This weekend we took a 3 day trip to Malham, Yorkshire to explore the Moors and setting of Wuthering Heights. This trip is so important for us to understand the history of the play and how of an important role the setting and nature has in the play. On day one we got a train from Kings Cross London to Leeds, from which we would get a coach to Malham in the North of Yorkshire. We hadn't yet reached our destination and I was already noticing how different the roads and surroundings are compared to London. The landscapes are much more vast and have more rural and uneven terrain. The big obvious change was also the weather and quality of air. It was much colder than London and it being early February, but it was very sunny on our first day, and our other two days weren't as dry...

After returning from the walk we just had free time at the hostel. This was time for us to bond as a cast, not just in a co-actor way but as friends which is so important as when we return back to the rehearsal room we will feel more comfortable with each other and have a closer bond. In the evening we played different games a group favourite was 'Up Jenkins Down Jenkins.' Today we all already were starting to notice all the difference's being up north and noting how much history is preserved. We hadn't been to the Moors yet but we already able to paint a picture of the plays setting and what weather and climate the character's are referring too.

After the talk we proceeded to go through the museum and each room was kept as it was back when they lived there. It was interesting to see the plan of the house and what rooms you saw first, as well as the size of rooms. The most fascinating room for me was the servants quarter/kitchen as I could really picture where Nelly would spend majority of her time and what particular household object she would use. I took notice of how there were bells on the wall, that would be run by the members of the household when in need of something, and each bell is connected to a particular room in the house. Seeing this room made me think of many other additional jobs Nelly has, on top of her routine work. We made our way through the different rooms taking note of small objects that have been meticulously placed in the rooms. Each room in the house had a purpose and was used only for that set purpose which is what I found interesting.

Most of the rooms were much smaller than I expected and were filled with a lot of furniture, portraits and books. Seeing how the family lived their everyday lives really helped me to picture what people in the play would be doing around me as I do housework. Seeing the layout of rooms will also help me on stage picture my surroundings, particularly as we have an abstract set made up of rocks that you find on The Moors. I found looking at all the costumes as well, really helpful as it will give me and idea of what I will be wearing on stage and how that will change my physicality. They had some original dresses that Emily and Charlotte wore. As well as information on particular items they wore and their purpose.

After the museum we began our 10 mile walk across The Moors. The weather considerably different than yesterday, it was heavily raining with hail with strong wind. We thought that it would slow down and clear up but it got heavier and heavier. The paths were now just puddles of mud, all our clothes very quickly were all soaked through. However, despite the very extreme weather conditions we were able to get a true feel of the climate of the play. We now understood what all those lines about storms and wind meant. Whilst walking I wanted to get the experience of all different terrains, so I walked along the path, but also walked up to the grass and through the other plants common to The Moors. I truly got to feel all the elements of The Moors and I began thinking about how all the character's in the play would've done this walk regularly in long dresses and not appropriate footwear. We walked along a path for quite a while but then we really entered The Moors where the roads were uneven, there were rocks a slight stream trickling down from the heavy downpour of rain.

The waterfall was about halfway through our walk, we explored the surroundings taking in all the different natural elements made up this vast land. We crossed over the stream and began climbing up the hill, heading towards Top Withens which is the location that Emily Bronte supposedly based Wuthering Heights on. The tiredness really started to kick in and we were struggling to walk through such intense weather conditions, but what made us keep going was making it to the top and seeing how far we had walked and looking back on how vast the land is. That's what stuck wit me most was truly how big The Moors are and there is not a house in sight or sign of life. It really made me think about how did our character's remember what direction to go in, and also I thought about how well Nelly would've known all the routes. And on the opposite side, how lost Lockwood would've been as everything does look the same and it's hard to figure out you route back.

It took us quite a while to get to Top Withens as we were all really struggling, but at the same time I was just trying to intake everything around me and really think about how this will effect my characterisation. Top Withens was mostly ruins that was overgrown but what was most interesting about it was it's location. It is deep into The Moors so geographically it is away from majority of civilisation and a very long walk away from the village. So I was thinking about how far Nelly would have to walk to buy food or go to the village for other necessities. But also how other character's in the play travel to Wuthering Heights and how long their journey would've been. After Top Withens we had an extra 45 mins down the local village and we were walking through a more flatter landscape and there was mainly heather and shrubbery with less rocks as we were getting closer to the village.

Today was our final day of our trip, and we talk a walk to Malham Cove which has incredible views across the North of Yorkshire. The weather was much better today, however I am glad we got to experience both sunny and stormy weather as we can now truly understand all the weather changes in the play. This walk wasn't as intense as yesterday's as it isn't as rocky on The Moors, well at the top it was. I continued to explore the surroundings more by going off the trail and walk among the grass and down by the stream. Once we had climbed to the top there were impeccable views where we can see the peaks and valleys of Malham and again I was so taken back by how vast the land is here - certainly a harsh contrast to the green spaces we consider vast in London. Exploring the rock formations up there also was fascinating and we were discussing how had they formed. But I was also taken in how I was walking across the rocks to then transfer that to the rehearsal when climbing on our set rocks.

Walking along Malham Cove was also great because we got to experience the versatility of land in North Yorkshire as the land was very different here. It wasn't as dark on Malham cove and there was more greenery compared to The Moors where there was purple heather and less greenery. After this walk we headed back to the hostel packed up all our belongings and began the long journey back down to London. This was a truly transformative experience and made me really reevaluate how I see the play and it's world. And most importantly it brought us together as a cast more than an exercise in rehearsal ever could, as we experienced such extreme weather conditions and accomplished such a walk together