Day 48 - Hebden Bridge to Haworth

Last night's campsite was very basic so it was lovely to get to a more upmarket one today, especially as washing clothes needed to happen! We also had absolutely no communication with the outside world - no phone service, no internet - and so we dashed down to Hebden Bridge early this morning to find internet and blog!

Leaving Hebden Bridge along the Rochdale Canal

Last time we walked this was mid-December when we picked up the van & the canal was frozen!

Lovely drive to Haworth along a ridge with excellent views, but once again lots of road works. The van is getting used to very steep hills and copes well! I remember Haworth from earlier visits - the main cobbled street is very attractive, but  I need to explore it more.We came back to barbecue but a heavy shower started and changed our minds - thank goodness for ready meals!

From Bernie:
Today's walk  13.2 miles     :     Cumulative  611.8 miles

Bit of a Literary pilgrimage today into Bronte country & the village of Haworth. Not exactly on the Pennine Way, but I'm not really walking the Pennine Way & I can go where I like! If Betjeman's St. Enodoc's was worth all that fiddling about in Cornwall, the Brontes must be worth a couple of miles across Yorkshire moorland!

Mid Walshaw Dean Reservoir - beautiful in the sunshine

A cloudy, drizzly start but very warm, making even the lightest of unzipped waterproofs uncomfortable. The rain had faded away by 10.00am & after that it was a superb walk across high moorland passing, yet again, a chain of unbelievably empty reservoirs. Chatted to a farmer & his wife who stopped their complicated manoeuvering of machinery to let me pass - today's Song of the Day picks up the theme of our conversation!

Lower Walshaw Dean Reservoir & the bottom pole is only a metre high!

I saw no-one else until reaching Top Withins - after this there was a constant procession of wanderers on the 'Wuthering Heights' trail but it was good to see so many unlikely-looking people tackling what isn't an easy circular walk.

Top Withins is a ruined house beneath the tree on top of the hill - the home of the Earnshaws in 'Wuthering Heights'

Highlight of the Day: Haworth itself! Of course it preys on its heritage but the narrow, hilly, cobbled streets of its centre are quite special & if you're fortunate enough to visit when the place isn't teeming with tourists, like today.... !


Last time we were here was August 1991: the wind was howling down alleys & rain was sheeting across the moor; the village was deserted & we dived into one of the pubs for shelter, a drink & hot food. 3 or 4 locals were grouped around the TV which was reporting news of Gorbachev's overthrow in the Soviet Union - the locals were anticipating imminent world disaster &, as we picked up snippets of the story, it all seemed a bit surreal.

Haworth's cobbled Main Street

Beer of the Day: nothing surreal about this! I sat on the slightly elevated terrace of 'The Black Bull', where Branwell Bronte used to consume vast quantities of opium while his sisters wrote best-sellers, & waited for Les. I made do with a pint of Timothy Taylor's 'Landlord'! The brewery is based about 5 miles away, in Keighley, & the beer has won loads of awards. Golden, strong-flavoured & quite dry, I've had this many times before - it's a good beer but totally useless for the walker... it just makes you thirsty!

Song of the Day (an occasional series!): 'I'm Only Happy When it Rains' - Garbage.... see the above conversation!

Appearing at the 'Haworth Old Hall Inn'! Almost delayed LeJog until the weekend!