CLASPING a copy of Wuthering Heights, Mark Ward sat shivering in his tent on the bleak moorland of Bronte country.

Seeking inspiration, he imagined what life would have been like for Heathcliff and Kathy in the fictional masterpiece.

Now Blackburn-born Mark has turned those solitary nights in freezing temperatures and buffeting winds into a book about the Brontes and Haworth.

Mark, 38, who runs his own publishing company, Mulberry Books, was inspired to pen "A Guide to Historic Haworth & the Brontes" because of his fascination and love of the area.

His co-author is Ann Dinsdale, librarian at the Bronte Parsonage Museum, Haworth.

Mark has already written five collections of poetry and contributed to numerous anthologies. He also spent three years as Haworth's official historic guide, a job which combined his love of the countryside with his interest in the area's history.

He said: "I took a copy of Wuthering Heights onto the moors and camped out to sample the silence, emptiness and rugged feel of Bronte country.

"The book took about 18 months to write, but it has been well worth it."

The book charts some popular walks and also includes a background history of the Brontes and details of hotel accommodation and guest houses.

Mark's parents, Patrick and Dorothy, live in Revidge, Blackburn, and Mark has recruited his dad to help him out with a future book all about the views of old soldiers.

Mr Ward snr has already started to recruit elderly friends into offering their wartime experiences. He is also quizzing women about the what life was like for them when their husbands went away to the battlefields.

A Guide to Historic Haworth and the Brontes is now available in bookshops, priced at £6.99.