Yorkshire's Happy Valley & Brontë Steam

Included Excursions

Keighley, Steam Train & Haworth (full day)

We begin the day in the pretty market town of Keighley, which is nestled within classic Brontë country and provided the location to some iconic scenes in Happy Valley. Take the chance to explore at leisure before we enjoy a scenic train journey on the Keighley & Worth Valley Heritage Steam Railway. This five-mile branch line winds through glorious West Yorkshire countryside and certain sections were used as the backdrop for the 1970s film The Railway Children.

We alight in the village of Haworth. Former stomping ground of the Brontë sisters and easily one of the quaintest villages in West Yorkshire, it’s not hard to see how Haworth’s meandering cobbled lanes gazing out towards the mysterious moors provided inspiration for the likes of Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre. The Brontë Parsonage Museum is well worth a visit before taking the chance to explore the lovely range of shops.

Happy Valley Locations Tour (full day)

Today makes for the highlight of our five-day adventure as we enjoy a tour around some of the most notable Happy Valley filming locations. First up is Hebden Bridge, sitting pretty in the Upper Calder Valley, this ready-for-its-close-up waterside town boasts atmospheric cobbled alleyways, a famous market and lovely views over Hebden Water. Fans of the nail-biting crime drama will recognise it as the hometown of protagonist Sergeant Catherine Cawood.

We continue to Sowerby Bridge. This canal-side setting was in fact where Sally Wainwright, the show’s creator, grew up and it stars in the majority of scenes in the TV series. We see the exterior of Catherine’s house on Tuel Lane which plunges from the top of the valley to the town below and nearby is the former post office, which provided the on-screen police station. We end our tour in Halifax – you may recognise Harveys of Halifax department store from the show – and we have some time at leisure to discover the best of the town.

Optional Excursion

York & Harrogate – £13pp (full day)

Join us for a wonderful optional excursion where we first travel to the city of York. Highlights include the beautiful York Minster, the JORVIK Viking Centre and the National Railway Museum, or you may like to take a stroll around the ancient walls which surround the city before heading to the charming ‘Shambles’, a warren of narrow lanes and overhanging buildings dating back to medieval times.

Our next stop is the elegant spa town of Harrogate, where top sights include the Royal Pump Room and the attractive Montpellier Quarter with its pedestrianised streets lined with 19th-century buildings that are now home to galleries and boutiques. No trip to Harrogate is complete without a visit to the original Betty’s tea room, where you can indulge in their famous afternoon tea.