Goathland, North Yorkshire

I thought it was time to wish you all a belated Happy New Year by finding something seasonal in my photo collection to publish. After all, it's difficult to display this kind of set at Easter or in the summer ! It's not the best set of images in the world as firstly the sun seemed to be on an away day, but it shows that I'm still alive and keeping my head above the water even though it has taken some time to get this post together and published. I'll catch up with your blogs over the next week.

Last year was a difficult year and even though I had to go with it as decisions were taken out of my hands, that doesn't seem to be easing with the arrival of a New Year. Extensive house clearance and it seems the only way forward is to trust God with difficult decisions to make just around the corner. Unfortunately, my hands are still tied in numerous ways as I still await the financial clearance to deal with my Mothers affairs.

Although the North York Moors can seem a bleak place with its plateau like features ideal for long walks, it has some unimpressive hill contours and yet dramatic deep valleys. Personally I find it a place of great beauty, particularly with the colours of heather in summer. Many of the undulating summits peak at just above 300m which is twice the height above sea level of the lovely village of Goathland.

Goathland attracts a lot of tourists for many reasons with the historic North Yorkshire Moors railway running through the village.

The railway was originally opened in 1836 and closed by the infamous Dr Beeching in 1965 and although many railways remained closed, it seemed right for a preservation trust to re-acquire the line a few years later.

The current 18 mile railway is the second longest private railway in the UK with The Severn Valley Railway claiming the number one spot for that title.

The railway recommenced services in 1973 and for the majority of its life has operated from the enforced terminus at Pickering to Grosmont where it joins the Middlesborough to Whitby line. In recent years, the company has negotiated with the owners of the national rail network to extend the service on special weekends into the coastal town of Whitby following in the footsteps of Victorian passengers but more importantly as a trade route from the sea. I must confess that after having attended many diesel and occasional steam galas over the years, I have never sampled this section with historic traction as there is always plenty of interest in the Goathland / Pickering direction at the standard railrover fare.

Goathland station was chosen in 2001 as a location for "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" and branded with the temporary name of "Hogsmeade". The Warner Brothers film crew also made use of other sections of the railway line for filming purposes.

Back in the real world, this was a very cold bank holiday january day photographed during the afternoon of my infamous Robin Hoods Bay post that you may remember... haha, but I felt the warmth and heat of the steam ...

... for a limited amount of time and then I was left out in the cold again. The train departed for Pickering and was the only one for a while on a reduced winter timetable.

Time to find something else to look at...

Within walking distance of the village, The 70 ft Mallyan Spout waterfall was possibly one of the first tourist attractions and has been attracting walkers and travelling Spa visitors since the 19th century. Unfortunately and to my shame, my various interests as a traveller and tourist to this destination have left it unseen and consequently no photograph ... After writing this, I might try and visit if a future occasion arises.

Probably the most popular reason for visitors coming to the village (of errr ... Aidensfield !) is to see some classic locations from the retro 1960's police TV series Heartbeat.

The programme was filmed over a period of 18 years (372 episodes)  as a slow feel good police / village life drama with subtle humour, 60's music and scenic interest on sunday evenings. In later years, in my opinion, the characters and story lines weren't as strong and ratings continued to fall until the producers decided that it was time to record the last series shown in 2009.


YouTube clip ...  Classic TV Heartbeat clip starring Claude Greengrass

Aidensfield stores ... hope this is just a renovation and not a closure !

The Goathland hotel also known as The Aidensfield Arms has become a magnet for fans of the show as so many scenes were filmed in here. What is apparent on entering however is the miniature size of the room compared with the TV version. It looks like it could have filmed in wide angle or re-created in a film studio.

Scripps garage in real life has become a bizarre tourist shop that seems to resemble a car boot sale with a classic car in the workshop behind the make shift counter and yet in its time has had some interesting garden items for sale alongside the usual tourist items for sale.

It seems a shame that these classic cars should be open to the elements, on the other hand, maybe I should get back to my car before I get snowed in !!!

In summer time, it is not uncommon to see sheep roaming anywhere and everywhere in the village to the extent that they are not allowed in the places that would seem more obvious ....

More realistic however is the right for several centuries for the tenants of the Duchy of Lancaster to graze their sheep on the village green and surrounding open moorland ...

"The grass is not always greener  on the other side of the fence"