The Great LS6 Bear Hunt (Leeds Civic Trust)

Leeds Civic Trust brings back The Great LS6 Bear Hunt, a trail through Headingley and Hyde Park run with Left Bank, HEART Headingley and Hyde Park Picture House. Pick up an illustrated trail map at any of the participating venues, follow the route between them, collect stickers along the way and find a different bear-themed activity waiting at each stop. There is no fixed starting point: begin wherever suits you and take the trail at your own pace.

The Trust’s own stop is the Bear Pit, and it is the reason the whole trail has bears in it. The Leeds Zoological and Botanical Gardens opened here in 1840, designed by the Wakefield architect William Billington with the botanist and landscape gardener Edward Davies, and meant to rival the royal parks of London. A bear house arrived in 1841, among the grottoes and statues added to pull in visitors. Ticket sales never covered the upkeep and the gardens closed in 1848. Leeds Civic Trust bought what was left of the pit in 1966 for £128, and has been restoring it ever since. On the day there are bear-themed crafts and name tags for the teddy you bring, a scavenger hunt, room for a picnic, and short child-friendly tours running down from the Bear Pit to Left Bank across the ground the gardens once covered.

Practical details

• When: Thursday 27 August 2026, 10:30–16:00 across the trail; 11:00–16:00 at the Bear Pit
• Where: participating venues across LS6, Leeds — Leeds Civic Trust’s stop is the Bear Pit
• Language: English
• Admission: pay what you can
• Booking: reserve a ticket through Leeds Civic Trust

Full details and booking are on Leeds Civic Trust’s own event page. Cultural Heritage Online lists this event for readers planning a trip to Leeds; tickets are handled directly by the Trust.