Goathland

This is another example of the wonderful ability of Betty and Cyril Ramsden of Leeds to make something as simple as a stroll through the countryside into a delight. Whether it is ambling through the picturesque villages of Goathland and Beck Hole, peaking into Linden Lea, home of local writer and artist Douglas Reay, or dancing over the stone steps across the Eller Beck, this 1965 film seems to gently cajole the viewer into joining this small group on their perambulations.

Betty and Cyril Ramsden, prominent members of Leeds Cine Club, began making their large collection of films in 1945 until this, possibly their last film. This outing was possibly filmed around Whitsuntide time in 1965, shortly after the closure on 8th March, thanks to Dr Beeching, of the railway route between Grosmont and Rillington, passing Goathland, and with Sandie Shaw riding high in the charts. Goathland has appeared as Aidensfield in the television series Heartbeat, coincidently set in the mid-1960s, and as Mannerton in All Creatures Great and Small. The railway station, now open and preserving its appearance over the decades, appears as Hogsmeade station in the Harry Potter films.