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I tried the 'moorcore' travel trend and found my wild side on the Yorkshire moors

Writer Octavia Lillywhite discovered the latest 'moorcore' trend with a wild and windswept escape in Bronte country, West Yorkshire

[Top Withens, the ruined farmhouse on Haworth moor is said to be the inspiration for Emily Brontes' 'Wuthering Heights']

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Top Withens, the ruined farmhouse on Haworth moor is said to be the inspiration for Emily Brontes' 'Wuthering Heights'(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Wuthering is a Northern English term for a strong, roaring wind or a storm-lashed place, which is highly appropriate for Emily Brntes only novel Cathy and Healthcliffs tempestuous story of passion and revenge. Its a harder sell for a holiday.

That hasnt stopped Moorcore from becoming the latest trend in UK breaks. And what is Moorcore? It's a move-on from the cutesy cottagecore vibe (all roses round the windows, thatched roofs and cats curled by the fire). Its wild and free. The feeling of standing atop a gritstone edge, a heathery moorland vista stretching to the horizon, tumbling waterfalls, fairy glens, fresh air in your lungs.

READ MORE: I found the perfect Tuscany Hotel for a week of incredible food and wine in Italy

[Haworth moor. Yorkshire. England]

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There are vast vistas in almost every direction for channelling Heathcliff and Cathy moments(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Theres no better place to channel moorcore than on Haworth Moor whose wild, heather-strews footpaths were well-traipsed by the Bronts. Two miles from their parsonage, Royds Hall Cottage is marked on maps from 1847, the very year Wuthering Heights published, and its likely it was a familiar sight for the sisters on their rambles. As we arrive, the breeze tusseling daffodils along the embankment and a buzzard hovering above, it feels magical.

[Royds Hall Cottage patio]

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The farmhouse of Royd's Hall Cottage appears on maps from the same year Wuthering Heights was published(Image: cottages.com)

Stay in the heart of the Yorkshire moors... near the pub

The kitchen is panelled on two sides with windows - a 180 view. Theres Ponden Reservoir shimmering, purple hills rising beyond and, in front, the owners horses tearing up the grass. The view changes moment to moment, as clouds scud across the sky, rolling shadows over the dale. You can watch the weather curl in from the east, like two days visible from the same window. I could marvel at it all day.

Just the right mix of old and new, the cottage sleeps four in two cosy rooms upstairs. Downstairs, the living room has the same vast view as the kitchen, exposed oak beams, a woodburner and sofas for cosying up in. And theres a copy of Wuthering Heights if you forgot yours.

[Royds Hall Cottage living room]

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Curl up by the fire and listen to the wind wuthering over the rooftop(Image: cottages.com)

Id had some concerns that wilderness could feel remote, but from the cottages kitchen window I could see the comforting sign of the nearest pub, and two more are a 10-minute walk away, in the village.

Walking in the footsteps of Wuthering Heights

[Signpost on Haworth Moor]

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Wild but well signposted: the Haworth moors(Image: David Lillywhite)

On an energetic five-and-a-half mile loop from the cottage front door, we took in the waterfall at Lumb Beck (detailed in Charlottes letters to her friend, Ellen) and the desolate farmhouse at Top Withens said to be the setting for Cathy and Healthcliffs home. From there, across the moorland paths we discovered the Fairy Kirk at Ponden Clough (Penistone Crags in the novel), and beautiful Ponden Hall, which Emily Bront used as Edgar Lintons Thrushcross Grange and where her sister Anne set The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.

[The Bronte waterfall on Haworth moor]

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There are beautiful walks from the front door, to the famous Bront waterfall(Image: David Lillywhite)

Around Top Withens and the waterfall, there were scores of walkers admiring the famous views but, only a crow-call beyond, we saw barely a soul just swooping curlews with their strange warbling cries and a roe deer bouncing off into the distance. Its easy to find both wild inspiration and, afterwards, scones and clotted cream at Ponden Mill.

In the other direction, Haworth village was less than an hours stroll. It's the focal point of Bront pilgrimage, so it was busy yet still so beguiling, with a sense of the sisters at every turn. Visiting on foot meant we could skip the car park and enter the village just as they would have from the footpath at the end of Church Street.

[Cobbled Street in Haworth, near Bradford, Yorkshire. Haworth was home to famous authors Charlotte Bronte and Emily Bronte.]

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The cobbled streets of Haworth village, where the Bront sisters lived(Image: Getty Images)

Their house (now an unmissable museum) is the first you come to on the cobbled street. From the parlour table, the one Emily and her sisters worked at, you can still look out at the graveyard with its overcrowded, flat-lying gravestones.

The best places to eat and shop near Stanbury and Haworth

In Stanbury village, a 10-minute walk from the house, we found the Wuthering Heights Inn serves excellent pub food classics, is family and dog friendly and didnt bat an eyelid at our muddy boots.

If you prefer to eat in, dont miss Robertshaws Farm Shop at Thornton, 20 minutes by car. Its packed to the rafters with local meats, dairy, vegetables and baked goods plus wine and Yorkshire ales. We loved it so much we stopped there again on the way home to pack the car with extras.

[Bacon and scrambled egg breakfast]

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The nearby farm shops are the ideal place to pick up local meats, eggs and vegetables(Image: David Lillywhite)

How to book this Yorkshire Moors cottage stay

Royds Hall Cottage sleeps four (a double room and a twin) and is available to book through booking.com or cottages.com, from 370 for 3 nights.

More 'moorcore' destinations to try in the UK, with great literary links

The wild places of Britain have been inspiring literary classics for generations, and Haworth is not the only place to find it.

Lorna Doone

[The exterior of Heron View, North Devon]

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The pretty ford outside Heron View, North Devon(Image: National Trust Images/Mike Henton)

Where to find it: Riverside Cottage overlooks dappling Badgeworthy Water, the river where John and Lorna meet, just at the ford in Malmesmead. In a seven-ish mile walk you can head up into their moorland valley among the rolling hills, or a 3-mile loop takes in the 13th-century church at Oare. Either way, you end back at your cottage, next door to The Buttery caf. Further afield, dont miss Tarr Steps (about 35 minutes by car) where a 1000-year old clapper bridge spans the river, and in summer families picnic on the grassy meadow before heading to Liscombe Dairy for the best ice creams.

How much? Riverside Cottage sleeps four from 699 for 7 nights, see nationaltrust.org.uk/holidays

The Secret Garden

[Wood Cottage on the North York Moors]

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Wood Cottage on the North York Moors(Image: Sykes)

Where to find it: Wood Cottage nestles in the rugged North York Moors, circled almost entirely by wild uplands with footpaths in any direction. One of the areas most inspiring views, The Wainstones, is a 3-mile hike, and on the way back you can drop by The Buck Inn. The cottage is 200 years old but recently - and so prettily refurbished - with the living room upstairs for the best light and views. Its set on a working sheep farm, so expect fluffy Herdwick lambs to visit at the back gate for your very own Dicken moment from the patio. Twenty minutes drive away, Hemsley Walled Garden could rival the garden Mary Lennox found, while right next door, Dunscombe Park served as Misselthwaite Manor in the 2020 Secret Garden film.

How much? Wood Cottage sleeps four from 697 for 7 nights, see sykescottages.co.uk

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