In her celebrated 1847 novel, Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte waxed lyrical about the “mysterious moorlands, wind-ravaged trees and ragged rivers”, the “stark wind-harrowed hills” and “fresher, drier air” that constituted life on the beautiful, atmospheric moors of Yorkshire.
Little did she know that 179 years later, the world’s eyes would be on her beloved region as the latest film version of her book puts the spotlight on the history, romance and beauty of the moors and dales.
As the thirst for romantic “yearning fiction” spikes and Airbnb reveals that searches for West Yorkshire have risen by 59 per cent globally, the historic county is firmly on the map as the traveller’s favourite place to take brooding selfies.
Hike with Heathcliff
With 2,265km of designated footpaths within the North York Moors, trails are numerous and well-trodden, with the most popular routes including The Hole of Horcum on Levisham Moor. It includes a walk through a large natural amphitheatre, the Falling Foss, Mallyan Spout, ancient woodlands, picturesque waterfalls and The Tabular Hills trail, where walkers can see the ruins of the 12th-century Rievaulx Abbey.
For fans looking to follow in Heathcliff’s footsteps, the remote, sweeping scenes of the moor in Wuthering Heights were filmed at Arkengarthdale, a scenic valley in the northern-most part of the Yorkshire Dales National Park and around Booze Moor, a 522-metre-high hill in the Northern Pennines.
Walks across Arkengarthdale are characterised by green meadows and dark moorland, taking visitors through the villages of Langthwaite and Reeth, where some of the cast and crew stayed. A few kilometres from Reeth, the small village of Low Row is home to the Punch Bowl Inn, where Margot Robbie was spotted dining during filming.
Romantic ruins and ye olde lunch spots
Occupied since before the Iron Age, Yorkshire is home to many famous ruins, including Fountains Abbey, Kirkham Priory, Helmsley Castle and Bolton Abbey, all built around the 12th century. But it is the 19th-century Surrender Bridge and the Old Gang Smelt Mill that are featured in the new Wuthering Heights film.
For lunch or dinner, The Black Bull in Reeth, which opened in 1680, serves up British classics such as sausage and mash and fish and chips amid roaring log fires and live music. Foodies can also check out The Angel at Hetton, a 15th-century country inn near Skipton, where chef Michael Wignall, who has helmed several Michelin-starred restaurants, has curated five and 10-course tasting menus featuring locally sourced produce, including lobster, duck and cheeses.
Sleep where the stars stayed
During filming, Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi stayed at the 17th-century Simonstone Hall, a country house hotel in Hawes with a choice of nine rooms and suites. Also on offer here is parkin, the traditional northern English sticky ginger cake made from oatmeal, black treacle and ginger.
To bed down where Wuthering Heights author Emily Bronte slept, head to Thornton in West Yorkshire, where visitors can stay in the house where Charlotte, Emily, Anne and their brother Branwell were born and raised. Last year, the restored Grade II-listed Georgian terrace house, Bronte Birthplace, began offering guests the chance to book a night in Charlotte, Emily and Anne’s rooms, and also offers general admission and group and private tours of the house, as well as talks on the famous literary sisters. What was once the kitchen, now houses a small cafe.
If the cafe is full, head to the 17th-century The Hawthorn Haworth nearby, where the Bronte family moved to in 1820. Once the home of the well-to-do Barraclough family, the Georgian home-turned-restaurant serves local and regional dishes, including Highland sirloin, seafood chowder and crispy ox cheek.
Yorkshire for Bridgerton and Harry Potter fans
Fans of the hit Netflix show, Bridgerton, will recognise Castle Howard, which serves as the Duke of Hastings’s London estate, despite being 336km away in Henderskelfe, North Yorkshire.
Work on the Grade I-listed baroque English country house, which has been home to the Carlisle family for more than 300 years, began in 1699, and was finally completed in 1811. Its halls and grounds, including the Temple of the Four Winds, The Long Gallery, Turquoise Drawing Room and Coneysthorpe Village on the estate, all appear extensively throughout the seasons of the show.
Victoria Street in Edinburgh attract Harry Potter fans, who visit the cobbled road in search of the real-life Diagon Alley, but The Shambles in York, North Yorkshire, is another close contender for having inspired the wizarding world’s shopping street. With its narrow, overhanging timber-framed buildings, the 11th-century home to butcher’s shops, is now a popular destination for Potter fans and plays up the association with stores such as The Shop That Must Not Be Named and The Potions Cauldron.
Additionally, a trip aboard the North Yorkshire Moors Railway will bring Potterheads to Goathland, which served as Hogsmeade Station in the Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone film.
Wuthering Heights is now showing in cinemas across the Middle East
