EY up . . . Heathcliff is not the only mysterious, brooding beast in Yorkshire.
The scenery provides just as much drama as the Wuthering Heights character.
With the recent film adaptation of Emily Bronte’s novel — starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi — the Yorkshire Dales is once again teeming with yearning Cathys and brooding young Heathcliffs.
And there I was too, like a budget Cathy, if she wore Gore-Tex and hiking boots rather than a generous bustle.
Largely shot on location in the Yorkshire Dales National Park — amid the landcapes of Swaledale and Arkengarthdale valleys and the peaceful village of Low Row — the movie shines a well-deserved spotlight on this glorious corner of England.
With its scarred limestone hills, scattered with rocks, and rolling green pastures, criss-crossed with drystone walls and peppered with honeyed-stone villages, this region is the picture of a period drama.
While the rain barely lets up in the movie, Yorkshire welcomes me with beautiful blue skies, sunshine and even a light dusting of snow on the hills.
I’m almost disappointed.
I’ve brought along my own Heathcliff, my partner Toby, and my dog, Miss Babs, who loves a good romp across the moors.
We’re staying in Settle, a cute little market town in the heart of Bronte Country near the southern entrance of the National Park.
After the long journey, we hunker down with the first of many pints of local Thwaites ale in The Golden Lion – a coaching inn in the centre of town and our base for the weekend.
Rooms are cosy and comfy with a modern country feel.
Settle is a popular base for walkers.
Nearby is Ribblesdale, probably the best known walking area in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, not least for those conquering the Yorkshire Three Peaks — Whernside, Ingleborough and Pen-y-ghent.
As keen but fair-weather walkers, we opt for an easy route along the River Ribble, which still offers some spectacular views across the Dales.
Unlike in the 18th century, there’s no need to ride a bumpy old stagecoach around these parts.
Settle is the starting point of England’s most scenic railway journey.
Celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, the Settle–Carlisle Railway soars over viaducts and through heather-filled moorlands.
There are numerous stops on the 72-mile route, including the magnificent Ribblehead Viaduct, which has 24 arches.
It’s a bargain at £4.60 for a single journey.
We stayed on until Dent, the highest railway station in England, and walked part of the Dales Way, which runs from Ilkley to Lake Windermere, stopping for a pint (OK, three) at the Sportsman Inn before wobbling back for the train.
Back at the The Golden Lion, it’s time for dinner.
Choices include fat steaks (from £18.50), beer-battered fish and chips (£18.50) and Settle pudding, a traditional suet pudding oozing with steak and ale, which Toby gazes at with the lustful look of Heathcliff.
On Sunday morning, the weather turns moody.
After a hearty Yorkshire breakfast, we drive five miles to Malham, a fine village with several easy-to-access walks.
We take a muddy trudge up to Malham Cove – a natural limestone amphitheatre – and then to Gordale Scar, a towering limestone gorge with a gushing waterfall, which featured in Netflix drama, The Witcher.
Dark, damp and deliciously Gothic, it’s a fitting end to our Wuthering Heights weekend.