Heartbeat Run

By Frank Mullan

Twelve club members, with spouses and guests – 25 in all, set out to visit the mythical village of Aidensfield on Thursday 6^th October.   The afternoon fast ferry to Holyhead, on which we were booked, was cancelled due to stormy weather.  So most of us left Galway about 4:30am to catch the 8:05 Ulysses from Dublin.  Because of our early arrival in Wales, there was time to explore the beautiful Conwy Valley, or visit the seaside town of Llandudno, before settling in for our overnight stay at the Premier Inn, conveniently located about an hour’s drive from Holyhead.   Next morning we drove to Holmfirth – setting of The Last of the Summer Wine. After lunch at Sid’s Café, where the old codgers planned their mischief under the watchful eye of Ivy, we continued on to Whitby in north Yorkshire.  Here, we checked into Dunsley Hall Country House Hotel for the next four nights.

The North Yorkshire Moor is a wonderful combination of wilderness and well-maintained traditional villages.  On almost every road through the Moors, you will find 25% gradients to test the engines and brakes of the old cars.  But it is well worth the effort – the scenery is breathtaking.

On Saturday, we decided to ‘let the train take the strain’.  North Yorkshire Moors Railway runs a regular steam train service, using 1960’s and 1970’s carriages, on the old Whitby-Pickering line.  We visited D.T. Mathewson’s North Yorkshire Motor Museum at Thornton-le-Dale, a short bus ride from Pickering.  On Sunday, we drove to the village of Goathland, which is Aidensfield in the 1960’s-style police drama, Heartbeat. On the day, East Yorkshire Thoroughbred Car Club (EYTCC) was holding a static display at the NYMR station.  In the afternoon, people either continued touring the Moors, or visited the seaside town of Scarborough.  We had nothing specific planned on Monday – shopping day for the ladies!  Some of us visited York Minster or the National Railway Museum at York.  Some visited other market towns on the edge of the Moor.

En route to North Wales on Tuesday, we visited the market town of Thirsk.  This is where James Herriot, the vet, wrote the books that formed the basis of the television series, All Creatures Great and Small. Thirsk was, of course the mythical town of Darrowby in which the series was set.  We caught the mid-day ferry to Dublin on Wednesday after another pleasant night at the Premier Inn.

We had a group of 25 people.  It is fair to say we all enjoyed ourselves immensely. The quality of food and comfort at both of our hotels exceeded our expectations. We were particularly impressed by the standard of food and service at Dunsley Hall.

See Photos of the run