A novel day out in gripping Brontë countryside

Turn the first page with breakfast in Hebden Bridge

Let the tale unfold with a hearty breakfast at The Baytree at 12 Bridge Gate, with its fantastic eggs benedict, renowned bacon sandwich and sourdough roll, plus much more!

Stroll beside the Canal or Calder for Chapter 2

After breakfast, spend time wandering the Rochdale Canal towpath or alongside the River Calder, then loop back through the town’s small independent shops and galleries. 

Board the Brontë B3 at Hebden Bridge Station

The journey from Hebden Bridge to Haworth is one of the most atmospheric bus rides in the UK, particularly on a winter morning, as the mist rolls over the moors. The view from the bus evokes the dramatic, intensity, passion and psychological depth of the Brontës and although you can’t quite see the inseparable Cathy Earnshaw and Heathcliff roaming the moody moors at all hours, from the window, the tempestuous landscape will leave you entranced as wildlife grazes on a colourful rugged carpet, with the weather always feeling extreme and tumultuous, even in the height of summer! This really is a fab ride on the Keighley Bus Company Brontë B3 The Keighley Bus Company

The bus winds cautiously through a narrowing valley of steep green hills, dry-stone walls and scattered stone farms. Woodland gives way to open moorland as the road climbs, with sudden and stunning views across Calderdale and a growing sense of isolation and anticipation as Haworth’s hills come into sight.

Alight the bus at Haworth Station and enjoy the delights of Haworth

Haworth centres on its steep, cobbled Main Street, packed with independent bookshops, vintage stores and old-fashioned sweet shops that reward slow wandering. At the top of the hill, the Brontë Parsonage Museum offers insight into the lives and work of the Brontë family, while the surrounding churchyard adds to the village’s distinctive atmosphere.

Just beyond the houses, paths lead straight onto open moorland, giving wide views, where you can feel the hush of Haworth – an almost eery but moving sense of tranquillity, barely minutes from this utterly charming village. There’s a footnote to this adventure, though, as the silence is broken fleetingly by the chug of the steam trains and puff of smoke emerging in the distance on days when the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway is running!

Enjoy lunch and pottery at Cobbles and Clay

This wonderful place is a cafe and pottery painting studio at the top of Haworth Main Street. Fresh healthy food, with a great range too of cakes and drinks, can be combined with pottery painting whilst enjoying your lunch!

Back on board the B3 bus at Haworth Station

The bus narrates its way from Haworth to Keighley and the view descends from open moorland into a greener, more settled landscape, but there’s still that sense of folklore and fantasy as this time-warp of as journey continues to entrance. Stone cottages give way to terraced streets, wooded slopes and mill buildings, with the valley gradually widening. The shift from rural hills to a busier townscape happens gently, with each page that’s turned and bus stop that passes the eye. It mirrors the change in pace, in what is another captivating instalment on your scenic sojourn, but creating heightened anticipation as this wonderful and slightly quirky town appears on the horizon.

Off the bus in Keighley to devour the delights of this fab town

Keighley offers a mix of heritage, green space and everyday town life. Cliffe Castle Museum and Gardens is a highlight, set in a former Victorian mansion with displays on local industry, art and natural history, and views across the valley from its parkland setting.

For some R and R, Devonshire Park provides open lawns and tree-lined paths and is close to the centre. Back in town, Airedale Shopping Centre and the surrounding streets offer an enticing mix of high-street shops and independents, making Keighley a relaxed, but always fun-packed place to explore before continuing onto the next chapter of this most compelling of scenic bus journeys.

Back on board the bus at Keighley Bus Station (Stand K)

The nights are drawing in and sun is setting and the view from the window is still dramatic and unique as it always is, with every different hour of the day and night. The mood is more eery, almost spooky, though, as the bus makes its way back over the moors, in sombre silence.

However, the promise of a cosy evening in Hebden Bridge provides a flicker of hope as this tale of a tumultuous trip comes to a fitting finale. It’s been a great trip, made possible by the customer-centric The Keighley Bus Company

Alight the bus at Hebden Bridge and it's time for tea!

Stubbing Wharf is a relaxed bistro-style restaurant, with friendly service, candlelit tables and seasonal dishes to satisfy everyone as the day comes to a close and the last page is turned on this journey of Brontë brilliance. It’s the perfect epilogue to your pulsating adventure.