I really look forward to the first trip away each year in our caravan. Usually, we hitch up and away in January to visit our grandson in Brighton for his birthday but after an unusually busy January, February and March it was April this year before we could get a trip organised.
The Caravan and Motorhome Club has a campaign ongoing this year called ‘Read, Tour, Explore’ which encourages members to visit places that they have read about in a book, taking inspiration from the location that the book is set in. I thought about some of the books that I have read and decided my first trip of this year in the caravan would be somewhere close to Howarth in Yorkshire, which is where the illustrious Brontë family lived in the parsonage in the village.
This was an ideal distance to travel, with less than an hour towing the caravan, as it is quite close to my home in Wakefield. We recently swapped our towcar and it was just far enough away from home to see how the car and caravan worked together. We had nothing to worry about, the two of them got along famously. I had chosen the Caravan and Motorhome Club site near Hebden Bridge as a base as I knew from my research that we could easily drive to where we wanted to visit or catch a bus or a train.
The campsite is a couple of miles out of Hebden Bridge close to Mytholmroyd and is small but very cute. The wardens were so helpful to us as we had a couple of ‘teething problems’ with the caravan: the fridge tripped the electric and they suggested we run it on gas, which worked out just fine and then our plumbing was leaking so we were advised where to go to buy some new ‘push fit elbows’ and, after a bit of huffing and blowing, we managed to fix our leaks.
On our first day we ventured directly to Oxenhope where we hopped on a steam train for a round trip although we stopped off at Haworth so that we could explore the village and visit the parsonage. The Worth Valley Railway is run largely by volunteers, and it is clear to see that they are enthusiasts, from the lovely old-fashioned uniforms and the toot toot of the whistles and how they wave as you chug away from the station. This is where the film version of the book The Railway Children was filmed, and it seems nothing much has changed in the fifty odd years since that film premiered.
The walk from the station at Haworth is very steep and it is all cobbled, we took it steady and just kept stopping to catch a breath and take in the views at the same time. The wild moors are all around and this is where Emily Brontë took inspiration for her novel Wuthering Heights. There are some gorgeous little shops, cafes and pubs on the climb up to the top so plenty to distract you from the incline!
Finally at the top we walked by the church where Mr. Brontë presided and then directly onto the parsonage where the family lived. It is not the first time that I have visited the parsonage but this time, just like the first time, I was utterly enthralled. The sitting room where the girls, Charlotte, Emily and Anne wrote their novels, the sofa where it is reputed that Emily lay on when she died, Barnwell’s chaotic bedroom, the bedroom where Charlotte slept with her husband and subsequently died…. There was so much tragedy in one family and so much genius too!
After our visit we made our way back down the cobbled hill and back to the station where we caught a train back to Oxenhope where we had parked our car. It was a thoroughly enjoyable and full day, and I was keen to head back to the caravan to have a read, yes, you guessed it Wuthering Heights, and to cook our dinner, which was a recipe from my own book Meals on the Move: A Campsite Cooking Journey (which is available to buy here). I chose Coq au Reisling, which is chicken in white wine and cream sauce, easy to do and restaurant worthy!
The next day I was determined to continue with things on a literary level. I had discovered that author and one time Poet Laureate Ted Hughes had been born in Mytholmroyd. In addition to this his first wife American author Sylvia Plath was buried close by in a hilltop village called Heptonstall. Heptonstall is a stone’s throw from Hebden Bridge, so we combined our visit and went to both. Hebden Bridge is a very popular small town, home to an abundance of independent shops and frequented by colourful and artsy-looking individuals. I thoroughly recommend a visit. There are buses and a train service plus it has the Rochdale canal running right through the town, so it is interesting to walk the tow path and see the narrowboats that are plentiful.
On next to visit Sylvia. Another dark and tragic life, Sylvia took her own life when she was in her early thirties and was mother to two small children with estranged husband Ted Hughes. Hughes arranged for her to be buried in Heptonstall as they had enjoyed some happy times together at Hebden Bridge. The village is quaint but very quiet and her grave is not easy to find. We did find it and we paid our respects before heading back down towards the campsite. We located Ted Hughes’ birthplace easily enough; it is an end terrace house just off the main road through Mytholmroyd. It has a blue plaque as you would expect and is now a holiday rental.
Back at the caravan site it was time to cook once more. Another recipe from my book, this time Marry Me chicken, creamy and delicious. I served it with pasta much to my husband John’s disappointment, he is not a pasta fan but I enjoyed it so much!
Our last day and the weather was set to be fair so we had a spin on our electric bikes. I wasn’t keen to cycle on the road as they are new bikes and I am a bit cautious. We found a cycle path where there was no traffic to contend with, other than a few pedestrians and dogs. The cycle ride was a success, especially as we found a great little café and had a very welcome bite of lunch.
As it was our last night on site before returning home, I pulled out the stops and bought a couple of fat steaks as a treat. This recipe is the first one in my book and it is very simple: steak with sauté potatoes. As I was preparing it, I had a brainwave and discovered that Wuthering Heights is available as an audio book. I loved listening to the story as I chopped and stirred when getting our supper prepared.
The next day it was time to pack up and leave. We were in no rush to get away, so we took it at a leisurely pace taking time out to chat with a few motor homers who were embarking on travels much further afield than us. One couple has sold up to take two years out of work and were on their first trip in their campervan. One of the many benefits of campsite life is the way you can fall into conversation with people as you go about the routine tasks involved when you use a leisure vehicle, filling water tanks, emptying loo cassettes, whatever it is you are up to there is always someone around to chat with and exchange hints, tips and general chitchat.
When you get the chance this year, why not hitch up or rev up, book a caravan and Motorhome Club site and ‘Read, Tour, Explore’. For more details visit https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/
