Guides
The places behind the books, films and history of Yorkshire, and how to see them.
These guides cover the places on our October 2027 Yorkshire trip and the stories behind them: who lived there, what was written or filmed there, what you can still see, and how long you need. They are written from our own scouting trip in October 2026.
We take a small group of women to Yorkshire in October 2027, with months of books and films together first. Heathcliff, Dracula and Brideshead (Yorkshire), 2–10 October 2027 →
Yorkshire · The Brontës
Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë wrote seven novels between them, all at one house in Haworth, West Yorkshire. Here's every book in order, who wrote which, and the story behind them, including what Charlotte really thought of Jane Austen.
Yorkshire · The BrontësHaworth village and the Brontë Parsonage MuseumHaworth is one steep stone street on the edge of the West Yorkshire moors. At the top is the Brontë Parsonage, the house where Charlotte, Emily and Anne wrote their novels. Here's how to do it well.Yorkshire · The BrontësWuthering Heights filming locations, and Top WithensEmily Brontë set Wuthering Heights on the moors above Haworth. Most of the films went somewhere else. Here's which is which, and how to walk to the ruin everyone calls the real thing.
Yorkshire · Harrogate
What to do in the North Yorkshire spa town, from someone who lived just outside it for three years and went back to scout it in 2026.
Yorkshire · KnaresboroughKnaresborough, EnglandA small market town on a cliff above the River Nidd, three miles from Harrogate, and how to spend a morning there on foot. Bring shoes with grip: it's steps all the way down.
Yorkshire · Fountains AbbeyFountains Abbey, YorkshireEngland's great Cistercian ruin and its Georgian water garden, near Ripon and Harrogate. Go by day for the garden, and come back after dark in October for the floodlights.
Yorkshire · NidderdaleBrimham Rocks, YorkshireHuge, oddly shaped sandstone stacks on a heather moor above Nidderdale. Free to walk among, run by the National Trust, and worth a stop even if you've only got half an hour.
Yorkshire · York
What's worth your time in York, England, how long each place takes, and the people and books tied to the city. All of it on foot.
Yorkshire · YorkThe Shambles, YorkA 400-foot medieval street in the middle of York: what's actually old about it, who lived here, and when to go if you don't like crowds.Yorkshire · Anne ListerAnne ListerThe Halifax landowner who wrote five million words, a sixth of them in code, and married a woman in a York church in 1834. Here's her story, and where you can still follow it.Yorkshire · York · BooksBehind the Scenes at the MuseumWho's who in Ruby Lennox's family, generation by generation, how the chapters and footnotes fit together, and the York streets you can still walk. Spoilers are tucked away until you click.
Yorkshire · Castle HowardCastle HowardWhere Castle Howard is, how to get there from York without a car, and the books, films and people behind the house you've probably already seen on screen.
Yorkshire · The moors and the coast
The North York Moors are a high plateau of heather between the Vale of York and the North Sea. You can see the best of them in a day. Here's where to stop, and what you can skip.
Yorkshire · Mills and moorsSaltaire, EnglandOne mill owner built a whole village for his workers. The mill is now full of David Hockney's art and one of the biggest bookshops you'll ever wander round. I nearly skipped it. Don't.
Yorkshire · The DalesBolton Abbey to SkiptonA ruined priory on the River Wharfe and one of England's most complete medieval castles, a few miles apart at the bottom edge of the Yorkshire Dales. Easy to pair, and easy to pair with Haworth too.Trip announcements, curated reading lists, and the occasional dispatch — before anyone else.
