Julie Smith
06 October 2025
All Creatures Great and Small is a cosy and heartwarming drama that has been a big hit with TV viewers since it launched on Channel 5 in 2020. Based on the memoirs of James Alfred Wight, writing under the pseudonym James Herriot, it tells the story of a rural Yorkshire vet during the 1930s and 1940s.
Much of the action takes place around the Yorkshire Dales with pretty villages, country pubs and lots of rural countryside. It’s an idyllic way of life and has got many people yearning to visit this beautiful and peaceful part of the UK.
If you fancy following in James Herriot’s footsteps and experiencing the slower pace of life for yourself, we have compiled some of the top filming locations for the series as well as settings of the original novel. For more inspiration, browse our full range of Yorkshire cottages and plan your All Creatures Great and Small-style getaway.
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Darrowby – Grassington
Image credit: Unsplash / Jonathan Monck Mason
A visit to the cobbled market town of Grassington in Wharfedale feels like you are stepping back in time, offering the perfect location for a period drama. With some slight alterations to the frontages of Grassington’s independent shops, it’s easily transformed into the fictional town of Darrowby.
Wander around the charming market square filled with traditional stone cottages and you’ll feel like you have wandered into the world of James Herriot, with many All Creatures Great and Small scenes shot around town. If you want to immerse yourself in the specific period of All Creatures Great and Small, make sure to visit the Grassington 1940s Weekend, which takes place each September.
While in Grassington
- Look out for The Stripey Badger bookshop which features as Darrowby's greengrocers GF Endleby, and The Devonshire, which doubles as the exterior of The Drover’s Arms
- Take a scenic walk along the River Wharfe, where you’ll find plenty of picturesque spots for a picnic
- Visit the Grassington Folk Museum, housed in two interlinking 18th-century cottages, to learn about the history and heritage of the Yorkshire Dales
Skeldale House – Thirsk
In the Channel 5 TV series, the exterior of a cottage in Grassington is used to represent Skeldale House, with a studio set used to film the interior. If you want to visit the real Skeldale House, you’ll need to head to Thirsk, as this is the market town where James Alfred Wight – aka James Herriot – once lived and worked.
The building at 23 Kirkgate has been transformed into a museum called World of James Herriot, where you can wander around the Yorkshire vet’s home and practice. The rooms look exactly as they would have done during the 1940s, and there’s also an interactive gallery where aspiring vets can test their skills with lots of All Creatures Great and Small memorabilia on display.
While in Thirsk
- Visit the bustling outdoor market held on Mondays and Saturdays around Thirsk’s cobbled main square – it has been held here since the 12th century!
- Wander around the sculptures in a secret garden located behind the Grade II-listed Thirsk Hall – it showcases modern and contemporary art across 20 acres of parkland
- Have a flutter on the horses at Thirsk Racecourse – there’s been racing in the town since 1612
The Drover’s Arms – The Green Dragon Inn, Hardraw near Hawes
Image credit: The Green Dragon Inn
While the exterior of The Drover’s Inn is The Devonshire pub in Grassington; thanks to the magic of television, the interior is shot somewhere else entirely. You’ll see the actors walk through the doors of The Drover’s Inn from the market square in Grassington, but enter The Green Dragon Inn at Hardraw!
The historic stone pub dates back to the 13th century, and you can follow in the footsteps of characters like James Herriot and Siegfried Farnon by buying a pint of beer and a hearty lunch to enjoy in front of the roaring log fire. With flagstone floors and oak beams, The Green Dragon Inn has everything you would expect from a Yorkshire Dales pub – with the surprise of a tumbling waterfall in its extensive woodland grounds.
While in Hardraw
- Follow a woodland path from The Green Dragon Inn to Hardraw Force – the highest single-drop waterfall in England
- Enjoy a scenic drive or cycle along the Buttertubs Pass from Hardraw; it crosses the high moorland between Wensleydale and Swaledale with winding turns and spectacular views
- Walk along the Pennine Way from Hardraw to the market town of Hawes (around 1.5 miles each way) and visit the Wensleydale Creamery
Various Yorkshire Dales scenes – Malhamdale
Many of the rural scenes in All Creatures Great and Small are shot around Malhamdale, including some of the farms that James Herriot visits. Key Malhamdale locations featured in the show include the Malham Tarn crossroads, where we first meet the ubiquitous Yorkshire vet, and Janet’s Foss waterfall, where he is seen indulging in a spot of wild swimming.
Malhamdale is known for its open moorland and distinctive limestone pavements, which have both been captured for landscape shots during the series. Look out for Malham Cove, which is regularly shown in the series; it’s a 70-metre-high, curved limestone cliff that’s also been used as a filming location for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1.
While in Malhamdale
- Head to the Malham National Park Visitor Centre which, as well as having lots of information about the local area, is a Dark Sky Discovery Site for stargazing
- Try some delicious home-cooked food washed down with local Yorkshire Dales cask ale at The Lister Arms, located on the village green in Malham
- Seek out a hidden gorge in the form of Gordale Scar – you can combine a circular walk to the deep ravine with Malham Cove and Janet’s Foss
The original Darrowby – Askrigg
The current Channel 5 series isn’t the first time that All Creatures Great and Small has hit our screens. A hugely popular BBC1 adaptation of the books ran for seven series from 1978 and starred Christopher Timothy and Peter Davidson. This time, however, it was Askrigg, not Grassington, that was transformed into 1940s Darrowby.
Many of the exterior shots were filmed around the pretty Wensleydale village, the historic Grade II-listed Cringley House was used as Skeldale House, while Askrigg pub The Kings Arms was transformed into Darrowby’s watering hole, The Drover’s Arms.
While in Askrigg
- Make sure to see some of the amazing waterfalls dotted around the surrounding Wensleydale countryside, including Aysgarth Falls and Mill Gill Force
- Enjoy a pint in the beer garden of Yorkshire Dales Brewing Co., with creations such as Askrigg Ale and Bainbridge Blonde on offer
- Pay a visit to the magnificent and well-preserved Bolton Castle to learn about the imprisonment of Mary Queen of Scots, and watch remarkable bird of prey displays
More All Creatures Great and Small filming locations
James Alfred Wight once described James Herriot's Darrowby as an amalgamation of Thirsk with the nearby towns of Middleham, Leyburn and Richmond and they now form part of Yorkshire's Herriot Country. It's well worth visiting them on your next getaway to North Yorkshire, and there are various other places of interest to look out for that were used as filming locations for All Creatures Great and Small.
Don't miss
- Broughton Hall near Skipton – used as Mrs Pumphey’s home where she lives with her spoilt Pekinese dog, Tricky Woo
- Yockenthwaite Farm – used as Heston Grange Farm where Helen Alderson lived with her family before marrying James Herriot
- Oakworth Station on the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway – used for various station scenes in the show; it was also heavily featured in classic film The Railway Children
- Sutton Bank – this one isn’t actually a filming location, but was described by James Herriot author James Alfred Wight as ‘the finest view in England’ – so it’s well worth visiting
Map of All Creature Great and Small locations
Book your getaway to Yorkshire’s Herriot Country
Discover the beautiful countryside, handsome market towns and pretty villages that James Herriot lived and worked in with a getaway to North Yorkshire. You’ll find holiday cottages in and around Thirsk, where he once lived, and in popular filming locations such as Grassington and Askrigg.
Browse our range of North Yorkshire cottages and plan your All Creatures Great and Small-style getaway.
Disclaimer: Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information at the time of writing,
please ensure you check carefully before making any decisions based on the contents within this article.