If you’ve ever been stuck on a TV show and felt that the scenery seems rather familiar, that may be because the UK is home to some of the world’s most famous TV filming locations.
With the hotly anticipated Game of Thrones spin-off, House of Dragons, and the Netflix smash hit The Crown having filmed in locations across Great Britain, we decided to take a look at the most popular locations for film and TV in the UK.
We surveyed the nation to see what percentage of Brits visited TV filming locations and how it inspired their staycation, and found that seven in ten Brits (70%) have visited a specific place in the UK because a TV show or movie was filmed there! Let’s dive into the top filming locations across the UK.
The top TV and film locations in the UK
St Michael's Mount
Cornwall
House of the Dragon is the exciting new spin-off series from the legendary Game of Thrones TV show and is due to launch later this year to much anticipation. The cast spent a lot of time filming in Cornwall over the last couple of years, showcasing some of the most picturesque locations this area has to offer, including:
- St Michael’s Mount
- Holywell Bay
- Kynance Cove
Cornwall cottages
Wye Valley
Sex Education is one of the most popular Netflix series to have come out since the platform began creating its content. Hilarious, tongue-in-cheek, and very honest about how it feels growing up as a teenager in the UK, it is set against the gorgeous backdrop of the Welsh countryside. Iconic houses like Otis and Dr Milburn’s red clifftop house, and Ola and Jakob’s quaint cottage are popular picks, as well as these other popular destinations:
- River Wye
- Symonds Yat
- The Forest of Dean
Wye Valley cottages
Bath
Bridgerton was the diamond of the season for Netflix, a lavish and deliciously designed period show with eye-catching costumes, flowery declarations of love and stunning locations dotted around the UK, including several spots in Jane Austen’s Bath:
- The Royal Crescent
- The Holburne Museum
- No.1 Royal Crescent
Bath cottages
Scottish Highlands
Famous for its beautiful scenery and raunchy scenes, Outlander has captured the hearts and minds of the UK. The setting for the story is the Scottish Highlands, an area famed for its natural, rugged beauty (like Sam Heughan). Just some of the stunning landscapes used in Outlander include:
- Inverness
- Blackness Castle
- Falkland Palace and Garden
Scottish Highlands cottages
Hatfield House in Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
One of the most talked about shows of the last few years, The Crown, follows the story of Queen Elizabeth II and her family, including all the dramatic ups and downs of family life lived in the spotlight. For this show, they were able to gain access to some of the most prestigious locations in Hertfordshire, as well as some locations that could easily double as the palaces where the royal family spend their lives:
- Wrotham Park
- Winchester Cathedral
- Hatfield House
Who is the most likely to travel to filming locations?
When it comes to staycations at these destinations, we found that millennials (those aged between 25-34) are the most likely group to factor in TV filming locations when choosing somewhere to visit (78%), followed by Gen Z (18-24) (74%). So, the next time you’re booking a trip, you may find that the locations used in popular tv shows will be very popular!
As well as different generations, we also found that people from different cities around the UK were more likely to travel to popular TV filming locations when staycationing:
- Leeds (80%)
- Belfast (78%)
- Manchester (77%)
- Southampton (72%)
- Nottingham (69%)
Book a staycation in the UK
If you’re interested in visiting any of these amazing destinations, why not book with holidaycottages.co.uk and holiday at home? From the Scottish Highlands to the Wye Valley, there are so many great locations to choose from.
Browse our holiday cottage collection