When the TV people chose Goathland as the setting for the long-running series Heartbeat (where it is called Aidensfield) they knew what they were doing. Celebrity has brought many visitors to the village, and means that there are more shops than would be expected in similar sized places, but the village has the room within it and outside to cope with the numbers without losing any of its charm. Situated 500 feet above sea level in the very heart of the North York Moors National Park, Goathland is a tiny settlement of some 450 souls, but it retains those basic necessities of a vibrant village: a post office, a pub (or in this case more than one), and a church: set in a walled churchyard St Mary’s in Goathland is an archetypal English country church, looking older than it really is – the church was built in 1896. The name Goathland probably has its roots in Viking times, though it is thought there has been a settlement in the spot for some 3,000 years. The village is of course well-known to millions of TV viewers, and fans of Heartbeat visit the place in droves. A different generation is now drawn to the place by Goathland Station, used in the Harry Potter movies as Hogsmeade Station. Goathland Station looks like it would have done in Victorian times, with a footbridge that seems to have been scaled up from a Hornby train set. The station is on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway that runs from Pickering in the south to Grosmont in the north, though trains now continue to Whitby. At Grosmont too the line links up with the national network, so visitors can get to Goathland by train, arriving in style in the NYMR’s steam or old diesel multiple-unit trains. There are some wonderful cottages in the spacious village, with plenty of green space within it. Now reverted to being village greens grazed by black-faced sheep, these were for a time a 9-hole golf course for nearby Whitby. Around the village there is the wonderful moorland countryside, purple heather in summer and often white with snow or frost in winter. And around Goathland itself there are various waterfalls, the most famous and spectacular of which is the 70-foot Mallyan Spout, though Water Ark with its lovely bridge and Thomason Foss are equally pretty. There is naturally good walking aplenty in the area, but the attractions of the village itself may well persuade travellers to spend time there that they had expected to dedicate to the beautiful countryside.
Cottage
Inn
Pub and Bar
School
Places to Stay near Goathland
The Goathland Hotel (0.19 miles)
Fairhaven Country GH (0.20 miles)
Fairhaven, our family owned and run Edwardian Country Guest House, is in Goathland, a stunning moorland village set in ... More | visit website
Glendale House (0.20 miles)
Glendale House, Bed and Breakfast.
Glendale House was built in 1875 by Edward Fuller Sewell, an uncle of Anna Sewell, the author of the novel "Black Beauty". Glendale House is a large, stone built country ... More | visit website
Broom House (3.28 miles)
Click for special and substantially discounted rates from Laterooms
Broom House an excellent place to stay, overlooking the Esk valley this farmhouse has been refurbished to provide 6 superb en-suite rooms.Egton Bridge one of ... More
Netherby House Hotel (4.20 miles)
Sherwood Glen (4.53 miles)
Salmon Leap Hotel (4.70 miles)
The Salmon Leap is situated in the beautiful village of Sleights on the bank of the river Esk, at the edge ... More | visit website
The Wilson Arms (5.62 miles)
Bagdale No4 Annex (6.02 miles)
Bagdale No4 is one of two annex buildings to Bagdale Hall Hotel. Reception is at Bagdale Hall Hotel where breakfast and evening meals are served. Also all guests can use ... More
Ruswarp Hall Hotel (6.04 miles)
Enjoy the relaxed smoke-free atmosphere and comfortable hotel accommodation in this Jacobean hall. This 17th century hotel ,one mile country path walk to Whitby and within a few minutes walk ... More
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