Hills.
The second of Haworth's blessings is the wonderful hill country which surrounds it, with excellent maintained and signposted footpaths, starting from the Main Street itself, and leading up to the moor tops - well worth the visit. The most popular walk is quite a stiff two hour plus round trip to the ruins of High Withins, a house which is reputed to have inspired the location of Wuthering Heights in the novel of the same name. It is a good walk, but best done early in the morning, especially in the summer, to avoid the crowds of tourists. It's especially good on a crisp, clear winter morning to walk up an appetite for breakfast.

Lots of other good walks, too, and the Ordnance Survey Leisure Map is a very good place to find them.

The Keighley and Worth Valley Railway.

It would be worth a visit to Haworth for either the splendid beer or the magnificent countryside alone, but the jewel in Haworth's crown has to be the totally wonderful Keighley and Worth Valley Railway, which has its headquarters at Haworth Station. The railway is a Branch Line that a group of steam enthusiasts bought from British Railways when it was closed in the sixties, and now runs a fleet of steam and some vintage diesel trains to the great delight of tens of thousands of visitors in general, and to Buta in particular. The stations have been lovingly restored and the line is continually maintained to the highest standards by dedicated volunteers. A visit to the KWVR is a voyage of discovery of the delights of a real railway for the younger visitor, and a wonderfully nostalgic experience for visitors of Buta's vintage. The staff are friendly, the countryside through which the lines run is beautiful, and of course the locomotives themselves are things of pure joy. It's a place where most everyone smiles, and visitors leave happier than when they arrived. Life is full of delights, and everyone has their own favourites. For Buta the sound of a steam whistle piercing the morning quiet in Haworth, followed by the beat of exhaust steam as a proper engine pulls a proper train out of the station absolutely cannot be beaten.

Be happy visit the line, ride on the trains, and join the Society. It can only make you happier! Start with a visit to the KWVR internet site now. And while you do enjoy all that the wonderful railway has to offer, please remember the late Bob Cryer, MP, who thought the thing up and got it going. 

Other Steam…

Buta also likes the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.
Click here.

Lots of other British Steam Links at Heritage Railways.
Click here.

And steam lovers must make a pilgrimage to the National Railway Museum in York to see Mallard, the fastest steam loco ever, and a thing of true beauty.
Click here.