University of Leeds open day

[Philandbill]

Hello. We're heading to this with DD2. Which is the best park and ride to use? I've trawled maps and Google and Elland Road seems to be what's suggested but it's still 45 minutes from there to the university. Am I missing something? Thanks all.

Yes, the P&R is at the south of the city and Boar Lane, where the bus stops are, are still a good walk from the University. If you don't want to walk 20-30 mins across Leeds, uphill, then you'd probably best get a taxi or another bus to the University.

You might do well to drive right into the city and park in the Woodhouse Lane Multi storey, which is just across the way from the university, reasonable cost and accessible from the inner ring road, so not actually city driving.

Woodhouse Lane multi storey is closest. P&R will drop you miles from the uni, though would be worth checking their 'how to get to us' section on the open day correspondence to see if they have a shuttle bus from the city centre? Alternatively there are LOADS of busses that head up that way. From my experience last year all the unis had travel stuff on their open day leaflet/website

Thanks all. Compared to other universities we've visited there is a paucity of info on Leed's website. Don't appear to be any shuttle buses, which is different from the other universities we have visited.

Def use woodhouse lane multi-storey. We parked there for the open day last year and it was busy but we got a space (and we weren’t particularly early) and it’s just 5 mins walk to the campus.

Park in Woodhouse Lane car park. Cheaper and closest.

We were a long way from Leeds and booked in overnight in a hall of residence. Parking on site. Is this an option? It was easy.

Thank you. Woodhouse Lane looks like the best option. @MeetMeOnTheCorner we're several hours away so we've booked a Premier Inn for the Friday night so we can be there at the university nice and early. I've done a few open days now (this is DC2) and being there at nine is definitely worthwhile.

oh dear, this is our first open day, and we're not getting there until late morning. Any tips?? We can stay until the bitter end, for various reasons staying in Leeds on Saturday night. I think we need to be better prepared

Sounds like you are sorted for parking. I'm just reflecting on how times have changed.
One Wednesday afternoon in 2000 I saw an advert for an open day in Leeds the next day. I got up, informed my parents I was off to Leeds and hopped on the National Express (on my own) and rocked up grasping only a paper map printed out the day before. Somehow managed to find the uni having never visited Leeds (or Yorkshire) before. Imagine my suprise to see everyone else there with their parents 🙈
It was the one and only uni I visited and my parents never stepped foot inside it until the day I graduated.
I still live in Leeds now having earned a qualification from every Uni in the city!
Leeds is great and bloody good
on you for planning this for your kids.

We parked on Springfield Mount both times we went to Open days at Leeds. It’s the road I lived on when I went to the Uni in the 90s!

@Pigriver yes, things really have changed. I started at university in the late 1980s, I don't think that there were open days then, you just went to an interview if the course had interviews. I drove myself to one -where I eventually went - in my mum's very basic mini metro. My parents took me to another because it was in Canterbury just before Christmas and they fancied a day out. They dropped me at the college and went off to explore the cathedral etc. 😀

You'll be fine if you can stay late. My top tip would be to get DC to book onto talks if they want to attend them. At Bath there was a massive line for he psychology course for those who hadn't booked online. It was a full lecture theatre and I'm sure people wouldn't have got in. At some places you can book on the day but there have been long queues for that too.
And, after we went with DC1 to an open day where she'd mixed up the universities and the uni she was actually interested in wasn't having an open day but the other one was, I'd say get DC to forward booking details to you. We've not let DC1 forget that yet ...

Leeds is not well served by park and ride options, unlike most other large cities. Would you not consider taking the train instead?

@Philandbill Taxi?

There are shuttle buses being laid on from the train station - is your Premier Inn anywhere near that OP?

There’s shuttle buses from the train station

Which Premier Inn @Philandbill? If it’s the Headingley one leave the car there and either walk or get one of the many buses - straight line down the Otley Road to campus. Another sneaky trick is to park in one of the roads north of Hyde Park and walk. Loads of student houses there so many of them will have headed home for the summer.

I would say first choice is the multstorey, second is walk/bus if you’re in Headingley and third is the roads beyond Hyde Park.

(Depends on the department of course, that might change your preferences)

Agree with above post re parking on street in Hyde Park area but, as with most cities, don't leave anything at all visible inside the car. Leeds robbers are eagle-eyed, opportunistic and fast!
Woodhouse Lane multi storey is also v good option.
I too was at Leeds in the early 90s and attended an interview and open day armed with a paper map and a National Express bus ticket. I don't remember any parents attending, mine certainly didn't. I fell in love with the city about 30 seconds after I got off the bus at the old Wellington Street coach station.
My youngest child visited Leeds Uni last week and was very impressed with the student union and friend's accommodation he stayed in (which was the one that replaced my old hall of residence). He said it was better than his own uni (Salford). I had to resist the urge to remind him that I'd already told him that 18 months ago.

Thanks to all for the suggestions. We drove up because it cost £40 in petrol rather than £130+ for the train. And we'd have had to change trains too and it would have taken much longer. Premier Inn just outside the city was clean and a reasonable price and it meant that we were on campus before nine. Woodhouse Lane carpark was ideal thank you. And most importantly DD liked both the course and the university and will put it as one of her choices. So, a productive weekend.

Thanks from me too—I was lurking this thread, and parked at Woodhouse when we visited on Friday. Trains were £250 for two of us, so I begrudgingly drove.

I can also recommend the Novotel if anyone has to stay overnight. We stayed the night before DD’s offer day as we had to be there by 10am and also a few times when she was a student.

@ThatsCute To get there early, it’s peak travel time on the trains. Staying over is cheaper!

I've always gone by train when visiting Leeds (two DC looked at it as possible for their first degree, neither went then, but DD did her master's there, graduating last December) and the two reasonably priced city hotels i have used are the Discovery Inn opposite the station - rather unprepossessing but perfectly comfortable- and Hinsley Hall, which is a sort of Roman Catholic conference centre off Headingley Lane. Both an easy bus ride to the university campus, or walkable if you're feeling energetic. Hinsley Hall doesn't have in-room tea / coffee making facilities (there s a shared kitchenette, and a machine in the lounge), but does do a good cooked breakfast and has parking. The Discovery only does a continental breakfast and there is no on-site parking, but is so close to the station and to bus stops for lots of destinations, so 'swings and roundabouts', as they say.