Television dramas have a way of completely consuming us, resulting in night-long Netflix binges and wondering what inspired such a story or dreaming of what it would be like to step into it, even for just a second. It’s time to embrace the wandering mind and let ourselves briefly escape from the everyday to live our on-screen fantasies. We delve into our top pop culture pilgrimages, from period dramas to the most intriguing of murder mysteries, with our nearby Unique Homestays as a base to explore the scenes in real life.
A passage through period dramas
The UK is undoubtedly known for its grand manor houses and castles, so it’s no surprise that it holds the filming locations for two popular period dramas, Downton Abbey and Pride and Prejudice. For a chance to walk through the great hall and bedrooms of Highclere Castle in Downton Abbey, the fun and flamboyant Victorian house Felicity Park, the enchanting Faerie Door Cottage or the treacle-toned Atticus are around an hour's drive away. If you’re a devotee to the 2005 Pride and Prejudice film, you’ll be very familiar with Burghley House. This was the location of Lady Catherine’s Rosings Park and only a short drive away from Dragonwood Boat House, set on the calm Rutland Water Nature Reserve. To escape a tad closer to the city yet still with a feeling of being worlds away, Ever After in rural Kent is close to Groombridge Place which acted as the Bennet’s home in the 2005 movie.
On the Poldark trail
A journey on the Poldark trail will certainly take you to Cornwall’s most breathtaking vistas, from dramatic coastlines to a journey to the end of the earth. Pixie Nook, a romantic moorland cottage, is a perfect space for couples or solo travellers to visit the untamed Bodmin Moor and relive scenes of horseback riding and Ross and Demelza’s Cottage, Nampara. If you’re looking for a coastal retreat, The Signal Station on the wild Lizard Peninsula and our southernmost home is just a short drive to Predannack Wollas where many backdrops were filmed. Or, take a trip to the Sea Cabin in St Agnes, the perfect middle ground for many filming locations and close to St Agnes Head, a scene used for the cliff hangers to series one and two.
Murder mysteries
Despite the gruesome fictional murders that have taken place in these locations, there is still an undeniable pull to these beautiful places we see on screen. The exteriors of Causton Abbey in Midsomer Murders were filmed in Waverley Abbey, a spot where a body was found in the vaulted undercroft. Our three extraordinary homestays Guinevere, Balthazar or Rhapsody are under an hour away and provide a perfect base to explore this fictional crime scene. For the Morse and Lewis fans, take a trip to the magnificent Blenheim Palace and you’ll quickly remember The Way through the woods episode as Morse drives up to the grand entrance to investigate a murder. Stay at Atticus, a honey-hued townhouse or our romantic cottage Little Scarlet which are both just 30 minutes away.
