Wensleydale Railway – The Herriot Country Line

The Herriot Country Line places the Wensleydale Railway at the heart of Herriot Country. Alf Wight OBE aka James Herriot worked his rounds in so many of the places where the Wensleydale Railway runs through the beautiful Yorkshire Dales.  The line reopened to passenger traffic from Leeming Bar to Leyburn in 2003, and the following year the section to Redmire was also opened.  The line runs west from Northallerton through Scruton, Leeming Bar, Bedale, Finghall Lane, Leyburn and Redmire. Finghall Lane was the location for the fictional Darrowby Station in the filming of the BBC TV series of All Creatures Great and Small.

The hub of the railway, Leeming Bar Station is located just off the A1(M) J51 and has been completely restored with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The railway’s rolling stock is maintained and restored here and it’s the base for the staff office.

The Wensleydale Railway has so much to offer visitors to Herriot Country as it passes through some of the most beautiful parts of North Yorkshire and is one of the longest heritage railways in the country, so it is great Yorkshire value!

Stations along the route are characterful restorations evoking memories of a time gone by and the towns where you can alight such as Bedale and Leyburn which have an array of authentic local shops and services that are run by warm and welcoming Yorkshire folk.

As you approach Redmire, there are stunning views of the Yorkshire Dales and dramatic Penhill plus, it is just a short walk to Bolton Castle. It’s an ideal way for walkers to reach their start point for walks into the Western Dales. Combine a Wensleydale Railway train trip with a local bus service and you’ll see Herriot Country the way that James Herriot did when he first arrived in North Yorkshire. You can see the scenes in the Channel 5 version of All Creatures Great and Small.