Brontë Way

The Brontë Way is a waymarked long-distance footpath in the northern counties of West Yorkshire and Lancashire, England.

Brontë Way
Top Withens
Length	43 mi (69 km)
Location	West Yorkshire and Lancashire, England
Trailheads	Birstall 53.739°N 1.672°W / 53.739; -1.672 Padiham 53.802°N 2.296°W / 53.802; -2.296
Use	Hiking
Sights	Brontë literary connections

Route

The Brontë Way starts at Oakwell Hall in Birstall, West Yorkshire, and finishes at Gawthorpe Hall in Padiham, Lancashire. It runs for 43 miles (69 km).^[1]

The route has been designed to link places that have strong associations with the writings of the Brontë family, incorporating places that feature in their work, such as Oakwell Hall, Charlotte Brontë's inspiration for Fieldhead in her 1849 novel, Shirley. The route passes through Thornton, where the Brontë children were born, and Haworth and Haworth Parsonage, where the family lived.^[2] Literary tourists often join the Way at Haworth, passing through Penistone Hill Country Park and open moorland to see the Brontë Waterfall and Top Withens, Emily Brontë's possible inspiration for the home in her 1847 novel Wuthering Heights.

As well as its literary associations, the Way passes through areas of industrial heritage interest.

There are public transport links to the route and its four main sections. Two guidebooks are available.

Further reading

• Wilson, Marje (1997). The Bronte Way. Ramblers Association West Riding Area. ISBN 1-901184-05-6.
• Hannon, Paul (2000). The Bronte Way. Hillside Publications. ISBN 1-870141-56-3.