Surroundings

Headingley used to be a village, but as Leeds boomed during the industrial revolution the place became absorbed into the metropolis. Now it's a popular and relatively pricey suburb, but it's certainly not a typical one.

Far from it. Walk along the Otley Road, or turn off onto tributaries like North Lane, and you'll discover an attractive bustle of cafes, shops and restaurants.

There are juice bars, noodle bars, nail bars, and lots of boozers with names like Trio and The Box where you can sit on a leather cube, drink multi-coloured cocktails and watch a great big plasma screen TV until you're well and truly pixilated.

If you aren't entirely sure why the place has such a buzz, go for a quick browse in the Oxfam bookshop. Here you're more likely to find weighty tomes on Anglo-Saxon history or particle physics than the best of Armley's grand dame, Barbara Taylor Bradford.

Yes, Headingley is studentville: the place where many of Leeds' scholars come to fill their heads, empty their stomachs (or vice-versa) and work on their levels of indebtedness.

The stats (Census 2001) tell their own story: 80 per cent of the local population is single, 60 per cent are students, 58 per cent are between the ages of 20 to 29, and only 29 per cent say they do anything as boring as working for a living.

So Headingley, then: lots of young people far away from home with plenty of time on their hands. No wonder the place is a riot of hormonal energy - even the local smoothie joint is called 'Luv Juice'.

Transport

Trains: Train stations at Burley Park and Headingley will bring you into the city. They're on the Harrogate line, with services to Knaresborough and York.

Buses: Metro bus service running throughout Leeds and the whole of West Yorkshire. The city bus station, for both local and countywide services, is on New York Street. There's a coach terminal for inter-city bus travel next door.

FreeCityBus links Leeds' rail and bus stations, business and shopping districts, the General Infirmary, Universities and Park Lane College.

Road: Located along the A660 (Otley Road) so easy to get to the city on foot, by bus or by car. The M62, M6 and M1 are also easily accessed.

Air: Leeds-Bradford International Airport is located between Leeds and Bradford and has internal UK flights and flights to Europe, Egypt and Turkey.

Shopping

Headingley: Otley Road is the main drag. The Arndale Centre on this road has a Somerfields, Superdrug, Blockbusters, KFC, a Post Office etc.

Also lots of smaller independent stores for fashion, interiors etc., and a very good Oxfam (books).

Far Headingley: Small parade of shops, including a colourful fancy dress place, a post office and some pubs and cafes.

Eating & Drinking

Eating: Lots of restaurants in Headingley - Italian, Thai, Chinese, Indian.

Cafes: Also excellent for cafes, from juice bars to coffee houses (chains and independents).

Pubs: This being a student area, there are lots of pubs and trendy bars. The Otley Run pub crawl begins at Woodies in Far Headingley, ends in the bar at Leeds Metropolitan Uni and can take in 20 premises.

Sports

Cricket: Yorkshire County Cricket Club is in Headingley.

Leeds Rhinos: The Leeds Rhinos stadium is next door to the cricket ground - also used by the Leeds Tykes rugby union club.

Leisure & Entertainment

Cinema: Cottage Road cinema, a lovely old survivor which has been showing films since 1912. Located in Far Headingley and housed in a building dating back to 1825.

Theatre: Head into Leeds for The Grand Theatre, the City Varieties Theatre, and The West Yorkshire Playhouse.

Parks and Open Spaces

Beckett Park: Attractive expanse of greenery with tennis courts and a kids' play area.

Meanwood Valley Nature Reserve: Up the road from Headingley, and accessible from Far Headingley, this is a large nature reserve with a landscape of varying habitats including bogs, heaths, grassland, becks and a pond.

The Meanwood Valley Trail runs from Woodhouse Moor, through the Meanwood Valley and on to Breary Marsh.

Woodhouse Moor: At the Hyde Park end of Headingley, this is an attractive wooded park with tree-lined walks, skateboard ramps, and several public statues.