Overview
See the worlds of 'Wuthering Heights' and 'Jane Eyer' brought to life on a 8.5-hour small-group tour around Yorkshire. Departing from Windermere, all-inclusive transportation makes it possible to visit numerous locations, which would otherwise be difficult to reach on your own in one day. Explore the hometown of the Bronte sisters and the sights that inspired their iconic novels, including moorland landscapes and their childhood school.
What you will be doing
We start the day with a scenic drive through Cumbria, past the market town of Kirkby Lonsdale and into the Yorkshire Dales National Park
To see the buildings which were once the Clergy Daughter's School attended by four Brontë sisters, Maria, Elizabeth, Charlotte and Emily
Our drive continues amidst beautiful scenery into the County of Lancashire. Following in the footsteps of Charlotte Bronte, our next stop is at the tiny village of Wycoller with its ruinous hall, the model for Ferndean Manor in Jane Eyre. The village is full of character and atmosphere with two ancient bridges and a ford crossing Wycoller Beck. Your guide will show you around the Gothically romantic ruined hall and explain the history of this sleepy little village
As we move through the towns and villages, your guide will put the surrounding countryside and the impact of the Industrial Revolution on the area into context. We see one of the local mills, a survivor from the time of the Brontë's, up close on the way to Ponden Hall. As our time is limited, we only have time to view the hall from the outside. It is famous for reputedly being the inspiration for Thrushcross Grange, the home of the Linton family, Edgar, Isabella, and Cathy, in Emily Brontë's novel Wuthering Heights
Our journey takes us across the brooding Pennine Moors, a bleak and beautiful place where the sisters would wander to escape the industrial fumes from the chimneys of nearby Keighley and the emotionally charged atmosphere of the Parsonage in Haworth
You will be free to explore the Brontë Parsonage, where Charlotte, Emily, Anne and Branwell lived with their father Rev. Patrick Brontë. You will see where they sat and wrote, Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre and The Tennant of Wildfell Hall and discover how they lived and what their lives were like in Industrial Yorkshire where death was on the doorstep and freedom was on the moors. Your guide will be with you throughout the visit to the Parsonage, ready to answer any questions that you may have. You will also have the opportunity to visit the Parsonage Museum gift shop, where any books bought are eligible for the souvenir Parsonage stamp
Your guide will take you on a tour of the graveyard and the village where you will wander down the High Street of Haworth, hardly changed since the Brontë's walked here 150 years ago. You will see the Black Bull Inn where Branwell drank himself to death and the Apothecary where he bought laudanum, his other deadly addiction. Throughout the village, your guide will take you back in time to the places and people that the Brontë's knew, walking in their footsteps to bring the place alive for them again. You will also visit the church to see the family vault where all but Anne are buried
Where we'll meet
🧭 Meeting/pick-up point: Windermere LA23, UK
🗺️ Instructions: Multiple meeting point options. Please ensure that you are at your chosen departure point at least 5 minutes before your pickup time. The minibus will be unable to wait for you if you are not there and you will miss your tour. Due to local traffic conditions the bus may arrive later than expected. Please wait 10 minutes after the quoted departure time before calling. 1) Windermere LA23, UK Meet outside the Windermere Railway Station ticket office. 2) Oxenholme, Kendal LA9, UK Meet outside Oxenholme Railway Station ticket office.
Things to know
Accessibility:
Children friendly
Service animal/dog friendly
Fitness requirement
Any fitness level
Tour Language
English
License requirement
None
Additional information:
Minimum age is 5
Children must be accompanied by an adult
All passengers, including children of any age, must have a seat purchased for them
Please choose the option for the place you wish to join the tour, once booked this is where we expect to pick you up
The English Lake District weather can change quickly, even in the summer months. Please bring a waterproof coat with a hood in case of rain or windy weather
As there is a little walking involved on the tour, some uphill and on uneven or wet terrain, please wear suitable, comfortable shoes
Inclusion ✅
Air-conditioned vehicle
WIFI onboard
Entrance ticket
Tour guide
Exclusion ❌
Dinner
Refreshments
Lunch
About your host
English Lakes ToursWe are a small, family-run business which officially came into existence in May 2018 but our story goes back further than that. After decades of showing friends and family around the Lake District, our founders, Tim and Gill, took the opportunity to change careers and set up English Lakes Tours so that we can now show everybody around the Lake District. When we create a tour, we do months of research, including the iconic bits but also the unusual, just as interesting bits that nobody else does. We find the best views, include the best locations and give you all the best info, insider tips and stories. Routes are travelled at different times of day and in different directions; venues and attractions are visited so that we can be sure you get the best experiences; we check out the cafes, bars and restaurants so that we can take you to places with great food and atmosphere. We feel very strongly that our relationship with the Lake District, the people and the places, the wildlife and the environment is extremely important. We always try to tread lightly on environmental issues and we respect the privacy, property and lives of the local people to make sure that you get a warm welcome wherever and whenever you go. We also believe that we should put something back into the local economy and not simply take for our own profit. We support many local charities, organisations and societies because without them as our partners we would have no venues to visit, no nature to wonder at and no specialist expertise to draw upon to enable us to create outstanding tours for you.
For every trip booked, Kodama Travel donates £1 to Just One Tree to restore our forests and the ocean.