Our fourth away match of the season takes us to Bradford, former pride of the West Yorkshire woollen trade, and now home to museums, seats of learning, and more curry houses than you can shake a naan bread at. It seems that there is to be one of Arriva Trains Northern’s regular strikes on the day of our visit, but if that goes ahead there are regular bus services from Leeds - every 20 minutes - and it’s a 45 minute journey. The main (state-of-the-art) bus station is located directly underneath the railway station at Bradford Interchange. Buses back to Leeds depart at 5.15 and 5.45 and, again, take 45 minutes.
To reach the city centre:
- From the station (Bradford Interchange), go left down Bridge Street. You’ll see the City Hall on your left hand side. Take a right turn opposite the City Hall and then a left turn, and you’re in the centre. The centre is about 10 minutes' walk from the station.
To reach the football ground:
- From the city centre, aim for the A650 Manningham Lane. Go straight up Manningham Lane, and the football ground is on the right hand side. Valley Parade is about a 15-20 minute walk from the centre.
Things to do
As befits a city whose luminaries include J B Priestley and David Hockney, Bradford has quite a bit to offer the visitor. It’s a very hilly, up and downy sort of place, but most of the attractions are within reasonable walking distance. The National Museum of Film, Television and Photography, which also has an IMAX museum (one of those screens the size of a house) is central (about 5 minutes' walk from the station) and well worth a visit. Better still, admission is free! Tel 01274 202030 for further information. There is also the Bradford Colour Museum – ‘a colourful experience for everyone’, apparently. This includes textiles, as you would expect given the city’s industrial history, and is also very centrally located.
In terms of eating – well, if in Bradford, you ought to try a curry if you have the appetite and the time. I am reliably informed that the best curry-house is ‘Mumtaz’, on Great Horton Road. You can ask at the bus station how to get there by bus, which apparently is quite straightforward.
For shopping, there is the Kirkgate Shopping Centre and Market (out of the station, turn left, go straight on for a while and you should see some signs). There is an excellent choice of cafés there, so the tourist info blurb says. John Street Market (a bit further along Westgate than the Kirkgate Centre) also has a wide variety of cafés. Also, Sunwin House is a big department store, with a café that has been described as ‘ok-ish’ (well, let’s not get too carried away).
Finally, Bradford has a reasonably impressive heritage of civic and commercial architecture and from that perspective, the Wool Exchange might be worth a visit – it is in Market Street, which is a right turn off Bridge Street just after the City Hall.
More information
Bradford Tourist Office is located by the City Hall (I think!). Their phone number is 01274 753678. They do a great visitors' map, which is worth getting hold of if you are planning to look around.
*local pronunciation: Brat-fert
