Things to Do
Where was Heartbeat filmed?
By Jon Cosson · Updated 10 October 2026
Heartbeat was filmed in and around Goathland in the North York Moors, which played the village of Aidensfield for all 18 series, from the first episode on 10 April 1992 to the last on 12 September 2010, 372 episodes in all. Ashfordly, the market town, was Otley in West Yorkshire; the police house was a private house at Askwith nearby; the interiors were built at Yorkshire Television's studios in Leeds. This page lists every location that can be confirmed, says what each is now and whether you can go in, and tells you how to see them in a day.
Goathland: Aidensfield
| In the series | What it is | Can you visit? |
|---|---|---|
| The Aidensfield Arms | The Goathland Hotel. Its exterior was the pub throughout | Yes. Bar 11am to 10pm daily, food noon to 7.30pm, by the hotel's website in October 2026. The leasehold was bought in July 2026 by Tricia Penrose, who played Gina, with two local businessmen; the hotel says its rooms are being renovated |
| Aidensfield Garage and the funeral directors | Scripps Garage, with vintage petrol pumps and cars outside | Yes, it is a gift shop |
| Aidensfield Stores | The village shop near the car park | Yes, it sells souvenirs and snacks |
| Aidensfield station | Goathland station on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, also Hogsmeade in the first Harry Potter film | Yes, when trains run; the gift shop sells Heartbeat merchandise |
| The village green, the road and the sheep | Goathland itself: the common is grazed by sheep | Yes, on foot; park at the National Park car park, YO22 5LX, £4.65 flat rate |
Our Goathland guide has the parking, the buses, the railway fares, the Mallyan Spout walk and the pubs.
Otley and Askwith: Ashfordly and the police house
| In the series | What it is | Can you visit? |
|---|---|---|
| Ashfordly police station | Otley Courthouse on Courthouse Street, a nineteenth-century magistrates' court closed in 1997; the cells were used for filming and the building next to the police entrance was used for the outside of the court room | Yes. It is now a community arts centre with a self-guided trail (leaflet 20p, or by QR code), the cells open to visitors and guided tours by arrangement by email |
| Ashfordly's streets | Otley Market Place and the streets around it | Yes, a market town open to all |
| The Aidensfield police house, Nick Rowan's home | A private house in the village of Askwith, near Otley | No. It is someone's home |
The other places
- Whitby: harbour and town scenes across the series. The town is 10 miles from Goathland.
- Scarborough: used for town scenes, and the main location for the spin-off The Royal, which ran from 2003 to 2011; the hospital exterior was Red Court on Holbeck Road on the South Cliff.
- Various other places in North Yorkshire appear on the roads and at the stations.
- The Leeds Studios: the interiors. Not open to the public.
- Two series 18 episodes were filmed in Queensland, Australia, and a 1999 special in Canada.
Claims that Hutton-le-Hole, Levisham, Castleton, Lealholm or Glaisdale were used turn up on fan sites without a source, so we do not list them.
The exhibition at Thirsk
Thirsk was not a filming location, but the World of James Herriot at 23 Kirkgate has The Heartbeat Experience: the study of Nicholas Rhea, the police officer whose Constable books the series was based on, and two of the police motorcycles used in filming. Adults £10, children £5, under 4s free; 9.30am to 5pm from March, 11am to 4pm from November, last entry an hour before closing.
Seeing it in a day
Goathland is the day. Park at the National Park car park (card or app only), walk the village for the hotel, the garage and the stores, take the steep path down to the station, and if the trains are running take the one-stop return to Grosmont and back (£14.95, or £11.95 in school holidays). Allow three hours, more with the Mallyan Spout walk. Otley and Askwith are 60 miles away by road, so they are a separate outing; the Courthouse trail takes an hour. Brit Movie Tours runs a seven-hour Heartbeat coach tour from York station at 10am on Fridays from April to September at £70 an adult and £40 a child aged 3 to 15, taking in Whitby and Goathland.
Where to watch Heartbeat
The series is on ITVX, and ITV3 has repeated all 18 series since 2018. Check the current listings; streaming rights move.
Nearby
- Goathland
- Film and TV locations in the North York Moors
- North Yorkshire Moors Railway
- Whitby
- Scarborough
Where was Heartbeat filmed? FAQs
- Where is Aidensfield?
- Aidensfield is Goathland, a village in the North York Moors between Pickering and Whitby. The Aidensfield Arms is the Goathland Hotel.
- Where is Ashfordly in Heartbeat?
- Ashfordly was filmed in Otley, West Yorkshire. The police station was Otley Courthouse, now an arts centre you can visit.
- Can you visit the Heartbeat police house?
- No. It is a private house in Askwith, near Otley.
- Is the Aidensfield Arms a real pub?
- Yes, the Goathland Hotel, open daily, and since July 2026 part-owned by Tricia Penrose, who played Gina behind its bar.
- When was Heartbeat filmed?
- From 1992 to 2010, 18 series and 372 episodes, all with Goathland as Aidensfield.
Sources: ITV, Yorkshire Television and the series' broadcast dates as recorded by the BFI and Wikipedia (lead only, checked against broadcast listings); Otley Courthouse heritage page; Visit Otley, TV locations; Countryfile, 11 June 2024; Yorkshire Post, 27 July 2026, and the selling agent's statement, 4 August 2026, on the Goathland Hotel; The Goathland Hotel website; North Yorkshire Moors Railway, Goathland station; North York Moors National Park Authority, Goathland and car park pages (September 2026); World of James Herriot, The Heartbeat Experience; Brit Movie Tours; ITV3 and ITVX listings. Checked 10 October 2026.
Stay near Goathland
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