A couple of weeks ago, I lived my dream of visiting the Brontë Parsonage and walking the moors Emily, Charlotte, and Anne walked.
It almost didn’t happen.
Visiting this sacred literary site has always been number one on my bucket list. I finally got a trip to England on the books, with a weekend in Haworth (home to the Brontës) sandwiched between days in London. Jer had never been to the city before, so I wanted to give him a taste of its marvels.
We flew overnight, landing on Wednesday morning 9/16. We laid low that day. I’d used points to book us into the wonderful St. Ermin’s Hotel, whose past as a rendezvous for spies and the traitorous Cambridge Five intrigued us. The hotel leans into this, even showcasing a display of spy apparatus.
We played tourist on Thursday. Thanks to jet lag, I woke up in the wee hours of Friday morn. I casually checked our tickets for the train up north – and saw they were cancelled. An email explained there was no electrical service.
I ran down to the concierge desk in a panic. It was 5:30 in the morning and a lovely bellman I’ll call Ted explained that the concierge didn’t come on duty until 7:30 a.m. But seeing my distress, Ted said, “I’ll help you.” He came up with the idea of taking a bus, which hadn’t even occurred to me, found the correct schedule, and booked us. (Did I give him a generous tip and sing his praises online and to the hotel itself? You bet I did!)
The bus ride took twice as long as the train would have. It dropped us at a public stop in the middle of a city called Bradford, the bus company obviously being too cheap to pay the cost of docking at the town’s transportation center across the road. We dragged our luggage there in the wind and rain. As with everything these days, human help was nowhere to be found. I finally located the station manager’s office and begged for information on how to reach Haworth. After learning it would take an hour and a half on trains and buses, I bit the bullet and said, “Where’s the nearest cab stand?” He directed us outside the terminal, where we found a friendly cabbie who ferried us on a ride that took all of twenty minutes and cost 30 pounds at most. (As a point of reference, when we returned to London on Sunday and took a cab from Kings Cross Station to our hotel in the southwest Kensington neighborhood, it cost three times as much.)
We arrived in Haworth hours later than I planned but had a lovely dinner at the pub in The Old White Lion, where we also happened to be staying. On Saturday, we lived my dream. Not only did we tour the parsonage, we hiked seven and a half miles to Top Withens, the location that inspired Wuthering Heights. By that point, I’d caught a cold and was in a bit of a daze. The day was windy AF and if Jer hadn’t pushed on, I don’t think I would have made it. But he did and I did. First, to the Brontë Waterfalls:
Then up, up, up the moors to Top Withens:
On our way up the trail, we even caught Ponden Hall, the inspiration for Thrushcross Grange, in the distance:
Upon returning to Haworth, we celebrated our achievement with a stroll through the quaint village, which was more lively and less encased in amber than I expected. For dinner, we had another excellent dinner at the Old White Lion. Our room offered views of another pub, the Black Bull – just past the Kings Arms – where Branwell Brontë supposedly drank himself to death…
Looking at these photos, the visit almost feels like a dream rather than a dream come true. But the adventure was real. And truly once in a lifetime.
And I will forever be grateful to a bellman on the night shift at St. Ermin’s Hotel who saved the number one item on my bucket list from disaster.
Readers, what’s #1 on your bucket list? Is there a literary site you’d love to visit?
BIO: a recovering sitcom writer-producer of TV hits like WINGS and JUST SHOOT ME, Ellen is a bestselling author, Anthony nominee, and recipient of multiple Agatha and Lefty awards for her cozy mystery series. But she considers her most impressive credit working as a cater-waiter for Martha Stewart. Visit her at http://www.ellenbyron.com/.
I’m so glad you got to go to the moors, and that you took us with you! Thanks–hope you’re recovered!
I finally have! But man, the cold that kicked in the day I got there lingered for weeks! Much like a Bronte’s!
They probably would have treated you with a poultice of some sort (seemed like medicine back then involved lots of poultices?) and so much tea.
And belladonna, perhaps, like poor Beth in Little Women (that didn’t work too well).
What a wonderful experience for you! So very happy you were able to check this one off your list.
My book based dream trip would probably be the Yorkshire Dales, home of the James Herriot books. There are so many literary sites I’d love to visit as a result of happy memories of so many books, Paris, Tuscany, London, New York City, Scotland, oh I could go on!
Hope you are fully recovered and ready for new adventures!
Me too! It’s such a gorgeous part of the world.
So, so glad you were able to live your dream, Ellen–and how beautiful it looks! And thank goodness for that helpful bellman!
As for me, as you know, I just had my dream vacation in France–so fun!
Yes!! Your trip looked incredible, Leslie. I got hungry every time I saw one of your photos.
Me too! I want to go to Paris (and all over Europe)!
Indeed, such a dreamy trip, El! And that bellman is worth his weight in gold!
I’d like to visit Prince Edward Island one day just because I loved the Anne of Green Gables series as a kid.
Awww. That’s so sweet!
Jen, I didn’t know you loved Anne of Green Gables… kindred spirits! Was lucky enough to make it to PEI as a child, thanks to my grandmother, who loved L.M. Montgomery (she had every single one of her books, which she let me read). It is beautiful. I hope you go!
I love that you’ve been there, Cyn!
Ooh, now I’m definitely adding on my to-visit list! (Love that we’re kindred spirits.)
Ellen, I’m so glad you were able to fulfill your dream vacation. Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful photos with us. What a treat! They’re beautiful
Xoxox, Patricia!
Oh my gosh. Spectacular! I’m stunned at how gorgeous it is. Thank you so much for sharing these photos and your stories (and your love for the books comes through so beautifully too).
Did it feel like you were stepping right into the books?
I think it would have if I hadn’t been recovering from our near travel disaster and had a cold. I wish I’d been more present emotionally and mentally than I was. I was really nervous on our hike – way longer than we realized – and it cut into my enjoyment. Which I’m bummed about but it was my own fault.
Awww. It’s never like we think it’s going to be, you know? I’m sorry you had a cold and were suffering (that was such a long hike). But you did it, and you have the amazing pictures to show for it, which you’ll always be able to use to revisit (without the wind and stress). They could be postcards, so lovely.
thank you!
Yes, you did it–hurrah! But what a hike (even without all the other issues)!
When we lived in England, my daughter and I did a couple of Jane Austen driving trips: Hertford, Derbyshire, Bath, Lyme Regis, and Winchester (where she is buried in the Cathedral). My daughter was in middle school at the time and just reading the Austen canon so it was perfect. We were especially taken with Bath – just beautiful.
Oh, you’re so lucky. I’ve been to Bath. It’s incredible.
Agree about Bath! I have a keepsake Austen-style pen from there!
When we lived in England, my daughter and I did a couple of Jane Austen driving trips: Hertford, Derbyshire, Bath, Lyme Regis, and Winchester (where Austen is buried in the Cathedral). My daughter was in middle school at the time and reading the Austen canon and it was perfect timing. We were especially taken with Bath – absolutely beautiful.
Well, anyone who wants to visit PEI (Anne of Green Gables) can come visit me in NH on their way up! And I’ll join you, since I’ve never been there. I’ve been to Concord, MA a bunch of times for Louisa May Alcott, and Salem to see the House of the Seven Gables. Oh, and I used to work near Pete’s Tavern (once Healy’s Cafe) in NYC, so I always tried to sit in O. Henry’s booth. I got to hang out with Hemingway’s cats’ 6-toed descendants in Key West, too (couldn’t stop staring at his typewriter, though.) I’d like to visit 221B Baker Street someday.
Oh, Ellen, this trip is just spectacular! How incredibly cool that you got to do this — and that we get to live vicariously through your adventures! I’ve been to Hemingway’s house in Key West and Jack London’s house in Northern California, plus I’ve driven by the O. Henry house here in Austin, but nothing as cool as what you did!
Looks like a great trip. Glad you got to go and had fun.
Ellen – great pics! So glad all worked out well, even with that nasty cold. 🙁
I’ve taken several trips to England but never stopped at Stratford-upon-Avon. I hear it’s a real tourist trap, but still want to check it out and hopefully pick up some vibes from the Bard.
Gosh that looks amazing! I’m glad you didn’t miss it! I’ve never been and it’s on my dream list.