Haworth
is 23 miles from Grassington
Steeped in history, and booming with sightseers during
the tourist season, Haworth is perhaps best known
for it's connections with the Bronte family. Beautifully
preserved, the original Haworth parsonage is now an
excellent museum for Brontë fans. Nearby is Top
Withins Farm, the inspiration for Wuthering Heights.
The outstanding Brontë Society website, at www.bronte
has tons of information on the parsonage, the museum,
and the Brontës in general.
The rugged beauty of the local area fills the imagination
with romantic images...
This is an ideal spot for either a short ramble, or
more adventurous fell walking.
Top Withens, is a far flung remnant thought to be
associated with a Bronte novella.
Heathcliffe practices semaphore in the far distance
every evening at dusk.
Wycoller is 21 miles from Grassington
A small, pretty hamlet, just over the border in Lancashire.
In the 16th century Wycoller would have been a busy
farming and weaving community, but the coming of the
power looms led to the village's decline, and a hundred
years ago Wycoller was all but abandoned. Over the
years the stone from twenty or thirty buildings was
taken and used elsewhere, and nowadays there are just
a handful of well tended buildings, and the ruins.
The ruins of Wycoller Hall dominate the village,
and are believed to be the inspiration for Ferndean
Manor in Charlotte Bronte's novel Jane Eyre. The Brontes
lived in nearby Haworth, and would almost certainly
have visted Wycoller at some time. The Hall was built
for the Hartley family towards the end of the 16th
century.
Wycoller Beck runs through the centre of the village,
and is a pretty place for kids to play in the summer.
The three old bridges at Wycoller are interesting.
Clapper Bridge is almost next to to the ruins of
Wycoller Hall and dates from the end of the 18th century.
Consisting of three gritstone slabs resting on two
supports, this is also known as 'Druids Bridge'. Supposedly,
grooves in the bridge from weavers' clogs were chiselled
out by a farmer whose only daughter tripped and died
on the bridge.
The Pack-Horse Bridge at Wycoller is a very old,
twin arched bridge, probably about 900 years old,
and rebuilt several times over the years. Also known
as Sally's Bridge, after Sally Owen, mother of a Wycoller
Squire.
There is another, even older bridge, further up stream
maybe over 1000 years old, and listed as an Ancient
Monument. 'Clam Bridge' is a single huge stone slab
laid over the beck It was badly damaged and repaired
twice recently, in the floods of 1989 and 1990.
There is a cafe and a craft centre, and free car
parking.
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