“Heathcliff, make the world stop right here. Make everything stop and stand still and never move again. Make the moors never change and you and I never change.”

― Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights

Haunting, rugged and windswept, the Yorkshire Moors are timeless for lovers of nature and literature alike. Nearby, the quaint village of Haworth is home to a charming and literary spirit, adorned with its cobblestone footpaths and dainty shops and cafes along the sleepy street.

I’ve visited Haworth twice so far and I don’t think it could ever fail to charm me. Both times, it was raining - this only emphasised the cosy and sleepy character of the idyllic little village. I’ve also stayed at the beautiful Ponden Mill, a Georgian cottage mill located just outside of Haworth, which I walked to through the heathery moors from Keighley station.

For lovers of nature, Yorkshire and literature, Haworth and the Yorkshire Moors are the dream destinations to add to your UK travel wish-list…

Haworth and the Brontë sisters

According to the Bronte Parsonage Museum, Haworth was a crowded, dirty, industrial town at the time the Brontë sisters lived there in the 1800s. It paints a very different image to the Haworth today - quiet, idyllic and quaint, the perfect spot for afternoon tea or a stroll by the neighbouring fields dotted with sheep.

Apparently, the death rate was as high as London in Haworth, with the average age of death being a shocking 24! Subsistence farming was a big part of life in Haworth, and many villagers would hand-loom weave and wool-comb until the introduction of the new water-powered mills and the shift in the economy from domestic to industrial in the early 1800s.

The Brontës actually had an Irish father and a Cornish mother, so their history wasn’t rooted in Yorkshire. But we think of them as being part of Yorkshire’s cultural and literary tapestry because of their novels which are often set in Yorkshire and mention both real and fictional features and locations belonging to Yorkshire.

Places to visit while in Haworth

Aside from the Brontë Parsonage Museum, there are a number of beautiful little places I’d recommend visiting in Haworth if you enjoy a browse of some independent shops and a coffee and slice of cake…

Cabinet of Curiosities - this has to be one of my favourite shops ever. Browse the antique apothecary cabinets for bath bombs, wax melts, perfume oils and unique little trinkets.
Picture Perfect Haworth - they sell canvas, acrylic glass and framed photos of Haworth
And Chocolate of Haworth
Haworth Steam Brewing and Bistro
Haworth Parish Church

Getting to Haworth from Leeds

Both times I visited Haworth from Leeds, as I was living there at the time. It’s about 1 hour and 20 minutes by car, or you can take the train like I did. I got the train from Leeds to Keighley, followed by a bus from Keighley to Haworth the first time, but took the Worth Valley train from between Keighley and Haworth the second time, which I’d recommend for diesel and steam train enthusiasts, or for a more unique journey!

Walking the Yorkshire Moors

Flora

I’ve taken a couple of walks through the beautiful Yorkshire Moors. Shrouded in heather, the landscape really is dreamlike and like nowhere else I’ve seen. The North York Moors became a national park in 1952 and covers an area of 554 square miles, and around a third of this is covered in gorgeous heather. 23% of the park is covered in woodland and forests, too.

Fauna

The Moors will not disappoint bird watchers - it’s a European Special Protection Area for merlin and golden plover and is ‘internationally renowned’ for its ground nesting birds, according to the official North Yorkshire Moors website.

Brontë Waterfall and Top Withens

Walking the Brontë Trail will let you absorb the beauty of the Moors and transport you to the realm of Wuthering Heights.. The trail begins in Haworth, crossing the moors and leading to the famous waterfall. You can get to Top Withens by continuing on from here, where you’ll find the ruined farmhouse which inspired the setting of the novel. Top Withens is actually so well known to Japanese literary tourists that some signs in the area include directions in Japanese.

Haworth and the Yorkshire Moors’ legacy

The Yorkshire Moors offer a unique blend of literary history and natural beauty. Haworth and the surrounding moors have been preserved through a balance of maintaining the natural beauty and accommodating visitors from not just the UK, but from all over the world. The area continues to inspire writers, artists and filmmakers even today, with scenes from 2023’s Indiana Jones and Mission Impossible shot in the North York Moors, as well two of the Harry Potter films and 2020’s The Secret Garden, to name just a few of many.

There’s also a full calendar of events and festivals to experience, including agricultural shows, the Dark Skies Festival, the Annual Steam Gala and heritage open days.

Literary legends and wild landscapes: the magic of Haworth and the Yorkshire Moors