Goathland is Heartbeat country

Goathland, situated in the county of North Yorkshire, England

I first visited Goathland as a young child, aged around eleven as part of a school trip to Whitby. It included a few hours stop over at Goathland.

It was the early 1960s and we had travelled by train to Scarborough, and then on to Goathland.

As a child my memories from the day are of steam trains, plenty of wide open spaces and far too many sheep. I had assumed that Goathland would be full of goats and was somewhat disappointed with this turn of events.

We ate our picnic lunch outdoors at Goathland, ran about in the sunshine and generally let off steam before travelling on to Whitby. I cannot remember if the last part of our journey was by train or not.

These days daily operational trains do not run to Whitby and neither do they run to Goathland. However, steam trains do tourist trips around this neck of the woods and still pass through Goathland and nearby Pickering. In high season these trains will be more frequent.

Heartbeat
People in the U.K. may be familiar with images of Goathland as it was the location for the successful television series Heartbeat which aired from 1992 until 2010 and is still repeated.

Heartbeat was set in a bygone somewhat nondescript age. Certainly there were many hints of the sixties in the program. One of the most memorable aspects of this series remains the music. Heartbeat will be remembered as much for its pop music as its action. Despite running for many years the times hardly moved on and Heartbeat seemed stuck in a pleasing time warp.

Of course, the next memorable Heartbeat positive is the scenery.

Set in and around Goathland, with views of Whitby occasionally and the Moors, the scenery was spectacular.

Hubby and I had visited Goathland a few times before Heartbeat was filmed on location. Tourists increased when the series was being filmed and some changes followed. Now that filming has ceased hopefully things have gone back to normal.

Here are some of my Goathland memories

When we stayed over in Whitby we travelled to Goathland by the local bus. The fare from Whitby is quite reasonable and the journey not long. However, it does take in some beautiful scenery.

You can take an old steam train from Whitby if you prefer but it costs a little more.

Goathland has very little in the way of tourist attractions. It has an old train station and steam trains, a handful of local shops, a hotel, cafe, beautiful scenery and lovely walking areas. The latest tourist attractions include memories of Heartbeat the TV series such as Cripps garage.

That may not appeal to all readers but it will to some. Even though Hubby is not a lover of walking and usually only under duress on holidays he enjoyed mooching around Goathland. We followed a trail which initially looked like the proverbial road to nowhere but we encountered many treats.

Beckhole was picturesque with a quaint pub. The bridge was pretty and there were ducks living here. The pub is a perfect place to sit outside on a sunny day and watch the world go by, or the world does not go by in reality. There was little more than other walkers, ramblers and birds.

Walking on we came into a wooded area and happened upon a pretty waterfall [Mallyan Spout]. This shaded area was cool and welcome away from the unusual hot British late April sun.

A visit to Goathland will not set you on fire in many ways but it is perfect for thinking, chilling, relaxing, walking, exploring, bird watching, fishing or even painting. For those who visit by car the North Yorkshire Moors are but a spit away.

If you happen to be in this neck of the woods drop by. I am sure you will be pleasantly surprised.

North Yorkshire Moors Railway timings and fares
Goathland village
Heartbeat Country
Whitby