Channel 5’s All Creatures Great & Small is always a crowd-pleaser: warm, evocative and full of much-needed bonhomie.
And you can enjoy some of that heartwarming fun by visiting the Yorkshire village of Grassington, where the series is filmed.
Grassington, in the Wharfedale Valley, replaces the fictional Dales town of Darrowby from James Herriot’s much-loved book series It Shouldn’t Happen to a Vet.
James Herriot, real name Alf Wight, was a Scottish veterinarian who practiced in Thirsk for almost 50 years and based his books on real-life characters.
The center of Thirsk has changed a lot since the 1930s and 1940s, when Wight’s books were set, so the filmmakers use nearby towns and villages as stand-ins. The much-loved version of the BBC series, broadcast between 1978 and 1990, was filmed in Wensleydale and Swaledale, with the village of Askrigg replacing Darrowby.
Channel 5’s All Creatures Great & Small is always a crowd-pleaser: warm, evocative and full of much-needed bonhomie. And you can enjoy some of that heartwarming fun by visiting the Yorkshire village of Grassington (above), where the series is filmed, writes Carlton Reid.
Grassington replaces the fictional 1930s Dales town of Darrowby in the Wharfedale Valley.
LEFT: Carlton explains that the real-life Devonshire Inn in Grassington, pictured, is the Drovers Arms in the TV series. RIGHT: An image of the pub dressed as the Drovers Arms, as it appears in the programme.
I chose to stay with my wife on the outskirts of Grassington, in a lovely Lower Side BarnIt had three bedrooms, two bathrooms and an outdoor terrace from which you can enjoy the fascinating views of Yorkshire.
Best of all, it was just a short walk from Grassington’s main cobblestone square.
It’s where much of the TV series takes place and we visit modern businesses that look strangely familiar.
All Creatures Great and Small is based on James Herriot’s beloved book series It Shouldn’t Happen to a Vet.
James Herriot, real name Alf Wight, was a Scottish veterinarian who practiced in Thirsk for almost 50 years and based his books on real-life characters. Above: Sedber Lane, Grassington
Thanks to its global exposure, All Creatures Great & Small became a huge hit in the United States during the pandemic. As a result, Grassington (above) now welcomes American visitors year-round.
He channel 5 series It revolves around a trio of vets working in the Yorkshire Dales in the 1930s. Grassington is relatively easy to convert into a vintage Darrowby/Thirsk, with the cobbled town square emptied of modern cars and replaced by vintage vehicles. the 30s.
The fictional Drovers Arms is actually the Devonshire Inn. The Rustic Rabbit Gift Shop is the bakery from the television show.
Stripey Badger’s bookstore, where you can buy All Creatures Great & Small jam and other knick-knacks, is dressed to look like the wartime TV series greengrocer Endelby’s. And forget about buying a book at Handley’s, today you will only find shoes.
Grassington has regularly had a starring role in film and television productions, including Dolittle, Wuthering Heights, The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby and A Boy, a Girl and a Bicycle.
Thanks to its global exposure, All Creatures Great & Small became a huge hit in the United States during the pandemic. As a result, Grassington now welcomes American visitors year-round.
Carlton stayed in the “delightful” Netherside Barn (above), “which boasted three bedrooms, two bathrooms and an outdoor terrace from which you could enjoy the fascinating views of Yorkshire.”
Netherside Barn was just a short walk from Grassington delights, Carlton reveals
It is not surprising. Travel company Expedia says more than half of international travelers make travel plans inspired by TV shows and movies.
The UK is very popular with the ‘set jetting’ phenomenon, with inbound tourists spending £892.6 million in 2019, according to the British Film Institute. Castle Howard in North Yorkshire reported a 3,400 per cent increase in visitors to its website after the release of Bridgerton.
If that’s not an example of “set expulsion” potential, I wonder what is.