Skip to main content

Active Travel After Lockdown: Time to dust off the pedals and trainers!

Category
Active Travel
Blog Posts
Travel
Date
A student locking their bike up in the bike store at Sentinel Towers University accommodation

As the weather gets warmer and lockdown restrictions continue to ease, it’s only natural that we will be spending more time outdoors.

It’s also a great opportunity to start incorporating active travel into your daily routines, even if you’ve never done it before!

We have the routes, equipment and advice to help you get back out in your local community but please remember to always follow the current COVID-19 Guidelines to ensure your safety at all times.

Climate and active travel

From an individual perspective, active travel can significantly decrease emissions. Recent studies have shown that walking or cycling could realistically substitute for 41% of short car trips, saving nearly 5% of CO2 emissions from car travel.

This is a great way to contribute to the fight against climate change, as well as saving money on petrol!

Bike Hub

Located in the heart of campus between EC Stoner and Roger Stevens, our Bike Hub is open for you to hire a bike, get maintenance help from our qualified mechanic, and get cycling advice to ensure you have a great time cycling in Leeds!

Check out this blog to find out about some great cycling routes in West Yorkshire.

Walking in Leeds

Getting outdoors and interacting with the environment is key to a healthy lifestyle so get to know all the best places to explore and hang-out in the area.

Always remember to respect outdoor areas and other visitors by avoiding large gatherings, using bins for your litter and leaving things how you found them.

Here’s some places in Leeds you could try out:

  • Kirkstall Abbey is one of the most famous landmarks in Leeds where you can enjoy a leisurely walk around the grounds and along the River Aire, explore the interactive visitor centre or head across the road to Abbey House Museum.
  • Leeds Canal runs through Kirkstall and Burley and you can even take a leisurely stroll into the city centre waterfront.
  • Gledhow Valley Woods is a stretch of woodland that runs through north Leeds along to edge of Chapel Allerton. There are lots of walking routes along Gledhow Beck which flows along the valley into Gledhow Lake. 
  • Woodhouse Ridge runs between Headingley and Woodhouse as a narrow strip of peaceful woodland. It also offers some great views across Meanwood Valley and has two main paths along its 2.5km length so is great for an afternoon stroll.
  • St George’s Field: an important piece of Leeds’ Victorian history as a former cemetery where the original monuments and chapel remain. Living relatives regularly visit the site to pay their respects so please be considerate when visiting.
  • Woodhouse Moor joins Hyde Park and Woodhouse and is constantly buzzing with students and local residents. Don’t miss the parkrun here every Sat at 9am. 
  • Meanwood Park: only a 20-minute walk from Headingley where you can also access The Hollies and Woodhouse Ridge. 
  • Beckett Park is a short walk north of the centre of Headingley into Leeds Beckett University Campus. 
  • Roundhay park is one of the biggest city parks in Europe covering more than 700 acres! 
  • Temple Newsham has natural trails, lakeside gardens and menagerie ponds to explore. 
  • Otley Chevin is a ridge of the south side of Wharfedale in Leeds. 
  • Eccup Reservoir in Alwoodley is the largest area of water in West Yorkshire! 

 Living in Leeds, we are lucky enough to be at the doorstep of one of England’s greatest national parks, the Yorkshire Dales. There are several fabulous walks to be done in the Dales, and here are a few routes for you to try! 

Keep up to date on the latest news

United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

We use the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a framework to guide our activity. Living Lab for Air Quality work is linked to the following SDGs:

  • Goal 3: Good Health and Wellbeing
  • Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
  • Goal 15: Life on Land

Find out more about our impact on the SDGs.