Thursday, May 24, 2012

All Creatures Great and Small


Today was set aside for the search for James Herriot and his amazing world we've come to love through his writings, and the extraordinary BBC television series that's now nearly 25 years old. Before leaving Lindthwaite House, Jane enjoyed a breakfast of yogurt w/granola and...


Kippers. Yikes!


We kept hearing amazing, non-stop birdsong out our windows and the bleating of sheep. We found THIS guy just outside our hotel as we were leaving this morning to drive north...


Jane's standing in front of the actual office of James Herriot  (Alf Wight) in Thirsk.


Mrs. Pumphrey holds Tricki-Woo no her lap waiting to see Dr. Herriot as you enter the house.


And James Herriot (Alf Wight) reads the evening paper in the living room of the actual home where he and his family lived and practiced for so many years.


Here's his lab...


Here's his microscope, scales and more...


Here's a typewritten page of one of his manuscripts...


And here's the compact, manual Olivetti typewriter he used to write all his amazing books!


There were also all of the BBC television sets that were used in the filming of the wonderful television series...



Here are photographs of the three main stars of the BBC series above, and the actual men they portrayed below. From left to right, James Herriot, Siegfried Farnon and his brother Tristan Farnon.


We then set off in search of the wild, remote dales where the outdoor scenes were filmed in the BBC series and came across quite a number of THESE unusual road signs. Apparently there is a military base nearby?!?!? There were also speed limit signs which advised all thanks and other tracked vehicles they were limited to 5mph. LOL!


Photos don't even REMOTELY do justice to this wild, rolling, barren farm country...


This photo below looks out perhaps 20 miles in the distance and covers 1000's of acres. That 'patchwork' is made up of scores of pastures- each enclosed by 4'-5' high stacked stone walls and filled with sheep.


This guy was curious about either me, or my camera while I was taking photos...


That river is 1/2-3/4 mile out and below where I was standing...


The roads became more and more narrow until they were single-lane with stone walls on either side. We're talking MAYBE 18" on either side of the vehicle. We were facing a 4 mile drive along one of these roads where 'wide spots' to pass another vehicle occurred only every 1/4 mile or so. We gave up and backed out- hearts still pounding! CRAZY!


So the Herriot museum was WORLD-CLASS and more than we could have possibly hoped for, giving so much history and detail of the man Wight as well as the television series and actors that brought Wight's books to life. And the Yorkshire Dales were as hauntingly wild and beautiful in person as they ever appeared in the BBC series on television. Absolutely AMAZING!! We came home tired after driving more than 400 miles today under some trying conditions- but SO GLAD we had sought out the home, sights and museum of one of our favorite storytellers. 

1 comment:

Charity White said...

Wow- what an awesome museum. And I learned James Herriot's real name - I didn't know that! And Jane, Jane, Jane - so adventurous with the food! Better woman than I (but we knew that!). Love you both! Continued safe journey through wild and narrow byways!!!