Both the original BBC drama (1978–1990) and the modern remake (2020–2025 ) have filmed in real villages and working farms across North Yorkshire.

Here’s where you can follow in Herriot’s muddy boot-steps this autumn and winter.

(Image: CHANNEL 5)

Askrigg – the original Darrowby

The village of Askrigg in Wensleydale became the fictional Darrowby in the original BBC adaptation of James Herriot’s beloved books.

All Creatures Great and Small: Series 2. The Darrowby Village set (Image: CHANNEL 5)

Cringley House doubled as Skeldale House, the veterinary surgery, while the King’s Arms Hotel was transformed into the Drovers Arms, where Siegfried, James and Tristan traded gossip over pints.

Step inside the pub today and you’ll still find low beams, flagged floors and photos of the original cast lining the walls.

When filming for Series 6 wrapped earlier this year, several cast members reportedly revisited Askrigg, a quiet nod to where the Herriot legend began.

Getting there: Askrigg lies in the heart of Wensleydale, around 12 miles west of Leyburn. Free parking and tearooms make it a lovely half-day stop.

Grassington – Darrowby reborn

For Channel 5’s revival, producers sought a fresh Darrowby that still felt timeless.

They found it in Grassington, in Upper Wharfedale.

Each series, including the current one, sees its market square transformed into a 1930s high street, complete with vintage shopfronts, hand-painted signs and period buses rumbling through.

Locals once again served as extras during filming earlier this year, helping to bring festive market scenes to life for the opening of Series 6.

Filming for All Creatures Great and Small (Image: CHANNEL5)

Grassington’s sense of continuity, the same cobbles, the same hills, gives Herriot’s world its enduring warmth.

Just a few miles up the valley lies Yockenthwaite Farm, the real-life setting for the Alderson family’s home.

The working farm in Upper Wharfedale has appeared throughout the Channel 5 series as the backdrop for Helen’s family life, a picture-perfect cluster of stone barns and meadows that capture the show’s rustic charm.

All Creatures Great and Small: Series 2. The Alderson farm (Image: PA MEDIA)

Visitor tip: Pop into The Devonshire Hotel, which stands in for the Drovers Arms in the new series.

The Drovers Arms – a tale of three pubs

The Drovers Arms is another location in the TV show (Image: PA MEDIA)

Few settings capture Herriot’s Yorkshire better than the Drovers Arms, which has had several real-life incarnations:

King’s Arms, Askrigg – used for exterior shots in the 1978 series.

Devonshire Hotel, Grassington – the pub frontage in the Channel 5 version.

Green Dragon Inn, Hardraw – filming location for the modern interiors, beside the spectacular Hardraw Force, England’s tallest single-drop waterfall.

For Series 6, crews returned to the Green Dragon for new pub storylines filmed over a few rain-soaked days in April 2025.

Fans can visit all three, each offers a pint, a fire and a flavour of Herriot’s Yorkshire.

Broughton Hall – the grandeur of Mrs Pumphrey

Just outside Skipton, the sweeping Broughton Hall Estate doubles as the home of the glamorous Mrs Pumphrey and her pampered Pekingese, Tricki-Woo.

The 16th-century mansion has featured throughout the Channel 5 run and returns again in Series 6, exploring post-war Yorkshire’s shifting fortunes.

The blend of opulence and mud-splattered practicality, vets in wellies climbing marble steps, remains one of the show’s visual delights.

While you’re there: The estate’s woodland trails and café are open year-round; combine a visit with time in nearby Skipton, the “Gateway to the Dales”.

Malham and Janet’s Foss – nature’s stage

The Dales are more than a backdrop, they’re a living character.

Janet’s Foss, near Malham, was used for James’s dawn swim in the first Channel 5 series, and crews returned this spring to capture new springtime sequences.

Malham cove (Image: Darren Jon Roscoe)

From the limestone pavements of Malham Cove to the serene waters of Malham Tarn, these landscapes embody Herriot’s world: endurance, humility and the quiet beauty of ordinary life.

Travel note: Malham Cove and Janet’s Foss are easily walkable from Malham village (car park and cafés nearby).

Wensley & Hubberholme – where vows are made

In the BBC classic, James and Helen wed at Holy Trinity Church, Wensley.

For the Channel 5 adaptation, exteriors were filmed in Arncliffe, while interiors took place at St Michael and All Angels, Hubberholme, a tiny stone church nestled beside the River Wharfe.

Earlier this year, the cast quietly filmed an anniversary flashback scene in Hubberholme, reconnecting Series 6 with the show’s romantic roots.

READ MORE: Channel 5’s All Creatures Great and Small star’s message

Grassington: Town used for All Creatures Great and Small

Exploring the Strid at Bolton Abbey, North Yorkshire

Bolton Castle – romance in stone

Perched above Wensleydale near Leyburn, Bolton Castle played a starring role in the BBC series’ proposal scene, and in real life, it’s where author Alf Wight (the real James Herriot) proposed to his wife, Joan.

Although the castle doesn’t feature in the current series, its legacy looms large. The writers have cited it as inspiration for new themes exploring family, heritage and belonging.

Whether you’re a lifelong fan or new to the series, following Herriot’s footsteps is a perfect way to discover the Yorkshire Dales.

These locations: Askrigg, Grassington, Hardraw, Broughton Hall, Malham, Wensley, Hubberholme and Bolton Castle, are more than filming spots: they’re living, breathing communities steeped in warmth and tradition.

So pack your boots, your camera and a good map and you’ll find that Herriot’s world isn’t a work of fiction at all.

It’s waiting, just over the next hill.

All series can be watched on catch-up.