Plenty to see and do in West Yorkshire - but remember to wear a hat!

West Yorkshire is often thought of as an industriala philanthropic mill owner and is dominated by the
area yet here you will find a World Heritage Site,huge mill itself which now houses the world's
towns and villages in dramatic settings, the homelargest collection of works by Bradford-born artist
of the famous Bronte sisters, wonderful artDavid Hockney and a small number of select retail
collections and bleak yet beautiful moorland, whichoutlets.
you are strongly advised not to venture ontoOn a nearby hillside is Haworth where the cobbled
without wearing a hat!main street leads up to the parsonage, the
From many a vantage point in West Yorkshireformer home of the Bronte sisters. A short, yet
you can admire, in one breathtaking view, sceneryexhilarating walk from here takes you straight
combining the industrial landscape of times pastonto the bleak, beautiful moors and a ruined
with windswept, wild moorland. The Industrialfarmhouse with trees bent from the wind. This is
Revolution exploited the fast- flowing rivers andTop Withens, which many believe to be the
streams of the Pennines to create a textileinspiration and setting of Wuthering Heights.
industry of world renown. The Victorian influenceNearby is the elegant former spa town of Ilkley
still dominates not only the public architecture ofon the other side of the famous Ilkley Moor. Ilkley
the many grand town halls but also the domesticitself is squeezed between the north-facing slopes
scene with sturdy housing, now blackened by theof the moor and the River Wharfe. The oldest of
pollution of the past.the spas is White Wells, an 18th-century bath
Nowhere better can this be seen than in Hebdenhouse, and one of very few buildings on the
Bridge where the River Calder flows through amoor. Nowadays, each new year begins with a
narrow valley with homes clinging to the steepNew Year's Day dip at White Wells when hardy
valley sides that open out onto wild moorland, orlocals take a plunge into the cold water. Today
in Holmfirth perhaps best known as the locationwalkers and nature lovers have unlimited access
for the long-running TV series Last of Theto Ilkley Moor and are free to enjoy the
Summer Wine.spectacular views across Wharfedale. Exploring on
Above Hebden Bridge is Heptonstall, which ifthe moor you are likely to come across many
relocated to either Provence or Tuscany wouldancient sites including the 12 Apostles – a small
not look out of place as an ancient hilltop village.stone Druids circle - and the Swastika stone - a
The traditional soot-darkened Yorkshire cottagescarved stone on a crag overlooking Wharfedale. 
might be incongruous but apart from that it hasHowever the moor is probably most famous for
everything (well except the weather) - steep,the song that has become the unofficial anthem
cobbled streets little changed in the last 200 yearsof Yorkshire. It tells of a lover courting the object
and a rich history as a woollen centre. Weavingof his affections, Mary Jane, on Ilkley Moor
used to be a cottage industry around here, butwithout a hat (baht 'at). The singer chides the
once steam power arrived mills were built in thelover for his lack of headwear – for in the
valley bottom, leaving the village quiet andcold winds of Ilkley Moor this will mean death
peaceful for visitors and locals alike to enjoy.from exposure. This will in turn result in his burial,
The village of Saltaire, situated between Bradfordthe eating of his corpse by worms, the eating of
and the Yorkshire Dales, has been designated athe worms by ducks and finally the eating of the
World Heritage site. This model village was built byducks by the singers!