# Oxenhope Staycation Guide — Where to Stay & What to Do > Discover Oxenhope, West Yorkshire: steam trains, Bronte Country moors and cosy pubs at the head of the Worth Valley. Source: https://staycation.co.uk/oxenhope (Staycation.co.uk). Cite the source page, not this text version. Steam trains, stone villages and open Pennine moorland Photo © Hartley Ian, Google Maps [Guide](https://staycation.co.uk/oxenhope) [🏨 Hotels](https://staycation.co.uk/oxenhope/hotels) [🏡 Cottages](https://staycation.co.uk/oxenhope/cottages) [⛺ Camping](https://staycation.co.uk/oxenhope/camping) [🎟️ Attractions](https://staycation.co.uk/oxenhope/attractions) [🍽️ Restaurants](https://staycation.co.uk/oxenhope/restaurants) Oxenhope sits at the head of the Worth Valley in West Yorkshire, the final village before the road climbs out onto open Pennine moorland. It is a proper working Yorkshire village of stone terraces and old mill buildings rather than a tourist set-piece, which is part of its appeal: this is Bronte Country without the crowds that gather a couple of miles away in Haworth. The village grew up around textile mills powered by the fast-flowing becks that drop off the moor, and though the mills have mostly gone, the millstone-grit houses and chapels they left behind still give Oxenhope its character. What makes Oxenhope distinctive is its position as the southern terminus of the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway, a heritage steam line that has been running since the 1860s. Beyond the village, the land rises quickly onto Oxenhope Moor and the wider South Pennines, a landscape of heather, gritstone outcrops and reservoirs that inspired the Bronte sisters and still draws walkers, cyclists and wild swimmers today. It is a place best enjoyed slowly: a ride on the steam train, a walk up onto the moor, and a pint in a village pub afterwards. ## Getting to Oxenhope Oxenhope lies just off the A6033 between Keighley and Hebden Bridge, around 4 miles south of Keighley and a similar distance from Halifax. By car it is roughly 40 minutes from Leeds or Bradford city centres and around an hour from Manchester via the M62 and Halifax. The village has limited but useful bus links along the valley, and the main-line railway station at Keighley (on the Airedale and Bentham lines) connects to Leeds and Bradford, with the heritage Keighley and Worth Valley Railway continuing on from there to Oxenhope itself - a scenic way to arrive without a car. Leeds Bradford Airport is around 30 minutes away by road. ## Best time to visit Oxenhope Late spring and summer bring the moors to life, with the heather turning purple across Oxenhope Moor from late July into September and the steam railway running its fullest timetable, including special events like the Steam Gala. July also brings the Oxenhope Straw Race, one of the village's liveliest weekends. Autumn suits walkers who prefer quieter paths and crisp light over the valley, while winter has its own appeal for those who enjoy bracing moorland walks followed by a fire and a pint in one of the local pubs. Whatever the season, be prepared for changeable Pennine weather up on the tops. ## Where to stay in Oxenhope [All hotels in Oxenhope →](https://staycation.co.uk/oxenhope/hotels) About staying in Oxenhope Oxenhope is a village of quiet stone terraces rather than big hotels, so accommodation here tends to be small and characterful: bed and breakfasts in converted weavers' cottages, farmhouse guesthouses on the edge of the moor, and self-catering barn conversions with views down the Worth Valley. Staying in the village itself puts you a short walk from the steam railway terminus and the local pubs, and within easy striking distance of the moorland paths that climb straight out of the back streets. For a wider choice of hotels and inns, nearby Haworth offers guesthouses close to the Bronte Parsonage and cobbled Main Street, while Keighley and Hebden Bridge, both a short drive away, have a broader range of hotels serving the wider Worth Valley and South Pennines area. Wherever you base yourself, book ahead for the summer months and for the Oxenhope Straw Race weekend in July, when the village fills up quickly. [Haworth Old Hall Sun Street, Keighley](https://staycation.co.uk/keighley/hotels/haworth-old-hall) [Leeming Wells - Guest House Long Causeway, Keighley](https://staycation.co.uk/keighley/hotels/leeming-wells-guest-house) [Bridge House B&B Bridgehouse Lane, Haworth](https://staycation.co.uk/haworth/hotels/bridge-house-b-b) [Rosebud Cottage Guest House 1 Belle Isle Road, Haworth](https://staycation.co.uk/haworth/hotels/rosebud-cottage-guest-house) [The Old Registry Rooms & Restaurant 2-4 Main Street, Keighley](https://staycation.co.uk/keighley/hotels/the-old-registry-rooms-restaurant) [Park Top House Rawdon Road, Keighley](https://staycation.co.uk/keighley/hotels/park-top-house) [The Fleece Inn 67 Main Street, Haworth](https://staycation.co.uk/haworth/hotels/the-fleece-inn) [Black Bull Inn 119 Main Street, Haworth](https://staycation.co.uk/haworth/hotels/black-bull-inn) ## Things to Do in Oxenhope(1) [All attractions in Oxenhope →](https://staycation.co.uk/oxenhope/attractions) Top things to do in Oxenhope Oxenhope punches well above its size when it comes to things to see and do, thanks largely to its railway heritage and its moorland doorstep. - **Keighley and Worth Valley Railway** - Oxenhope station is the southern terminus of this five-mile heritage steam line to Keighley, built in 1867. The station has an exhibition shed of locomotives awaiting restoration, a tearoom in a converted carriage, and regular steam services most weekends and daily in summer. - **Oxenhope Straw Race** - held every July, this quirky village tradition sees teams carry a bale of straw around a course between the village pubs, sampling a pint at each stop. It is one of the best-loved local events in the Worth Valley calendar. - **Haworth and the Bronte Parsonage** - the cobbled village made famous by the Bronte family is a short drive or steam-train ride away, with the Bronte Parsonage Museum and the moorland walk to Top Withens, said to have inspired Wuthering Heights. - **Oxenhope Moor and the South Pennines** - footpaths lead straight from the village onto open heather moorland, part of the wider South Pennines landscape, with views back down the Worth Valley and connections to the Pennine Way. - **Leeming Reservoir and Warley Moor** - a bleak, beautiful reservoir on the tops above Oxenhope, popular with walkers and photographers, especially at dusk. - **Denholme and the old mill villages** - nearby settlements with surviving mill architecture that tell the story of the valley's Victorian textile boom. [Keighley & Worth Valley Railway ⭐ 4.8](https://staycation.co.uk/oxenhope/attractions/keighley-worth-valley-railway) [SMJ Falconry ⭐ 4.9](https://staycation.co.uk/oxenhope/attractions/smj-falconry) [Cobbles and Clay Cafe ⭐ 4.5](https://staycation.co.uk/oxenhope/attractions/cobbles-and-clay-cafe) [Bronte Parsonage Museum ⭐ 4.6](https://staycation.co.uk/oxenhope/attractions/bronte-parsonage-museum) [🎟️Sightseeing & Attractions The Haworth Spy Mission Trail](https://staycation.co.uk/oxenhope/attractions/the-haworth-spy-mission-trail) [Ogden Water Country Park ⭐ 4.7](https://staycation.co.uk/oxenhope/attractions/ogden-water-country-park) [Another World Adventure Centre ⭐ 4.7](https://staycation.co.uk/oxenhope/attractions/another-world-adventure-centre) [Ingrow Museum of Rail Travel ⭐ 4.9](https://staycation.co.uk/oxenhope/attractions/ingrow-museum-of-rail-travel) ## Where to Eat in Oxenhope [All restaurants in Oxenhope →](https://staycation.co.uk/oxenhope/restaurants) Food and drink in Oxenhope The village centres on a couple of well-regarded pubs. The Dog and Gun, a 17th-century coaching inn on Denholme Road just above the village, serves home-cooked food and a strong range of cask ales, with a dining room built around the pub's original well. The Bay Horse Inn in the village itself is a friendly, traditional local known for fresh, simple pub food. Oxenhope station's own tearoom, set inside a heritage railway carriage, is a good spot for a cream tea between train rides, and Haworth's Main Street, a short trip away, adds tearooms, cafes and restaurants set among its cobbled shopfronts. [PCB Catering at Upwood Holiday Park ⭐ 4.7](https://staycation.co.uk/oxenhope/restaurants/pcb-catering-at-upwood-holiday-park) [Tap and Vine ⭐ 4.7](https://staycation.co.uk/oxenhope/restaurants/tap-and-vine) [Writer's Bloc ⭐ 4.7](https://staycation.co.uk/oxenhope/restaurants/writer-s-bloc) [Loobylou's ⭐ 4.4](https://staycation.co.uk/oxenhope/restaurants/loobylou-s) [The Hawthorn ⭐ 4.7](https://staycation.co.uk/oxenhope/restaurants/the-hawthorn) [Keighley & Worth Valley Railway Catering ⭐ 4.7](https://staycation.co.uk/oxenhope/restaurants/keighley-worth-valley-railway-catering) [Mill Hey Fisheries ⭐ 4.4](https://staycation.co.uk/oxenhope/restaurants/mill-hey-fisheries) [Apothecary Tea Rooms ⭐ 3.1](https://staycation.co.uk/oxenhope/restaurants/apothecary-tea-rooms) ## Attractions Near Oxenhope [All attractions in Oxenhope →](https://staycation.co.uk/attractions) Worth the trip — within 50 miles of Oxenhope. [0 mi Keighley & Worth Valley Railway Keighley · ⭐ 4.8](https://staycation.co.uk/keighley/attractions/keighley-worth-valley-railway) [1 mi Cobbles and Clay Cafe Keighley · ⭐ 4.5](https://staycation.co.uk/keighley/attractions/cobbles-and-clay-cafe) [1 mi Bronte Parsonage Museum Keighley · ⭐ 4.6](https://staycation.co.uk/keighley/attractions/bronte-parsonage-museum) [🎟️Sightseeing & Attractions 3 mi The Haworth Spy Mission Trail Haworth](https://staycation.co.uk/haworth/attractions/the-haworth-spy-mission-trail) [3 mi Ogden Water Country Park Halifax · ⭐ 4.7](https://staycation.co.uk/halifax/attractions/ogden-water-country-park) [3 mi Another World Adventure Centre Halifax · ⭐ 4.7](https://staycation.co.uk/halifax/attractions/another-world-adventure-centre) [3 mi Ingrow Museum of Rail Travel Keighley · ⭐ 4.9](https://staycation.co.uk/keighley/attractions/ingrow-museum-of-rail-travel) [4 mi Farm Shed Bradford · ⭐ 5.0](https://staycation.co.uk/bradford/attractions/farm-shed) ## Camping in Oxenhope(1) [All campsites in Oxenhope →](https://staycation.co.uk/oxenhope/camping) About camping in Oxenhope The moors above Oxenhope, part of the wider South Pennines, are classic gritstone and heather country, with Oxenhope Moor and Warley Moor rising directly from the village to open, exposed tops. As in the rest of England, wild camping here is not a legal right and requires the landowner's permission; the moorland around Oxenhope is largely managed grouse moor and farmland, so pitching a tent without asking is best avoided. Instead, look to the area's campsites and glamping sites, which range from simple farm fields to well-equipped touring and camping parks in the Worth Valley and surrounding Bronte Country, several with views straight up onto the moor. Because Oxenhope sits at real Pennine altitude, the weather can turn quickly even in summer, so a good four-season tent, warm layers and proper waterproofs are worth having whatever the forecast says at the campsite gate. Late spring through early autumn is the most comfortable window for camping, with long evenings to enjoy the heather in bloom from late July, though the changeable weather common to the South Pennines means rain gear is never a bad idea. Winter camping is possible for the more experienced, with the moors at their starkest and quietest, but conditions underfoot and overhead can be genuinely harsh. For those who want the setting without the full exposure, glamping sites in the surrounding valleys offer pods, shepherd's huts and yurts with the same views of moor and mill village but a proper bed and heating to retreat to. A short walk or drive brings you to the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway, the Bronte Parsonage in Haworth, and miles of open-access moorland, making Oxenhope and its surrounding campsites a good, less crowded base for exploring Bronte Country on foot. [Upwood Holiday Park ⭐ 4.7](https://staycation.co.uk/oxenhope/camping/upwood-holiday-park-oxenhope) [Top Field Certificated Site ⭐ 4.8](https://staycation.co.uk/west-yorkshire/camping/top-field-certificated-site) [Wuthering Heights Inn ⭐ 4.6 · from £170/night](https://staycation.co.uk/keighley/camping/wuthering-heights-inn) [Milking Hill Farm ⭐ 4.8 · from £25/night](https://staycation.co.uk/haworth/camping/milking-hill-farm) [Woodsworth Exploring ⭐ 4.8 · from £32/night](https://staycation.co.uk/keighley/camping/woodsworth-exploring) [Ashgrove Farm Certificated Location ⭐ 4.0](https://staycation.co.uk/west-yorkshire/camping/ashgrove-farm-certificated-location) [Ponden Mill ⭐ 4.5 · from £20/night](https://staycation.co.uk/haworth/camping/ponden-mill) [Newsholme Manor Restaurant Certificated Site ⭐ 4.6](https://staycation.co.uk/west-yorkshire/camping/newsholme-manor-restaurant-certificated-site) ## Self-Catering Cottages in Oxenhope [All cottages in Oxenhope →](https://staycation.co.uk/oxenhope/cottages) [🏡Cottage Wildfell Cottage 2 bed · sleeps 3 · from £414](https://staycation.co.uk/bradford/cottages/wildfell-cottage-syk1162042) [🏡Cottage Yate Cottage 1 bed · sleeps 2 · from £439](https://staycation.co.uk/bradford/cottages/yate-cottage-syk913883) [🏡Cottage Penistone View 2 bed · sleeps 4 · from £326](https://staycation.co.uk/bradford/cottages/penistone-view-syk1096469) [🏡Cottage New Heights 2 bed · sleeps 4 · from £489](https://staycation.co.uk/bradford/cottages/new-heights-syk1144647) [🏡Cottage Fernhill Cottage 2 bed · sleeps 4 · from £867](https://staycation.co.uk/bradford/cottages/fernhill-cottage-uk2456) [Bull Hill Cottage 2 bed · sleeps 4 · from £318](https://staycation.co.uk/bradford/cottages/bull-hill-cottage-syk1050831) [🏡Cottage Marsh Cottage 2 bed · sleeps 3 · from £298](https://staycation.co.uk/bradford/cottages/marsh-cottage-syk1139170) [🏡Cottage North Ives Cottage 2 bed · sleeps 3 · from £338](https://staycation.co.uk/bradford/cottages/north-ives-cottage-syk1165466) ## Common questions about Oxenhope How many campsites are there in Oxenhope? We list 1 campsites in and around Oxenhope, of which 1 take tents and 1 offer glamping. Are there dog-friendly campsites in Oxenhope? Yes — 1 of the 1 campsites we list in Oxenhope accept dogs, including Upwood Holiday Park. Which campsites in Oxenhope have electric hook-up? 1 of the 1 campsites we list in Oxenhope offer an electric hook-up. What is there to do in Oxenhope? We list 1 attractions and things to do in and around Oxenhope. ### 🏨 Find Hotels in Oxenhope Search hotels, B&Bs and self-catering on Booking.com. [Search Accommodation →](https://www.anrdoezrs.net/click-101762279-15734754?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.booking.com%2Fsearchresults.en-gb.html%3Fss%3DOxenhope%252C%2BUnited%2BKingdom) Affiliate link ### Explore Oxenhope - [🏨 Hotels & B&Bs](https://staycation.co.uk/oxenhope/hotels) - [🏡 Cottages](https://staycation.co.uk/oxenhope/cottages) - [⛺ Campsites & glamping](https://staycation.co.uk/oxenhope/camping) - [🎟️ Attractions](https://staycation.co.uk/oxenhope/attractions) - [🍽️ Restaurants](https://staycation.co.uk/oxenhope/restaurants) - [🗺️ More in West Yorkshire](https://staycation.co.uk/west-yorkshire) - [🧭 All of the Yorkshire and the Humber](https://staycation.co.uk/regions/yorkshire-and-the-humber) ## Staycation ideas for Oxenhope [All staycation ideas →](https://staycation.co.uk/staycation-ideas) [Santa Steam Trains: Heritage Railway Christmas Specials Britain's heritage railways run Santa specials every December, and they are some of the best-loved family days out of the season. How they work, a few of the best-known lines, and when to book.](https://staycation.co.uk/staycation-ideas/santa-steam-train-specials) [The Best Last-Minute UK Staycations Six well-connected UK towns and cities worth booking at short notice, chosen for easy travel and a decent spread of accommodation once the school-holiday crowds have thinned.](https://staycation.co.uk/staycation-ideas/best-last-minute-staycations) [Rainy Day Staycations: Best UK Breaks for Bad Weather When the forecast turns grim, these UK cities and spa towns keep their appeal indoors, with museums, galleries and grand architecture to fill a wet weekend.](https://staycation.co.uk/staycation-ideas/rainy-day-staycations-uk) [The Best Dog-Friendly Staycations in Britain From Cornish coast paths to Lake District fells, these six British destinations offer the open beaches, moors and forests that make a staycation genuinely enjoyable for dogs and their owners alike.](https://staycation.co.uk/staycation-ideas/dog-friendly-staycations)