The Bronte Way is a 69km (43 mile) long distance footpath which starts at Oakwell Hall ("Fieldhead" in Charlotte Bronte's novel "Shirley") near Birstall in Kirklees near Bradford, and ends at Gawthorpe Hall in Padiham near Burnley in Lancashire's Pendle Witch Country.
The route winds through many places of interest to Bronte enthusiasts, including the Bronte Birthplace in Thornton, Ponden Hall ("Thrushcross Grange" in Emily Bronte's novel "Wuthering Heights"), Wycoller, and of course, the village of Haworth itself. Scenic highlights include Penistone Hill country park, perched on the moors high above Haworth, the trail to the Bronte waterfall and on up to Top Withens (a favourite walk of the Brontes themselves - Top Withens being suggested as the contentious setting for the Earnshaw farmstead in "Wuthering Heights"), and Wycoller in the Forest of Trawden at the edge of Pendle Witch Country.
Much of the Bronte Way crosses wild and desolate moorland, but civilisation is never far away and there are plenty of pubs and country houses to stop off for a quick pint of ale en route. At a steady pace the walk should take up to a week to complete, but it can be broken into four distinct sections which are all conveniently served by local public transport.
Places which can be visited along the route include the following:
is designed, maintained and promoted by
Eagle Intermedia Publishing Ltd.
