Best Places to Visit Near Leeds
Written by UK Hidden Gems Editorial
Updated 5 August 2026
The best places to visit near Leeds are City Varieties Music Hall, The Leeds Library, The Maven, Pontefract Castle, Goit Stock Waterfall, Ogden Waterfalls, Folly Dolly Falls and Clifford's Tower.
Leeds may be one of the great cities of the North, but it sits within easy reach of castles, waterfalls and hidden corners of West Yorkshire. In the city centre itself, three tucked-away treats reward a wander: the ornate Victorian music hall of the City Varieties, the historic subscription rooms of The Leeds Library and the speakeasy-style cocktail bar known as The Maven.
Beyond the centre, the country opens up in every direction. To the south-east lie the ruins of Pontefract Castle, while west towards Bingley and Halifax you will find the woodland cascades of Goit Stock and Ogden Waterfalls.
Further south-west, near Meltham, the little Folly Dolly Falls hides on an old railway path. For a proper day out, drive north-east to York, where Clifford's Tower crowns its grassy mound above the city.
Old theatres, libraries, castles and waterfalls make for a varied mix. Here are eight places to visit near Leeds.
City Varieties Music Hall
Photo: JThomas via Geograph.org.uk
City Varieties Music Hall Right in the heart of Leeds, the City Varieties is a small, ornate galleried Victorian music hall that opened in 1865, started by a local publican as a hall attached to his inn off Swan Street. It is best known as the home of the BBC series The Good Old Days, recorded here from the 1950s to 1983, in which both performers and audience dressed and played in the old music-hall style.
Restored in the late 2000s, it is a working theatre once more, staging variety, comedy, music and an annual pantomime. This listed building is a real gem hiding in plain sight in the city centre.
The Leeds Library
Photo: Stanley Walker via Geograph.org.uk
The Leeds Library A few steps away on Commercial Street, The Leeds Library is an independent subscription library founded in 1768, the oldest surviving library of its kind in the country. It has occupied its purpose-built premises since 1808, a handsome Greek Revival building with shop units along the street front whose rents once helped keep it afloat.
Behind the frontage lies a galleried Georgian interior holding well over a hundred thousand books. It remains a members' library, owned by its members, and it also hosts a lively programme of events.
Note that it is a separate institution from the city's public libraries, so it is worth arranging a visit.
The Maven
Photo: Stephen Craven via Geograph.org.uk
The Maven Also in the centre, hidden on the first floor at the corner of Call Lane by the Corn Exchange, The Maven is a cocktail bar styled after a 1920s Prohibition drinking den. There is little sign of it from the street beyond a plain door marked with a small gold letter, and a stair leads up to a dark, panelled room full of vintage portraits and taxidermy.
The drinks are all cocktails, served to your table, with tasting flights and private rooms on offer. It is for over-eighteens only, with a smart-casual dress code, and it makes a memorable stop after exploring the city.
Pontefract Castle
Photo: Philip Halling via Geograph.org.uk
Pontefract Castle South-east of Leeds, the ruins of Pontefract Castle stand on a rocky rise above the town, set in a public park and free to visit. Among the remains are underground cellars cut into the rock, fragments of the curtain walls and the base of the many-lobed keep, along with a visitor centre and cafe on site.
Founded soon after the Norman Conquest, it grew into a great royal fortress and prison, where Richard the Second died in 1400. During the Civil War it held out for the king through three sieges before Parliament ordered it pulled down in 1649, and its long, dramatic story still lingers among the stones.
Goit Stock Waterfall
Photo: habiloid via Geograph.org.uk
Goit Stock Waterfall West of Leeds, near Harden just beyond Bingley, Goit Stock Waterfall drops around twenty feet on Harden Beck in the ancient woodland of Goitstock Wood. The fall runs into a plunge pool among the trees, reached only on foot by a walk of about a mile through the wood, with no parking inside it.
Local people look after the wood, which has been up for sale in recent years. Swimming in the pool is not allowed and has proved dangerous, so this is a place to enjoy the sound and sight of falling water rather than a dip.
It makes a pretty woodland walk in its own right.
Ogden Waterfalls
Photo: Gordon Hatton via Geograph.org.uk
Ogden Waterfalls A little further west, towards Halifax, Ogden Water is a Victorian reservoir set among woodland and moorland, run as a country park and nature reserve with a small waterfall on one of its feeder streams. An easy path of about a mile and a half loops around the water, through conifer and broadleaf woodland, taking in the dam, a car park and open Pennine views beyond.
It is a well-used spot for family walks, dog-walking and watching wildlife. The falls themselves run on a stream above the reservoir and are at their liveliest after rain, so time a visit for a wet spell to see them at their best.
Folly Dolly Falls
Photo: habiloid via Geograph.org.uk
Folly Dolly Falls Worth the drive south-west towards Meltham, Folly Dolly Falls is a small waterfall reached from the old railway path known as the Meltham Greenway, about half a mile from the town. The water cascades down a sandstone fault, running over joints and ledges where softer shale meets harder rock, the stone reddened by iron along the fault line.
It sits on private ground, reached down steep steps and a short way up the stream. Trees have grown up around it over the years, so it now stays hidden from the old railway line, making it a quiet little find for those who know where to look.
Clifford's Tower
Photo: derek dye via Geograph.org.uk
Clifford's Tower Seen from above, this stone keep spreads into four rounded lobes like a clover leaf, an unusual plan for a castle tower. It crowns a steep grassy mound in the middle of York and is the largest piece left of the old York Castle.
A recent restoration added timber walkways within and a rooftop deck, so you can climb for a broad view across the city. Its story carries a shadow: in 1190 the wooden tower that stood on this mound burned during the mass killing of York's Jewish community, the darkest chapter in its past.
The climb up the mound is short but steep.
FAQs
What can you do in Leeds city centre?
Leeds city centre hides several gems, including the Victorian City Varieties music hall, the historic Leeds Library on Commercial Street and The Maven, a Prohibition-style cocktail bar near the Corn Exchange.
Are there waterfalls near Leeds?
Yes. Goit Stock Waterfall near Bingley and Ogden Water towards Halifax both lie within easy reach of Leeds, and the small Folly Dolly Falls hides near Meltham on the old Meltham Greenway railway path.
How far is York from Leeds?
Clifford's Tower in York is around 35 kilometres north-east of Leeds, an easy drive for a day out. You can climb the keep for wide views before exploring York's historic streets.
Conclusion
For all its size and bustle, Leeds keeps a fine set of surprises close at hand. In the centre, the City Varieties, The Leeds Library and the hidden bar at The Maven each reward a little exploring on foot.
Beyond the ring road, the country opens out: the ruins of Pontefract Castle to the south-east, the woodland waterfalls of Goit Stock and Ogden to the west, and the quiet cascade of Folly Dolly Falls tucked away near Meltham. For a bigger day out, York and its Clifford's Tower lie a short drive north-east.
Theatres, libraries, castles and quiet waterfalls make an unexpectedly varied collection. Whether you fancy history, a woodland walk or a cocktail in a dark corner, these are the places to visit near Leeds.
