Top Withins, Withering Heights,Haworth Moor & Brontë Way
Note: The Brontë County is famous worldwide so this can be busy as it is very popular.
Summary
Howarth is one of Yorkshires most famous towns and landmarks that is visited by thousands every year from around the world! It is commonly known for the Bronte sisters and their novels, Charlotte – Jayne Eyre, Emily - Wuthering Heights and Anne – The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. The novels were all written at the Parsonage which is now a museum that holds a 360 degree tour of their lives spent in the house. The little village of Haworth is situated between the Pennines, 3 miles southwest of Keighley, where you can catch a steam train from the village to the centre of Haworth. It is also 10 miles west of Bradford and 10 miles east of Colne in Lancashire with surrounding areas that include Oakworth and Oxenhope and miles of rolling moorlands to be explored. Nearby villages include Cross Roads, Stanbury and Lumbfoot which can be visited on route of the walk.
The Hike
The walk starts from the main car park in Haworth where you have to pay a small fee, but it’s not much for a full day out on the moorlands. Parking is also available on the side of the road towards the start of the hike if you are luck to find a spot! We started the hike following the main road past Dimples Lane where we were greeted by the first sign post of the day up onto the rolling moorlands, which open up onto wide panoramic views of the Bronte country, an area of outstanding beauty! From here the terrain is well sign posted with landmarks on the way such as the Bronte waterfall, Top Withins and Haworth village It also written in Japanese! It says a lot about how far people travel to visit!
Onwards from here on the rolling terrain of the moorlands, we arrived at the Bronte Waterfall which is very popular, and most people only go as far as that. I personally like to be alone when walking and away from as many people as possible as this distracts from the true beauty of a place. However, it was nice to see an iconic landmark. Once we crossed the Bronte Bridge and passed the waterfall, we followed up a small incline, turning left at the top onto a plateau to Top Withins. The sloping valley beneath us was very enjoyable and peaceful, all we could hear was the sound of flowing water from the stream below, light winds and bleating sheep which is where we stopped for a bit of lunch to recharge and begin the second half of the hike.
Up to Top Withins we go! It isn’t very technical or difficult, just a slight incline but the views up to the derelict building are breathtakingly beautiful and make you forget you are even on an incline. Once at the landmark there are 360 views of all of the expansive Bronte Moors and parts of Yorkshire. I could have stayed here for hours gazing out onto the valleys below.
Descending from Top Withins is a delight! Sweeping paths along heather that filled the moorlands all the way to Stanbury and Lower Laithe reservoir. As we arrived nearer to civilisation, passing the Bronte Museum, We were greeted with the sound of a busker on Haworth main street and people enjoying an alcoholic beverage in the late afternoon sun. It was the perfect ending to a magical walk.
