Bronte Way
43 mile literary pilgrimage through Bronte country

The Bronte Way is a 43 mile long distance footpath which starts at Oakwell Hall (“Fieldhead” in Charlotte Bronte’s novel “Shirley”) near Birstall in Kirklees near Bradford, and ends at Gawthorpe Hall in Padiham near Burnley. The route winds past many places of interest to Bronte enthusiasts, including the Bronte Birthplace in Thornton, Ponden Hall (“Thrushcross Grange” in Emily Bronte’s novel “Wuthering Heights”), Wycoller, and of course, the village of Haworth itself.

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Holiday Packages

All our Standard Itineraries include:

  • Hand-picked accommodation in B&Bs / guest houses / inns / small hotels
  • En-suite facilities where available
  • Breakfast
  • Daily baggage transfers from our own team of local drivers
  • All booking fees

We will also endeavour to include all these in any custom itinerary you wish to build for this walk.

Day 1: Oakwell (accommodation in Birstall) to Bailiffe Bridge (8m)
Day 2: Bailiffe Bridge to Leeming Wells (11m)
Day 3: Leeming Wells to Stanbury (7.1m)
Day 4: Stanbury to Thursden (7.7m) taxi to Burnley
Day 5: Taxi to Thursden, walk to Gawthorpe (with accommodation in Padiham) (9.8m)

 

£945 solo walkers (plus single supplements)
£750 per person (based on two sharing)
£700 per person (based on group of 3)
£675 per person (based on group of 4 or more)

 

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Day 1: Oakwell (accommodation in Birstall) to Thornton (15.8m)
Day 2: Thornton to Wycoller (14.1m)
Day 3: Wycoller to Gawthorpe (with accommodation in Padiham) (15.1m)

 

£600 solo walkers (plus single supplements)
£490 per person (based on two sharing)
£460 per person (based on group of 3)
£445 per person (based on group of 4 or more)

 

Get a Personal Quote

* All headline holiday prices are shown per person, based on two people sharing.

Baggage Transfer

Baggage Transfer is automatically included in the price of all our Walking Holiday packages.

These prices are for anyone planning their own holiday and just need bags moving from one stop to the next.

£295 per person (single)
£150 per person (based on two sharing)
£100 per person (based on group of 3)
£65 per person (based on group of 4 or more)

 

Max 17kg per bag

£185 per person (single)
£95 per person (based on two sharing)
£65 per person (based on group of 3)
£50 per person (based on group of 4 or more)

 

Max 17kg per bag

Click here for a quote

Note: If you are booking accommodation in an Airbnb, you must ensure that there will either be someone available to take collection/delivery of your bags or that they have appropriate, secure storage in the event that the proprietor is absent.

Walk Information

  • Holiday Options
  • Walk Info
  • Maps & Guide Books

Rest Days
Rest days can be incorporated into any walking holiday package at an additional £65.00 per person per night

Solo Travellers
Solo travellers please contact us or use the booking form to send your proposed itinerary including dates, and we will price accordingly. Where possible, we take advantage of existing bookings from other clients to ensure you receive a cost effective service.

Alternative Itineraries
For alternative itineraries to those provided for this route, please contact us, or use the Booking Form to submit your proposed itinerary and number of participants and we will quote accordingly.

Walking Season Dates
Prices are based on the walk starting after 1st April and ending before 30th September. For walks outside those dates, please contact us. We provide a reduced out of season service, but still manage to meet the needs of most customers who contact us during this period.

Walk Information
The Bronte Way is a 43 mile long distance footpath which starts at Oakwell Hall ("Fieldhead" in Charlotte Bronte's novel "Shirley") near Birstall in Kirklees near Bradford, and ends at Gawthorpe Hall in Padiham near Burnley. A challenging walk which has moorland scenery, heritage and literary aspects.

The route winds past many places of interest to Bronte enthusiasts, including the Bronte Birthplace in Thornton, Ponden Hall ("Thrushcross Grange" in Emily Bronte's novel "Wuthering Heights"), Wycoller, and of course, the village of Haworth itself. Scenic highlights include Penistone Hill country park, perched on the moors high above Haworth, the trail to the Bronte Waterfall and on over the Bronte Bridge up to Top Withens (a favourite walk of the Brontes themselves - Top Withens being suggested as the contentious setting for the Earnshaw farmstead in "Wuthering Heights"), and Wycoller in the Forest of Trawden at the edge of Pendle Witch Country.

While some of the Bronte Way crosses wild and desolate moorland, civilisation is never far away and there are plenty of pubs and country houses to stop off for a quick pint of ale en-route.

Places which can be visited along the route include Oakwell Hall (starting point) in Kirklees, Clayton village, Thornton village (including the Bronte Birthplace), Haworth village (including the Bronte Parsonage), The Bronte Waterfall, The Bronte Chair, The Bronte Bridge, Ponden Hall, Top Withens, Wycoller, Gawthorpe Hall (finishing point) near Burnley.

The route is waymarked with a yellow arrow on a magenta background for much of the way, although some can be easily missed. In places the route is coincident with other long distance paths whose waymarking takes precedence, so some care is required. Having the guidebook and OS Explorer maps is recommended to ensure reliable route finding, particularly on the moorland sections.

OS Explorer Maps
OL21 - South Pennines

Guide Books
"The Bronte Way" by Paul Hannon 
"The Bronte Way" by Marie Wilson 

Mobile Digital Mapping
Digital maps can be viewed on most modern smartphones using an appropriate app, downloaded from the app store associated with your device. Brigantes recommend that whichever app you use, it should support Ordnance Survey 1:25k or 1:50k scale maps. There are many apps to choose from, but the two main providers are Ordnance Survey and Memory Map.

Each provider’s app has its own benefits, but both provide all-important offline navigation, meaning your device does not need a mobile signal to work effectively on the trail.

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Walkers' Testimonials

Have you walked this route? Please leave a review and let others know what you think.

Use the comments form below to submit your testimonial for this walk. Rest assured, we won’t display or disclose your email address! It is only required to prevent spam – and to enable you to receive notifications of any responses to your review should you select the option to do so.

One Reply to “Bronte Way”

  1. My party used Brigantes once again, this time for the Bronte Way. Once again they were easy to deal with and collected and delivered our bags safely and efficiently.

    Reply

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Mrs. Annette Hirst
Bob’s Laithe,
Halton Gill,
Nr Skipton,
North Yorkshire.
BD23 5QN
England

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