Goathland

Goathland - North York Moors Railway

Goathland Station

This is Goathland Station. The North Yorkshire Moors Railway, carries over 200,000 passengers a year and is one of the most scenic and used steam lines of its type. It links Grosmont (pronounced Grow-mont) and Pickering. The trip goes right through the North York Moors and is incredibly beautiful and worth the ride, even if it's just for the nostalgia of riding a steam train.

Now, why would I want to visit Goathland? Well, because the station was used to represent Hogwarts Station in the recent Harry Potter films of which I'm a big fan.

The NYMR is one of the earliest and most historic lines in the North of England. Its origins go back well over a century and a half, and was an important trade link between Pickering and Whitby.

In 1831 George Stephenson was asked to report on building the line and the complete 24 mile stretch of line was fully opened in May 1836.

Goathland Station

Goathland Village's Petrol Station

Goathland is a picturesque little village situated in the North Yorkshire Moors due north of Pickering. It's 500 feet above sea level and has a history extending back to Viking times. The name Goathland may mean Goda's land, probably a Viking name.

Goathland doubles for Aidensfield, the 1960's setting for the popular ITV police series Heartbeat. As luck would have it, the day we visited, there was an exhibition featuring the antique cars used in the series. You can see some of them next to the petrol station. The following pictures were from several internet travel sites about Goathland and the Heartbeat connection. Though when we visited, it looked pretty much as it did in the pictures.

The town was overflowing with people the day we went but everyone was just so nice. We parked the car in a makeshift car park (in a field) set up to accomodate the visitors. There are many cute little shops to browse and also some specific shops that carry hand-made goods by the villagers.

Goathland Village

Sheep on the Street

The black-faced sheep have a common right to graze on the village common and surrounding moorland that extends back for hundreds of years. So don't be surprised to be sharing a sidewalk with them. One must watch where they're stepping, of course...

After leaving Goathland, we headed for the coastal town of Whitby.

Exploring London

Onward to Whitby

Exploring Yorkshire