James Herriot's Yorkshire - walking the three Darrowby's
Including the Herriot Way
A unique itinerary devised and tested by Walk Your Way.
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From £857.50 per person for a 9 day self-guided holiday. Fully customisable to your needs and preferences.
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Booking now for Spring and Summer 2026
Visit the World Of James Herriot museum in Thirsk
This is a unique itinerary which combines the 52-mile Herriot Way with additional walking on the Cleveland Way and Dales Way.
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It takes in some of the best scenery on offer in the North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales National Parks.
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As part of this itinerary, you visit the World of James Herriot in Thirsk - the market town that is the real life inspiration for James Herriot's Yorkshire.
You also visit a number of filming locations from the hit TV series 'All Creatures Great and Small', including both Yorkshire Dales villages that have featured as Darrowby on screen.
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​We also offer the Herriot Way as a standalone trip and can customise this trip to your requirements.
Why choose this itinerary?
Vet Alf Wight’s tales of James Herriot span seven hugely popular books and hit TV series by the BBC (1978 - 1990) and Channel 5 (since 2020). On this fully personalised self-guided Itinerary, you explore James Herriot’s Yorkshire at your own pace, with the careful organisation, local knowledge and full support of Walk Your Way. You’ll walk sections of three national trails, along with the Herriot Way and Dales Way, visit all three ‘Darrowbys’ and enjoy a mix of walking and sightseeing.
Walk all 52 miles of the Herriot Way, as walked by Alf Wight (the real James Herriot) and son Jim in 1957
Walk on the Cleveland Way in the North York Moors National Park, visiting the 'Finest View in England' (as declared by Alf Wight)
Explore Grassington, the filming location for Darrowby in the Channel 5 adaptation of 'All Creatures Great and Small' and walk on the Dales Way.
This itinerary is fully customised to your exact requirements but typically includes:
Walking
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Walk sections of the Cleveland Way, Coast to Coast, Pennine Way and Dales Way
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Visit the North York Moors National Park, Hambleton Hills, Pennines and Yorkshire Dales National Park.
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Walk the complete Herriot Way (shorter version featuring highlights also available)
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This trip can range from 7 to 11 days (with extensions available for more walking or sightseeing) - options from 5 days available for runners.
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Walk some of the key peaks in the Yorkshire Dales including Great Shunner Fell.
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Extend your trip to include more of the Cleveland Way or Dales Way.
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Baggage transfer available/
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Benefit from the support and local knowledge from Walk Your Way.
Accommodation and support
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Stay overnight in Thirsk - the inspiration for the fictional town of Darrowby. Thirsk is the real life home of Alf Wight and location of his veterinary surgery.
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Stay overnight in Askrigg (setting for Darrowby in the original BBC version of ‘All Creatures Great and Small)
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Stay overnight in Grassington (setting for Darrowby in the current Channel 5 ‘All Creatures Great and Small)
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Carefully chosen accommodation to suit your needs and budget
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Optional accommodation upgrades to stay in properties that featured in the TV adaptations
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Option to self-drive or for us to arrange your transport​
Sightseeing
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Visit the World of James Herriot and the real life veterinary surgery that inspired Alf Wights stories
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Walk through the North Yorkshire landscapes and villages that were the setting for tales that feature in All Creatures Great and Small
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Take in locations used for filming the BBC and Channel 5 versions of the ever-popular All Creatures Great and Small - including the opportunity to enjoy a drink in the pub used to film the interior scenes in the Drovers Arms.
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Visit Sutton Bank and the view which Alf Wight described as ‘the finest view in England’
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Take in some of the key tourist sights in the Yorkshire Dales including Aysgarth Falls and the Wensleydale Creamery.
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Add on optional extension to visit the historic city of York.
For more information on the 52-mile Herriot Way itself, see: https://www.herriotway.com/ [this is an external link not associated with Walk Your Way]
​Your itinerary will be built to your exact needs but here is an example:
Day 1: Arrive in Thirsk and check-in to your overnight accommodation, located in the bustling market square. Visit the World of James Herriot - the real-life ‘Skeldale House’ - the home and workplace of Alf Wight.
Day 2: A day’s self-guided walking on the Cleveland Way in the Hambleton Hills and North York Moors National Park, taking in Alf Wights ‘finest view in England’. Optional additional sightseeing before transferring to the Yorkshire Dales.
Days 3 - 6: and walk the Herriot Way, a 52-mile circular walk, taking in many of the filming locations from the original BBC TV version, including Askrigg, the filming location for Darrowby and Skeldale House. The route takes in sections of the Pennine Way, and Coast to Coast National Trails, ascending Great Shunner Fell, the third highest peak in the Yorkshire Dales.
Day 7 - 8: Visit the Wensleydale Creamery and then transfer to Grassington, which doubles as Darrowby in the current version of All Creatures Great and Small. Walk two days on the Dales Way, taking in many of the filming locations and classic Yorkshire Dales landscape from the Channel 5 series.
Day 9: Optional sightseeing or additional walking before heading home with fantastic memories of your trip.