North Yorkshire's Heartbeat Country and Herriot Country

The Heartbeat and All Creatures Great and Small, James Herriot, television series, retain enormous popularity, the former currently being broadcast by Granada on ITV, and the latter now being screened again on Sky, to the delight of fans.

But whether you are an ardent fan, or simply wish to visit some of the locations and landscapes seen on the television screens, then the Ugthorpe Lodge Country Inn and Hotel near Whitby is an excellent base for your exploration, particularly for Heartbeat which is still filmed in the area.

The two best known locations are Goathland, Aidensfield on TV screens, and nearby Whitby. These settlements are found only a short drive from Ugthorpe Lodge so you can easily use the Country Inn Hotel as an accommodation base or as a 'pit stop' for meals, snacks or refreshment.

A visit to nearby Goathland, some 25 minutes away will enable visitors to visit Aidensfield Garage, the Aidensfield Arms, Aidensfield Stores, Aidensfield Post Office and Aidensfield Police House. In addition, you may be able to take a steam train ride along the route of Harry Potter's Hogwart's Express from Aidensfield (Goathland) Station.

Whitby is another very important film location for Heartbeat, but is a tremendous place to visit in its own right as an outsatanding tourist centre full of visitor attractions and places to visit. More information is to be found by following this Whitby link.

However, the immediate area has so much more to offer the visitor. Inland, in the North York Moors National Park, are beautiful green dales with clear trickling streams, waterfalls and rivers, bounded by broad expanses of purple heather moorlands. There are also many pretty and quaint villages to explore, including those along Eskdale and those near the town of Pickering, such as Hutton-le-Hole, Thornton-le-Dale and Lastingham.

The North Yorkshire Heritage Coast also has much to offer with quaint fishing villages like Robin Hoods Bay, Staithes and Runswick Bay... and other popular spots like Sandsend and Port Mulgrave. Indeed, this whole area to the north of Whitby is known as Captain Cook Country.

As well as these above scenic and historic attractions, this was also the region deeply loved and explored by both Peter Walker, author of Nicholas Rhea's 'Constable' Series that inspired Heartbeat, and Alf Wight, the famous vet who wrote the James Herriot stories upon which 'All Creatures Great and Small' TV Series was based.

To help you plan your explorations, the following are a number of guidebooks that will prove invaluable to you. More details can be found at the Discovery Guides Online Bookstore - simply select this link..... and visit the Discovery Britain Travel and Tourism website.

THE NORTH YORK MOORS AND COAST
Best of Britain Series £3-99 RRP

HERRIOT COUNTRY
Heritage Series £3-99 RRP

HERRIOT COUNTRY PHOTOGUIDE
Photoguide Series £3-99 RRP

HEARTBEAT COUNTRY
Heritage Series £3-99 RRP

HEARTBEAT COUNTRY PHOTOGUIDE
Photoguide Series £3-99 RRP

CAPTAIN COOK COUNTRY
Photoguide Series £3-99 RRP

HM BARK ENDEAVOUR
Photoguide Series £3-99 RRP

CAPTAIN JAMES COOK
Heritage Series £3-99 RRP

Ugthorpe Lodge Hotel
Guisborough Road
Near Whitby
North Yorkshire
YO21 2BE
Tel: 01947 840111 & 840518
Email: enquiries@ugthorpelodge.co.uk