Bronte Country – A Destination Guide for Cottage Holidays

Fans of the literary works of the Bronte sisters may well want to visit and holiday in Bronte country where you can follow in the footsteps of the famous sisters.  Whether your favourite novel is Jane Eyre or the romantic and dramatic Wuthering Heights, visit this part of Yorkshire to learn more about this fascinating literary family, to discover where they grew up, lived, worked and died.
 

Key Places to visit in Bronte Country include:
 

•    Thornton (birthplace of the Bronte sisters),

•    Haworth (where the sisters grew up and home to the church where they are buried),

•    Top Withens and the countryside around Haworth

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Thornton – Where it all Began

Any visit to Bronte Country should really begin with the village of Thornton as this is where it all began.  This little village in the Pinch Beck Valley is surrounded by unspoilt Yorkshire countryside and is where the Bronte sisters (Charlotte, Emily and Anne) and their brother were born in the early 1800s.  Whilst in Thornton, the Bronte sisters’ father worked as the parson at Thornton church so the family had a strong connection with the village.

The sisters moved from Thornton to Haworth at a very young age.

Haworth – where the Bronte sisters grew up

The Bronte family moved to the town of Haworth in 1820 where they lived at the parsonage as their father was a vicar at Haworth Parish Church.  As such, the Brontes were at the heart of the community and Patrick (their father) was vicar for some 41 years at Haworth Parish Church.  Haworth was a mill town at the time the Brontes lived in the town and the town was very deprived with the average life expectancy at that time being around 23 years of age.

Visit the church and follow in the Brontes’ footsteps.  Most of the Bronte family (with the exception of Anne Bronte) are buried in a vault in the church.
The house where the Bronte family lived was Haworth parsonage and this building is now the Bronte Parsonage Museum.  Visit to discover where the family lived and where the famous literary works were penned.

Nowadays the town of Haworth is home to a collection of independent shops, cafes and tea shops making it a great place to visit.

Top Withens and Places around Haworth

The town of Haworth is surrounded by dramatic moorlands with a desolate feel.  These moorlands are widely credited with fuelling the imagination of the Bronte sisters and helping to inspire their literary works.

A number of walks run from Haworth to the surrounding countryside, including walks to Bronte Falls (a small waterfall close to Haworth), Bronte Bridge (a small bridge which cuts across a stream) and the Bronte Stone Chair (a fascinating chair shaped rocks where it is said the Bronte sisters used to sit and tell stores or write).  There is also a Bronte Way walk which leads you up the valley all the way to the moors of Top Withens which is widely believed to take you to the dramatic and desolate landscape that inspired Wuthering Heights.

For those who enjoy walking on holiday, the Pennine Way passes by Top Withens too.  Also within reach of Bronte Country for days out is the dramatic scenery of the Yorkshire Moors National Park.

Whether you opt to rent a log cabin, a country cottage, a barn conversion or even a country house, renting accommodation in Thornton or Haworth or close by makes good sense when it comes to discovering some of the best of Bronte country on holiday.