Emmerdale (Leeds)

Published by Vikki Paterson on 20/09/202420/09/2024

Friday 20th – Monday 23rd September 2024

Day 1

We kicked off the Emmerdale weekend with an early start (because nobody enjoys traffic), and although the roads were long, they were relatively quiet… until they weren’t. Cue: inevitable shitty traffic.

Arrived at the hotel, checked into a decent enough room, complete with the ever-classic car park view. Special mention goes to the random mini step in the room – not so much a feature as a trap, given that Vikki took a tumble over it. 10/10 for comedy, 0/10 for health & safety.

A swim was considered… until we saw the pool was absolutely heaving. So instead, a wander round the local shops turned productive – we returned with a hoodie, flip flops, and some new games. Essential purchases, obviously.

Dinner and drinks at the hotel followed, along with a round (or ten) of the infamous “5 game” – Steve’s enthusiasm was strong, but his winning streak? Not so much. Lost every single game. Monopoly Deal didn’t improve his luck either. Crazy 8s went slightly better for him, thanks mainly to Vikki repeatedly forgetting 8s were wild. Oops.

Day 2

A lazy morning for Vikki, while Steve went off to meet Matt for breakfast. Vikki joined a bit later, and then it was time for the big event – the Emmerdale visit! Cue much excitement from Vikki.

Chaos at the pick-up point – no parking, overcrowded coaches – but it worked in our favour as we were handed the postcode and drove ourselves instead. Parked right near Holgate Farm and Pollard’s house. Bonus!

We waited at The Hop and spotted the Dingle van parked up – fan moment! Once the tour started, we did a lot of strategic wandering to get crowd-free snaps of the key spots (totally worth it). Vikki was in her element. Steve? Less so.

Fast forward 500+ photos later and we wrapped it up with dinner in Leeds at a lovely Thai place (authentic seal of approval: full of Thai diners). Drinks followed at BrewDog, where we played Jenga. Best of three… then five… but Vikki still won every time.

Ended the night with a dodgy catchphrase game – bits missing, no instructions – but we managed. Back at the hotel, the bar had closed, but they reopened it just for us. Absolute legends.

Day 3

Started slow with a nice lie-in, then grabbed a Starbucks breakfast and set off for Warwick. Plans changed en route and we headed to a very soggy Stratford-upon-Avon instead.

The hotel was massive – they actually gave us a map and directions to find our room. Quick change, then a short walk to Mark and Irina’s for coffee. Off to the pub next, followed by what can only be described as a swim through the downpour back to theirs for dinner and more drinks.

Wrapped up the night with some extremely questionable hotel bar wine and beer, and – you guessed it – Steve lost every round of the 5 game. Again.

Day 4

No decent coffee in the morning, just sad little sachets of instant. Packed up, checked out, grabbed breakfast at Waitrose, and hit the road for a very wet drive home.