The best beer garden Otley Run route you can take through Headingley right now

If you fancy an evening away from the hustle and bustle in Leeds city centre, these pubs on the Otley Run are open and ready to welcome you as you tackle the famous drinking route for pub enthusiasts.

You might be a champion at the Otley Run or a novice doing it for the first time, but now the lockdown restrictions have been lifted and people have been filling the beer gardens by the hour, why not try to go from pub to pub and enjoy a different tipsy night away from the crowds crammed in the city centre.

Pub 01: Woodies Craft Ale House

104 Otley Rd, Headingley Leeds LS16 5JG

Start your pub route here as you move closer and closer to Leeds city centre through each pint (or cocktail) you enjoy along the way. Woodies Craft Ale House is open from noon until 10:00 pm, so it’s definitely worth starting your run in the afternoon, to make sure you hit every open pub. Simply walk in or, to make sure you’re staying on track, book a table here: https://www.greeneking-pubs.co.uk/pubs/west-yorkshire/woodies-craft-ale-house/book/. Keep an eye on their social media, as they update their availability, and take it easy, it’s only the first stop.

Pub 02: The Three Horseshoes

98 Otley Rd, Headingley, Leeds LS16 5JG

Next, check out The Three Horseshoes, where you can get special add-ons each day. On Tuesdays you can get pizzas for as cheap as £5 and, if the weather worsens, they promise they’ll fill your hot water bottle, just make sure to come prepared. No booking required; walk-ins are the way to get a table. So, make sure you check the weather and prepare for the rest of the run.

Pub 03: The Headingley Taps

Car Park, Bennett Rd, Headingley, Leeds LS6 3HN

As you’re getting closer to Woodhouse, settle in with a pint at the Headingley Taps. Located in the heart of Headingley, it becomes a fun and lively venue at night, while offering a quiet and cosy atmosphere in the afternoon, to suit any kind of post-lockdown mood. To book a table, go to: https://www.theheadingleytapsleeds.co.uk/bookings, email [email protected], or just walk in. Only four stops to go now. Don’t let the haziness take over just yet.

Pub 04: The Original Oak

2 Otley Road, Headingley, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS6 2DG

You might want to pause for a meal at this point, to get you going. You wouldn’t want to fail the run halfway through. At the Original Oak, you can order via their custom app to avoid long waiting times. Although walk-ins are accepted, booking in advance would be better to make sure your Otley Run is done through and through. Bookings can be made here: https://www.theoriginaloakleeds.co.uk/bookings.

Pub 05: Hyde Park Pub

2 Headingley Ln, Headingley, Leeds LS6 2AS

Next on your route, have a seat in Hyde Park Pub’s beer garden facing Woodhouse Lane and Woodhouse Street and, if you’re lucky, you can enjoy some live sport while you sip your fifth drink of the day. Though seating has been reduced, you can still pop in for a glass of house prosecco and order your meal through the My Pub app. Walk-ins are accepted but limited to table availability, so you can book instead, via https://www.craft-pubs.co.uk/hydeparkleeds.

Pub 06: The Pack Horse

208 Woodhouse Ln, Woodhouse, Leeds LS2 9DX

Nearly there. Here’s one for the spontaneous: the Pack Horse is exclusively open for walk-ins, no booking required, and they serve food and drinks every day from 2:00 pm until 10:00 pm. The 6th pub to tick on your Otley Run route, it’s only minutes away from a range of Chinese and Middle-Eastern takeaways, and only a brisk walk away from the city centre. So, when you get out prepared to take on your seventh pint of the night, make sure to hit one of the small street food places to recharge, ready for the last stop.

Pub 07: The Fenton

161 Woodhouse Lane, Leeds, LS2 3ED

Open from noon to midnight Monday to Wednesday, and even longer Thursday to Saturday, the Fenton has also extended its services. Their beer garden now includes a brand-new drinks bar, called the Fentiki, and a daily barbecue for their customers. Though the specific drinks you can get from the Fentiki bar are kept a secret, the Fenton promises locally sourced ales and ciders “to get you locally sauced”. To book a table, email [email protected].

Pubs say ‘atmosphere has been excellent’ during first week post-lockdown

“It’s been very positive”, Hyde Park Pub general manager Ryan Wallace said, as he expressed joy at seeing customers back in the pub. “We are under tight restrictions still but so far everyone has been really supportive and are aware of what’s required”, he said. The Pack Horse owners Cameron Saunders and Pete Alessi said the first week back was “enjoyable” and praised the “polite” customers who adhered to safety measures while being back in the bar. The same feeling was expressed by Sara Hirst, co-owner of the Three Horseshoes, who said “it’s great to be back open, we’ve seen lots of faces this week, some new, which is great, and the weather has been on our side”.

So far, these are the main pubs with open beer gardens along the Otley Run. At least six other pubs in the area are set to reopen on May 17th, when the Government will allow further ease of restrictions and indoor locations will be permitted to welcome customers again.

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