HAWORTH, YORKSHIRE
SUNDAY, 1ST JUNE 2008
Coach Leader: Sue Daniels
Coach Leaves at 5.30 pm
Please read these coach notes carefully - they will help you to decide which walk will be the most suitable for you. If you have any doubts, do not hesitate to ask the leader for advice. For the safety and enjoyment of yourself and others, please try not to join a walk which is beyond your capabilities.Please respect the wishes of the walks leader and remain with the walk until the end. If you are struggling - inform the walk leader so that he/she can make a decision to shorten the walk, have more rest, etc.
TODAY'S WALKS
Strenuous Leader: Rowland Nock Distance: 10 miles
From the car park we head out round Haworth Church and then off towards Penistone Hill along the Milennium Way. We then join the Bronte Way via the beautiful Bronte waterfalls and onto the Withins ruins, reputed to be the setting for Wuthering Heights. We then retrace our steps for a short while and head off round Harbour Hill via Harbour Lodge over Haworth Moor. We then wend our way through the beautiful Yorkshire countryside towards Oxenhope, From Oxenhope we return to Haworth following the river and the steam railway, as used in the film the "Railway Children". Hopefully there will be time for a well earned tea and tiffin in Haworth.Moderate Leader: Sue Daniels Distance: 8.5 miles
The walk follows the Worth Way for the whole of the day. From Haworth we make our way over to Oakworth where the views look down on to the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway and the River Worth. Actually the views of the whole surrounding area are great and if you look to the right you can see the hill we will be ascending which has a fairly steep climb for about 15 minutes. The day of the pre-walk was dry so cannot say if the paths will be muddy if it's raining on the day, but from what I could tell they seem fairly solid. Only about three or four stiles to climb over but one rather narrow gap which requires a lot of breathing in!! All in all, a very pleasant and interesting walk.Leisurely Leader: Maurice Hall Distance : 7.5 miles
We head for Bronte Moor and rest a while at the Bronte Seat, South Dean Beck. Moving on to Top Withens, we then walk Pennine Way to Lower Heights Farm, descending to the village of Stanbury. We cross the dam of Laithe Reservoir for return leg to Haworth. No Wuthering Heights and no Heathcliffs. Gradual gradients, open moorland, plenty of Jane Eyre. Subarashi!Easy Leader: Norma Carmichael Distance: 5-6 miles
Starting from the Church, we follow the footpath past the cemetery. Keeping to the footpath we turn right past the farm - slight incline. We can take our time following this path which opens out onto open ground. Keeping on this path which may be uneven in parts we continue towards Brontes Chair and Falls, passing an old farm house on the right. Once we reach the Falls we stop for lunch. We continue uphill (a gradual climb) over two fields and stiles past Lower Withens onto part of the Pennine Way. We are on even surface for a mile or two coming down towards Stanbury village where, time permitting, we can stop for toilet and refreshment, which may be obtained at the local pub. Then onto the last leg through the village back to Haworth. Mostly an even path but a short part of the walk may be on the road.NOTES ON THE AREA
The girls were born in Thornton, Yorkshire, daughters of Patrick Bronte, an Irish clergyman and his Cornish wife Maria. Their mother died of cancer in 1821, not long after Anne was born, the year (1820) in which they moved to Haworth. After their mothers death, the chldren were looked after by an austere aunt, and their only escape lay in writing and the exploration of the countryside around their home. The desolate moors which so inspired the Bronte sisters, rise majestically above the steep sided valleys.
The old part of Haworth has a steep and cobbled Main Street, leading down from the church, with alleys and courts branching off it, but the village expanded in Victorian times, stretching down the hillside towards the river and railway. The 4.5 mile Keighley and Worth Valley Railway is one of the finest restored steam railways in the country and runs regular daily steam services in the summer, and at weekends during the winter months. The railway was originally opened in 1867, not only to carry passengers but also to bring raw materials to the valley's mills.
Bronte Falls, which tumble into Salden Beck, was a favourite spot of the Bronte sisters. A few yards down the stream is the Bronte seat which is hewn out of a single piece of rock. And high up on the moors is Top Withens, the ruin of a lonely farmhouse which is said to have been the inspiration for Emily Bronte's well-loved novel Wuthering Heights.
Penistone Hill appears in Wuthering Heights as 'Penistone Crag', a local beauty spot near Thrushcross Grange. The quarry here provided stone for the paving blocks in the high street, and for the dark buildings of Haworth. Looking at the now disused gritstone quarries on the edge of the moor it is hard to imagine that as late as the 1920's a hundred men hewed stone here. Penistone Hill is now a 180 acre Country Park, and from the summit there is a spectactular view across the bleak open Pennines.
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
NEXT RAMBLE.Sunday 29th June 2008. ambleside, Lake District.
Leaders: Strenuous: Selwyn Williams, Moderate: Jackie Gudgeon, Leisurely: Sue Daniels, Extra Leisurely: Derek Lee, Easy: Denise Holden..
Bookings Derek Lee. Cheques to Skelmersdale Rambling Club.
Coach pick-up times: Ormskirk bus station 8.40 am, Railway Road, Skelmersdale 8.50 am, Skelmersdale Baths car park 9.00 am.
Will walk leaders please let Jackie have details of their walks as far before the walk as possible. At least a week would be nice. Thanks. Those who have the technology can e-mail your notes - please use the address on the Contacts page.
SKELMERSDALE CHURCHES RAMBLING CLUB
Saturday 14th June 2008. Bakewell, Derbyshire.
Coach leaves Ormskirk Bus Station 8.30 am, Railway Road Bus Stop 8.45 am, Skelmersdale Baths Car Park 8.50 am, Upholland Labour Club 9.00 am.
Bookings: Yvonne Turton.
RAMBLERS ASSOCIATION WEST LANCS GROUP
Wednesday, 4th June 2008. 1.30 pm. Fairy Glen lay-by on A5209, Parbold. 5 miles.
Wednesday, 18th June 2008. 7.00 pm. Village Hall, Winifred Lane, Aughton. 5 miles.
Sunday, 29th June 2008. 1.30 pm. Waterside Inn, Carr Mill on A580, St Helens. 6 miles.
Saturday, 5th July 2008. 10.30 am. Chipping village centre car park for Parlick, Fairsnape, Wolf Fell, Saddle End. 1522 ft of ascent. 9 miles.
CLUB NOTES
COACH BOOKING AND MEMBERSHIPPlease ensure that, before boarding your coach on the return journey, you complete your booking for the next ramble. It would be helpful if you could tell the coach booking officer if you do not intend to book for the next coach. Also, if you need to see Linda re paying membership subscriptions, please do this also before boarding the coach. Thanks.
Please try to be back from your cup of tea or pint in plenty of time to book the next ramble before boarding the coach - bearing in mind that now we have two coaches this process can take quite a while!
RUCKSACKS
Please store rucksacks, poles etc in the coach luggage compartment. Rucksacks etc should not be brought into the coach, except (with the prior permission of the driver on the day) for those two or three people who are getting off the coach on the way home at places other than the main dropping off points. Please remember that the rucksack rule is for our comfort and safety on the coach. Most members find it easy enough to bring a smaller bag on to the coach containing those things which are needed 'on the coach', and this requires only a little bit of thought when packing in the morning. Thanks.
Please make every effort to ensure that, when you leave the bus, you take all your possessions with you. Please check the luggage rack, under the seat, etc, not to mention the boot. Please try not to take anyone else's stuff. Thanks.
HAPPY RAMBLING!
© Skelmersdale Rambling Club 2006