Finish your autumn stroll in Leeds with a cosy pub

Autumn has well and truly set in, it seems.

But the season needn’t be one of house-bound grumbling.

Leaves are brightening into reds and yellows while the fresh air takes on that distinctive scent of renewal – all perfect factors to consider during your walk to the pub.

So this week, Barfly provides a handy list of watering holes to settle into after crisp, autumn strolls in Leeds’s most popular beauty spots. Or, depending on your outlook, a round-up of places to escape the damned wind and rain.

Roundhay Fox

Any talk of autumn in Leeds naturally evokes the image of a multi-coloured Roundhay Park and leafy walks around the lake. The Roundhay Fox, opposite Tropical World in Princes Avenue, seems designed with the run-up to winter in mind. Cosy fires, real ales and warming dishes of food await in a family-friendly environment.

Kirkstall Bridge Inn

Across the city, this Kirkstall Brewery-run pub is a minute away from the grounds of Kirkstall Abbey’s 12th century ruins. Beers from around the world (as well as its own), friendly and knowledgeable staff, and a decent menu all combine to offer a hard-to-resist haven from the elements in a setting which pays tribute to the craft of brewing with entertaining ale paraphernalia.

The Lawnswood Arms

If it’s a child-friendly pub you’re after following a family walk around Golden Acre Park, The Lawnswood Arms is roughly 10 minutes away by foot. Food deals, TV sport and a Wacky Warehouse are featured at the pub in Otley Road, Adel.

The Old king’s Arms

Horsforth Hall Park is certainly worth an amble round during these autumn months, and luckily for visitors, one of the first stops towards Town Street is the Old Kings Arms, which simultaneously feels spacious but smug, if you get the right seat. It’s also been known to host piano sing-a-longs, if you can stomach that sort of thing.

Foleys Tap House

Let’s say you’re not on a nice, gentle walk, but a stressful city centre shopping trip where each store is more packed than the last. It’s siling it down, the bags are slicing into your hands and the bus has been cancelled. What to do? You know the answer. York Brewery’s HQ in Leeds, Foleys, offers the warmth and hospitality you’re craving. This place is getting as many accolades as it has tipples. Beers can also be taken in third pint glasses for those who decide the mad-dash run to the boozer wasn’t such a bad plan after all.