Goathland

The village of Goathland lies in the heart of the beautiful North York Moors, halfway between Pickering and Whitby. You can visit Goathland by train on the preserved North Yorkshire Moors Railway - the NYMR - a heritage railway which operates through the North York Moors National Park. The railway runs daily services from Whitby to Pickering and from Pickering to Whitby. To visit Goathland by train, you can begin at Pickering and buy a day-rover ticket on the NYMR, which allows you to stop at any station you choose. This gives you the perfect opportunity to spend time in Goathland.

The pretty village of Goathland is probably most famous for its fictional existence as 'Aidensfield' in ITV's long-running drama series Heartbeat. When you visit Goathland by train you will recognise many of the landmarks from 'Aidensfield', including the stores, garages, pub and the railway station itself. Goathland train station was also transformed into 'Hogsmeade Station' for the Harry Potter films.

If you travel on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, visiting Goathland is a wonderful way to spend the day. The village is located a short stroll from the award-winning railway station, which has been seen on television as 'Aidensfield Station' in Heartbeat and on the silver screen across the world as 'Hogsmeade Station' in the Harry Potter films.

When visiting Goathland, you should take time to enjoy the station and the station's old-fashioned facilities. Goathland Station has a traditional and still-operational signal box and preserved ticket office. The station gardens are tended for by local volunteers and a large proportion of the staff who work at the station and on the heritage railway are also volunteers.

Anyone visiting Goathland station will have the opportunity to travel on a historic, restored steam train. The trains run several times a day and can take you to nearby villages such as Grosmont or Levisham, or as far afield as Whitby on the North Yorkshire coastline - the perfect spot for a walk on the beach and a portion of fish and chips overlooking the harbour.