5 Yorkshire Literary Locations to Visit this Summer

As we head into the summer season, visitors to the UK’s largest county have the opportunity to explore the most fascinating literature hotspots that Great Britain has to offer. Travelling across Yorkshire and uncovering the hidden gems that have inspired some of our most famous writers is a must-do this summer. 

The team at Burton Constable Holiday Park have rounded up the lesser known literature-inspiring destinations to visit across Yorkshire.

Penistone Crag – Bronte country 

Penistone Crag played a key part in Wuthering Heights, one of the most well known Yorkshire novels ever published. Penistone Crag, otherwise known as the Ponden Kirk Fairy Cave thanks to its’ mysterious feel, is where Cathy and Heathcliff first meet, and is known locally for being a favourite place for the Bronte sisters to walk and write. Visitors looking for literary hotspots can take in the wild nature of the Yorkshire moors, while avoiding the crowds surrounding Haworth. 

Just past Haworth, at the very start of the Pennine Way, Penistone Crag is a short driving distance from Bradford. 

Tankersley/Hoyland – A Kestrel for a Knave

For holidaymakers en route to the Peak District to view Jane Eyre’s favourite spots, stopping in Barnsley will provide you with another side of British literary history. A Kestrel for a Knave, one of the most famous books set in South Yorkshire, is set in Hoyland, and the stunning countryside around it. While the ruin where Billy first discovers the book’s namesake, Kes, is tucked away in the beautiful South Yorkshire countryside, you can still stop by the other iconic landmarks mentioned in Hines’s novel – including a chip shop, Caspar’s, named after Billy for a literary lunch.

These sights are a quick detour just off Junction 37 on the M1. 

North York Moors – The Secret Garden

If you’re planning to explore further afield, the North Yorkshire moors are the perfect place to spend a day in nature and take in the scenery behind one of the UK’s most loved children’s classics. Frances Hodgson Burnett was inspired by the bleak and beautiful moors when writing The Secret Garden, set in a mysterious part of the moors. Interestingly, the original BBC serialisation of The Secret Garden was actually filmed at Burton Constable Hall! 

The North York moors can be reached from York on public transport, and a steam train even services villages across the moors between April and October.

Burton Constable – Moby Dick

Did you know the sperm whale behind Moby Dick was not only real, but found on the East Yorkshire coastline? Washed up in Tunstall, the sperm whale skeleton that inspired Herman Melville’s famous story was brought to Burton Constable Hall in 1856 – and is still there today.

Rodrica Straker, Trustee of Burton Constable Holiday Park, set near the grounds overlooking the Hall, said:

“With so many literary landmarks in the area, Yorkshire is an amazing place to visit for a holiday with some historical input. Taking in the beautiful Yorkshire countryside and coastline while learning about the authors inspired by the very same views gives everyone something to enjoy.”

East Yorkshire Coast – Lord of the Rings

J R R Tolkien spent almost eighteen months in the East Riding of Yorkshire recovering from trench foot during World War One. Dubbed ‘The Tolkien Triangle’, the villages retreating due to erosion along the coastline, as well as the beautiful woodland around the countryside, are understood to have inspired Tolkien’s magical landscapes. 

To explore the Tolkien Triangle in full, travel from Spurn Point, Humberside’s own Land’s End, up to Flamborough Head to explore this iconic coastline. 

About Burton Constable Holiday Park

Burton Constable Holiday Park & Arboretum is a VisitEngland 5-star rated holiday park in the depths of the East Riding of Yorkshire. There are various accommodation types to choose from, including holiday homes for sale, holiday lodges, deluxe glamping pods, and static caravans. 

The holiday park, which has been family owned since 1968, has onsite fishing lakes, stunning countryside views, and both a lakeside bar and woodland store that provide guests with live entertainment, events, seasonal mini-markets, and even stone-baked pizza. It’s also within 200 acres of the magnificent Burton Constable Hall grounds, an Elizabethan Hall that has been in the Constable family for more than 400 years.

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