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Saltaire is a Victorian model village in West Yorkshire, built by textile magnate Titus Salt. The name is a combination of 'Salt' with 'Aire', the local river. Salt gave his workers considerably better living and working conditions than they had endured in Bradford, after he moved production to his new facility in 1853. Saltaire today is a preserved, living, village with shops, a park, canalside walks, all part of a World Heritage Site. But no pub – Titus didn’t approve of pubs. The main feature is the old factory building, Salts Mill, which includes exhibitions, specialist retail outlets and a permanent gallery exhibiting the works of local Bradford artist, David Hockney.
Saltaire gives a vivid impression of Victorian philanthropic paternalism and, as with New Lanark, Saltaire had a profound influence on industrial social welfare, urban planning and the 19th century garden city movement in the UK and beyond.
Saltaire
Top Withens has long been thought of as the inspiration for the Wuthering Heights that Emily Bronte describes in her eponymous novel of 1847. Originally "Top of the Withens", Top Withens (or Withins) is a ruined farm thought to date from the second half of the 16th century. It was last inhabited in the 1920s, has been disused since the 1930s and is now completely ruined. In fact, ruined structures pepper the landscape all around. It is actually generally believed that the building Emily Brontë described bore no resemblance to Top Withens whatsoever; but, as a plaque placed on the wall by the Brontë Society says, “the situation may have been in her mind when she wrote of the moorland setting of the heights.” You can walk to Top Withens from a variety of directions and along the Pennine Way. The post code directs you to the village of Stanbury, from which there is a relatively easy path.
Near Haworth
The Brontë family moved to Haworth in 1820, when Patrick Brontë was appointed ‘perpetual curate’ of the parish church. They lived in the Parsonage, where the three immensely talented sisters wrote some of the finest literature in the English language. Though it will overwhelm those who do not actually worship the Brontës, the Parsonage Museum is fascinating. And the town of Haworth is always worth a visit anyway. Don't miss the Gothic splendour of the churchyard!
Haworth
Keighley
Skipton Castle is reputedly one of the most complete and best preserved castles in England. It may be. Not to be missed if in the area, but there are better castles to see - though the gatehouse is imposing, there is a lovely Tudor courtyard and the castle perches dramatically on a cliff above the Eller Beck. The Normans constructed a castle in wood on the site in the 11th century, later converted to stone. Skipton will always be closely associated with the Clifford family, who took ownership in 1310. During the 17th century civil war, Skipton was a Royalist stronghold and the castle was besieged, finally capitulating in 1645. It was restored by Lady Anne Clifford, who also owned castles at Brougham, Appleby and Pendragon (and others). Skipton Castle is now in private hands and also partly residential.
Malham Cove is an impressive limestone formation just north of the picturesque Dales village of Malham. It's an easy walk to the cove, but a slightly tougher haul up to see a textbook limestone pavement with its clints and grykes. The area is also popular with climbers and birdwatchers. Other walks and limestone features nearby, pubs and cafes in Malham. The post code is for the National Park Centre.
Bolton Abbey is an estate about 6 miles east of Skipton that is owned by the Cavendish family, the Dukes of Devonshire. Much of it is open to the public (there is a charge for parking), offering the opportunity for a dip in the river in good weather, as well as miles of family-friendly picturesque walks by the riverside and through ancient woodland.. The estate is named for Bolton Priory, which was founded on the banks of the River Wharfe in the 12th century by the Augustinian order, and which was dissolved in 1540. The ruins of the east end of the abbey church are still there, but the west end is still a functioning church. The estate includes Bolton Hall (a private residence), Barden Tower (a ruined 16th century hunting lodge), tea rooms and the Devonshire Arms hotel.
Pen-y-Ghent is one of the Yorkshire Dale's Three Peaks and the lowest at 2,277 feet (694 metres). There are good paths to the top from most directions, the most popular route starting and ending in Horton in Ribblesdale. The post code given is that of the Crown Hotel in Horton. The summit of Pen-y-Ghent looks like some kind of brooding creature and involves a bit of scrambling up or down, depending which way you go. Along the route, divert to Hull Pot, a collapsed cavern said to be one of the largest holes in England. It is 300 feet (91 metres) long x 60 feet (18 metres) wide by 60 feet deep. Extreme care is needed here. Walking Pen-y-Ghent is a serious and often strenuous hike, necessitating proper clothing and footwear as well as a supply of water and something to eat.
The Three Peaks of the Yorkshire Dales (Whernside, Pen-y-Ghent and Ingleborough) are often tackled by the very fit for fun or charity in a time of +/- 12 hours covering a distance of approx 24 miles.
Limestone cave discovered in 1837 containing bones dating back 130,000 years, including elephant and hyena. It was used by man and a hibernating brown bear 11,000 years ago and for unknown purposes, possibly a shrine, in Roman times. Several other caves nearby. Post code is for Settle Market Place, one of several good starting points to walk to the cave.
NB You can only visit this cave by walking to it. The terrain is easy/rocky and fairly steep.
The Folly is the grandest building for miles, certainly in Settle - worth seeing for its wonderful windows alone. It was built by local lawyer Richard Preston sometime in the 1670s and has variously served as a family home, farmhouse, bakery, warehouse, furniture shop, refreshment rooms, fish & chip shop, bank, salvage business, holiday let, museum and coffee house. At one time, 21 people lived in it. The Folly at Settle now houses the Museum of North Craven Life, consisting of permanent and temporary exhibitions, a quality cafe and an artisans' gallery selling locally produced artwork and other items.
Settle
The Craven and Murgatroyd Limeworks, better known locally as the Hoffmann Lime Kiln, is just north of Langcliffe between the Settle-Carlisle railway and Stainforth Scar. It is a disused Victorian industrial complex that includes the remains of two separate but adjacent limeworks - the Murgatroyd and the Craven Lime Company works. The remains of the huge Hoffmann kiln (it had 22 chambers) are astonishing – it’s like being inside a cathedral, but without the religion. The Craven Lime works lasted until 1931, though were used again briefly during WW2 before being abandoned and left to decay. The nearby quarry was used as a refuse tip by the local authority between 1967 and 1990, but the whole site has now been preserved. Plans to open it as a major tourist attraction were shelved; there is now a self-guided walk with information boards, some of which incorporate recorded commentary. In addition to the Hoffmann kiln, there are the remains of other types of kiln, ancillary buildings, an inclined plane, railway tracks etc. Once so busy and noisy, parts of the surviving complex now attract wildlife and it's a peaceful spot.
From the B6479 between Langcliffe and Stainforth, take a minor road east under a low railway arch and follow it to a small car park.
Settle
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