in Britain, Kirkstall Abbey another big favourite with tourists.
The Leeds landmark was founded more than 800 years ago and its ruins are extremely well conserved.
The Corn Exchange is another top pick according to TripAdvisor reviews, with the circular Grade I listed Victorian building home to several markets, independent retailers and food vendors.
A night for two in Leeds can be found from around £35.
Read More on The Sun
Meanwhile this UK city was voted one of the most underrated in the country.
And this city has the cheapest pints in the country, as well as an amazing aquarium.
