Day Trips from Manchester

In Brief. The Yorkshire Wildlife Park is essentially a Zoo in a rural setting. Thus the site is particularly green, like an area of countryside, that happens to contain a variety of fenced-off enclosures. These house a wide range of animals from throughout the world, as diverse as Polar Bears and Tigers. The enclosures are typically substantial, often with different types of terrain, and there is a large wetland area for local wildlife. Lunchtime for the giraffes. What's Here? The Yorkshire Wildlife Park was established in 2009, and thus is a modern take on the traditional zoo.  This translates into enclosures that include fields and/or wooded areas, with little use of concrete and absolutely nothing resembling a cage.  The park is entered through a new area known as The Hive, which includes a modern shopping centre and a hotel. This includes the expected Safari Store with cuddly wildlife and animal themed merchandise, but there are also a variety of clothes, craft and househ...

In Brief. An earlier blog visited the extensively renovated Leeds Waterfront , anchored by the Royal Armouries Museum ,  whereas this reports on a visit to the City Centre, for which the Leeds Art Gallery and Leeds City Museum were the target destinations. I walked up from the waterfront, and overall Leeds City Centre gives a good impression; it is much larger than I had expected, and includes an interesting blend of historic buildings and modern shops, offices and flats. The museum and art gallery provide pleasant modern exhibition spaces, though they aren't huge, and there are many retail opportunities, especially in some grand historic arcades. The Victoria Quarter What's Here? The rather austere frontage of the Leeds City Museum opens into spaces that sympathetically combine the existing historic building with modern galleries and a light, spacious coffee shop. The museum is not on the same scale as, say the World Museum in Liverpool, but contains an interesting history...