Gipton Wood

Gipton Wood is part of the Roundhay conservation area 2-miles north east of the centre of Leeds. The woodland is 8-hectares in size and is separated by Oakwood and Roundhay.

Here’s what you can get up to at Gipton Wood:

Friends of Gipton Wood

A volunteer led action group that love maintaining and improving Gipton Wood – with tools provided – by removing rubbish, clearing excess foliage and looking after the ancient trees. If you like the outdoors the group provide an outlet to meet likeminded folk. Find out more over at the Friends of Facebook page.

Walking

The woodland is crisscrossed by wide and spacious paths that gives you a pleasant surface to walk on whether you’ve come with the family or just the pooch. What’s even better for the conservation of the area is it protects the wood from wear and erosion caused by human feet! Come and explore these paths on foot!

Bug Hunting

Part of the woods conservation approach is to purposely leave deadwood around as habitats. These pieces of deadwood become homes for creepy crawlies and form part of the woodland ecosystem. This means you can go bug hunting! Bring tweezers, magnify glasses and some containers to store your amazing creepy crawly finds in.

Bronze Age Monument

Within Gipton Wood there is the remains of an ancient ‘D’ shaped earthwork that has been linked to Roman or Bronze-Age or up to 3,000 years ago. For any historical enthusiasts we recommend you seek this out and check it out for yourself.

Woodland

As you wonder around the Woodland you’ll come across so many different species of trees. Some of these trees are over 400 years old and are classified as ancient. Tree spotters will recognise the main species in the woodland – sycamore, oak and beech.

Wildlife

In and amongst the dense greenery of Gipton Wood are an array of birds, squirrels, insects and in particular some stunning butterflies. This wildlife just adds to the attractiveness of this ancient wood.

Historians have long pondered on what Gipton Wood was before it became what it is now – an area of conservation. With a bank shaped like an oval in the middle it is thought that the centre of the woods was used as a cattle enclosure; with a farm close by. It was in 1923 that Gipton Wood was gifted to Leeds City Council as a public place of benefit for the people of Leeds to enjoy.

The nearest toilet to Gipton Wood is a café or restaurant on Roundhay Road – to the north of the wood.

With little sitting capability due to the dense woodland we recommend you make your way to Roundhay Road for some food and drink.

Or for a proper big feed…

Try the Mexican inspired Hessian Café – The menu caters well for all diets and has lots of variety. We recommend booking at this popular yet small restaurant.

Park for free outside the entrance of the wood on Gipton Wood Road, postcode: LS8 2RS (Google Map Directions)

The woods are made accessible for pushchairs and wheelchairs due to the installation of a wide and hard path.

Bus

Bus numbers 12 & 13 go direct to Gipton Woods from the centre of Leeds.

Taxi

A taxi will take you 15-minutes in good traffic.