Nestling on the moors, a few miles south west of Whitby, the village of Goathland achieved world fame as the backdrop to the television series “Heartbeat”.
There are several landmarks in the vilalge that are all used in the TV series. The Goathland Hotel becomes the Aidensfield Arms, whilst you will find Blaketon’s Post Office just down from the village store.
Visiting on Christmas Sunday, the entire village was under a blanket of snow, making it even more picturesque than usual. I say blanket, in the village car park where you would normally find coach loads of tourists in the Summer months, there was a good 18″ of snow on the ground, which meant I needed to get some assistance to get back out.
However, that particular drama seemed easy to overcome having previously had a restorative cuppa in the Goathland Hotel, or to give it its TV name, the Aindensfield Arms.
The pub staff were excellent and quite happy to talk about the TV connection and even allowed photographs to be taken inside.
One of the best features, despite the faithful reproduction of the TV set, was the open fire which added an extra welcome on such a cold day.
So after a hot coffee, it was time to go walk about in the village.
Scripp’s garage and funeral service is just over the road from the Goathland Hotel, next door to the Inn on the Moor. Whilst there were a number of modern cars outside the garage, the 1960′s Heartbeat vehicles, including the recovery truck, were all under a thick layer of snow, though I did manage to make out the shape of a Morris Minor traveller near the forecourt.
A small village hall is further up the road on the same side as the garage. This appears to be the host of a number of event judging by the signs in the windows, however, a larger community venue exists at the other end of the village near the tearoom. That was featured as hosting a dance in at least one of the TV episodes.
The shops near the tearoom form the central focus of the village, as well as many of the storylines on the TV.
A post office and newsagent, as well as an outdoor store form the cluster of shops that serve locals and visitors alike.
In the summer months, Goathland is a bustling village with a vibrant atmosphere. The number of people there is swollen by tourists on the Heartbeat trail, but the small hotels and guest houses in the village also provide the ideal base to see the best of the North Yorkshire Moors. A short stroll to the eastern edge of the village takes you to Goathland railways station, one of the main stations on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. This is an absolute must for any steam train enthusiast and while you will find the Santa Specials running in December, it is also not unheard of for Harry Potter fans to ride on the Hogwarts Express.
Whether Summer or Winter, there is always a warm welcome for visitors in Goathland. So if you fancy a longer stay in the area, but don’t want the coastal experience offered by nearby Whitby, you could do a lot worse than making Goathland your base to travel from.
View Larger Map
Featured Pic
