The Yorkshire Dales has often been a prime location for filming TV and movies. Discover 8 examples.
Bob Dylan once sang, "I'm a man of contradictions, I'm a man of many moods / I contain multitudes". The same could be said of the Yorkshire Dales.
There are the Dales of
Wuthering Heights, all tangled furze, barren crags and heartless rain. Wuthering, in a word. But at other times, it's as tranquil and pretty as they come.
The landscape itself is delightfully heterogeneous, from limestone pavements to waterfalls, from stone-built villages to ancient woodland.
So, it should come as no surprise to learn that the Yorkshire Dales are often the star of TV and film. Its multitudinous moods make it perfect for everything from Gothic horror to fantasy, from slices of life to flights of fancy.
1. The Woman in Black
This Gothic horror, directed by James Watkins, was adapted from a 1983 novel by Scarborough-born Susan Hill. Its plot centres on a vengeful ghost in black terrorising the fictional village of Crythin Gifford.
Filming of the village scenes took place in Halton Gill, just north of Settle. It was also the site of a 2010 Sainsbury's Christmas advert with Jamie Oliver.
2. All Creatures Great and Small
The diversity of the Yorkshire landscape has made it a habitat for a remarkable variety of creatures great and small – and of the BBC TV series All Creatures Great and Small. This series, based on books by the British vet James Herriot, was set in the Dales in the 1930s.
Actor Peter Davison recalls: "The first thing we did was a filming block on location in North Yorkshire… I just remember driving up and seeing this beautiful countryside that I'd never seen before. It was untouched."
That word "untouched" resonates to this day. The crew stayed in West Witton, between Leyburn and Askrigg. Actor Robert Hardy, meanwhile, stayed in Low Row near Reeth at a "rather grand little bed and breakfast place".
Herriot loved Yorkshire – but he had to see it to believe it:
"I had a mental impression of Yorkshire as a stodgy, uninteresting place – rural in parts, perhaps, but dull. I remember Siegfried saying to me a few days after I had first met him, 'Wait till you see Swaledale, Wensleydale and Coverdale, my boy.' [He] was right."
We agree!
3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Fans of the Harry Potter films will remember Harry and Hermione setting up camp for their final battle with Voldemort. But did you know this scene was filmed on the magnificent curving limestone pavement at Malham Cove?
As well as filming on the philosopher's stone pavement (sorry), the film includes shots of Malhamdale, Cawden and Kirby Malham. It's a testament to the raw beauty of the Dales that they can convincingly represent a fantasy landscape.
4. The Railway Children
Directed by Lionel Jeffries and starring a young Jenny Agutter, 1970's The Railway Children features the Keighley and Worth Valley railway.
But just as
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows turned Malham Cove into a military base, so
The Railway Children turns a real-life heritage railway into the fictional Great Northern and Southern Railway.
The railway was used because it was the only heritage railway in Britain with a tunnel. But the tunnel as it appears in the film is much longer than in real life. The production team had to temporarily extend it with canvas covers.
Today, fans can visit Oakworth station or take a
Railway Children-themed circular walk from Haworth station.
5. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
Robin Hood may be associated with Nottinghamshire, but a famous scene in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves was filmed right here in the Yorkshire Dales.
The fight scene between Robin Hood and Little John was filmed at Aysgarth Falls. Shooting took place on the topmost flight of waterfalls.
Aysgarth Falls is beautiful all year round, but it's especially striking after heavy rains. This waterfall becomes a water-cascade, with gallon upon gallon of water charging down its limestone steps.
Elsewhere in the film, Maid Marian sees Robin bathing at another Yorkshire waterfall, Hardraw Force. The film crew also went further north to shoot at Sycamore Gap in Northumberland.
6. The Secret Garden
In The Secret Garden, young Mary Lennox is sent from British India to her uncle's home at Misslethwaite Manor in Yorkshire.
Many of the Manor scenes were filmed in North Yorkshire: from Duncombe Park to Helmsley Walled Garden, from Helmsley Castle to Fountains Abbey. The North Yorkshire Moors Railway also makes an appearance.
7. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Whip-wielding globetrotter Indiana Jones has seen some sights. But in 2023's
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,
he's seen surrounded by tanks and Nazis at Grosmont – a sleepy village on the North York Moors Railway line.
At the time of filming, one resident tweeted: "Look who walked right past us in Grosmont today… Our son asked him if he was Indiana Jones and he tipped his hat and said no, he was just the stunt double."
Around the same time, Tom Cruise shot some scenes for the
Mission: Impossible
franchise near Pickering and in Levisham.
It seems there's something about the Dales these Hollywood A-listers just can't resist!
8. The League of Gentlemen
Look at the filming locations for darkly surreal British comedy
The League of Gentlemen
and the Yorkshire Dales are conspicuous by their absence. Lancashire, Derbyshire, West Yorkshire, Greater Manchester… But no Yorkshire Dales. So, why is it on the list?
The answer is that the show features a sketch with a tour guide at the fictional Stump Hole Cavern – a guide who harbours a dark secret.
Sound familiar? That's right – Stump Hole was based on our very own Stump Cross Caverns.
The clip isn't safe for work – or little ears – so we won't share it here. But we'll just say this: we're a lot cheerier than Reece Shearsmith's character…
Watching the Dales on the big screen is breathtaking – but seeing it in person is even better. So, why not pay it a visit?
And if you're looking for
things to do in the Yorkshire Dales (between marvelling at the landscape), don't forget to swing by Stump Cross Caverns. With its beautiful stalactites and stalagmites, our ancient cave system is just as awe-inspiring as the landscape above. Just be sure to
book online for the best deal.
