James Herriot Country — The Real Skeldale Day
Thirsk, Askrigg and the Reeth moor road with a driver who's read the books. A full day for fans of All Creatures Great and Small.
The new All Creatures Great and Small has doubled bookings on this itinerary. It's a longer day than the Dales classic — Thirsk to Askrigg is not a straight line — and it's better done with someone who's read the books.
Booked overwhelmingly by American and Canadian couples staying in Harrogate or York, and by second-generation Herriot fans on a milestone anniversary trip.
Base → World of Herriot Thirsk → Coverham → Askrigg (as Darrowby) → Reeth → Buttertubs → return via the Ripon road.
The silver Mercedes-Benz V-Class is a luxury MPV seating up to 7 passengers with generous luggage space. Share passenger and luggage details when enquiring.
Full day 10:00 to 19:00. The Herriot museum needs 90 minutes; Askrigg village needs 45.
£560 from Harrogate; £610 from York; £590 from Skipton.
- Pre-booked entry at the World of James Herriot (skip the queue at 11:00)
- Lunch pre-booked at The King's Arms Askrigg (the Drovers' Arms in the series)
- Driver-narration on the drive between locations — as much or as little as you want
- Copies of the first two books in the car if you'd like to re-read a chapter
- Photo stops at the exact locations the BBC uses
The 2020 series films around Grassington, not Askrigg — worth deciding which era you want to see
Reeth to Buttertubs is 40 minutes of single-track — great for the views, hopeless if you're in a hurry
October gets you the autumn colours but Buttertubs may already be closed by 16:30 light
Which Herriot do you drive — the books or the new series?
We offer both routes. The classic day covers Thirsk-Askrigg-Reeth (the books). The BBC 2020 route stays around Grassington, Kettlewell and Arncliffe.
Can we stop at the actual house?
23 Kirkgate Thirsk is the real Skeldale surgery and now the museum. You can walk into the surgery room the vets used.
None mandatory. Askrigg is 200m of cobbled village; Reeth a 300m green. Everyone else stays in the car.
- thirsk
- harrogate
- york
- richmond
- leyburn
Skeldale in the morning. Darrowby by three.
How The Rural Chauffeur works
Owner-driven from Hexagon House in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, in a silver Mercedes-Benz V-Class. Every journey is pre-booked with the price fixed in writing before the day.