Otley Run

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The Otley Run is a pub crawl in Leeds, West Yorkshire. The route follows the A660, also known as Otley Road at the point the pub crawl commonly begins. The Otley Run is a popular social gathering for student clubs and societies from both The University of Leeds and Leeds Metropolitan University ^[1] and is also a common activity for birthdays and other celebrations ^[2] among graduates and others as well^[3]. Participants occasionally wear fancy dress and coordinate their costumes to a particular theme.

Contents 1 History of the route 2 The route 3 Rules and variations 4 Trivia 5 See also 6 References

[edit] History of the route

Initially, the route covered only Tetley pubs and started in Otley ^[4], passing the University's main playing fields at Bodington Hall and Weetwood, and many of the University's student flats. With the closure of Weetwood, Cavendish, and Tetley Hall student residences and the opening of others beyond of city centre, the modern route has moved south of the original, usually starting at Woodies in Far Headingley instead. The chosen route may also extend beyond the University bars to city centre club nights ^[5]. Inclusion of pubs away from the main road has always been regarded as optional, with followers of the extended list (known alternatively as the Headingley Mile ^[6]) often starting early to allow time to visit as many venues as possible.

[edit] The route

Depending on the route taken, the Otley Run can include over 20 drinking establishments, namely:

1. Woodies Ale House, Far Headingley
2. The Three Horseshoes, Far Headingley
3. The New Inn, Far Headingley
4. Headingley Taps, Headingley *
5. The Arc, Headingley *
6. The Box, Headingley *
7. The Skyrack, Headingley
8. The Original Oak, Headingley
9. The Hyde Park, Hyde Park Corner
10. The Library, Woodhouse Lane * (formerly Feast and Firkin)
11. The Packhorse, Woodhouse Lane
12. The Eldon, Woodhouse Lane
13. The Old Bar Leeds University Union ***
14. The Terrace Leeds University Union ***
15. The Fenton, Woodhouse Lane
16. Strawberry Fields,(Strawbs) Woodhouse Lane
17. The Dry Dock, Woodhouse Lane
18. Met Bar Leeds Metropolitan University

• What next? If you manage to finish your 'Run', there are lots of clubs and bars to choose from including Halo, Walkabout* and Bourbon* "The polybop" at Leeds Metropolitan University is also a popular choice.

(* - Newer bars/pubs, sometimes omitted by the more traditionalist Otley Runners and attributed to the Headingley Mile list.)
(** - Does not allow fancy dress)
(*** - Student Union buildings sometimes require an NUS or Union Life Membership card to be produced, or that you sign in as the guest of a card holder.)

[edit] Rules and variations

People attempting the Otley Run may do so casually or choose to follow a specific set of rules ^[7]. Some examples of rules include:

• Drinking a pint in each pub
• Half pints or a single unit for women
• A "golden" Otley run starts at the Sun Inn in the town of Otley
• An alcohol-free alternative, with charity collection
• A different drink in each pub/bar
• Fancy Dress ^[8]
• Three-legged runs with pairs of people having a 'wingman' to support them
• A pint of water and a shot of alka seltzer in each pub
• As attempting a full otley run can be time consuming and expensive a half run starting at the hyde park pub,library,pack horse,eldon,fenton finishing at strawbs if you are in fancy dress or the dry dock if not has become very popular.

[edit] Trivia

(2008) It is rumoured that Prince Harry has done with Otley run with pink nail vanish.

Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (December 2007)

• 'Woodies Ale House' was regularly featured on the 2000-2005 ITV1 / Yorkshire Television drama Fat Friends. However the external scenes were all shot outside the Three Horseshoes pub just down the road with the sign doctored to make it appear that it was in fact Woodies.

• Until approximately 2002 the New Inn was known as O'Hagan's New Inn and had an Irish theme.

• The Arcadia Ale & Wine Bar became the first solely non-smoking pub in the Leeds area when it opened in April 2004, and is the only bar on the route not included in the Otley Run, due to its not allowing allowing fancy dress. ^[9]

• The distinctive architecture and the name of "The Headingley Taps" come from the previous function of the building as a local water pumping station.

• The Original Oak once had a Bowling green. In recent years, this has been converted into a beer garden.

• The Original Oak and The Fenton are the only pubs along the Otley Run route that continue to have the typical Tetleys pub sign writing that was commonplace across Leeds until the 1990s.

• The Elinor Lupton Centre of Grammar School at Leeds (formerly Leeds Girls' High School) on Headingley Lane is under plans by Wetherspoons for conversion into a pub. However due to widespread opposition for excessive numbers of bars in Headingley, the planning and licence application is expected to be blocked. ^[10]

• The Library on Woodhouse Lane was formerly the Woodhouse library, fire station and police station. More recently, it was known as the Feast and Firkin which was part of the Firkin Brewery chain. It is now part of the Scream chain alongside Dry Dock, which is owned by Mitchells and Butlers.

• The Dry Dock was a gravel barge known as Lambda that was taken to the present site opposite Leeds Metropolitan University's Civic Quarter Campus in December 1993. Image and description on Leodis

• Strawberry Fields (also known as 'Strawbs') is the only independent bar on the route.

Strawbs was closed for 8 weeks for a re fit in jan 2009 as the back of the bar burnt down in a fire.

[edit] See also

• Otley Run Fancy Dress Shop
• Binge drinking
• Pub crawl
• Otley run with photos

The following are similar university pub crawls:

• Whiteladies Road - Bristol
• Campus 14 - Nottingham
• Micklegate Run - York
• Subcrawl – Glasgow Subway
• The Claret Run- York
• Possible Otley run route

[edit] References

Coordinates: 53°49′14″N 1°34′37″W / 53.8205°N 1.577°W / 53.8205; -1.577