The dining room, where the sisters wrote, was the best. I tried to read as much as possible and it took one and a half hours. Then another half hour in the shop which, by the way, was out of all the hardback copies of "Jane Eyre," the only one I really wanted to buy there, in the museum shop. So, I bought "Villette" and "Wuthering Heights." After our visit, we walked to the train station in Oxenhope (which was closed) and back for a total of 4.5 miles. After a late lunch, we began our long 6.5 miles to the Brontë Waterfalls and Top Withens. It was tortuous and very hot. I made the mistake of wearing long pants and my heavy hiking boots which would have been great in winter but not a hot day in May. I’ve got many blisters but it was worth it. The sounds of the countryside are so different from home. When you stop walking, all you hear are sheep calling to each other from all directions, pitches and distances, almost like an echo or stereo effect. They’re very jumpy and will run away if you stop to look at or talk to them. The birds also sound different as they call each other, especially all the crows in the trees around the Parsonage. It couldn’t have sounded quite the same when the Brontë’s lived here because there were no trees then for the crows to nest. The cows add an interesting deeper sound to all the animal sounds. There was only a gentle breeze and the day has been very misty. Normally, one can see the distant moors clearly but today, there is only the next hill.
(Julie at the Parsonage - click to see large image) While at the Brontë Waterfalls, I tried to imagine what it must have been like for them. There is one tree that looks about 20 years old. There must have been others that have long since died and decayed. It was a very pleasant spot but I wonder what it was like 150 years ago.
The journey to Top Withens was very strenuous. When we got there, I laid down in the grass to rest. It was very pleasant. While staying still, a funny looking pheasant was walking about ten yards away, until I startled him. There was no one else around for miles and no sounds, except for the occasional sheep or bird calling. It was really a desolate place. No one knows for sure if it inspired Emily Brontë to write "Wuthering Heights." They only know that she and her sisters took frequent walks there. It doesn’t look anything like her description but I still liked being far away from civilization.
Bronte Waterfall Top Withens
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