James Herriot

In his much loved novels, James Herriot captures the magical beauty of North Yorkshire, the joys and sorrows of its inhabitants, and the richly rewarding experiences of a country veterinarian. Herriot – the pen name and alter ego of James Alfred Wight - started writing when he was 50 and wrote 15 books in the time that he could wrest away from his veterinary practice. He trained at Glasgow Veterinary College, arriving in Thirsk (Herriot’s Darrowby) in 1940 for his interview with Donald Sinclair - Siegfried Farnon in the books. He subsequently joined the practice and, aided and abetted by the hapless Tristan – Sinclair’s brother, Brian - settled in among the dour farmers of North Yorkshire.

Herriot based most of his stories on real life incidents and characters he met in the moors and dales around Thirsk, and married his wife, Helen, in the parish church of St Mary's. The actual 'Skeldale House' at No 23 Kirkgate, Thirsk now houses the World of James Herriot Museum in tribute to the author. 

Thirsk lies at the centre of what is today known as 'Herriot Country', with the Yorkshire Dales National Park to the west and the North York Moors National Park to the east. The lovely rural scenery of the Dales will be familiar to fans of the TV series based on his books, All Creatures Great and Small, set in the village of Askrigg. A pastoral landscape of isolated farmsteads, tiny villages and crumbling stone walls, the Dales are perfect for lengthy treks. The steep-sided valleys of Swaledale, Wensleydale and Wharfedale boast some magnificent waterfalls, while the whole area is criss-crossed by a network of footpaths as well as a number of long-distance routes including the Pennine Way, the Dales Way and the Cleveland Way which passes by the famous White Horse of Kilburn. The White Rose Cycle Route, part of the National Cycle network, also passes through the area.

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