Wonderful Whitby

Goathland is an attractive village, 500 feet above sea level. It is 8 miles southwest of Whitby, and has a history dating back to the Vikings. Sheep freely wander along the village, keeping the greens carefully manicured, and pausing to beg titbits from visitors (don’t feed them, they become a nuisance). The sheep have a common right, granted by the Duchy of Lancaster, to graze the village greens and the surrounding moorland. In the 1100’s, a small group of Christian brothers settled by the Eller Beck, they built a chapel, St. Mary at Godeland (Gods land).

The station at Goathland is served by the North Yorks Moors Railway and is a glimpse of days gone by. Indeed, it was the setting of Hogsmeade Station in the Harry Potter movie, and many local schoolchildren were invited to be ‘extras’. The station itself was closed in 1965. But, in 1968 the North York Moors Historical Railway Trust Ltd., helped by many volunteers, formed a group to operate the railway between Grosmont and Pickering and the first passenger service commenced in 1973.

Goathland village is home to the sword-dance team, ‘The Plough Stots’, which is the oldest long-sword dance group in the country. Each January there is the ancient ritual, 'Blessing of the Plough', for greeting the new year, which originated with the Norsemen who settled here more than a thousand years ago. This dance group perform at the local folk festivals and Moor and Coast festivals.

The Goathland Hotel became the Aidensfield Arms (Aiden - after a local saint), the local garage became Scripps Garage and Funeral Directors and the village store became Aidensfield stores. Visitors to the village would often find filming taking place in and around the area, the double yellow road lines often being covered up for authenticity. The village store and post office are immediately recognisable, as is the war memorial erected on the village green in 1922, which is a replica of Lilla Cross.

The Mallyan Spout is a 60 - 70 feet high waterfall, most spectacular after heavy rainfall. The walk to the waterfall is accessed by a riverside walk, starting near the Mallyan Spout Hotel. Part of it is wooded and the walk will take you up to the Spout itself and, in fact, underneath it! Walker Mill Foss and Nelly Ayre Foss are two more pretty waterfalls in the area.

A walk known as the Historic Rail Trail follows the original railway line in the village. This included the dangerous incline at Beckhole. The original Goathland Railway Station, at the top of the Beckhole Incline (see Beckhole page for details), was closed when the safer deviation line opened. The original station had a life of less than 30 years. The Historic Rail Trail stretches from Goathland to Grosmont, it runs along the route of George Stephenson's original railway line of 1836 and passes through Beckhole and Buber Wood.

Darnholm has a wooden bridge and stepping stones and is well worth a visit, as it is so picturesque, and can be incorporated in the ‘Water Arc’ walk.