This post is created in collaboration with Trainline. 

“Do you fancy coming for a day out, Mum?”“Yeah, go on then...” she says“Oh... by the way... your Nan wants to come too... and your Grandad!” So a family trip to Leeds it was then! I put my thinking cap on and tried to come up with a plan that would suit us all.

Living down in London, I don’t get to see my family up north very often. My Mum and Nan popped down last week on the train, as my mum had a hospital appointment close to London Euston. As much as my mum enjoys seeing new places, she can’t drive... so when it comes to meeting up, good rail links are very important. 

I looked at the map and wondered which city we could go and explore that wouldn’t be too difficult for them all to travel to from Warrington. We all know that finding parking in a busy city centre can be difficult at the best of times — and December wasn’t going to be any easier! Last autumn I visited York with my Mum, who loved it so much that she then took my stepdad and my Nan and Grand booked their own trip for New Year’s Eve. 

Knowing that a city like York ticked a lot of boxes, I decided that nearby Leeds would be a good shout. My mum quickly looked up the price of a return ticket from Warrington to Leeds on the Trainline app and found that they were only around £15.  Trainline, Europe’s leading independent train ticket retailer and train travel app has launched a voice app, the UK’s most advanced rail voice technology, in partnership with Google Assistant.

If you’ve followed me for a while, you’ll know that I’m quite into my tech. Over the last 12 months or so, I’ve seen an increase in the number of brands experimenting with voice activated technology. 

For me, my love of voice tech started with sending silly voice messages in WhatsApp. I also use it to type out emails or messages for me when I’m in a hurry. I was intrigued to try the Google Assistant for iOS app, to see how it could further streamline some of my day to day tasks. It’s really easy to use the new Trainline voice app. All you need to do is download Google Assistant (an app which is available for both iOS and Android.) This allows you to “talk to Trainline” by asking a whole host of travel-related questions about your journey.

Need to check which platform you’re due to depart from? Just holla at Trainline.

It can also tell you whether your train is on time, how long the journey will be and even what the weather is going to be like when you finally arrive at your chosen destination

For our trip to Leeds, I’d be putting the Trainline voice app to the test, and showing you how it can make your life — and future journeys — that little bit easier. I gave my Nan & Grandad my old iPhone a year ago, let’s see how my Nan handles the new voice app functionality!

Using Trainline’s voice app, I was able to work out how long the journey was from London Kings Cross to Leeds (2 hours, 15 minutes direct) and also find out any real-time travel information affecting my journey. 

The Trainline’s new voice app is pretty intuitive too. You can set it up so that it remembers your commute to work, and get updates about your journey before you leave the house – FYI you can also connect it to your Google devices at home. I was impressed with how comprehensive the information is that it’s able to serve up. Just imagine how much easier it’s going to make people’s journey planning!

A few places I’d earmarked for our trip to Leeds:

Cafes

• Teapot - Tea or Coffee Ltd. (located in Kirkgate Market) *

• Mrs Atha's

• Layne's Espresso
• La Bottega Milanese
• Kapow Coffee

Vintage Boutiques

• Twit-Woo Vintage Boutique
• Ryan Vintage*
• BEST
• Pop Boutique

Independent Shops

• Crash Records

• Jumbo Records

• OK Comics*
• Colours May Vary (Bookshop)
• West Yorkshire Cameras

Art Shops

• On The Wall*
• Chirpy
• Fred Aldous (art supplies)
• Castle Fine Art

Food & Beer

• Whitelocks*
• The Angel Inn
• The Turks Head*
• Ox Club
• Little Leeds Beerhouse
• Tall Boys Beer Market
• North Bar
• Primo's Gourmet Hotdogs
• Pieminster
• Brew Dog
• MEATliquor

Clothes Shops

• All Blues Co.
• The Allotment
• DENHAM The Jeanmaker
• The Hip Store
• Accent Clothing

Historical Sights

• Queen's Arcade*

• Thornton's Arcade*

• Victoria Quarter*
• Grand Arcade
• Central Arcade
• Leeds Kirkgate Market*
• Leeds Minster

* places we managed to visit

If there’s any must-see Leeds spots that I’ve missed from this list, please drop me a comment and let me know what they are.

Interested in seeing how the Trainline voice app works? Take a look at my video – best with sound on.

Looking for more Leeds city break tips? Check out this post by my friend Mat of Bucket and Spades Blog

Plan your next journey now...

Photography © Lucie Kerley

Although this review is sponsored, all opinions are my own. Paid collaborations like this give us the freedom to keep producing the weird and wonderful content we share with the world. Thanks for your support.