Updated: 01/10/2026
9 mins
Destination: UK & Ireland
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Starring Great Britain. 5 Iconic Movie Locations in the UK
Great Britain has always had a bit of star quality. From misty Highland glens to honey-coloured villages and dramatic feats of Victorian engineering, the UK doesn’t just host films it steals the scene. As location scouts have known for decades, the UK can double for almost anywhere in the world while still feeling unmistakably British. That versatility is exactly what makes it such a powerful destination for travel experiences with depth, story and cinematic impact.
At Adventure by AE, we see these places not just as film locations, but as living landscapes your clients can step into. When you bring guests to a location they recognise from the big screen, something special happens: the experience becomes emotional, memorable and shareable. It’s no longer just a hike, a village visit or a city tour – it’s their moment inside a story they already love.
So, whether you’re designing an incentive trip, a high-end leisure itinerary or an active group adventure, here are five iconic movie locations that prove Britain deserves top billing. Starring Great Britain: 5 Iconic Movie Locations in the UK is your inspiration guide to places that deliver drama, atmosphere and unforgettable experiences – on and off camera.
Glencoe & Glen Etive – Scottish Highlands
If Great Britain had a natural leading role, Glencoe would be a strong contender. Towering peaks, sweeping valleys and an ever-changing sky make this part of the Scottish Highlands one of the most cinematic landscapes in Europe. It’s no surprise it has featured in everything from Skyfall and Braveheart to Harry Potter and Outlaw King.
For many travellers, Glencoe feels instantly familiar even on a first visit. That’s the power of cinema. As soon as your clients arrive, they recognise the drama of the landscape, the wide-open spaces, the brooding mountains, the sense of raw wilderness. It delivers a “wow” moment every single time and sets the tone for a truly iconic Highlands experience.
One of the most magical additions to a Glencoe-based itinerary is the famous Jacobite Steam Train, best known globally as the Hogwarts Express from the Harry Potter films. Running between Fort William and Mallaig, this historic steam train passes through some of the most spectacular scenery in the Highlands, including views towards Glencoe and the surrounding mountain ranges. It’s a nostalgic, cinematic journey that taps straight into childhood imagination and global pop culture.
The train adds a real sense of occasion. Whether your clients are watching it curve through the landscape from a scenic viewpoint or riding aboard for part of the journey, it creates a shared moment of excitement and storytelling.
Glen Etive, a quieter and more intimate offshoot of Glencoe, famously featured in Skyfall as the emotional backdrop to James Bond’s ancestral home. The single-track road that winds through the glen is an experience in itself, perfect for cycling routes or scenic stops built into a Highlands journey. The contrast between Bond’s stark solitude and the whimsical magic of the steam train perfectly showcases the Highlands’ cinematic range.
From an experiential point of view, this area offers huge flexibility. You can take clients hiking through classic Highland terrain, arrange guided photography walks, or slow things down with whisky tastings and fireside storytelling in historic inns. For more active groups, mountaineering, trail running and wild swimming add a sense of adventure that perfectly matches the scale of the scenery.
Glencoe is a place layered with history, legend and atmosphere, now enhanced by one of the most famous railway journeys in the world. It’s cinematic without being contrived, authentic without trying too hard, and unforgettable long after the journey ends.
Bath – Cotswolds
Elegant, grand and effortlessly cinematic, Bath has been playing itself and other cities on screen for decades. With its Roman heritage, Georgian architecture and golden stone crescents, it has featured in productions such as Bridgerton, Les Misérables, Pride and Prejudice and Vanity Fair.
Bath’s cinematic appeal lies in its cohesion. The city feels visually unified, making it easy for filmmakers and travellers to imagine stepping into another era. For clients, walking through Bath feels like being on a perfectly preserved set, except it’s alive with cafés, markets and a effortless buzz.
Bath is incredibly flexible. Trips can lean into the film and literary connections with themed walks, or be balance with wellness experiences at the Thermae Rooftop Pool, private museum access or countryside excursions into the surrounding Cotswolds.
Bath offers sophistication without stuffiness and culture without complexity. Clients can enjoy high-end dining, boutique shopping and relaxed exploration, all within a compact and walkable city.
What elevates Bath as a filming location and a travel destination is its sense of continuity. Unlike places that feel frozen in time, Bath feels lived-in and dynamic. Today, travellers can picnic on the same lawns where the Bridgerton cast once promenaded, or peek inside the grand Georgian frontages that doubled as the homes of the show’s most famous families, turning a simple stroll through Bath into a moment of pure period drama. This makes the experience richer and more authentic for modern travellers.
Bampton – Cotswolds
At the other end of the cinematic spectrum lies Bampton, a picture-perfect village in the Cotswolds that has quietly become one of the most recognisable filming locations in the UK. Best known as the primary setting for Downton Abbey, Bampton doubles as the fictional village where the period drama was set.
Fans of Downton Abbey will immediately feel at home in Bampton, where familiar streets and landmarks played host to many of the show’s most beloved characters, from village gatherings to everyday moments of life below stairs. Just a short distance away, Cogges Manor Farm, used extensively as the Crawley family’s tenant farm (Yew Tree Farm), adds another rich layer to the experience. Here, travellers can step into the working rural world that grounded the series, making it easy to connect the elegance of the big house with the realities of estate life, a wonderfully immersive pairing for clients who want more than just a photo stop.
What makes Bampton so effective on screen and in real life is how untouched it feels. Stone cottages, a beautiful church, traditional pubs and narrow lanes all contribute to a sense of stepping back in time.
You can combine a guided village walk with private access experiences, countryside cycling, or relaxed pub lunches that feel effortlessly British. It’s ideal for clients who want culture without crowds and elegance without formality.
Despite it’s on-screen presence, the village of Bampton is generally less explored than nearby Bibury or Burford which have become renowned as Cotswold tourist hotspots. Therefore making Bampton feel like a hidden gem of the region but still delivering fantastic Cotswold charm.
Bampton proves that you don’t need big action scenes or dramatic landscapes to create a powerful travel moment. Sometimes, it’s the quiet charm of a place that resonates most. For clients seeking refined, nostalgic and deeply British experiences, this village consistently delivers.
Puzzlewood – Forest of Dean
If there’s one location on this list that feels like stepping into another world, it’s Puzzlewood. Hidden within the Forest of Dean, this ancient woodland has been shaped by centuries of natural growth and human history, creating twisted roots, moss-covered rocks and sun-dappled pathways that look almost unreal.
Film and TV producers clearly agree. Puzzlewood has appeared in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Harry Potter, Doctor Who and Merlin, often doubling as mystical forests or alien landscapes. The moment clients enter, they understand why.
Walks here feel like explorations rather than tours, and the environment naturally encourages slower, more mindful travel.
Puzzlewood pairs beautifully with active experiences such as cycling in the wider Forest of Dean but it also works as a contrast stop within a broader England itinerary, offering something unexpected between more traditional destinations.
What makes Puzzlewood special is its emotional impact. It sparks childlike wonder while still feeling sophisticated and rooted in nature. For clients, it’s memorable because it’s unlike anywhere else they’ve been, it’s a location that reliably delivers a sense of discovery.
The Glenfinnan Viaduct – Scottish Highlands
Few film locations in the UK are as instantly recognisable as the Glenfinnan Viaduct. Sweeping gracefully across the Highland landscape, this engineering masterpiece became world-famous thanks to the Harry Potter films, where the Hogwarts Express steams across its arches.
But even without the cinematic fame, Glenfinnan is a showstopper. Set against mountains and overlooking Loch Shiel, it combines natural beauty with human ingenuity in a way that feels deeply romantic. For clients, it’s one of those places that genuinely lives up to expectations and often exceeds them.
Timing is everything here. Coordinating visits with the Jacobite Steam Train crossing transforms the experience into a shared moment of excitement. But for Adventure by AE it’s not about joining the crowds at the roadside to take pictures, its about creating an elevated experience, walking to an alternative vista for a unique view.
It’s not just about the viaduct itself, but about how it connects themes of literature, film, history and landscape. Add in guided walks, boat trips on the loch or visits to nearby historic sites, and you have a layered, Scottish experience.
This is also a fantastic example of a location that appeals across generations. Whether clients are Harry Potter fans, railway enthusiasts or simply lovers of dramatic scenery, Glenfinnan has universal appeal.
Film locations aren’t just about recognition they’re about connection. When clients stand in a place they’ve seen on screen, it triggers emotion, memory and imagination. It gives them a story to tell when they return home, and stories are what truly define great travel experiences.
The 5 iconic movie locations mentioned above shows just how varied and versatile these places can be. From wild Highland landscapes to refined Georgian cities, the UK offers cinematic settings that work for many travellers.
At Adventure by AE, we specialise in turning these iconic locations into seamless, meaningful experiences for your clients. We handle the logistics, the pacing and the insider knowledge so you can deliver itineraries that feel effortless, immersive and genuinely special.
Experienced by
Sophie
Content Marketing Manager