Treading where Herriott Trod.
June 15, 2010 |
James Herriot was a veterinary surgeon in the Yorkshire Dales. He wrote books about his life from his work and life experiences in this beautiful countryside. I read his semi-autobiographical novels to Jenny when we first started dating. I eventually proposed to her in the field where we had spent hours talking and laughing about the stories in his books.
This is us riding in the car surrounded by hedged fields, my much abused Bible slowly drifting across the dash.
Thirsk is the actual residence of James Herriot. Due to the governmental rules of the time, Alfred Wight/James Herriot had to change the names of things in his books due to a law against advertisements. though I’ll never be able to think of his hometown as anything other than Darrowby.
We got to Thirsk late in the day so we walked around the town and finally met an older chap coming back from the Pubs who knew the owner of the Kirkgate House, a charming B&B. We decided to stay and had a great conversation with the owners. The Inn was only about 100 yards from the surgery where James, Sigfried, and Tristan spent their days.
Skeldale House was the location of both the home & veterinary practice oh Jame Harriot and is now a museum dedicated to James Herriot. We took the Audio Tour which was guided by James’s Herriot’s son’s voice and he gave a very inciteful look into life at Skeldale House.
the Babers and her wellies.
The prim roses and more daffodils were there to greet us.
Characters from the book were present throughout the museum. This is Madame Pumphrey with her overweight Pekinese Tricki Woo, who was a favored and loved character in the books.
James, Tristan, and Sigfreid spent many a late night drinking scotch and smoking their pipes in this room, later James’s kids played with his record player in the same room.
One of the things James/Alfred wrote about often were the odd remedies, and bottle of useless potions that they would proscribe and use before the days of antibiotics and penicillin…UCM’s written in the daily log meant they had no clue what was wrong with the cow.
Tristan mixed quite a few bottles of Calcium stomach ointment in this room, while dosing off and smoking his Woodbines.
Jenny got really excited when she saw Helen’s ( James’ wife) kitchen and her china.
James’s son made a grand entrance into the books with his climbing and subsequent falling off of the Ivy during one of James’s clinical visits. James ran out of the house to see if his son was ok and the client utter the words, “Ah, being a parent is a difficult thing Mr. Herriot, you’ve got to have nerves of steel!”.
The abused Aston Martin with very bad brakes that James used during much of his veterinary life. Tristan once forgot to set the parking brake and the car rolled down a hill and smashed the local golf course clubhouse building flat.
We had a smooch in the garden and took some other random pics.
James’s original diary, he wrote his books as an older man after talking about it for years, finally deciding to do it after his wife said “You’re never going to write anything James”.
The series All Creatures Great and Small built a set for the show in the actual surgery.
This exact shot was taken of James, Sigfreid, and Tristan.
Treading .
The lovely chapel on Kirkgate where Jame and Helen wed.
The daffodils were dressed and ready for Easter Sun. Jenny’s obession with the flowers did not go unchecked.
Another shot of the Kirk.
The Beck, surrounded by Willow trees.
Darrowby Square, where the Saturday market place was in full swing.
In the books The Golden Fleece was called The Drovers and all three men spent quite a lot of time here with a good pint.
Two mates enjoying a brew.
back at Market.
No wonder the daffodils are everywhere.
After we left Darrowby or Thirsk we headed to the Yorkshire Dales where James practiced. The country side was AMAZING!
A random estate that was strait out of a Jane Austin book that Jenny had to stop at.
A daffodil & willow lined road.
Here the blue belles were out and ringing as well. 
A local Dales chapel.
more shrubbary.
the Colbert castle.
As we drove on an old back road between sheep fields, suddenly we came up on a secluded pub, the Wheatsheaf Inn was where James and Helen spent their Honeymoon, TB testing cows. I caught the sign out of the corner of my eye and we had to stop and have a pint.
Another random church and church yard we stumbled upon.
I love this landscape shot. As well as the ones that follow on this storming afternoon.
Next up will be our stay in the city of York on Easter Sunday.
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