Much moorland is situated close to the city and has become a huge point of inspiration across culture and literature. Nature and history have combined on the North York Moors to offer a stunningly wild landscape, rich with wildlife and culture.

The North York Moors are also home to the merlin, the smallest raptor in the UK. They feed on a number of smaller animals, including pipits, larks and wheatears.

The moors in literature

The moors were the home to the Brontes, whose many novels often featured this wild landscape. In Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, the heroine leaves Rochester’s hall and travels alone across the wild moors. Similarly, Emily’s Wuthering Heights is set entirely on the moors and in homes situated on this landscape. More recent novels such as Ross Raisin’s God’s Own Country have employed this wild landscape to compare the town-based newcomers to the hero’s oneness with the area.

To explore more of the nature and culture in the Leeds area, check out the local museums.