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  1. TV & Film Locations

You are here: Home > Things to Do > Arts and Culture > TV & Film Locations

TV & Film Locations in the Lake District, Cumbria

Fabulous scenery looks good on camera, and in Cumbria we have plenty of it to go around. The Lake District has been a natural set for a host of films, including Miss Potter (2006), starring Renee Zellweger in the title role. Locations included Loughrigg and Grasmere as well as Yew Tree Farm in Coniston, which was conveniently owned by Potter herself. Her most famous creation, Peter Rabbit, was made into a film in 2018 starring James Corden, Daisy Ridley and Margot Robbie, and parts of it were filmed around Ambleside and Windermere.
 
1980s cult classic Withnail and I is largely set in and around Penrith, but most of the filming was done at Shap and Bampton, in the northeastern corner of Lake District National Park. Arthur Ransome’s much-loved Swallows and Amazons is centred on the Lake District and has been brought to the screen twice – in 1974 and 2016 – with parts of the original shot around Windermere and the remake around Coniston and Derwentwater.
 
But the Lake District is also a popular setting for films not necessarily connected to the area, including Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which saw Derwentwater and the surrounding countryside stand in for the planet of Takodana – two X-Wing fighters ‘fly’ across the lake from Walla Crag in one of the film’s most spectacular scenes.
 
Middle Fell Bridge in the Langdale Valley made an appearance in the classic film Brief Encounter (1945), while Snow White and the Huntsman (2012) was also partly shot in the valley, at Blea Tarn and Cathedral Cave. Finally, the Lake District was chosen as Cillian Murphy’s escape in 28 Days Later – he leaves a virus-torn London and makes his way to Ennerdale, which appears as a blissful retreat from the zombie apocalypse!

  1. Tv & Film Locations - Windermere. Photo courtesy of World of Beatrix Potter
    Windermere and Ambleside
    Powerful wartime drama The Windermere Children was filmed in Windermere. James Corden’s Peter Rabbit and the 2021 sequel were all based in the Lake District, just like the original Beatrix Potter books. One of the big TV hits of 2019 was the ITV drama Deep Water, starring former Brookside and Marcella star Anna Friel. The action centres around the lake, as well as Staveley and Bowness.
  2. TV and Film locations - Derwentwater and Keswick
    Derwentwater & Keswick
    One of the most eagerly awaited sequels of all time, the $2 billion blockbuster Star Wars Episode VII The Force Awakens combined the lakes of Derwentwater and Bassenthwaite to create the forested planet of Takodana, with iconic landmarks, including Skiddaw, featuring in the film. Head to Watendlath Fell in the Borrowdale Valley and transport yourself into space right here in Cumbria! The area will also be instantly recognisable to fans of the BBC drama The A Word about a family and their autistic son. The hit show, starring Christopher Eccleston, films in several locations around the Lake District, including Thirlmere, Buttermere and Honister.
  3. TV and Film locations - Whitehaven
    Whitehaven
    This Georgian coastal town is ideally situated by the sea and this meant that at one time it was the third biggest maritime port in Britain and traded with countries all over the world. Whitehaven’s harbourside was famously used for one of Coronation Street’s most dramatic episodes.
  4. TV & Film Locations - Kirkby Lonsdale. Photo courtesy of Woodclose Park.
    Kirkby Lonsdale
    The historic market town of Kirkby Lonsdale is nestled between the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales National Parks. It’s also one of the settings for The Voyage of Dr Dolittle starring Robert Downey Jr and Antonio Banderas. The Market Square was transformed into a period scene for a dramatic car chase.
  5. TV and Film locations - Coniston
    Coniston
    Coniston village used to thrive on copper mining and slate quarrying but is now a popular visitor destination and Hollywood blockbuster favourite. Miss Potter, featuring Bridget Jones star Reneé Zellweger, was filmed around the area. Arthur Ransome’s classic Swallows and Amazons has been made into two feature films, both shot in the Lake District.
  6. TV and Film locations - Langdale Valley
    Langdale Valley
    This beautiful valley was shaped by volcanic activity and ice before becoming the peaceful place it is today. Cathedral Cave, in Little Langdale, Blea Tarn and the Langdale Pikes all appear in Snow White and the Huntsman. This Hollywood epic features Twilight star Kristen Stewart and was a major box office hit around the world. The Lake District scenes are simply magnificent on the big screen.
  7. TV and Film locations - Carlisle. Photo copyright English Heritage.
    Carlisle
    Carlisle is the capital of Cumbria and perhaps surprisingly, is the largest city by area in England. Carlisle Castle is at the heart of the city and was chosen as a key setting in the first season of Outlander, based on author Diana Gabaldon’s historical time travel books. That’s despite the series being set in Scotland!
  8. TV and Film locations - Eden Valley.
    Eden Valley
    The classic 80s show Withnail & I starring Richard E. Grant and Paul McGann was filmed in and around Penrith, Shap and Wet Sleddale. Such a pretty area, easy to explore by bike, bus, boat and foot.
  9. TV and Film locations - Barrow-in-Furness and Walney.
    Barrow-in-Furness
    Barrow is perfectly located between the sea and the Lakes and was a leader in ship building, which led to it becoming the bustling industrial town it is today. The most famous production to be shot in Barrow was the poignant wartime drama Housewife 49 starring Victoria Wood.

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