THINK of the Brontes and most people cast their minds to Haworth.
In 1820, Patrick Brontë was appointed incumbent of St Michael and All Angels' Church, Haworth, and arrived at the parsonage with his wife Maria and six children
It was the family home for the rest of their lives, and its wild moorland setting had a profound influence on the writing of sisters Charlotte, Emily, and Anne.
Yet in a nearby village stands a building that, it could be argued, played a far more vital role in the history of the Brontes.
Charlotte, Patrick Branwell, Emily and Anne were born at Thornton Parsonage on Market Street, Thornton. The Bronte Birthplace, as it is known, bears a blue plaque in their honour and is among a number of Bronte-associated landmarks featured in the second, updated edition of The Bronte Way by Marje Wilson of Heaton.
The Bronte Way is a long-distance footpath of some 69km or 43 miles from Oakwell Hall, Birstall, to Gawthorpe Hall in the Lancashire town of Padiham.
It links together a variety of places which played a part in the lives and literary productions of the Bronte family, writes Marje, ‘embracing paths which must have been used by the Reverend Patrick Bronte as he went about his ministry and others used by his daughters when they were visiting friends or taking walks in the countryside which inspired their novels.’
The route can be walked along its length, in sections or through the series of circular walks which experienced walker Marje sets out in her book.
‘I have tried to cater for three distinct types of walker,’ writes Marje. They are: those who want to walk straight along the route from one end to the other; walkers who want to divide the path into sections and make each section into a day’s walk, using public transport to reach the starting points; and those who prefer a ‘gentler sort of walking’ in the form of circular rambles’ and could slowly cover the Bronte Way bit by bit ‘perhaps over a series of weekends.’To further aid the walker along each route, three different type faces are used. Route directions are printed in bold text, return routes are in ordinary type and matters of interest along the way appear in italics.
The 11 circular walks include sections such as Hartshead Church to Bailiff Bridge, Shelf to Thornton, Denholme to Haworth and Thursden to Netherwood Bridge. They cover scenery from countryside to gentle hills and open moorland, with villages at intervals.
Marje’s detailed instructions paint a clear picture of the route for each walk. She also includes information on the length of the walks, the terrain, OS maps that walkers can refer to, public transport to starting points, the location of any car parks and public toilets, and food, refreshments and accommodation should anyone require it.
For those new to the Bradford and Haworth areas, writes Marje 'a visit to a curry house is a must!'
The walks include Haworth to Ponden Reservoir, which - if the walker chooses to add an extra two miles, can take in Top Withins, the ruined farmhouse near which is said to have been the inspiration for Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights.
Another walk, from Ponden Reservoir to the hamlet of Wycoller, takes in the 16th century ruins of Wycoller Hall. This building is believed to have been the inspiration for Ferndean Manor in Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre. Charlotte would have passed through here on her way to Gawthorpe Hall when she went to stay with family friends the Kay-Shuttleworths.
Charlotte’s description of Ferndean Manor when approached from the old coach road fits Wycoller Hall perfectly.
Using this handy A5-size paperback, walkers can feel they are treading in the footsteps of the famous family. The book is ideal for anyone who wants to combine a love of walking with an interest in the Brontes, and take in some beautiful scenery.
Each walk is accompanied by its own, simplified, drawing of the route. Illustrations include photographs and pencil drawings of Bronte-associated buildings and points of interest.
The book also ‘offers an attractive introduction to the pastoral and moorland landscapes of the South Pennines,’ writes Marje.
The Bronte Way has been written primarily with the practical needs of the walker in mind, to provide a detailed description of the route of the path and just a few historical and literary notes on the places visited.
It comes 26 years after the first edition was published in 1997.
Marje is, she writes, indebted to those without whose help the book would not have been published: Mike Smith and Douglas Cossar for their map drawings and fellow walker Susan Uttley for reviewing and editing the route by following the footpaths.
*The Bronte Way by Marje Wilson, revised edition 2023 is priced £10.
The book is available at Cafe Plenty, South Square, Thornton Road, Thornton; Grove Bookshop, 10 The Grove, Ilkley; Trek and Trail, Salts Mill, Saltaire; Oakwell Hall Visitor Centre shop, Oakwell Hall, Nova Lane, Birstall, Bennett’s Eggs & The Garden Coffee Lounge, Croft Farm, Clough Lane, Liversedge.
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