Pennine Way sign post on the moors near Top Withens
Top Withens
The Bronte FallsThe hike from Haworth up to Top Withens is one of the highlights for Bronte fans visiting the area. The ruined Top Withens farmhouse is thought to have been the inspiration for 'Wuthering Heights', specifically the Earnshaw farmhouse in the classic novel by Emily Bronte.
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The walk is well signposted from Haworth's Bronte Parsonage Museum, and details and leaflets are available from Haworth Tourist Information Centre.
There are two ways to the 'stone house, both tiresome', said Sylvia Plath in her Journals (p.589)
Not many people may have made it up there in 1950s, but now many do take the long track up from the Parsonage, past Bronte Falls and onwards. Nowadays it's all well signposted in several languages and the paths are well marked. You can get guides from the Tourist Information Centre.
The walk is that bit longer if taken from Haworth centre, past the Bronte Parsonage (around 6 miles return). Alternatively you can begin at Stanbury, just before Haworth (take the path up from the bus stop). In Stanbury you'll find a couple of pubs to 'fuel up' with food and ale before or after the walk.
Whether you're a Bronte fan or not, the walk up to Top Withens, on a clear day particularly, offers spectacular views of Haworth from the tops, and across the moors. It's a walk that appeals all year round, but is perhaps best in Winter away from the crowds.
The Top Withins ruins actually sit on the Pennine Way National Trail, and the stunning moorlands of Haworth and Keighley Moors are popular with walkers.
The 43 mile (69km) Bronte Way is the definitive trail for Bronte fans. The trail takes in many key sites related to the Brontes including Thornton/Pondon Hall inspiration for Thrushcross Grave in Wuthering Heights, Haworth village and the Bronte Parsonage and the Kay-Shuttleworth's home Gawthorpe Hall in Padiham near Burnley to which Charlotte Bronte made frequent visits.
Pick up a copy of the Ramblers Association's publication 'Bronte Way' by Marie Wilson for a comprehensive guide to walking this trail and its links and historic sites pertaining to the Brontes.
