It sits abandoned, mouldering away. Darkly moody and isolated, it's sturdily built into a hillside in the vast Pennine Moors. Top Withens, probable inspiration for Emily Brontë's novel, erodes more each year, but still the visitors come.

Sixty-nine years ago, the original version of Wuthering Heights was filmed on Joel McCrea's ranch 40 miles from Los Angeles. Starring Laurence Olivier, Merle Oberon and David Niven, it became an instant classic.

When remade in 1971 starring Timothy Dalton as Heathcliffe, American International Pictures decided the only way to do the remake justice was to film it on the same lonely, brooding Yorkshire moors so vividly described in Brontë's novel.

Life on the moorland can be harsh even today, but in the 18th century, existence was every bit as austere and desolate as shown on the screen.

Isolation and simplicity of life there helped shape character and personalities of the talented Brontë sisters who spent endless hours roaming the vast moorland surrounding their father's parsonage at Haworth.

Charlotte Brontë described the landscape best.

"My sister Emily loved the moors. Flowers brighter than the rose bloomed in the blackest heath for her; out of a sullen hollow in a livid hillside her mind would make an Eden. She found in the bleak solitude many and dear delights; and not the least and best loved was . . . liberty."

Beauty truly is "in the eye of the beholder". Some would find these sprawling moorlands desolate, eerie and threatening, a place to be avoided.

Others, my family included, view them as a unique, ever-changing wonder of nature to be explored . . . but carefully.

Looking back through my files covering so many trips to England, there was an eye-catching brochure with intense black lettering in large bold type warning: "How to stop yourself dying on the moors."

It was full of safety warnings for those not used to hiking in places like the south Pennine Hills. They stretch all the way to the border of Scotland.

Basic things include wearing appropriate clothes, checking weather forecasts, letting someone know where you're going, having a compass, torch, water, food, regional map and first aid supplies.

For an amateur it can be as compromising as starting down into the Grand Canyon near dusk. Local rescuers report 47 per cent of all rambling accidents involve exposure and injuries to legs and ankles.

Streams can quickly swell to torrents, rocks become coated with ice. The film crew chose winter for filming to assure proper moodiness. But director Robert Fuest often got more than he bargained for when rain, hail, sleet, snow and sun all appeared in one day.

Imagine what it was like in the early 1800s . . . no flashlights or cell phones to rescue anyone injured. West Yorkshire officials feel it important enough to issue such a brochure in co-operation with the Moorland Rescue Association.

The fireplace in Haworth's parsonage was welcome and warming after such rambles. Nevertheless, it was not your ordinary household.

The Rev. Patrick Brontë was an Ulster-man born in County Tyrone in 1777. He moved to England to study at Cambridge and became a clergyman in the Church of England.

He met Cornwall-born Maria Branwell when she came to visit an uncle. They married and she never returned home. But her sister, a devout Wesleyan, arrived from Penzance, Cornwall to help care for the six very young children left behind when Mrs. Brontë died in 1821.

There's no question Haworth and the Brontë Parsonage have become something of a shrine, second only to Shakespeare-related sites.

After visiting the Brontë Parsonage with its unusual cemetery setting, next stop is St. Michael's Church where all the Brontës are interred, except for Anne, who died in Scarborough.

The tower of the church is original, but the remainder was demolished to the great horror of Brontë enthusiasts. It's reported the Rev. John Wade, who succeeded Rev. Brontë, apparently had a hard time coping with the Brontë mystique.

But lest viewers think the moors always have such an eerie bleakness, our two visits there were in spring and each found landscapes the same vibrant green as shown in the closing cemetery scene when former James Bond star Dalton and Anna Calder-Marshall frolic as free spirits.

Wild flowers were abloom under clear blue skies and already there was a hint of the heather which would carpet hillsides with purple by August. Streams and rivers born among these Pennine Hills came swirling down as waterfalls.

For all their wild starkness, the moors and dales still have a certain softness and fascination for roaming explorer types and prove irresistible to hikers seeking seclusion and tranquillity.

Winds which sweep across them even on a warm summer day often have such a wistful, wailing sound that it doesn't take much imagination to almost hear Cathy calling after Heathcliff.

What about the word "wuthering" in the title of that popular book? Emily herself described that ancient term as "atmospheric tumult in stormy weather".

Which in this case could mean the story's tempestuous characters as well as the setting. The revenge they plan for each other is sadly as ruthless as nature on the rampage.

Some travellers consider Yorkshire among England's most varied counties. It is divided into three ridings (derived from the ancient "thriding", meaning a third) . . . East, North and West.

They vary from classic country gentry to industrial sites edging those moors. Ageless abbeys and mediaeval castles share acreage with quiet market towns and some impressive national parks.

London is only three hours away by train, less than a 200-mile drive. There are many historic country inns and guest houses, including Black Bull Hotel near the church and parsonage, made famous ¿ or infamous ¿ by Branwell's frequent presence in its pub.

Fans of those wonderfully vintage historic railroads of which England is famed also beat a path there. Haworth is noted for the Worth Valley Railway and it's a charmer.

Remember a delightful film called The Railroad Children, a real winner for family viewing of all ages? The trains seen in that film are here and it's worth a detour to ride one.

Branwell Brontë had worked for the railway as a clerk at their Haworth station until being let go in 1842. Then in 1845 he lost his job as tutor when he became involved with the mistress of the house.

The family felt he was the most talented of them all and would certainly make his name in the world as a writer or painter.

An attractive painting of the three sisters done by Branwell does hang in London's National Portrait Galley ¿ at least it was still there our last visit. It was taken to Ireland by Charlotte's husband, folded and stashed away until rediscovered.

This summer there will be a special collection of Branwell's paintings on display in the Parsonage, along with a complete collection of Emily's possessions.

Back to that esteemed railroad: Leafing through a saved catalogue of Worth Valley Railway's rolling stock brings back memories of a dazzling collection of more 30 standard gauge steam trains, many of which pull trains along the five-mile Worth line between Keighley and Oxenhope.

The goods yards is at Haworth, engine sheds at Oxenhope and both bustle with excitement.

There are plenty of reason to linger in this area . . . for starters, interesting Brontë-associated shops, tea rooms, restaurants, historic buildings and Brontë atmosphere everywhere.

Our liqueur collection now includes an interesting glazed beige pottery container labelled "Brontë . . . Original Unique Yorkshire Liqueur".

And if you continue on along the path past Top Withens (not quite as interesting since its roof has collapsed since my first visit), you'll reach Ponden Hall, Thrushcross Grange in the novel.

Now a popular bed and breakfast, it's an Elizabethan farmhouse dating back to 1560. We won't detail every turn or bend in the route because those who attempt these several miles of rambling through the moors should really pick up a map in Haworth.

You're close to many points of interest . . . only 47 miles to York via Leeds and a list of very worthy sights. But we'll save that for another time because Castle Howard is also in this region.

Already a celebrity since its construction started in 1700, amazing Castle Howard became even more famous as the location for Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited and we're taking you there next week.

Travel factfile: Brontë Parsonage is open daily from April to September, October to March with seasonal hours. Admission is £6 (about $12) for adults, seniors £4, families £15. Type in Bronte Parsonage, Haworth, England and discover enough information to keep you busy for hours. Don't be surprised to find some in Japanese, where there's a huge Brontë following.

Next week: Castle Howard and Brideshead Revisited