{"id":230,"date":"2021-12-25T08:10:10","date_gmt":"2021-12-25T07:10:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/?p=7118"},"modified":"2021-12-25T08:23:17","modified_gmt":"2021-12-25T07:23:17","slug":"the-best-film-and-tv-locations-to-visit-in-the-uk","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/rss_feed\/the-best-film-and-tv-locations-to-visit-in-the-uk\/","title":{"rendered":"The best film and TV locations to visit in the UK"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Emily Clark\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Saturday, 25 December 2021 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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The British countryside plays an important role in the film industry, whatever the genre \u2013 action, drama, comedy, fantasy or thriller.<\/p>\n

Location scouts have no difficulty sussing out places of enchanting beauty or dark romance on our diverse islands, from the rugged coasts and mountains of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales to England\u2019s leafy country estates. Drawing inspiration from TV and film settings, we can explore the interiors of nearby stately homes on rainy days, and their gardens and parks on bright frosty mornings. For the mountain, coast and moorland locations further away, we can start planning for longer spring or summer trips.<\/p>\n

\""Viaduct\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Glenfinnan Viaduct features in Harry Potter \u2013 <\/em>remember\u00a0when\u00a0Harry and Ron had their traumatic flying Ford Anglia adventure?\/Credit: Getty<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

UK landscape in film and and TV<\/h2>\n

The dramatic Highland<\/a> landscapes that inspired the romance of Braveheart<\/em> and Rob Roy<\/em>, as well as the dreamy settings of 1983\u2019s Local Hero<\/em>, linger in the memory. From the old-world fishing village of Pennan to the white sands of Morar and Arisaig filmed in this gentle drama-comedy, the Scottish coasts cast a spell.<\/p>\n

Love and passion in Game of Thrones<\/em> is much darker \u2013 often ending in death \u2013 but the series makes use of Northern Ireland\u2019s most mesmerising locations. Castle Ward and the medieval ruins of Inch Abbey in County Down, the wild Atlantic at Ballintoy Harbour, Cushendun Caves and the Dark Hedges of County Antrim are just a few of them.<\/p>\n

\""Castle\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Duart Castle was used to depict the Castle of Sorne in the romance drama\u00a0I Know Where I\u2019m Going!<\/em>\/Credit: Robert Harding, Alamy<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

In Wales, The Edge of Love<\/em> centres around the poet and playwright Dylan Thomas. It showcases alluring Welsh landscapes, from Cardigan Bay and the cliff-top harbour town of Tenby in Pembrokeshire to Snowdonia National Park<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In England, pathos and passion play out against a backdrop of ravishing locations. Gothic love stories feature England\u2019s wildest, most romantic landscapes. The adaptation of Daphne du Maurier\u2019s Jamaica Inn<\/em> filmed in an old smuggling inn amid the bleak beauty of Bodmin Moor in Cornwall; Rebecca<\/em> was shot on the high cliffs of North Devon. The 1992 film of Emily Bront\u00eb\u2019s Wuthering Heights<\/em> utilises the Gothic drama of Malham Cove and Aysgarth Falls in Yorkshire; Charlotte Bront\u00eb\u2019s Jane Eyre<\/em>, the stately homes and moors of the Peak District.<\/p>\n

The Jane Austen adaptations show off a plethora of stately homes up and down the country. The sumptuous costumes, dreamy locations and glamorous lifestyles of the landed gentry are compulsive viewing for many. Who could forget a smouldering Mr Darcy, aka Colin Firth, preparing to take\u00a0a swim at Lyme Hall in Pride and Prejudice<\/em>?<\/p>\n

Best film and TV locations to visit in the UK<\/h2>\n

Crummock Water, Cumbria | Supernova<\/em><\/h3>\n
\""Mountain\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
\u201cCrummock Water represents a place that reminds Sam and Tusker of the beauty and longevity of their love for one another,\u201d said writer and director Harry Macqueen\/Credit: Phil Buckle, Getty<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Supernova<\/em>\u00a0is a road movie set within this sweep of land so adored by Wordsworth.\u00a0The romantic drama details the impact of dementia on a relationship, sensitively portraying a sublime aspect of love when compared to the excitement often seen in stories of fledgling romance.<\/p>\n

You can visit many of the filming locations on a bike ride from Keswick, over Whinlatter Pass, down through Buttermere Valley<\/a> and on through Borrowdale<\/a> back to Keswick, each with its own share of both tranquil beauty and awe-inspiring nature.<\/p>\n

New Quay, Ceredigion | The Edge of Love<\/em><\/h3>\n
\""Seaside\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
The harbour at New Quay, Ceredigion, Wales\/Credit: Simon Whaley<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n
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Partly set in New Quay,\u00a0The Edge of Love<\/em>\u00a0(2008) tells of a fictional love triangle between Dylan Thomas, his wife Caitlin and Dylan\u2019s first love, Vera Killick.<\/p>\n

Starring Matthew Rhys, Keira Knightley and Sienna Miller, the story is set around a real shooting incident on 6 March 1945, when Vera\u2019s husband William fired shots into Dylan\u2019s bungalow, believing Dylan and Vera were having an affair.<\/p>\n

New Quay\u2019s Dylan Thomas Trail<\/a> links the poet\u2019s favourite places and includes several film locations. The walk is also a great way to see Mother Nature\u2019s supporting cast.<\/p>\n

Carnforth Station, Lancashire | Brief Encounter<\/em><\/h3>\n
\""Old\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Step on to platform one at Carnforth Station and be instantly transported to the romance of the steam era\/Credit: Ian Taylor, Geograph<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

There aren\u2019t many films that qualify as classics, that retain an enduring appeal long after they are made, but nearly 80 years on, Brief Encounter continues to top polls as one of the greatest British films ever made. \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Adapted from Noel Coward\u2019s stage play, the film was famously directed by David Lean and many of the scenes were shot in 1945 at Carnforth Railway Station<\/a> in Lancashire, necessary to avoid the blackout restrictions and wartime disruption that affected filming in London.<\/p>\n

It is a tale of the romance and unconsummated love between the married characters of Laura and Alec, played by Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard. The station and its refreshment room feature as the backdrop to their first chance encounter and to their final, reluctant, tear-jerking parting.<\/p>\n

Shibden Hall, Yorkshire | Gentleman Jack<\/em><\/h3>\n
\""Country\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Diarist Anne Lister inherited Shibden Hall from her aunt in 1836 \/Credit: Steven Gillis, Alamy<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n
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\u201cShabby little Shibden\u201d. That is how Anne Lister (1791\u20131840) describes her family home in\u00a0Gentleman Jack<\/a><\/em>,\u00a0the BBC period drama that portrays the real-life romance between Anne Lister and her neighbour Ann Walker.<\/p>\n

Shabby isn\u2019t how you would describe the 600-year-old manor house today. Owned by the Lister family for over 300 years,\u00a0Shibden Hall<\/a>\u00a0is where Anne Lister once lived and wrote her famous encrypted diaries. They remained here, hidden within the walls until John Lister, the last inhabitant of Shibden Hall, found them. The diaries weren\u2019t decrypted until long after Anne Lister\u2019s death and proved to be of great historical importance. They offer an understanding of her life in West Yorkshire and a deep insight into her romantic relationships with\u00a0the \u201cfairer sex\u201d.<\/p>\n

Duart Castle, Mull | I Know Where I\u2019m Going!<\/em><\/h3>\n
\""Castle\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Duart Castle, Mull\/Credit: Unlisted Images, Inc.,Alamy<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

True love blossoms at\u00a0Duart Castle<\/a> on Mull for the protagonists in\u00a0I Know Where I\u2019m Going!<\/em>. Young, attractive and fiercely independent social climber Joan Webster meets her unexpected catch on the isle \u2013 a heart-throb naval officer, Torquil MacNeil.<\/p>\n

One of the greatest silver-screen love stories,\u00a0I Know Where I\u2019m Going!<\/em>\u2019s evocative cinematography captures the magic of this Scottish isle, even 75 years on. Blending comedy, romance and dark undertones, the drama begins as Joan (Wendy Hiller) embarks for the fictitious Island of Kiloran to marry an elderly and wealthy industrialist. But a storm maroons her on Mull, where she meets \u2013 and soon falls in love with \u2013 Torquil (Roger Livesey). In the end, an ancient Celtic curse binds the two together.<\/p>\n

Highclere Castle, Hampshire |\u00a0Downton Abbey<\/em><\/h3>\n
\""Downton\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Filming for the new Downton Abbey film, in cinemas September 13th, has just ended at the castle\/Credit: Getty<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

The Crawley family cordially invite you to peruse the grounds of their home, known to us layfolk as Highclere Castle<\/a>. The castle is owned by the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon, where tours of the familiar state rooms can be booked directly through the Highclere website<\/a>. Downton Abbey\u2019s writer Julian Fellowes had the magnificent Highclere in mind when he wrote the script. According to the Highclere website, \u2018he wanted a house which spectacularly testified to the confidence and soaring optimism of the Edwardian period\u2019. During filming, the cast sometimes sleep and dine in The Carnarvon Arms, a grade-II listed former coach house. Keep lookout for thirsty cast members in the bar!<\/p>\n

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