Whitby & North York Moors Guide - Days Out Leaflets

Behind the scenes of
HEARTBEAT COUNTRY
Author, Nicholas Rhea, takes a closer look
at the landscape that made the show
used location - except Goathland. Scenes
were often shot in the market square where
the old town hall stands on stilts, and also
in Skinner Street’s 1960s atmosphere.
The harbour-side with piers, lighthouses
and narrow alleys (ghauts) made regular
appearances as did the beach with its waves,
caves and cliffs.
The ancient and poetic fishing port of
Whitby and its ruined abbey, viewed through
the whalebones on the West Cliff, are
enough to make anyone’s heart beat. You
might even see the ghost of Dracula…
Whichever way you look at it, Heartbeat
Country is a great place to visit.
Heartbeat was an ITV rural police drama
series that was broadcast from 1992
until 2009, with Goathland portraying
the fictional village of Aidensfield. The
series was based on the Constable books
written by Nicholas Rhea.
Heartbeat Country does not appear on many
maps, although the village of Goathland
can be found in its lush hollow on the North
York Moors. Some nine miles from Whitby
and 500 feet above sea-level, a visit requires
a slight diversion from the A169 (Pickering-
Whitby road) or you can use the historic
steam railway. There are spectacular routes
via Eskdale too.
If it’s your first
visit, the village
may seem
familiar because
it doubles as
the famous
Heartbeat village
of Aidensfield -
the shops and
garage belong
to Aidensfield
as does the
Goathland Hotel whose alter ego is The
Aidensfield Arms. Aidensfield’s weddings
and funerals used the church, and many
outlying areas featured in scenes from the
TV series.
But as well as a film set, Goathland is
also a real moorland village and makes a
splendid base for tours of the surrounding
countryside. With its open spaces, fine
hotels, boarding houses, shops and cafés
plus the North York Moors Historic Steam
Railway it’s a place of character and delight.
Around Goathland are some wonderful
footpaths - Wheeldale Moor boasts one of
the best preserved Roman roads in Britain
(signposts will guide you) whilst behind the
Mallyan Spout Hotel is the romantic 70-foot
high Mallyan Spout waterfall. Hereabouts
waterfalls are fosses or spouts and nearby
are Nelly Ayre Foss and Thomasson Foss.
Dominating the Moors is Fylingdales Ballistic
Missile Warning Station’s truncated pyramid
which, in Heartbeat time, consisted of three
huge white balls nicknamed duck eggs
or golf balls. On the Moors nearby is the
“as well as a film set, Goathland is
also a real moorland village and
makes a splendid base for tours of
the surrounding countryside”
country’s earliest Christian relic, Lilla Cross.
In AD 626, an assassin tried to murder King
Edwin of Northumbria but his bodyguard, a
Christian called Lilla, leapt forward to
protect his sovereign - and was killed. King
Edwin erected that cross to Lilla’s memory
and later founded the church that became
York Minster.
If you want to see the Aidensfield Fire
ablaze in the bar of the Aidensfield Arms, I
can tell you that the real fire that inspired
it was in the Saltersgate Inn on the road to
Pickering. Sadly, the old pub, built in 1648
as the Waggon and Horses, is undergoing
major refurbishment so you will need to
check whether it has re-opened. For over 150
years, the real turf fire was never allowed to
die out because a murder victim was said to
be buried under the hearth - the everlasting
blaze kept the secret secure!
About a mile from
Goathland is the intriguing
hamlet of Beck Hole, often
used in Heartbeat and a
favourite with cast and
crew when off duty. Here
is the Birch Hall Inn,
one of the tiniest pubs
in England with one
of the smallest bars -
usually crowded! Its
inn sign is an original
painting by Algernon Newton RA. Very few
inn signs were painted by members of the
Royal Academy. Algernon’s son was Robert
Newton, the actor who famously played
Long John Silver in Treasure Island. Also in
Beck Hole is a quoits pitch sometimes used
in Heartbeat - world quoits championships
have been held here!
Egton Bridge has often appeared with its
local inn, The Postgate, featuring as the Black
Dog Inn with scenes depicting Egton Manor
in various roles. One of Heartbeat’s
most famous
scenes was
shot here - the
drowning of Dr
Ferrenby. The
fatal stepping
stones are in the
River Esk near the
Horseshoe Hotel.
Beggar’s
Bridge near
Glaisdale Station
made frequent
appearances in
Heartbeat. Built
in 1619 as a packhorse
bridge, it often
featured as a setting for romance and drama,
or sometimes searches for missing people.
Built by the Lord Mayor of Hull, a former
pirate, it was erected in memory of his wife,
whom he courted at Glaisdale.
On the coast, Sandsend featured regularly
in Heartbeat due to its wide sea views
and wonderful sandy beach, but perhaps
Whitby itself was the most regularly
opposite, main image: actors nick Berry & niamh Cusack in
the original series of Heartbeat. inset: aidensfield Garage. This
page, clockwise: Birch Hall inn at Beck Hole, mallyan Spout
Waterfall, aidensfield Stores, Bench at Goathland Station.
12 Whitby and the North York Moors Holiday Guide 2012 | 13