When you’re not on campus, you’ll most likely live in Wakefield. It’s about a 30-minute drive away, or there’s a train which takes about 20 minutes.
Wakefield is bursting with culture, green spaces, shopping and food and drink. It's the only place you can take in the views of its surrounding picturesque landscapes or feast your eyes on the works of iconic artists at the Hepworth Wakefield and Yorkshire Sculpture Park.
Whether you want to explore the lively surrounding cities or get out into the great outdoors, there’s a whole host of activities and adventures right here on your doorstep.
If live music is your thing, Wakefield has a lot to discover with regular live music nights at Harry’s Bar, The Hop and Jock’s Cavern to name a few. During its season, Wakefield Jazz has a show every Friday night in its award-winning club.
Love the theatre? They say good things come in small packages. Or at least they do when it comes to Theatre Royal Wakefield with its small, intimate auditorium.
If you want to try your hand at something a little more adventurous, Xscape is the place for you. Try skiing, snowboarding or sledging on real snow at Snozone.
There’s also e-karting, wall-to-wall trampolining, laser tag and adventure golf. Plus, there’s escape rooms, tenpin bowling, immersive gaming and virtual reality simulators to enjoy.
Want to get your skates on? Wakey Wheeled Cats is a women’s roller derby league right here in Wakefield. Or switch the skates for a different type of wheels at Wakefield’s Indoor Karting.
You'll find lots of major brands in Trinity Walk Shopping Centre. A short train ride will also take you to Leeds where you can find both big brands and small independents.
For affordable eats in Wakefield, here are just a few places to try:
Wakefield is super connected. You can get to Leeds in under 20 minutes where you can enjoy countless exhibitions, shopping, a thriving music scene and the world-famous Leeds Festival.
London is just two hours away on the train. There are also direct trains to Sheffield, York, Newcastle, Edinburgh and Bristol.
For further afield, Leeds Bradford Airport is just a 45-minute drive, with flights to a variety of destinations in the UK and Europe, from Poland to Malta.
An open day is a great way to get a feel for student life with us. Why not explore what Wakefield has to offer while you're here? Find out our upcoming open day dates.
