A stroll through Bront country, following part of the "Worth Way" close to the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway

Distance: around 5.5km, plus exploring Haworth
Obstacles:  Steps, several stiles and footbridges

The starting point for this walk is the bus-stop opposite Holden Park, Oakworth, West Yorkshire.  Grid reference: 035387 on Ordnance Survey Explorer OL21.  I caught Keighley and District's 717 Oakworth service to the start of this walk.

From the bus stop, walk back along the road a few yards, turning right to head downhill towards Oakworth station.  Approximately half-way down the hill, the Worth Way crosses the road.  Turn right through the gate, and walk across the field pictured opposite.  The horses seem well used to walkers and completely ignored me, although they might have become curious if I'd had a dog with me.

Continue straight on, past the woods, keeping the old mill chimney in view on the right.  Ignore any paths which branch off the route, carry on until the path goes down a set of stems and emerges onto the road.

Turn left, and follow the road across the beck and on uphill where it bears round to the right.  Pass the road junction to Haworth, and continue for around 250m where the path heads off left, down a drive.  After 50m, go through the gate and follow the paved path until it reaches some houses.  Walk past these, and follow the path down the slope.

The path emerges near the footbridge across the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway, next to Haworth station.  At this point, the walk can be broken to visit Haworth, take a ride on the KWVR steam railway or catch a bus.

To continue the walk, cross the footbridge, and the road, and turn to the right.  Carry on until the road forks, turn left and look for the signpost for the Worth Way on the opposite side of the road.

A well-defined and relatively low-level route, this part of the walk is very popular with steam-train enthusiasts and photographers, as it broadly follows the route of the heritage railway. Note: Until the path crosses the footbridge, it can be very muddy due to underground springs.  

Continue along the route, and on through the yard of a farmhouse.  Here the Worth Way crosses the Millennium Way, which  heads off up the farm drive.  Our route goes down to the right, heading towards the riverbank and the old packhorse bridge.

Don't cross the packhorse bridge, continue straight on until, right next to the railway line, the path reaches another footbridge and meets the Bront Way.  Cross the footbridge, turn right and follow the path past the back of Oxenhope railway sheds and out onto the road.

If you want to walk a little further for something to eat, see our feature on The Lamb Inn, located up Denholm Road, just outside Oxenhope village. 

Otherwise, for refreshments and buses, walk along Station Road towards Oxenhope Lowertown.  A Co-Op supermarket sells drinks and snacks, and buses for Keighley and Haworth depart from opposite Oxenhope Post Office.  Service 663 runs hourly during the daytime, departing at 23 minutes past the hour, Monday-Saturday.  Evening services are less frequent.  On Sundays, there are two morning departures, then hourly between 1243 and 2143.  Service 720 also departs from here, but far less frequently.