By Laveena Francis

Witnessing at least one cartoon character or a superhero from your favourite Comic books at the Otley road on a weekend wouldn’t be unwonted.

Decked up in a fancy dress costume, traversing over five miles on foot covering a score and three pubs makes Otley run the largest booze trail in the city.

Most of the pub crawlers, even the ones from the outskirts of the city, make it a hebdomadal to-do thing in cahoots with their friends. And if you reside in Leeds and have never participated or witnessed the Otley Run, you’ve been living under a rock.

Quite certainly a treat for those who have camel’s drinking capacity and the marathoners, rest can consider it a challenge in ways more than one with oodles of fun.

While there are no written rules about the timings for the revelers, Woodies Craft Ale House situated in Far Headingley is most assuredly considered the official starting point of this run.

The pub crawlers usually begin pouring in by 10 am and the pub hopping continues throughout late evenings.

Woodie, the first venue on map, has over half a dozen screens especially for the sports fans who often face a hard time choosing among the huge variety of spirits. 

Dressed up as a cowgirl, Izzy Ellis, a student who hails from Shropshire, was amazed by the concept of Otley Run when she came to Leeds as it doesn’t take place in her hometown. “This is the second time I’ve participated in this fun run in a span of six months along with my friends. I had come dressed up as Magic Mike for my maiden run,” said Ellis, who spent quality time with her friends at the first venue.

Walking merely 100 metres, one reaches the second stop which happens to be one of the oldest pubs in Headingley, The Three Horseshoes. This place aptly boasts of its swanky magnanimous space to accommodate a couple of hundreds during their peak hours.

Manager of The Three Horseshoes, Stephen Harrison who despite the constantly floating crowd manages to be conspicuous owing to his amiable personality highlighted the fact that Otley Run is an over century old tradition.

“This run is now only a fragment of what it used to be. Initially it used to begin from Otley and was way longer than what it is now,” said Harrison who ensures giving various deals on shots for the pub crawlers during the weekends. 

Unlike the name, The New Inn isn’t as new as you’d think. It’s been here for some time now and is the third spot when it comes to traversing the route.

Despite living in the United Kingdom for half a decade, Danial Khan who works at The New Inn as a bouncer had the biggest cultural shock when he first saw the pub hoppers because of their eccentric costumes.

“I’ve lived in other cities but I hadn’t witnessed this before. Initially, it was shocking. But, now I find it quite amusing,” he chirped.

In the heart of Headingley, the revelers then tap their feet to the peppy music at the vintage beauty, Headingley Taps, which has been there since 1880. One can enjoy a pint even at the beer garden or grab a cozy corner and even enjoy some sports playing on screens followed by Manahatta which has a tinge of New York and serves as the fifth venue.

The Box is certainly a dream come true for the sports fans as it can be deemed as a typical sports bar and one can never be too drunk to diss a good match on big screens. This venue also has tables in the open on terrace which makes it even better if you are keen on watching other pub crawlers and their outfits.

At close quarters stands The Skyrack which can definitely be considered a landmark for many owing to its positioning.

Adjacent to this tardis like venue is The Original Oak which was established in 1871.

Boasting about the vastest beer garden in the area, it takes nearly 10-15 minutes to enter the venue owing to the long queue especially during peak hours. But jostling for the venue is worth the wait.

International student, Deepesh Pandya vouches on The Original Oak as it turned out to be his most favorite venue in Headingley.

After a longer than expected or planned stay, the runners either catch a bus or those high spirited ones walk around 0.9 miles to reach The Hyde Park which is right on the crossroads of Hyde Park.

Heading towards the city is yet another significant stop, The Library. Once an actual library, it now serves as one of the weighty pubs for the runners.

If you’re looking for a specialized craft and cask beer, gin, spirit infusions, The Library has got you covered.

Georgie Roberts who had come from Hull along with her six friends for the Otley Run was elated to finally tick the venue off her bucket list.

Decked up in Toy Story characters, these seven girls had begun the run at 10 am and despite feeling sloshed already, she was looking forward to the remaining route.

The Packhorse often serves as the place wherein the runners usually prefer resting for a while as they chug down another pint of their favourite beer or a shot of their preferred spirit followed by the most favourite spot for the Lager lovers, The Eldon Pub which gives a warm and rustic vibe with its wooden interior. You can also partake in their interesting quiz rounds unless there is an ongoing match.

People are often witnessed shaking their legs at Handsome which is followed by the Leeds University Union (LUU). LUU boasts of two drinking areas– Old Bar which has been standing strong since 1939 and the Terrace which as the name suggests is an open area. Nonetheless, these two are counted as one unit. The Old Bar certainly is a traditional student pub.

The Fenton which is the second last venue for the runners is definitely one of the most favourite pubs of the students and one of the best on the edge of the city. The revelers head to the Dry Dock, a real ship which was towed into the heart of the city and was revamped into a pub. The upper deck becomes a highlight in terms of aesthetics at night for all including those who are totally sloshed. For the rest, the walk doesn’t end here as this also calls for an after party mostly at the other city centre based pubs/clubs. 

So, if you’re ever in Leeds and are looking for an entertaining way to spend your weekend, look no further. The Otley Run will allow you to visit some of the city’s best pubs while witnessing an historic rite of passage for students. Pick a theme, find a costume and let the Otley Run begin!