Walk Overview
This walk explores the Pennine moors made famous by the Bronte sisters,
Read more ...
starting in Haworth and visiting Bronte Waterfalls and Top Withens. Haworth is the village where the Bronte sisters – Charlotte, Anne and Emily – lived and wrote, surrounded by the dramatic moorlands that inspired their legendary literary work.
You’ll reach the Bronte Waterfalls first, which despite not being huge is a stunning spot famously described by Charlotte Bronte as a ‘perfect torrent racing over the rocks, white and beautiful’.
The falls are best to visit after heavy rain with water flowing fast down the rocks, as it can slow to a trickle in the dry summer months.
From the falls keep heading up to Top Withens, a ruined farmhouse thought to be the setting for Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights novel. You’ll follow the Pennine Way for part of the return journey, passing Lower Laithe Reservoir before finishing back in Haworth.
Keep an eye out for birds as you walk, with peregrines, curlews, merlins and golden plovers all breeding around Haworth Moor. And remember to pack your waterproofs because these hills are renowned for being wet! If you have time visit the Bronte Museum in Haworth, which is set in the parsonage where the sisters lived for most of their lives. Haworth itself is a lovely village to explore, with its steep cobbled main street, quirky shops and good pubs.
This route was voted 69th in a 2017 ITV poll to find Britain’s Favourite Walk.
TOG VERDICT: Haworth Moor is a special place – not just for the dramatic scenery but for the huge part it played in Britain’s literary history.
Nearest Train (or tube) Station(s):
Keighley, Bradford
