Deep in the North Yorkshire Moors National Park lies Goathland.

Those who ride motorcycles should know its connection with the most deadly track in the world, The Isle of Man.

It is frequented by thousands of non residents every year.

Most however spend on average only an allocated 20 minutes to race to the local Post Office,store,funeral directors and the Aidensfield Garage, before the tourist bus departs.

There at the Garage they want to see a motorcycle, a Police motorcycle.

They probably buy a fridge magnet,calendar etc from Bob Wood who owns the garage and then jump back on the bus satisfied that have done the Hearthbeat experience.

Yes Goathland is best known as being Aidensfield the BBC drama setting for the Police series called Heartbeat.

That was not my prime reason for visiting, yes I wanted to go to the garage and meet Bob Wood as a man whose life since 1954 has been involved with racing motorcycles, usually British Nortons especially the Manx variety.

Bob has an amazing collection of AJS 7R's infact one of every model .Including the actual bike that John Surtess rode to victory at the IOM.

Manx Nortons abound including the rare 4 valve head model.

John still is highly involved running his own team against the might of factory backed efforts. His real interest lies in classic racing and the IOM Classic, but strangely he never attends the meeting.

He has had sucesses with riders such as Nick Jefferies.

In 2018 IOM Classic he has two riders nominated one on his Paton (No 6) and Maria Costello, who I have met on a number of occassions and saw her racing in May at the IOM TT this year. She will be aboard one of the Goathland Garage Classics a Honda DOHC in the 350cc capacity.

So while many flow to Goathland to have a Heartbeat experience some also come to visit the Railway station which is listed as one of the best preservated Victorian Stations in the world and because of this was used in that mind alterating anti establishment movie series as Platform 9&3/4.

In real life the motorcycles of the Goathland Garage Classic team give the real Heart Beat as riders defy death to secure the prestige of a win.

The town cafe has a great garden and that was used for my morning tea break as I too wandered this real life village taking in the scenes of new born lambs happily following Mum around the now very dry fields as Britain experiences like Australia a drought.

The trip back to Whitby saw a stop at a local Free House (pub) for lunch of ham and eggs with new local potatoes and freshly picked local peas.

While fish was on the menu also I had done the tourist thing the night before in Whity and had breaded scampi (prawns) for dinner.

Whitby has a unique link with Australia as the renamed Endeavour was based at Whitby and saw Captain James Cook leave on the discovery of Australia mission from Whitby. The town hosts the James Cook Museum in recognition of that epic journey.

The afternoon included a visit to the very historical Whitby Abbey ruins.

Unlike the English we Australians travel further in general so I journeyed South to the seaside city of Scarborough to see how the English were enjoying the uncommonly hot weather.

This included a diverson visit to Robin Hood Bay and a "locals only access"road often barely wide enough for one car but carrying traffic in both directions. It worked for me as a tourist I can read these foreign language signs. The only time it looked like an impasse turned out to be a local doing a three point turn in order to get off the road and into his own gateway.

The Scarborough beach actually looked almost like a beach as the first 40m was constructed of sand not the usual rock of English beaches. However in stark contrast the other side of the street saw shop after shop of Fun Arcades with both gaming macines (poker machines) mixed with video games,pool tables and prize machines. The hotter summer of 2018 was reflected in many tanned British beach goers often out weighing the white sun burnt British beach goer we usually see.

Of course while some had surf boards their were no waves above 5cms! Still families armed with buckets,shovels and inflatable toys were happy to enjoy ice creams,do nuts and fairy floss along with fish & chips at the beach.

I too joined them with fish eaten while sitting watching the swell (they would say waves) until it was time for Tom Tom to take us home via the scenic back roads well clear of the Motorway chaos. A fact greatly appreciated since on day 2 I was driving at the legal limit of 115 in the new hire car when without warning smoke rose from the cars in front of me as the whole 4 lanes came to 0 in a matter of 60m or less happily the ABS did it's job and I felt the correct shudder of the brake pedal, the small of burning rubber,the sound of tyres screeching on ashfalt and the joy of watching the bumper on the car in front fill my vision until we too were stationary looking for first gear as the line was already moving. The reason we all stopped was never apparent but is not unexpected having ridden the motorcycle many thousands of kms on Britains M road system.