Advertisement

  1. ITV Report

The home of "Heartbeat" prepares to welcome the Tour de Yorkshire

The Flying Scotsman steams through Goathland station, made famous in the Heartbeat TV series, in the North York Moors National Park. Photo: John Giles/PA Archive/PA Images

The village of Goathland is familiar to millions in the UK and around the world as Aidensfield, the fictional 1960s home of “Heartbeat”.

It's achieved global fame as Hogsmeade in the “Harry Potter” films, with the Hogwarts Express pulling into its picturesque station in “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone”.

Now the North Yorkshire community is about to attract countless pairs of eyeballs in its own right, as the Tour de Yorkshire speeds through for the very first time on Friday 28 April.

And locals can’t wait to welcome both cyclists and spectators.

Goathland prepares for the Tour De Yorkshire. Credit: ITV Tyne Tees

Hannah Richardson is a manager of the Goathland Hotel, whose bar was frequented by Nick Berry, Derek Fowlds and other “Heartbeat” icons back in the day.

She says that while the popular series is still a major draw to the village, she’s excited to see it attracting a new legion of visitors.

"Our residents are literally going to get the fantastic first and second floor bird's eye view," Hannah says. "We're actually going to shut the bar itself so that everybody - all staff included - can actually see this come past."

– Hannah Richardson, Goathland Hotel

Goathland station master John Bruce has been working on the North Yorks Moor Railway for almost half a century and he too is looking forward to Friday.

We'd like to see them travel by train for the day to see the Tour de Yorkshire coming through Goathland," Bruce tells ITV. "Ideal way of getting here."

– John Bruce, Goatland station master

The tour is due in Goathland at 3:34pm on Friday. Or you can watch the highlights on ITV News Tyne Tees at 6pm.
  1. Read more
  2. 21 updates
Tour de Yorkshire 2017

More on this story