May 20, 2008

• A Walk in the Moors
  
  

  “But it was one of
  their chief amusements to run away to the moors in the morning and remain there
  all day…”
   Wuthering
  Heights,
  Chapter 6

  
  

  
  I didn’t get the chance to run away all day on the moors, but I did get an hour or so to hike there.  Our destination was The Bronte Waterfall. And, if we had time, we wanted to head to Top Withens. 

  
  

  We started out on the path which runs beside the Bronte Parsonage. 
  
  

  
  

  
  We even had our own personal guide to lead us through the first twenty feet or so.
  
  

  Mrs. Chicken wasn’t the only animal we saw. Not surprisingly, there were lots and lots of sheep.

  
  

  
  
  

  The day was hazy and humid, and our views of the valley were fogged with wispy clouds.  I also got my first sight of heather.
  

  
  

  It wasn’t in bloom yet, but the buds were there. I can only imagine how these moors must look when the heather is in bloom–breathtaking, I’m sure!
  
  

  
  

  
  The area is extremely rocky, and we saw lots of stone fences. How long would one have to work to make one? Much longer than I’d want to, I’m sure!
  
  

  

  
  

  
  The hike seemed much longer than the two or so miles it was described as being.  But, we saw landmarks along the way like the reservoir pictured above. And, we knew we were on the right trail when we came to this wooden sign. The English are very good about posting signs on hiking trails. It makes one feel not quite so lost in the wilderness to see a reassuring sign post.
  

  
  

  
  

  
  
  Finally, we reached our destination–The Bronte Waterfall!
  
  

  It was majestically underwhelming. Apparently, it’s pretty amazing when there’s been a heavy rain. We hadn’t had rain in a week or so. We did take the time to stand on the bridge, which is the second (or more) bridge, the former having been washed away in a flash flood. (Proof that the waterfall can be wild!)

  

  We did’t really have the time to hike the mile or so more to Top Withens as we still had two hours to drive to the bed and breakfast, and we wanted our supper. And, the path looked rather daunting–straight up the hill.
  
  
            

  I just couldn’t resist at least trying to see Top Withens, so I scrambled (gasp, gasp) up the path while Lisa took a rest below. (That’s her, the small bit of white near the arrow.) I just saw more rocks and sheep and another sign post when I got to the top of the first hill. No Top Withens for another mile or so.

  

  You may be asking yourself, “What is Top Withens, and why was she so eager to go?”  Good question. Emily Bronte, in her many moorish rambles, saw this farmhouse and used it as a model for Wuthering Heights. This picture of Top Withens was taken in the 1930s.

  

  Today, Top Withens has fallen into disrepair and is just a roofless set of stone walls now (so say the pictures I looked up on the internet).  I think I pictured Wuthering Heights as a more gothic castle than
  this humble farmhouse, but this image fits better with the book than my
  wild imaginings.

  We finished our ramble at a pub where I had shepherd’s pie (yum) and Lisa had a minted lamb burger (yuck).  We then headed off to new lands–The Lake District!

  • 6:00 pm
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