Goathland is a small settlement set on the hillside above the wooded valley of the Eller Beck and surrounded by the moors of North Yorkshire. It is a popular stopping off point on the “North York Moors Railway”:https://www.sloweurope.com/community/threads/north-york-moors-railway.5437/ and is always busy with tourists.
It is very much a tourist honey pot trading on its connections to Heartbeat and Harry Potter.
Until the C19th, Goathland was a collection of scattered farms around a village green, and this “arrangement”:https://www.glendalehouse.co.uk/images/Panorama-Aerial-Goathland.jpg can still be seen today.
The houses are arranged around a large village green and sheep still wander round the village. The old stone trod footpaths which predate the modern pavements are still used by the hordes of daily visitors.
The Old Reading room dating from 1894 allowed access to periodicals and newspapers for 1d a week. It has reopened as a library run by enthusiastic volunteers. The village also retains its traditional red phone box in the centre of the green.
The popular TV police drama, Heartbeat set in the 1960s, was filmed in the village between 1991 to 2009. Goathland was the fictional Aidensfield. The Goathland Hotel became the Aidensfield Arms and still has the sign on the side wall. One of the shops still proclaims Aidensfield Stores and sells vintage gifts.
Coming into the village from the station is Thrips Funeral services and Aidensfield Garage. It sells tourist gifts and cars from the 1960s can be seen parked here.
In 2001, Goathland station featured as Hogsmeade station in ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’. It is immediately recognisable today.
While Goathland is an attractive settlement to walk round, there isn’t a lot to do. There is a good “walk”:http://www.gps-routes.co.uk/routes/home.nsf/routeslinkswalks/mallyan-spout-walking-route# to Mallyon Spout Waterfall, which includes a short walk along the Rail trail.
