Harlaxton Day 11: Brontë Country

The day some looked forward to and some dreaded. Today is the longest field trip day of the entire trip. We left Harlaxton Manor at 8 AM and headed to the world-famous moors in Haworth. The destination was 3 hours away, and there was a LOT of sleeping on the coach.

The moors we were visiting are the alleged inspiration for the setting of “Wuthering Heights.” We began the journey at the museum of the Brontë family. Our group then began the expected four mile hike (which ended up being six miles).

The weather was perfect for our adventure. Despite rain earlier in the day, it was now overcast with temperatures in the 60-70 degree range. We stumbled and slipped over rocks while enjoying each other’s company. Throughout the walk, we encountered many livestock along the way, including mountain goats, horses, and cows. We made three stops along the way. The first was at a beautiful waterfall, known as Brontë’s waterfall, and ate our packed lunch. The second stop was at the old ruins of the inspiration for the main location in Wuthering Heights, Wuthering Heights itself. The final stop was at a beautiful, dense forest. We walked around in the forest for a while, amazed at how dark it was underneath the trees despite the sun outside.

After we recovered from our sore feet, we headed back to the Brontë family museum. It was a self-guided tour showcasing the amazing history of the family, primarily the three author daughters.

Once we all had time to enjoy the museum, we had a quick bite to eat and then headed back to the manor. We finally arrived back at around 8 PM. A full 12 hours of fun, laughter, and excitement.

We have officially made it to the halfway point of the trip!

Michael