7 hottest TV and movie locations to visit in the UK

Visitors have long travelled to Scotland for Outlander and to Cornwall for Poldark, but a new wave of projects is redrawing the map for a style of travel that’s become known as set-jetting. From zombies to period drama, there’s something for everyone.

Words by Kerry Parnell for Escape.com.au.

CORNWALL

The Salt Path

When Raynor Winn and husband, Moth, lost their home, they set off to walk the 1014km Salt Path, or South West Coast Path, from Somerset to Devon, Cornwall and Dorset.

The ensuing best-selling memoir – currently mired in controversy over its truth – is also a movie, starring Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs.

What’s not in dispute is the beauty of the setting: the South West Coast Path is a spectacular walk along one of England’s most-popular stretches of coast.

Key scenes in the movie take place at Port Isaac, Padstow and Holywell and Tregantle beaches in Cornwall.

Make it a double feature: The King Charles III England Coast Path will inspire your next coastal walking tour. When complete, it will allow users to trek the whole of the England coast.

HIGHCLERE CASTLE, HAMPSHIRE

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale

We’ve been following the upstairs-downstairs adventures of the Crawleys for 15 years and the latest movie, Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, brought it to a fantastic end.

Keep the fandom and fascination alive by visiting Downton Abbey, aka Highclere Castle, in Hampshire, touring the house, gardens and vast estate with its pretty follies dotted on the hillside.

Other Downton locations nearby include Bampton, which stood in for the village of Downton, and Cogges Manor Farm, in Oxfordshire.

Make it a double feature: The Downton crew also ventured to the grand spa town of Harrogate and the cathedral city of Ripon, North Yorkshire, for racing scenes.

NORTHUMBERLAND

28 Years Later

Zombie-fans are loving 28 Years Later, the sequel to 28 Days Later, in which director Danny Boyle has shifted the action to England’s north.

Starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Jodie Comer, it’s centred on the tidal island of Lindisfarne, or Holy Island, Northumberland, between Bamburgh Castle and Berwick-upon-Tweed. Keen armchair travellers will also recognise the cliff-edge Bamburgh as Bebbanburg in The Last Kingdom.

Lindisfarne is one of the UK’s most-famous landmarks, settled by monks in the seventh century, and you can cross the causeway and explore the priory, castle, as well as pubs, cafés and accommodation.

Other filming took place in nearby Kielder Forest – England’s largest – and picturesque Redmire, North Yorkshire, where the movie’s bone temple was constructed. The closing scenes were filmed further south, at ancient Cheddar Gorge, Somerset, with its cliffs and cave network.

Make it a double feature: The 2004 cult zombie movie Shaun of the Dead centres on The Winchester pub in London, which was, in real life, the Duke of Albany in New Cross. Now apartments, there’s a sign outside, reading “Fictionally The Winchester”.

SEVEN SISTERS, SUSSEX

Wicked: For Good

Hold on to your broomsticks – the Wicked sequel, Wicked: For Good, hits the screens in November. The epic musical, starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, was filmed in the UK and the stunning Seven Sisters Country Park in Sussex was the setting for waterway scenes.

Walk the coastal paths of England’s famous white cliffs, or paddle the winding Cuckmere River with Buzz Active Cuckmere.

For a real-life magical city, head to historic Lewes, nearby, or follow the yellow brick road to Munchkinland – really the village of Ivinghoe, Buckinghamshire, with its thatched cottages.

Make it a double feature: If that’s not enough wizardry, book into the ever-popular Warner Brothers Studio Tour, where the Harry Potter films were made, in Leavesden, Hertfordshire.

GREENWICH

Jurassic World: Rebirth

Principal photography for Jurassic World: Rebirth took place in Thailand, Malta and the United Kingdom – which appeared almost as winsome as stars Scarlett Johansson and Jonathan Bailey.

Key scenes were captured at Greenwich’s Old Royal Naval College, which stood in for New York. If it looks familiar, this Unesco World Heritage Site and museum is the most-filmed heritage site in the nation, appearing in everything from Bridgerton to The Crown, Thor to Batman, and has a special film tour of its grand interiors.

Make it a double feature: For real Jurassic treasures, visit the dinosaurs at London’s Natural History Museum, or The Etches Collection on the stunning Jurassic Coast in England’s south, a museum devoted to ancient marine life.

SCOTLAND

The Buccaneers

Season two of period drama The Buccaneers premiered earlier this year on Apple TV, but not many people know the real-life locations of the lavish homes and estates are not in London, but Scotland.

Arniston House and Gosford House, both just outside Edinburgh, appear in the show, as do Newhailes House, Preston Hall and Hopetoun House, near the capital.

Glasgow stands in for New York and Drumlanrig Castle, known as “the Pink Palace”, near Dumfries, doubled for Cornwall’s Tintagel Castle.

Make it a double feature: Bath is featured in Bridgerton, although in this most-recent season some of the Georgian city was recreated in the studio. For a bonnet bonanza, Bath is also celebrating Jane Austen’s 250th birthday this year.

YORKSHIRE DALES

Wuthering Heights

Emerald Fennell’s new adaptation of Wuthering Heights, starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, has already caused controversy, including for its casting, and it’s not in cinemas until February.

No doubt the Brontë Parsonage, home of author Emily Brontë, in Haworth, West Yorkshire, is readying itself for an influx of visitors.

Filming took place in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, at Arkengarthdale and Swaledale, with Robbie and the cast staying at country house hotel Simonstone Hall, near Hawes.

Make it a double feature: Another classic remake under way is Pride and Prejudice, starring Emma Corrin as Lizzie and Jack Lowden as Mr Darcy. Filming for the Netflix miniseries has been spotted in Rye, East Sussex.

5 MORE CINEMATIC LOCATIONS IN EUROPE

1. Ireland for Wednesday 2

The first season of the Netflix hit Wednesday was shot in Romania, but fans can now head to Ireland for their spooky thrills, as series two was filmed around Dublin (including Trinity College) and County Wicklow.

2. Rome for Emily in Paris

The upcoming season five, streaming in December, is a tale of two cities for our plucky heroine, who once again touches down in Rome with her new love – and Venice, too.

3. Norway for Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning

It’s one of this year’s biggest-grossing movies and Tom Cruise took the action to the stunning Arctic island of Svalbard, Norway.

4. Malta for Gladiator II

Malta is having a movie moment since Gladiator II turned Fort Ricasoli into the Colosseum and featured the ancient city of Mdina. The upcoming Enola Holmes 3 was filmed in Mdina, capital Valletta and Mellieha.

5. The Alps for Nine Perfect Strangers 2

Nicole Kidman’s Masha has moved her retreat to a new spot in the Austrian Alps, in locations including Hotel Krallerhof, Gradonna Mountain Resort and Schloss Blühnbach.

This article originally appeared on escape.com.au as 7 hottest TV and movie locations to visit in the UK.