All Creatures Great & Small and James Herriot - a bit of a love affair!
How it all started - The books, the films & tv
I can clearly remember reading the very first chapter of the very first of the James Herriot's books. I expect it was All Creatures Great & Small, the omnibus edition but it may have been If Only They Could Talk. Regardless, I vividly remember the description of the stone barn high on the hillside; the dimness of light inside, the pitch darkness outside, the swirling snow, the bitter cold, the exhausted cow, the muck, the done-in vet, the sweat, the struggle. The sheer, stoic struggle to succeed. To succeed, not for personal gain, but to bring life into the world, to save a life which in turn staved off immense hardship for the farmer (a difficult calving can result in the death of calf, cow or both). And succeed, Mr Herriot did and in turn he succeeded in turning me into a fan.
I was in my late teens / early twentys when the James Herriot stories were published and I couldn't get my hands on them fast enough. At the time I was working as a girl groom. I was horse daft as my dad would say! For a time, I worked for a family in Northern Ireland. A new James Herriot book had just been released and I couldn't put it down. I was reading it whilst holding a horse for the blacksmith. Horse skittered about and I got a right mouthful for not concentrating on what I should have been doing! And rightfully so. Didn't do that again!
Equally I can clearly remember going to the cinema to see both feature films; All Creatures Great & Small starring Simon Ward as James Herriot and Lisa Farrow as Helen and It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet. Lisa Farrow was cast as Helen for a second time and John Alderton starred as James. Next came the All Creatures Great & Small BBC tv series. I was back home by then and for my family it made perfect Sunday night television viewing. We loved it.
Sharing Herriot Country
When I met and married Chris I couldn't have been happier. Not only did I have a devoted husband but I was living on a hill farm in the depth of Herriot country. Alf Wight had set his stories, not around Thirsk, but in the Yorkshire Dales. I was surrounded by tv and film locations, stories and memories.
When I started doing Bed & Breakfast at Pry House Farm I had guests from all over the world wanting to visit all of the locations they had seen on their television screens. Visitors came from America including Alaska, the Netherlands, France and of course the United Kingdom. They loved staying in a traditional dales farmhouse on a working hill farm typical of the type that would have been on Alf Wight’s rounds every day of his career.
I sent them off armed with the Herriot Trail Leaflet to tour Swaledale, Arkengarthdale & Wensleydale. To drive through the iconic watersplash which featured in the opening credits of every All Creatures Great & Small. Robert Hardy in the driving seat, Christopher Timothy in the passenger seat and a dog in the back! Then onto Langthwaite for a drive over the unforgetable little humpback bridge and a stop at the Red Lion which became several key parts in the tv series and is still run today by the same landlady!
No visit would be complete without a drive into Wensleydale to visit Askrigg better known as Darrowby. Instantly recognisable with its narrow road winding down past Skeldale House still complete with railings & name above the door, the church, the market cross, the cobbles and The Kings Arms better known as Darrowby's Drovers Arms.
Back into Swaledale and a stop at The Punchbowl Inn in Low Row. This is the place that Robert Hardy always stayed during filming. Many of our guests now take our self catering holiday cottage, Hillcrest in Low Row making it an equally good base to explore Herriot country.
Revisiting the BBC tv series All Creatures Great & Small on DVD
December 2020 and we were in the grips of the covid pandemic when an unexpected parcel arrived in the post - the complete All Creatures Great & Small boxed set. Seventy nine episodes including three Christmas specials. I'd never seen a repeat of the tv series. I had such wonderful memories of the books and the tv programmes that I didn't want them spoiling but we were in lockdown and the nights were long. We started to watch them, I had no need to worry, we loved them. To be quite honest, the ACG&S boxed set kept us sane during lockdown. Chris would say 'Shall we watch a bit of vitnery?' Watching with Chris added a whole new dimension to the enjoyment as he pointed out roads and buildings and sheep pens and moorland track and endless other landmarks that he recognised. One evening I couldn't believe my eyes when suddenly Christopher Timothy was driving along the road immediatley below where we live now! James Herriot was on his way to Thorns Farm where Chris' uncle & cousin farmed at the time. In the Yorkshire Dales, Shorthorn cattle were the norm but change was on the way and the ACG&S storyline was about a farmer who was moving to Friesian cattle. Chris' uncle was one of only few farmers in the area with Friesian cows so the filming took place at Thorns Farm. Amazing! All Creatures Great & Small was back in my life and all because of the generosity & kindness of Stella and Richard
Other James Herriot and All Creatures Great & Small Experiences
The World of James Herriot
I love the World of James Herriot in Thirsk and have visited many times. It is so poignant that the museum IS 23 Kirkgate, the real Skeldale House where Alf Wight (James Herriot) & his family, and Donald Sinclair (Seigfried Farnon) lived and worked. The museum is a step back in time to the 1940s with rooms such as the dining room, sitting room and dispensary set out exactly as they were when the vets were there with furniture, photographs & books donated by Alf's son & daughter.
The Herriot Way
Alf Wight loved Swaledale and Wensleydale and visited often. One of his favourite views was of Swaledale from the road between Leyburn and Reeth. He would stop at the side of the road, on Grinton Moor and take in the magnificence of the Swaledale landscape. The Herriot Way is a 4-day, 52 mile, circular walk inspired by Alf Wight who used to stay with his family in the Youth Hostels in Keld, Reeth, Asygarth and Hawes. Two of the four hostels may have gone but the spectacular scenery remains unchanged.
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Taking a break. Taking in the scenery.
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Day 2 - The heather moor with Reeth in the background.
In August 2023 I walked the Herriot Way with good friends. It is a wonderful walk and one I hope to do again.
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All Creatures Great & Small Accommodaton
There is a very special pub in the dales called the Wensleydale Heifer. It is renowned for its fabulous food and themed rooms, two of which are the James Herriot room and the All Creatures Great & Small room.
In 2024 we stayed the night in the All Creatures Great & Small room. What a treat!
Dear Guest, May I welcome you to the Wenselydale Heifer where I have had many happy visits. I hope you will be comfortable and will enjoy the glories of Wensleydale, Coverdale, Swaledale, Arkengarthdale and Whafedale, as much as I have over the years. Every good wish, Robert Hardy.
We have also stayed at the Devonshire in Grassington in the Tristan Farnon room. During filming, the Devonshire becomes the exterior of the Drovers Arms in the current Channel 5 All Creatures Great & Small tv series.
The interior of the Drovers Arms is modelled on the Green Dragon in Hardraw near Hawes. The Green Dragon is also a watering hole on the Herriot Way!
The new Channel 5 TV Series
There have been six series of the new Channel 5 All Creatures Great & Small. Before production started I saw an advert asking for extras. I signed up. I would have loved to have been in it but between 2019 & 2023 I couldn't commit because of lambing time and Bed & Breakfast. Then in 2024 an email arrived saying they wanted extras for filming in February. February is a quiet month on the farm and the B&B so I said I was available. I was almost to peel off the ceiling when the email came to say I had been chosen and would I go for a costume fitting and be in Grassington for 2 days filming. Oh my word, I could hardly contain my excitement.
It was exciting and very interesting to be part of the production. I was in two episodes in Series 5 plus the Christmas Special and two episodes in Series 6. It is not easy to spot me on the television as naturally, extras are very much in the background or in group scenes. Also I wear a wig which totally alters my appearance.
As soon as we are off set,
the dressers are there with hairnets to keep everyone's hair exactly as it was and checking costumes. All to do with continuity.
My favourite day was when we were filming the Darrowby VJ celebration party. The weather was wonderful, the location on Arncliffe green was perfect, the Skipton Silver Band was playing, it was like being transported back in time. I have very few photographs as there is a strict protocol about taking photos, speaking to cast and putting anything on social media before the programmes are aired.
Having said that, all members of the crew are very nice, friendly, considerate and look after everyone. I am hoping to be asked back for Series 7 in spring 2027.
What else? There always seems to be something All Creatures Great & Small related
Recently Chris and I attended and An Evening with Peter Wright and Rosie Page. Peter Wright, now better known as the Yorkshire Vet, started his veterinary career at Skeldale House with Alf Wight. Rosie Page is Alf Wight's daughter. It was a very interesting event which I can thoroughly recommend if they are in your area. A percentage of the profits went to the Herriot Hospice which Rosie Page is heavily involved in.
April 2027 sees the 50th anniversary of the release of It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet. There is a screening in Muker Public Hall to celebrate. A lot of the filming took place in Muker but the farmhouse scenes were filmed at Stonehouse, at the head of Swaledale, below Pry House. Chris remembers going down to watch the action and getting his tea from the catering bus!
The first three are interviews with Jim Wight, Alf Wight's son (also a vet) reminiscing about his father, working with both Alf and Donald Sinclair, life in Skeldale House as a small child and the many farming characters that he and his dad came into contact with. I'm enjoying it.
If you love James Herriot and All Creatures Great & Small I hope you have enjoyed my memories & experiences too.
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| James Herriot's Country Kitchen Collection |
