Adventures around Hullwith PlusBus
Hull was the UK’s 2017 City of Culture and has lots going on as its Humberside streets regenerate. Pick up a leaflet of trails from the friendly tourist kiosk at the station to explore Hull’s Old Town, which has become a popular film location, standing in for wartime London in TV shows like The Crown. A PlusBus ticket is great for getting around the city and beyond. Use it to take you quickly into the centre of the city, to the Deep aquarium and to the iconic Humber Bridge. These are just three of the adventures you could have around Hull with a PlusBus ticket.
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1. Explore the Old Town
LNER run regular trains from London and Peterborough to Doncaster, where you can catch a train to Hull. And Hull Trains operate a new direct service from London. However you arrive, ask for PlusBus when you book your ticket or at the station when you arrive.
- A handy leaflet of Walking Trails around Hull’s Old Town, available from the friendly kiosk at the railway station, leads you on a series of themed wanders. Seek out sea-themed sculptures on the Fish Trail, historic pubs along the Ale Trail, or the literary sites with links to Philip Larkin.
- There are several great museums in the Old Town area too, like Wilberforce House and the fabulous Ferens art gallery. And look out for free guided tours of the city’s maritime heritage as part of a big ongoing project.
- How do I get to Hull’s Old Town? It’s quite easy to walk around the centre of Hull, but you could also hop on a bus from the station. Lots of buses run from the station to the Old Town, including bus 1 every twenty minutes. It leaves from Bay 5 in the Interchange next to the railway station (follow signs to leave the station through the side doors) and passes Queen’s Gardens and Princes Dock. Get off at Monument Bridge to explore the area.
- Hull Minster, with its fine medieval architecture and glowing stained glass, is a ten-minute stroll along cobbled Princes Dock and Posterngate. Round the corner, in the refurbished Trinity Market, there are mouthwatering smells of fresh falafel, pad Thai or rich chickpea curry.
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2. ...and the waterfront
The mural-splashed, marina-side Humber Street and old Fruit Market are a lively part of the Hull’s creative regeneration. The area attracts indie shops and galleries, selling chocolate, jewellery and art. There are cafés too, serving tapas or hot chocolate, local beers and bespoke cocktails. Tuck into a seafood platter at Humber Fish Co or home-cooked food and good coffee at Thieving Harry’s on the corner, with a great view of the marina from the tables upstairs.
- A ten-minute waterside stroll brings you to The Deep, Hull’s huge aquarium with its penguins, frogs, turtles and all kinds of fish, from Atlantic mudskippers to zebra sharks. To reach The Deep on foot from the marina, head towards the Humber, and turn left along it with the wide water on your right. On the way, you’ll pass Voyage, a striking sculpture on a column, facing out to sea.
- Reaching the River Hull, cross the pedestrian bridge. The Deep is the amazing ship-shaped glass building ahead. You’ll find the entrance on the far side with a shark sculpture nearby.
- How do I get to Humber Street and The Deep by bus? From Hull’s Old Town, it’s a short walk to Humber Street, but you do need to cross the busy A63 (pedestrian crossing at the end of Market Place). Bus 20 runs every 20 minutes directly to the Humber Street bus stop from outside the Holiday Inn next to the railway station.
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3. Take a trip the Humber Bridge
One of the world’s longest suspension bridges, the epic Humber Bridge spans the wide estuary just outside Hull and makes for a great outing from the city. From the nearest bus stop, you can easily stroll down through the Humber Bridge Country Park, with its ivy-draped chalk cliffs and sculpture trail, to have a close-up look at this iconic feat of engineering.
- The Yorkshire Wolds Way and the Trans-Pennine Trail both run along the foreshore here with great views and bird-watching opportunities. Wading birds like curlew, knot and redshank particularly love the muddy edges of the Humber at low tide.
- How do I get to the Humber Bridge by bus? Bus 250 and bus 350 from Hull Interchange (Bay 10) next to the railway station both cross the Humber Bridge to Barton-upon-Humber. On their way there, they pass a bus stop (before the bridge) called A15 Humber Bridge.
- Get off here and simply follow the blue signs that guide pedestrians down to the bridge. It’s about ten minutes’ walk. Start by heading a few steps on from the bus stop to find the sloping tarmac path that leads down and right under the main road. Turn left and keep following the blue signs downhill through the trees to reach the shore near the tower of an early nineteenth-century windmill.
- Hessle Whiting Mill has recently been restored and you can explore it as part of the way-marked Chalk Trail nearby. The mill was designed to crush chalk from the quarry into powdered “whiting” or purified chalk. There’s a children’s playground and waterside pub nearby too so you can take a break before heading back up to the bus stop on the near side of the road.
- If you need to wait for a train, once you are back at Hull railway station, check out the bars, cafes and makers’ market over the road in the 3000 cavernous square metres of the old Hammonds department store. A new food hall and Saturday craft market are perfect for snagging a decent glass of wine, snacks for the train or souvenirs to take home.
