Overview

I'm from a port city, so I am a great fan of water in urban spaces. Whitehall Riverside Pocket Park is nestled between the river Aire and the canal close to Leeds city centre, but feels like a piece of wilderness that's reclaimed some of the industrial environment, which is itself somewhere between abandoned, in active use and being regenerated or maybe rather gentrified. Finding a step-free way to get to it was at first a bit of a challenge for me, but I am so glad that I did not give up and managed to find two ways to get there in my powerchair. I loved the tall grasses and wildflowers -- and of course the view of the river and the canal. It was the perfect encapsulation of urban wilderness. There are some issues that seem like strange oversights, like there being no bins and the nice paved path just ending before reaching one of the ways in/out. In this review I will talk a little bit about the adjacent canal path and riverside walkway as well.

Transport & Parking

The Globe Road bus stop on Whitehall Road (55, 55C, 65, 74, 229, 254, 255) is very close to where you can access the canal path nearest to the park. Leeds train station is close to one end of the riverside path, but there are stairs if you go the shortest way via Princess Square. If you need to avoid stairs, go down the long end of Aire Street (westward) and take a left down Black Swan Walk to join the riverside walkway. There are no real opportunities for on-street parking on any of the surrounding roads. There are paid multi-storey car parks at the station and Wellington Place.

Access

The most apparent way to join the canal path from Whitehall Road is a metal staircase with railings. If you cross the bridge from north of the river, there is a path on your right, across the river but before you cross the canal. The staircase is close to the start of the path on your left. If you keep going a good bit along the path, under the bridge and downhill around to the left, you will be able to join the canal path without any steps. However, there is a gate you have to pass through that is closed at night. The canal path is a smooth tarmac and if you go back towards Whitehall Road, the canal will be on your right. There are no railings and the edge of the canal path is made from big blocks of stone, with at least one missing on the way to the park. There is also a short section of the path that has a slightly raised wooden surface. It has yellow lines along its ramped edges and a lines structure. There are no tactile markings otherwise. The bit that scared me a little bit was going under the bridges, where the path is narrower and, in the case of the Whitehall Road Bridge, made from cobble stones. The other way to join the canal path near the Whitehall Riverside Pocket Park is via the riverside walkway and a footbridge. The riverside walkway is wide and mostly smooth, apart from the occasional bit of landscaping in progress. The bridge has a slight incline on either side. The bridge takes you onto the canal path and the park is around to your right towards Whitehall Road. Not far from the bridge on the riverside walkway, there are maps of the area pointing out the different paths you can take along the canal and the river, including any steps, which I found very helpful. The park itself mostly just consists of one path and benches along it. There is one part where someone adventurous could go down to the river, but it is not a proper path and I do not recommend it with a wheelchair. The path is nice smooth tarmac, but for some strange reason, it ends just before the exit closer to bridge on the eastern side of the park. It is replaces with rubber mats that have a circle pattern. I know that this circle pattern can be very difficult to navigate with sticks or crutches, as they get stuck in the holes. The mats are also not very wide, so I can imagine that in wet weather, mud might be a problem. The benches are made from thick wooden slats and have backrests along two thirds, with metal arm rests at either side of the section with backrests.

Toilets

There are no toilets at this venue.

Staff

Photos