The picturesque and traditional English village of Goathland is situated toward the eastern edge of a vast heather-carpeted expanse of moorland in North Yorkshire. One of the relatively few settlements within the North York Moors National Park, which stretches from the Cleveland and Hambleton Hills in the west to the North Sea coastline in the west, Goathland is entirely surrounded with landscapes of outstanding natural beauty.
The village itself has a history which dates back to the Viking
era. In the eleventh century, Godeland as it was then known was the
site of a hermitage of Benedictine monks, who built a chapel in the
village. The Chapel of St Mary is last mentioned in records from
1568, and this building was subsequently replaced by St Mary's
Church. Rebuilt several times, the current church dates from 1896
but retains features and artefacts from earlier incarnations and is
notable for its pictorial stained-glass windows and woodwork
created by the famous craftsman Robert 'Mouseman' Thompson.
In recent years Goathland's timeless and traditional good looks
have earned the village appearances in films and television
programmes. Goathland Station, on Britain's most popular steam
heritage railway - the North Yorkshire Moors Railway - appeared as
Hogsmeade Station in the Harry Potter films, and the village also
doubled as the fictional Aidensfield in the popular 1960s-set drama
'Heartbeat'.
Goathland's superb location in one of the most scenic regions of
Britain makes the village an ideal base from which to explore the
beauty of the north Yorkshire Moors and the historic towns and
resorts, including Scarborough and Whitby, along the nearby
coast.
The area around Goathland is a haven for walkers who have around
1,400 miles of rights-of-way, including popular walking routes the
Cleveland Way circular route, the Lyke Wake Walk which traverses
the heart of the Moors and part of the long-distance White Rose Way
which stretches from Leeds to Scarborough. There are also
opportunities for horse-riding, mountain biking and cycling within
the North York Moors National Park each providing an excellent
means of enjoying the beauty and tranquillity of a landscape that
has changed little over the last century.
The highlight of any visit to Goathland, however, is to travel by
steam train from the village station on a journey that takes in the
best of north Yorkshire's countryside and stops at some of its most
charming and traditional rural villages.
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