You might have expected the locations to be in the bleak and wuthering moors above Haworth, where Emily Brontë lived and set her gothic novel, but instead their primary locations were 60 miles away in Swaledale and Arkengarthdale, two of the lesser-known Yorkshire Dales that have all the wild and melancholy beauty portrayed in the novel.
Whether you are chasing locations, walking the Coast to Coast, cycling the Stang, or just taking in the rugged beauty of the Dales, then Richmond should be your starting point.
Set above the fast-flowing river Swale, its cobbled market square, Georgian houses, and the unique Georgian Theatre are highlights. The former railway station has been repurposed, with a cinema, shops, a café, and the Angel’s Share bakery. Book a room at the antique-filled Millgate House, home to the charming Austin Lynch and Tim Clissold who have been providing comfortable beds, gorgeous bathrooms, (special occasion meals by appointment) and a memorable breakfast – their home-made marmalade gets rave reviews, for countless years.
Five miles north of Richmond, Middleton Loge Estate has elegant rooms, delightful grounds, a spa and the Forge restaurant for a smart, tasting-menu dining under chef Jake Jones or in the casual and cheaper Coach House.
West from Richmond, Swaledale reveals itself in all its beauty. Soft green fields, mile after mile of dry stone wall, and every field with an old field barn used in the past to store hay and shelter cattle.
The Dales Bike Centre at Fremington caters for cyclist of all levels, from serious road racers to e-bikers and kids tag-alongs, but it offers much more. Stay over in their bunk house or in one of their cool mega pods and visit their café serving soups and sandwiches and 25 different cakes in their ‘cakery’.
Reeth is known as the capital of Swaledale, dominated by the three-mile limestone escarpment of Fremington Edge. It has a village green, a Friday market, a couple of pubs and the traditional Burgoyne Hotel, but the best rewards lie beyond Reeth.
Low Row has the famous 17th-century Punch Bowl Inn, where pallbearers used to stop for rest and refuelling on their way to Grinton churchyard. There are no bodies in the ‘dead room’ today, just 12 simply furnished rooms and hearty pub fare.
Muker is the start of the stunning six-mile circular Hay Meadows Walk. Beautiful at any time of year, but breathtaking from late May to early July when the traditional hay meadows bloom with a carpet of grasses and 30 different species of wildflowers. Fuel up first at Muker Village Store and Tearoom. The walk follows the river Swale, with a welcome halfway stop for tea and cake at the Rukin’s Tea Garden. Back in Muker the Farmer’s Arms is the place for a post-walk pint.
Little Arkengarthdale, is more remote and rugged than Swaledale. With nothing more than a few settlements, a pub and a church. The time warp, cash only, Red Lion pub at Langthwaite beside Arkle Beck, has been run by two sisters for more than 40 years.
The CB Inn, high up in the Dale is your destination. Charles Bathurst was the 19th century lord of the manor and local lead mine owner. Today the CB is a rambling, white-washed inn with 19 rooms and at its heart, a long stone-flagged bar with scrubbed tables, a roaring fire and a menu of risottos, fish and chips, fish pie, sirloin steak and the like. Despite its remoteness, the inn is well visited by locals, families, weekenders, shooting parties and sometimes wedding guests.
Beyond the CB Inn, the scenery becomes even more bleak and desolate. The Tan Hill Inn, which at 1,732 feet is the highest pub in England, is famously and regularly snowed in. They cater in all weathers with basic food and lodging, especially for cyclists and walkers taking on the Pennine Way.
Lonely, isolated, rugged, wild and beautiful, Swaledale and Arkengarthdale could be a reflection of the intense and destructive relationship between Cathy and Heathcliff or more prosaically, it could be the perfect location for a weekend away with some good food.
