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A foggy dawn at Top Withens
When I set off walking from Stanbury, the sky was perfectly clear and the full moon cast an eerie light which illuminated the way ahead. As I passed Upper Heights Farm, I noticed the first wispy traces of clouds being back-lit by the moon and within 5 minutes of my arrival at Top Withens, the…
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High Sunderland Hall – The Real Wuthering Heights?
High Sunderland Hall was a gothic mansion, dating back to the Middle Ages, which stood in a secluded location on the hills above Halifax and is believed to have been one of the buildings to have inspired the descriptions of the eponymous home of Heathcliff in Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights. Having visited Top Withens and…
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Dawn walk from Stanbury to Ponden Kirk
For a long time now, I’ve been wanting to get up to Ponden Kirk, a rocky outcrop protruding high up on Stanbury Moor with spectacular views down the Worth Valley, to get some photos of the sunrise. The forecast looked promising on Saturday so, at 4:00am, I drove the couple of miles and parked at…
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A circular walk from Masham
As part of a weekend away in Masham to celebrate my wife, Gaynor’s big birthday, a group of us set off on a 7 mile walk following the River Ure and returning through woodland, fields and through the village of Swinton, past the magnificent Swinton Park. Our base for the weekend was The White Bear,…
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Pecket Well and Wadsworth War Memorial
Pecket Well is a pretty hill-top village situated on the moorland road from Hebden Bridge to Oxenhope. It has spectacular views down the steep-sided valley of Crimsworth Dean towards Hebden Bridge and boasts quite a few attractive historic buildings. In a commanding position atop Smeekin Hill nearby stands Wadsworth War Memorial, a striking obelisk, its…
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A Short Walk Around Wycoller in Late Spring
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…
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Riding the Legend – A Trip on the Flying Scotsman
As part of its centenary celebrations, the world famous locomotive, the Flying Scotsman, has been guest of honour at the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway for the entire month of May. Because we live just up the hill from Oakworth Station, it would have been rude not to take the opportunity to take a ride…
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5.5 mile Wuthering Heights walk – Stanbury | Top Withens | Alcomden Stones | Ponden Kirk
A classic literary walk, taking in some key locations linked to Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights. The walk began at Bully Trees Farm, Stanbury and headed up the hill on the track past Lower Height Farm and Upper Heights Farm. Both are still inhabited but are no longer working farms. Below is the view looking back…
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3 mile circular walk from Bully Trees Farm to Top Withens
Starting from Bully Trees Farm, Back Lane, Stanbury, this is probably the second easiest and quickest way to get up to Top Withens. The easiest way is to follow the main track straight up past Upper Heights Farm (today’s return route – the upper one on the map above) and either way will give you…