The author and vet James Herriot received countless letters from his millions of fans all over the world; the most common remark in these letters he once stated was "I wish I could see the places that you write about".
Today the very places that James Herriot ( Alf Wight ) wrote so vividly about are visited by thousands of people each year. The small villages he worked in, the hills, valleys and grassy peaks that he walked are traversed by people from all over the world; people who fell in love with the Yorkshire Dales through his books and then again through seeing them with their own eyes.
Today you can visit the very town where Alf Wight began his career as a country vet back in 1940; Thirsk. When asked, more times than he could recount, where 'Darrowby' was Alf claimed that it was a mix of many of the villages he knew - and a fair bit of Thirsk as well.
Starting off on your Herriot holiday a good point to begin would be in Thirsk itself, and what better place to see first than 'The World of James Herriot', a museum situated in the real 'Skeldale House' itself where Alf lived and worked. You can choose to drive around the surrounding small villages or do what so many others do and walk the trails - the very trails and paths that James Herriot walked throughout his stories. Herriot country is a collection of small market towns; Easingwold, Thirsk, Northallerton, Stokesley and Bedale. It also comprises of lovely walks, outdoor leisure parks and animal farms.
Thirsk - 23 Kirkgate, Thirsk
The World of James Herriot:
The World of James Herriot is situated in Skeldale House in Thirsk - in the original Grade two listed house where the James Herriot stories were born. You can learn all about being a vet in the interactive vet's surgery and farm and check out the exhibits in the only veterinary science museum in the country. Fans will love to relive the TV series 'All Creatures Great and Small' in the three studio sets which include many original props including the Austin 7 car. Adults £5.20, OAP's Students £4.20, Children £3.80, Family £15.00 Under five's are free.
The Ritz Cinema - 16 Westgate, Thirsk.
Fans will remember James and Helen's date to the cinema where the wrong film was shown. The Ritz Cinema, built in 1912, is still there today and operated by volunteers.
Thirsk Museum - 14/16 Kirkgate, Thirsk.
Housed in the 18th century birthplace of cricketer Thomas Lord, Thirsk Museum features the life of this ancient market town.
St Marys Church - Kirkgate, Thirsk.
Magnificent perpendicular 15th century church. Fine examples of medieval glass and woodwork. James and Helen Herriot (Alf and Joan Wight) married here in November 1941.
Yorkshire 4x4 - Felixkirk, Thirsk.
Yorkshire 4x4 is the home of the ultimate thrill 4x4 driving, quad trekking, clay shooting and much more.
Monk Park Farm Visitor Centre - Bagby, Thirsk.
Indoor and outdoor feeding areas, picnic and play areas, bottle feeding, donkey rides (weekends and holidays) woodland walk, large child-friendly tea room.
Surrounding Towns and attractions in Herriot Country:
Bedale Museum - Bedale Hall, North End, Bedale.
Museum of local history containing items from Bedale and district from prehistoric times to the present day. Workstations available for researching family history plus family history archive accessible to the public.
St Gregorys Church - North End, Bedale.
Magnificent church with fortified tower, listed in the Domesday Book, and described as one of the best 1000 churches to visit.
Big Sheep and Little Cow Farm - Aiskew Watermill, Aiskew, Bedale.
Hands on open farm where you can hold small animals, bottle feed lambs and calves and bath Bruce the pig. Tearoom, pony rides, quad bikes and a playbarn are also available.
Wensleydale Railway - Leeming Bar Station , Leases Road, Leeming Bar, Northallerton. Relax and travel by rail through the beautiful scenery of Wensleydale. Journeys start from Leeming Bar station just off the A1 near Bedale. Gift shop, catering and excellent walking access.
Mount Grace Priory - Staddlebridge, Northallerton.
Recall when Tristan dressed as a Monk and scared poor James half to death one night? Mount Grace was the ruins at the origin of the story. Set amid beautiful woodland below the escarpment of the North York Moors and the Cleveland Way National Trail, Mount Grace is a monastic ruin of an unusual kind. It is the best-preserved of the ten British ‘charterhouses’, whose Carthusian monks lived as hermits in cottage-like cells. A reconstructed monk’s cell and herb plot offer a glimpse into the lives of the Priory's medieval residents.
Kiplin Hall - near Scorton, Richmond.
Grade I listed Jacobean house furnished as Victorian home with four centuries of family treasures. New exhibition ‘Between the Covers : 100 Years of Kiplin Family Scrapbooks’. The Hall is surrounded by topiary hedging, herbaceous borders, a new rose garden, parkland and lawns with beautiful views west across the lake. Tea Room and shop located in the Hall.
Beningborough Hall and Gardens - Shipton by Beningbrough, York.
A grand 1716 Georgian mansion with an impressive baroque interior, set in park and gardens. There are more than a hundred 18th-century portraits and seven new interpretation galleries, designed in partnership with the National Portrait Gallery. There is a fully equipped Victorian laundry, with wet and dry rooms, a delightful functioning walled garden supplying The Walled Garden Restaurant. There are many family facilities including a wilderness play area for the kiddies.
Suggested route for walking the Herriot Trail: Base yourself in one of the local guest houses/hotels or B&B's but enjoy your meals in one of the many fine traditional pubs or tea rooms in each town.
Hawes to Aysgarth (11 miles):
Begin your day in the market town of Hawes, home to the only dairy in the dale still producing Wensleydale cheese. Leave the town and head north, crossing the River Ure, reaching the tiny village of Sedbusk. From here we walk on field paths along the lower edge of Low Abbotside until you reach Skellgill Lane. Follow the lane and take field paths along the banks of Mill Gill and arrive in pretty Askrigg. This is the village which was transformed into "Darrowby" for the TV series; the vet's surgery, "Skeldale House", stands in the centre opposite the church. Leave Askrigg heading for the banks of the River Ure. Follow the river eastwards on a path along the valley bottom which at times takes the route of the dismantled Wensleydale railway line, until you reach Aysgarth Falls. A spectacular series of three waterfalls is found on this stretch of the river - it was here that Kevin Costner first encountered Little John in "Robin Hood Prince of Thieves".
Aysgarth to Reeth (13 miles):
Follow the field paths and wave goodbye to the river by turning north-east, towards Castle Bolton. This ancient and extremely picturesque village is dominated by the impressive Bolton Castle. This is where the young Alf Wight proposed to Joan Danbury. Leave Castle Bolton and head north and begin the ascent out of Wensleydale on an old lead miners track over East Bolton Moor. Join a track leading north-west through isolated Apedale, at the top of which you reach the highest point (1,833ft) of your walk. From here turn eastward, taking a rough track over Harkerside Moor, and begin your descent into Swaledale. The first village you pass through is tiny Grinton, with its unusually large church known as the Cathedral of the Dale. Crossing the River Swale, your route follows a field path and short stretch of road taking you to Reeth. The shops and pubs of Reeth will be well familiar to fans of the TV series. Langhorn House opposite the Buck Hotel was Skeldale House in the second Herriot film, and interior footage was shot in the bar of the Black Bull Inn.
Eating out:
There is no shortage of places to eat and drink in Herriot Country. You will love the old traditional pubs, some of which have been operating for several centuries but offer todays comfort whilst retaining their atmosphere and charm.
Try...
The Wheatsheaf Inn - Borrowby, Thirsk.
A 17th Century 'free house' offering food and drink, dominoes and darts.
The Dog and Gun - Knayton, 5 miles north of Thirsk.
Offers family atmosphere and good homecooking.
The Black Horse - Ainderby, Quernhow.
Home cooked food; real local ales, fireplace - great family atmosphere.
The Wheatsheaf Hotel - Caperby, Wensleydale.
Here' a treat for the fans - spend a night here at the very hotel where the young Herriot's spent their honeymoon back in 1941. This is a wonderful destination just on it's own - fine food, warmth and comfort and two very welcoming hosts.
Getting to Herriot Country...
By Air:
Leeds/Bradford Airport -(frequent bus links to Leeds, Bradford and Harrogate)
Manchester Airport -(frequent trains to Lancaster, Leeds & York)
Newcastle Airport - (frequent bus & metro/train links to Darlington and Richmond); Teeside Airport.
All these airports provide good public transport links to the regions in Herriot Country.
By Rail:
The only National Rail services in the main Yorkshire Dales area are the Leeds - Morecambe line and the famous Leeds - Settle - Carlisle line, which has a service running several times daily operated by Northern Rail, plus a Summer Sunday Dalesrail service from Lancashire.
The railway line from Leeming Bar to Bedale, Finghall, Leyburn and Redmire (on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park) has recently been re-opened by Wensleydale Railway. The 17 mile trip takes approximately 50 minutes. Trains are normally formed of heritage diesel rail cars from the 1960s. Connections with the mainline rail network are available via the local Monday to Saturday bus service from Northallerton to Leeming Bar. Many access points to the Yorkshire Dales are very well served by rail. The local rail operator in the Yorkshire area is Northern Rail, who provide frequent services to Skipton, Ilkley, Harrogate, Leeds and York.
Steam trains operate on the Embsay & Bolton Abbey Steam Railway .
Frequent long-distance inter-city trains serve York and Leeds, operated by ARRIVA Cross Country Trains and GNER.
By Car:
If, however, you do need to travel to the Yorkshire Dales by car, you will find that the area is bordered by major trunk roads with the M6 skirting the west, the A66 to the north, the A1 to east and the A65, A65, A59, A629, M62 and M65 to the south. Local authorities are trying to encourage visitors to the region to use their cars as little as possible in order to reduce carbon emissions and help to preserve the beauty of the Dales. Remember - even if you travel here by car, there are plenty of other fun ways to explore once you've arrived.
Photo courtesy of The World of James Herriot
