The Home of "Heartbeat", "All Creatures Great and Small" & North York Moors Railway.

The North York Moors National Park is one of the finest landscapes in Britain, there are miles of stunning heather, towering sea cliffs, secluded beaches and grassy dales give it a character all of its own.  You can discover wildlife, historic buildings, archaeology, ancient woodlands and picturesque villages. Culture and traditions are as much a part of the North York Moors National Park as the landscape itself. Its depth of cultural heritage and history of human interaction with the environment are what sets this National Park apart and which make it important and distinctive on a national and even global scale. Because of this special relationship between people and place there is literally nowhere else quite like the North York Moors National Park. It really is a very special place; there is a great variety of landscapes in the North York Moors.

This is what truly makes it unique and gives it a character which so many people enjoy.Here is a land where dreams can be made to come true, here you can experience the vast open space of the moorland, listen to the call of the upland birds, walk for miles and miles or sit and watch the world go by or simply take a trip on the North York Moors Railway. You can wander through woods, amble through the picturesque villages, dip your toe in a stream, watch the RAC Rally in Dolby Forest or visit the village of Goathland where “Heartbeat” is filmed. All around are the signs of past generations, historic abbeys, embattled castles, churches, crosses, ancient routes. The local culture and traditions here are strong. You can listen; watch and you are welcome to join in.

Helmsley

Nestling on the edge of the North York Moors in Ryedale, lies the unspoilt market town of Helmsley, complete with four former coaching inns and a dazzling half timbered rectory. Helmsley hasn't always been such a peaceful backwater. At the height of its prosperity as a weaving centre in the seventeenth century, the loom operators were famous for their thirsts, their songs and their leather breeches" and historic accounts of the local fair suggest an event which was fraught with fist-fights and drunkenness.
Helmsley is dominated by its castle ruins, which date back to around the year 1200, and like so many Royalist strongholds it was blown up by the Parliamentarians in the Civil War to prevent it from being used again.

Now with its beautiful riverside walks, traditional tea rooms and tasteful country pubs, Helmsley has certainly lost nothing of its timeless charm and appeal which draws people from all over the world, but perhaps its most famous assets are Helmsley Castle and Duncombe Park, a fine baroque mansion which has been in the Duncombe family for nearly three centuries, a hospital and a girls school until it was bought in 1985 by Lord Feversham, a cousin of the third and last Earl, who restored it to its former glory and opened it to the public in 1990.

Pickering

For many people the start and finish point of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway is Pickering, an historic market town with much to commend it. The well preserved castle reveals much about the power of the Kings in the Middle Ages. Pickering Castle was used as a hunting lodge and all enjoyed their new sport in the extensive forests which then surrounded the town.

The war between the Royalists and the Roundheads brought about its ruin almost by accident. The Royalists stripped the lead from its roof to make shot for their guns whilst they were defending Scarborough, and local landowners dismantled many of the walls for their stone. Today the castle is looked after by English Heritage.

North York Moors Railway

The North York Moors Railway carries upwards of 200,000 passengers a year; it is one of the most scenic and well-travelled steam lines of its type in the country. It links Grosmont and Pickering, and follows the route of the 19th century line that gave Whitby reliable access to the outside world for the first time. The most popular half of the line which sits some 500 feet above sea level is understandably Goathland; this is of course due to its ‘Heartbeat’ connections. All the signs, lamps and features are original except for the footbridge which was installed in the last ten years. Goathland has its own signal box and is one of the few stations on this line with twin tracks which allows trains coming in either direction to pass each other.

In Goathland village the popularity of Heartbeat is evident in some of the shops, although its history extends back to Vikings and plenty of curiosities remain. The most obvious of these is the tame black-faced sheep that graze on the village common and surrounding moorland. The owners of these sheep hold common rights just as their predecessors have done for many hundreds of years. Between 1890 and 1941 the common land in the village was used as a golf course with some of the drives crossing village roads.

Heartbeat Country

Heartbeat

Heartbeat is based on a series of books by Peter Walker, under the pen-name of Nicholas Rhea. The books were based on the exploits of a country policeman in North Yorkshire in the 1960s. Peter Walker had been a country policeman in this area, and he turned his experiences into popular stories. Most of the characters in the TV series were found in these books. The first series was recorded in 1991 and aired at nine o’clock on a Friday night in April of 1992. Despite the fact that this is considered by many to be an unpopular slot, it immediately caught people’s imagination.

The village of Goathland near Whitby is seen as Aidensfield in the series. It is a typical moorland village, most of its houses were built between the1860’s and 1930’s. Goathland is a wide open area with great grass verges where sheep can wander down off the moor and decorate the place and give it that old countryside feel. It nestles in a little valley with the moors above it and has a tiny railway station on the North York Moors Railway Line.

James Herriot Country

James Alfred Wight (James Herriot) qualified as a veterinary surgeon in Glasgow in December 1939, and contrary to popular belief his position at Thirsk with Donald Sinclair was not his first employment. His first position was in Sunderland in January 1940 and it was not until July 1940 that he moved to Thirsk. Alf Wight was an ordinary country vet and he also became the best selling author (James Herriot). There have been two films and the popular television series “All Creatures Great and Small” made based on his books. The stories were based on his real life experiences as a country vet. His first book -'If only they could talk'- was published in 1970. In all he wrote eight books about his life as a vet.

Alf Wight was respected locally and did not let his fame change his lifestyle. Despite extremely high taxation in the 1970s he preferred to remain in Thirsk until he died on 23rd February 1995 at his home in Thirlby near Thirsk. Among his many interests were literature, sport and music. He was an avid supporter of Sunderland football club and he was involved in cricket, athletics and tennis. He married Joan Danbury on 5th November 1941 in St. Mary Magdalene Church Thirsk. They had two children, Jimmy and Rosie. Jimmy followed in his father's footsteps and became a veterinary surgeon whilst Rosie became a doctor. The original surgery was at 23 Kirkgate Thirsk but moved in 1997 to purpose built premises on the Thirsk Trading Estate. The original building along with an adjacent one has now been turned into the famous 'The World of James Herriot' centre.Of course his practice patients covered not only the North York Moors but the Yorkshire Dales as well so this meant many a long hard day especially in the winter months.

Rievaulx Abbey

Rievaulx Abbey is among the most atmospheric and complete of all the ruined abbeys of the north. The abbey was founded by St Bernard of Clairvaux, as part of the missionary effort to reform Christianity in Western Europe. There were only 12 Clairvaux monks that came to Rievaulx in 1132. From these modest beginnings grew one of the wealthiest monasteries of medieval England and the first northern Cistercian monastery. Rievaulx also enjoyed the protection of Walter Espec of nearby Helmsley Castle; he provided much of the abbey's land. A steady stream of monks came to Rievaulx Abbey, attracted by the prestige of Abbot Aelred, who was regarded as a wise and saintly man. Following his death in 1167, the monks of Rievaulx sought canonisation for their former leader, and in the 1220’s they rebuilt the east part of their church in a much more elaborate style to house his tomb. Most of this 13th-century presbytery still stands to virtually its full impressive height, a reminder of Rievaulx's original splendour.
Rievaulx was still a vibrant community when Henry VIII dissolved it in 1538. Its new owner, Thomas Manners, first Earl of Rutland, swiftly instigated the systematic destruction of the buildings, but the substantial remains left behind still constitute one of the most eloquent of all monastic sites in Britain. Don't miss the exciting indoor exhibition, 'The Works of God and Man', which explores the agricultural, industrial, spiritual and construction aspects of Rievaulx's history.

Rievaulx Abbey