Bronte Country Landscapes

Just over the Lancashire border, a few miles from Haworth, is the beautiful little hamlet of Wycoller, now a country park, which was often visited by the Brontë sisters. The now ruined Wycoller Hall is believed to have been Charlotte’s inspiration for Ferndean Manor in her masterpiece, Jane Eyre.

SPOILER ALERT: In the book, Mr Rochester retreats to the secluded Ferndean after being terribly injured whilst attempting to rescue his wife from devastating fire at his home, Thornfield Hall, which she had started by setting fire to the curtains.

This ermine moth caterpillar (centre bottom) is busy feeding on the leaf as it weaves a web in which it will shortly pupate and, by the end of July, emerge as a distinctive white moth.

The somewhat wonky packhorse bridge over Wycoller Beck is thought to date back to the 15th century but it is not the oldest bridge here.

The clapper bridge, just a few yards further upstream, is probably not quite as old as the packhorse bridge but only by 100 years or so. the lefthand pier is a later addition to give extra support after the top stone was broken when the bridge was hit by floods.

The wild flowers and blossom, particularly the hawthorn, are spectacular this year and everything seems to be in bloom at the same time, following a dull early spring.

These Welsh poppies glowed in the early morning sun.

Horse chestnut

No-one knows how old Clam Bridge is. Some say it is a similar age to the packhorse bridge but others believe it could be thousands of years old, dating back to the Iron Age.

This oak tree lined lane leading to Parson Lee Farm is lovely and peaceful in the early morning sunshine

Hundreds of trees have been planted below Foster’s Leap. This will be a very different walk in years to come but it will add another type of habitat to an already varied route.

The views across to Pendle Hill, famous for the story of the Pendle Witches, are stunning as you climb up away from the beck.

The side of the hill is covered with a carpet of birdsfoot trefoil

The Atom Panopticon is perched on a hilltop overlooking Wycoller and Pendle Hill. It originally housed a chrome sphere to reflect the various views seen through its ‘windows’ but this was vandalised fairly soon after it was installed and has never been replaced. It’s a great place to stop and admire the view though.

A pair of windswept hawthorn trees in full bloom with May blossom.

The lush acid green grass glows in warm light of the early morning sun.

The sunken lane that runs down the hill to Wycoller from the Atom was described by Charlotte Brontë in Jane Eyre. When Jane first visits Mr Rochester at his new home, the remote Ferndean Manor, she walks from the Turnpike Road, down this dark, intimidating lane. “There was a grass-grown track descending the forest aisle between hoar and knotty shafts and under branched arches”.

The ruins of Wycoller Hall, the model for Ferndean Manor in Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre. In the book, Jane initially finds the house dark and unwelcoming and feels trapped by the surrounding dense woodland but as she spends more time there with Mr Rochester she begins to feel that it protects them from the outside world.

Until the 1970s, many of the houses in Wycoller were derelict after being abandoned in the 19th century. Thankfully now the area has been designated a country park by Lancashire County Council and these beautiful houses are once again inhabited.

For more information about Haworth and Brontë Country, the Brontë family, local history and traditions, where to stay, eat and drink, go to www.bronte-country.com or www.haworth-village.co.uk