The Yorkshire Dales in the north of England are as timeless as they are magical. The setting for All Creatures Great and Small on MASTERPIECE, they’re a place where family farms and community traditions span centuries. They’re also a place where four seasons sometimes arrive in the span of 24 hours, something as true today as it was in the 1940s of James Herriot’s stories. Although Herriot places the villagers, farmers and animals at the center of his narratives, his stories all take place in this special part of the world.

Changing weather has been a constant throughout all six seasons of the series. Snow, rain, sunshine, or clouds — all of these conditions might occur in the Dales in one day.

Nicholas Ralph takes viewers to the charming village of Grassington, the site of several locations featured in All Creatures Great and Small, including the Devonshire Inn, where the Drovers Arms exterior scenes are filmed. Nicholas makes a stop at the annual Grassington 1940s Festival, where thousands celebrate the decade with bands, fashion, music and vintage vehicles. Nicholas gets a dance lesson and leads a procession of the Yorkshire Volunteer Corps of Drums.

At the Nidderdale Agricultural Show, Nicholas meets a farmer who supplies Jersey cows to the series, learns how to fluff a cow’s tail, visits a tent filled with adorable pygmy goats, and meets a “fancy pigeon expert.”

Chef Bethany Heald, who creates all of the scrumptious meals enjoyed by the cast on the show, meets up with Anna Madeley (Mrs. Hall) in the Skeldale House kitchen. She teaches Anna how to make shortbread, a meaningful recipe for Mrs. Hall, who makes it for her son Edward in the series.

Cast members are quizzed on whether they would make better farmers or villagers and whether they would thrive or struggle in 1940s Darrowby. True to the spirit of All Creatures Great and Small, the consensus is that they would surely flourish if they could all be together.