Wakefield (England)

Wakefield is a city in West Yorkshire, England, lying 15 km south of Leeds. It's home to the Hepworth Gallery and the National Mining Museum for England. It's also a transport hub, and alternative base for visiting Leeds or York. The name “Wakefield” also refers to the metropolitan district, which includes several smaller towns plus rural areas.

Understand
Wakefield was historically the county town of West Riding, and later of West Yorkshire. It grew rapidly in the 19th and early 20th centuries through textiles, coal mining and related industries: each small town had its own colliery and its own Rugby League team, with fierce local rivalry. The pits have all closed and their sites have been landscaped, and Wakefield has diversified into mixed manufacturing, retail and distribution, as well as public sector employment. It’s also a commuter town for Leeds. The city centre is compact, walkable and mostly non-descript modern, but a parade of fine Georgian and Victorian buildings extends up Wood Street to St Johns.

The other main towns are Ossett and Horbury in the west, Castleford, Pontefract, Knottingley and Normanton in the east, plus the southeast corridor of Hemsworth, South Kirkby and South Elmsall. Away from the towns, the district is surprisingly rural, a rolling farm landscape on the edge of the Pennines; the tall Tolkienesque tower gleaming in the distant southwest is Emley Moor TV mast. To the east, beyond the A1, the terrain merges into the flatlands and pig farms of the Aire/Humber plain.

By rail
Wakefield has two train stations:

There is also a metro rail network, serving Wakefield Westgate station and Wakefield Kirkgate station, the other townships across the district, plus Barnsley, Doncaster and Sheffield.

Castleford also has two train stations:

By road
Major highways bestride Wakefield district like a rugby goalpost, with M1 on the western edge, A1 on the eastern edge, and M62 as the cross-bar. M1 and M62 are often snarled during rush hours, A1 is usually clear but can catch the tailback from Doncaster. There are services at Woolley Edge (M1) and Ferrybridge (A1/M62), but turn off for supermarket petrol as cheap as you'll find anywhere. Always beware that you may be about to meet a tractor, even on the A1: this is Yorkshire.

By coach, direct National Express services from Wakefield city bus station run from London Victoria (2 or 3 per day, 4-5 hours) and from the Southwest (one per day) via Derby, Birmingham (4 hours) and Bristol. From other places, travel via Leeds, which is much better served. When the Wakefield coaches return north, they continue to Bradford and Huddersfield, but will seldom be the best option for getting there.

By plane

 * From the London airports, take the train to London King's Cross (but for Stansted Airport, change at Peterborough). From Heathrow Airport take the westbound London Underground Piccadilly line (1 hour), or from Gatwick Airport  step across the street into London St Pancras for the direct Thameslink service (1 hour) towards Brighton. Even Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport  is only two hours away.
 * From the London airports, take the train to London King's Cross (but for Stansted Airport, change at Peterborough). From Heathrow Airport take the westbound London Underground Piccadilly line (1 hour), or from Gatwick Airport  step across the street into London St Pancras for the direct Thameslink service (1 hour) towards Brighton. Even Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport  is only two hours away.
 * From the London airports, take the train to London King's Cross (but for Stansted Airport, change at Peterborough). From Heathrow Airport take the westbound London Underground Piccadilly line (1 hour), or from Gatwick Airport  step across the street into London St Pancras for the direct Thameslink service (1 hour) towards Brighton. Even Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport  is only two hours away.

By ferry
P&O Ferries run (usually overnight) between Kingston-upon-Hull (Hull) and Rotterdam/Zeebrugge. For Hull ferry terminal, by car follow M62 then A62 east, about 1 hour. By coach, change at Leeds. By train change at Leeds or Doncaster; there’s a shuttle bus between Hull station and the ferry terminal.

By canal
Wakefield is traversed by the Calder and Hebble Navigation, and the Aire and Calder Navigation. There are visitor moorings on the former above Fall Ings Lock (72 hr) and also below Wakefield Flood Lock (72 hr). There are no water points or sanitary facilities along the cut here, except for rubbish disposal at the residential mooring site. The waterways meet at Castleford.

By car
Good connections to the motorway network.

By bus
Local bus services are provided by Arriva and (for points south) by Stagecoach. They are designed around the needs of commuters and shoppers so they are frequent Monday to Saturday till 6PM, but sparse thereafter. So for planning a day trip, bus is generally the best option for points within Wakefield district and for Leeds; for further afield take the train. Some of the bus routes are round-about so always check that you’re taking a reasonably direct service.

A free bus runs clockwise around the city centre M-Sa every 10-15 min. Its route is Bus Station → The Springs → Kirkgate Station → Hepworth Gallery → Ings Road Retail Park → Westgate Retail Park → Westgate Station → Westgate → Bus Station.

Arriva Bus 110 runs from Leeds every 15 min, taking 45 min via Outwood.

Bus 148 / 149 runs every 15 min from Knottingley via Pontefract and Featherstone.

Timetables and route maps are available on the West Yorkshire Metro website.

See

 * Pontefract is a small market town 10 miles east (bus 148 or 149 runs every 10 mins, 40 mins). The main attractions are the castle, the museum and the racecourse.
 * Pontefract is a small market town 10 miles east (bus 148 or 149 runs every 10 mins, 40 mins). The main attractions are the castle, the museum and the racecourse.
 * Pontefract is a small market town 10 miles east (bus 148 or 149 runs every 10 mins, 40 mins). The main attractions are the castle, the museum and the racecourse.
 * Pontefract is a small market town 10 miles east (bus 148 or 149 runs every 10 mins, 40 mins). The main attractions are the castle, the museum and the racecourse.
 * Pontefract is a small market town 10 miles east (bus 148 or 149 runs every 10 mins, 40 mins). The main attractions are the castle, the museum and the racecourse.

Do

 * Country parks are at Pugneys (3 miles south of city), Anglers / Wintersett (6 miles SE, series of small lakes with wildlife reserve and angling areas), and Newmillerdam (6 miles south, a wooded vale). Use OS Landranger map 110 for all these.
 * Aire and Calder rivers, once major industrial arteries, are now an important habitat for wildlife, though much remains to be done to rehabilitate the brownfield areas. The best parts (e.g., the RSPB reserve at Fairburn Ings) lie on the north bank of the Aire, over the boundary into Leeds, so see that page for details.
 * Rugby league (13-a-side): West Yorkshire is the heartland of this game, played Feb-Sept.
 * - Castleford Tigers play in Super League, the top tier, at The Jungle on Wheldon Rd Castleford. The women's team pays in their top tier.
 * - Wakefield Trinity (aka Wildcats) were relegated in 2023 and play in the second-tier Championship at Belle Vue stadium in Wakefield.
 * - Featherstone Rovers play in the Championship at Post Office Road in Featherstone near Pontefract.
 * - Castleford Tigers play in Super League, the top tier, at The Jungle on Wheldon Rd Castleford. The women's team pays in their top tier.
 * - Wakefield Trinity (aka Wildcats) were relegated in 2023 and play in the second-tier Championship at Belle Vue stadium in Wakefield.
 * - Featherstone Rovers play in the Championship at Post Office Road in Featherstone near Pontefract.


 * Football: The nearest pro soccer team is Leeds United. The strength of rugby league makes Wakefield one of the biggest cities to have no professional team. Semi-professional teams in the district include Frickley Athletic, Ossett United and Pontefract Collieries.

Buy
Wakefield has kept its shopping central, rather than way out on a ring road. The main malls and retail parks are Trinity Walk, just south of the bus station, The Ridings a little further west, and Ings Road/Westgate a little further south.

Out of town, the biggest retail park is Junction 32 (off M62), adjacent to Xscape, Castleford.

Eat
Beyond that, you might do better in Leeds, but reliable nearby choices include:
 * Italian choices include Prego Pizzeria(107 Westgate, ), Bella Roma (63 Northgate, ) and Capri at the Vine (82 Leeds Rd WF1 2QF, ).
 * Italian choices include Prego Pizzeria(107 Westgate, ), Bella Roma (63 Northgate, ) and Capri at the Vine (82 Leeds Rd WF1 2QF, ).
 * Italian choices include Prego Pizzeria(107 Westgate, ), Bella Roma (63 Northgate, ) and Capri at the Vine (82 Leeds Rd WF1 2QF, ).

Wakefield district is the core of the “Rhubarb Triangle”, with an annual rhubarb fair in spring.

Drink
Wakefield used to be renowned for the Westgate Run, the pub crawl down the strip of pubs, clubs and fast food joints stretching west from the centre down past the station. It’s frankly not what it used to be, when coach parties would come from afar – like the English pub scene in general, it has dwindled thanks to supermarket off-sales, laws on drink-driving and clean air, the accessibility of Ibiza, and the economic downturn. Also, Wakefield doesn't have a university, so it lacks a student buzz. Wakefield's students are often older and doing vocational courses (e.g., nursing) at Huddersfield or Carnegie (Leeds Met), and have limited appetite for pubbing & clubbing. Notable city centre pubs include:
 * Worth going the 5 km east of town to
 * Worth going the 5 km east of town to
 * Worth going the 5 km east of town to
 * Worth going the 5 km east of town to
 * Worth going the 5 km east of town to
 * Worth going the 5 km east of town to
 * Worth going the 5 km east of town to
 * Worth going the 5 km east of town to

HB Clarks have a brewery on Westgate.

Sleep
Wakefield city centre is short of accommodation – most are out of town to suit motorway travellers. Within walking distance are: Further out, if you’re travelling by car:

Connect
As of Dec 2022, Wakefield and its approach roads have 4G from O2 and Vodafone, and 5G from EE and Three.

Go next

 * Lots more industrial heritage in Huddersfield and Halifax.
 * Easy day trips include Leeds, Bradford, Saltaire, Haworth and the Worth Valley Steam Railway; Harrogate, Knaresborough and Skipton; and Sheffield.
 * York is a national treasure and a must-see.
 * Day-trippable at a stretch, but deserving at least a weekend, are Manchester and Durham.