The Tales from the Dales & Brontë Country

Johnny James, Managing Editor

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The Tales from the Dales & Brontë Country

Until 29 March 2026
Date
Time
Session Features
04 Jul 2025
8:15 am-7:15 pm
06 Jul 2025
8:15 am-7:15 pm
11 Jul 2025
8:15 am-7:15 pm
13 Jul 2025
8:15 am-7:15 pm
18 Jul 2025
8:15 am-7:15 pm

See website for more sessions

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

Dales & Brontë Country Tour
Rabbie'sTours
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Take a storybook journey from Manchester into Brontë country and the limestone folds of the Yorkshire Dales – landscapes that have shaped some of England’s most enduring fiction.

As you might have guessed, this is a tour for literature fans. But it’s also a day for romantics. Not the hearts-and-roses kind, but those stirred by wind-blown moors, brooding skylines, and stories worn into cobbled streets. With one of Rabbie’s expert guides – part driver, part storyteller – you won’t just see these places, you’ll understand them: their histories, their mysteries, their… Cheeses.

Setting off from Manchester, you’ll travel in a top-of-the-range mini-coach with no more than 16 other people. One of these will be your guide, who’ll bring this tour to life with knowledge, facts, stories, history and fairy-tales.

Dales & Brontë Country Tour
Rabbie’s Tours

From urban bustle to tranquil charm. The first stop on the tour is the hillside home of the Brontë family: Haworth. Wander the town’s steep, cobbled streets and, if timing allows, step into the Brontë Parsonage Museum – a shrine for readers and writers alike. It was here the sisters imagined windswept lovers, haunted halls, and fierce heroines long before they became literary icons.

From there, it’s on into the Dales as meandering hills and craggy moorlands stretch out around you. Emily Brontë might’ve set Wuthering Heights further north, but the mood? Very much present. Over ancient ridgelines, you’ll trace a route through Grassington, fictionalised as Darrowby in All Creatures Great & Small. Next is Aysgarth Falls, a three-stepped waterfall that’s been luring in artists and writers – including Wordsworth – for over 200 years. You’ll see why.

Cheese. Won’t somebody tell me about the cheese. Don’t worry, it takes centre stage at Wensleydale Creamery – proud custodians of a 1000-year-old cheesemaking tradition and makers of the crumbly classic adored by Wallace himself. From their iconic Yorkshire Wensleydale to the rich, buttery flavours of Fountains Gold, load up – you’ve earned it.

High off 100% pure Wensleydale, you’ll roll onto the final stop: Ribblehead Viaduct – a jaw-dropper of Victorian engineering stretched across the wild moor. It’s impressive on its own, but your guide’s the one who’ll make it sing – bringing you tales of navvies, hardship, ambition, and a railway built against the odds. With the Three Peaks on the horizon and a bit of awe in your chest, you’ll pile back on the bus and head for boring old Manchester.

But by now, it’s not just about where you’ve been – it’s how you’ve seen it. Through stories, through the words and worlds of the writers who walked here before you, through a guide who knows just when to point something out – and when to let the landscape speak for itself. This is what Rabbie’s and their guides do best: slowing things down, finding the stories that stick, and making it feel like this tour was made just for you.

Where to go near The Tales from the Dales & Brontë Country

Morning Glory - Coffee Cup
Manchester
Café or Coffee Shop
Morning Glory

Morning Glory positions itself as a grab-and-go spot, with just 12 seats inside serving coffee, bagels and sweet treats.

The Warehouse In Holbeck
Leeds
Event venue
The Warehouse In Holbeck

Run by acclaimed theatre company Slung Low, The Warehouse in Holbeck is home to boundary-pushing performance and community projects.

Leeds
Event venue
The Attic

Tucked away above the bustle of Merrion Street, The Attic is one of Leeds’ most distinctive small venues – intimate, unpretentious, and steeped in DIY spirit.

The Chevin is a great place for visitors to do lots of different activities and is open all year round with 5 free car parks. To help you find out whatís best for you we have divided this section up into some of these different activities.Please be aware that The Chevin is a working estate so you may see vehicles including timber-extraction lorries using some of the tracks.Self-guided WalksThe Chevin is a big place and there is a good network of paths to make your own circular walk, but if you want to follow a themed trail there is a Geology Trail, Heritage Time Trail and a route for Tree Spotters.Bikes & HorsesThere is an extensive bridleway network on the eastern parts of The Chevin that caters for a range of abilities.Orienteering and GeocachingTwo orienteering courses and a number of geocache sites are waiting to be discovered.Climbing & BoulderingThere are many fantastic crags for climbing and boulders for bouldering.Mobility Scooters & Wheelchairs
Leeds
Restaurant
Oporto

For many years, Oporto has been a beacon of alternative energy on Leeds’ Call Lane – serving up great food and drink alongside resident DJs and live music.

Manchester
Gallery
Black Redstart Gallery

Black Redstart Gallery is located in the Northern Quarter and runs a busy programme of exhibitions from emerging and established artists.

RJC Dance Xmas Show
Leeds
RJC Dance

RJC Dance, based in Chapeltown, Leeds, champions youth and education, leading inclusive Black dance in the North through national partnerships.

Manchester
Gallery
texture mcr

Possibly one of the city’s most mysterious art galleries, texture is a small and perfectly-formed independent space in Ardwick.

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