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.