This is Y December 2020 Digital Edition

ART & CULTURE
THE BRONTË TRAIL
O
ne of the most
photographed and
impressive streets in the
country, the famous Haworth cobbles
are world-renowned. Lined with a
selection of shops, cosy tearooms,
intimate inns and places to stay,
steeped in history it’s surrounded
by stunning countryside and vast
picturesque moorland.
CHECK IN TO
WEAVERS GUESTHOUSE
Built circa 1840 at the time the Brontë
family lived just across the way at
the Parsonage, Weavers Guesthouse
offers stylish bed and breakfast
accommodation and is a perfect base
for enjoying the village of Haworth
and exploring its beautiful countryside.
weaversguesthouse.co.uk
GO TO THE
BRONTË PARSONAGE
MUSEUM
In the bicentenary year of youngest
sister Anne’s birth, explore the
Brontë Parsonage Museum, home of
the internationally famous literary
family. This picturesque, historical
setting was where the famous
siblings Charlotte (Jane Eyre, Villette,
Shirley), Emily (Wuthering Heights)
and Anne (Agnes Grey, The Tenant of
Wildfell Hall) wrote groundbreaking
novels. The house contains a wealth
of Brontë belongings, from clothes
and rooms furnished as they were
at the time the family resided there,
to pieces of writing including a ‘little
book’ written by Charlotte Brontë
when she was 14, which the Brontë
Society recently acquired at auction
with the help of a high-profile public
fundraising campaign. bronte.org.uk
HAVE A PINT IN
THE FLEECE
Perfectly positioned on the famous
Haworth cobbles midway between
the Brontë Parsonage Museum and
the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway
is The Fleece. Serving delicious
dishes and a wide range of drinks,
including locally brewed prizewinning
Timothy Taylor’s Yorkshire
beers and ales (apparently a favourite
tipple of Madonna), cosy rooms are
available too if you want to spend a
night or more in this beautiful village.
fleeceinnhaworth.co.uk
TAKE A RIDE ON
THE KEIGHLEY & WORTH
VALLEY RAILWAY
Post Brontës, the historic 5 mile
line opened in 1867 and runs from
Keighley to Oxenhope, with an
annual schedule of exciting events
aboard its classic locomotives. You
may recognise many of the route’s
locations in a wide range of film and
TV productions. From Peaky Blinders
and even Pink Floyd’s The Wall to
Swallows and Amazons, the heritage
train line has appeared on screen
regularly over the years. 2020 is the
50th anniversary of its starring role in
The Railway Children. Tickets are now
on sale for the Elf Express to Kringle
Town Station, a brand new Christmas
adventure, but hurry as tickets are
selling fast. kwvr.co.uk
WALK ON
THE BRONTË WAY
The Brontë Way is a 69km (43 mile)
long-distance footpath. The route
winds its way past many places
of interest to Brontë enthusiasts,
including the Brontë Birthplace
in Thornton. Scenic highlights are
Penistone Hill country park, perched
on the moors high above Haworth, the
trail to the Brontë Waterfall and over
the Brontë Bridge up to Top Withens.
Top left and right: Keighley & Worth
Valley Railway. Left: The Brontë
waterfall near Haworth. The Waterfalls
and Top Withens walk explores the
Pennine moors made famous by the
Brontë sisters. You’ll reach the Brontë
Waterfalls first, which were famously
described by Charlotte Brontë as
a ‘perfect torrent racing over the
rocks, white and beautiful’.
yorkshire.com 39