The UK is a nation of stunning landscapes, so it’s no surprise that its natural beauty spots have been used to enhance some of the world’s most famous films since the beginning of the industry.

Here, we’ve brought together a collection of the top five beautiful gardens used as iconic location sets that you can visit the country.

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves

The country of Yorkshire is rugged and vast — an ideal place to shoot an action scene. Near the village of Aysgarth in Yorkshire, you can visit the site where Robin Hood fought Little John in the famous 1991 film. The falls are made up of three different waterfalls — all within walking distance — but it was the upper and middle falls that were made famous in the Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves production. You can also pay a small, voluntary fee to get close to where the scene was filmed.

Even after you’ve taken your photos of the famous location, there’s plenty nearby to explore along the River Ure. Explore the village or Carperby and Castle Bolton and see wildflowers through the valley in spring and summer. Visitors have said that the site is best explored after heavy rainfall when the water is most powerful and the falls look especially spectacular.

Pride and Prejudice

If you enjoy the beautiful scenery that gardens offer, perhaps head to Stourhead Landscape Garden in Wiltshire and see one of the locations used during the filming of the 2005 production of Pride and Prejudice. This is the place where Mr. Darcy first proposed to Lizzie before she made her exit across the Palladian Bridge. Work on the garden begun in 1740 but wasn’t completed until 1780, and it has since been described as a ‘living work of art’!

While here, you’ll spot the stunning lake that sits in the center of the garden. See a range of trees, from beech to Spanish chestnut, and explore the temples that sit close to the water feature. Visit the garden in spring and you’ll also see rhododendrons in bloom, while in early summer you can enjoy azaleas!

Harry Potter series

Arguably one of the most successful and famous film collections ever, anyone who enjoyed watching the Harry Potter films must head to Alnwick Castle in Northumberland. Here, you can see the castle that transformed into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for the first time in 2000 during the filming of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. It was also on the grounds of this castle that Harry and his friends learned to fly their broomsticks! Students of Hogwarts walked through the courtyards and baileys of Alnwick Castle, too. Features of the castle were even shown as a path to Hagrid’s cabin and the Forbidden Forest.

After you’ve enjoyed the majesty of the now famous castle, why not head to the surrounding gardens?These are home to 200 different species of roses, including the Christmas rose and the English shrub rose. During spring, enjoy brightly colored water lilies or go in summer to see the delicate Peruvian lily. There is also a large water feature that sits in the center of the garden.

If you’re eager to learn about horticulture, visit the Poison Garden to find out more about potentially lethal plants! Educate yourselves on a range of flora that can cause death through pleasure or pain and see how some of the most popular drugs are grown. Just be sure to follow the recommendations that you do not smell or touch the plants, as visitors have been known to faint due to inhaling toxic fumes!

James Bond: Die Another Day

If you’re into spectacular buildings and exotic plants, why not visit The Eden Project in Cornwall — believed to be the globe’s biggest indoor rainforest. This amazing structure is made from two, large biomes — a Rainforest Biome and a Mediterranean Biome —and, in 2002, the Eden Project became Gustav Graves’ Ice Palace and high-security lair in the James Bond film, Die Another Day! It is also home to the longest zip wire in England, which flies you over the biomes to give you a birds-eye view of the spectacles beneath.

Visiting this stunning filming location opens a world of tropical and colorful plant life. Experience exotic heat in the Rainforest Biome and discover more than 1,000 varieties of plant — it even has a waterfall. Visit an authentic south-east Asian home, as well as a vegetable garden to see how herbs, flowers, and trees grow in the climate.

After enjoying the Rainforest Biome, why not head over to its twin: the Mediterranean Biome? Here, you can experience temperatures from between 9 and 25°C, then enjoy a walk through the iconic grass trees, see huge aloe veras and stroll passed tulips. There’s also a perfume garden, which is filled with scented plants, such as jasmine, roses, lavender, and thyme.

Game of Thrones

It seems like everyone is obsessed with Game of Thrones at the moment, and it’s tough to imagine any reallocation being able to recreate the magic of the book series. However, if you’re a fan, head to Bregagh Road in Northern Ireland to see The Dark Hedges — an avenue of beech trees made famous by the popular TV series. It was first featured in episode one of the second series as ‘King’s Road’, which was the path that Arya took as she escaped from King’s Landing dressed as a boy.

If you fancy visiting, you won’t be alone. The venue is now a hugely popular tourist attraction — much to the surprise of locals who consider it just a rural road in Ballymoney. Voted one of the world’s most stunning places by the Architectural Digest magazine, The Dark Hedges is perfect for tree-lovers. They were planted in the 1700s and intertwine to create a mystical avenue. If you’re one for beautiful, earthy tones, this site is spectacular. Also, ghost story lovers will have another reason to enjoy the location: local legend says that the avenue is home to a grey lady who walks between the trees as it gets dark!

Even better, you can even see more popular natural attractions during your visit to Northern Ireland. The Dark Hedges is situated close to the northern coast, near other famous sites such as the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge and the Giant’s Causeway.

This article was researched and created by Suttons, a garden expert and leading retailer of vegetable seeds.

Sources

• https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/lists/jane-austen-film-and-tv
• http://www.edenproject.com/
• https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/travel/game-of-thrones-dark-hedges-in-antrim-voted-one-of-worlds-most-beautiful-places-35274545.html

The post Best Film Location Landscapes in the UK appeared first on Wipsen.org.