From sweeping period dramas to big-budget blockbusters, Gloucestershire and the surrounding counties have played starring roles on screen for decades. With its elegant Regency streets, great selection of hotels, top-class restaurants and TV and movie locations within easy reach, Cheltenham makes the perfect base for a film-inspired getaway.
Here’s how to spend three days exploring some of the UK's top filming locations, all within a two-hour drive and easily enjoyed from a stay in Cheltenham.
Day 1: Cheltenham & Gloucester
Start your film location tour from Cheltenham in the town itself, which has had its share of on-screen fame, including as a location for classic 1970s sitcoms Butterflies and The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin.
Take a morning stroll through Montpellier and Pittville, where Regency architecture and leafy parks make it the perfect choice for period dramas. The Pittville Pump Room, the grandest survivor of the town’s original spa buildings, featured on screen in the 1990s TV shows Vanity Fair and House of Elliott, and has recently been seen in Father Brown.
This popular BBC series about a crime-solving Catholic priest makes frequent use of locations around Cheltenham – the Town Hall and the Princess Hall at Cheltenham Ladies College also made an appearance in recent series, with the Town Hall being transformed into 'The Hambleston Grand' theatre for a Strictly Come Dancing-style dancing contest.
The iconic 1968 public school film If.... with Malcolm McDowell was filmed at Cheltenham College, which was the film's director Lindsay Anderson's old school. And the elegant Queens Hotel Cheltenham overlooking Imperial Gardens was relocated to wartime Germany for the 1985 mini-series Jenny's War, which starred a young Hugh Grant in one of his early roles. Victoria's restaurant at the hotel makes a good lunch stop, with dishes showcasing the finest locally sourced produce.
In the afternoon, travel on to Gloucester, a short drive or bus ride from Cheltenham. The cloisters of spectacular medieval Gloucester Cathedral famously doubled as Hogwarts’ corridors in the Harry Potter film series, including The Philosopher’s Stone and The Chamber of Secrets. The cathedral Lavatorium, where monks used to wash their hands before meals, also makes an appearance in several of the films.
Harry Potter isn't Gloucester Cathedral's only claim to on-screen fame, it also featured in 2002 comedy film Catherine Called Birdy, 2018's Mary Queen of Scots and the TV series of Wolf Hall starring Mark Rylance and Damien Lewis, among others.
The atmospheric waterside setting and historic buildings of nearby Gloucester Docks helped it transform into 19th-century London for Tim Burton's 2016 sequel to Alice in Wonderland, Alice Through the Looking Glass. Production of the film was an elaborate affair, including five tall ships, 300 crew, 150 extras and two llamas! You can enjoy a drink in the Gloucester Food Dock before heading back to Cheltenham for the evening.
Images feature Cheltenham and Gloucester TV and film locations - Gloucester Cathedral, Gloucester Docks, Pittville Pump Room
Day 2: The Forest of Dean and Wye Valley
On day two, venture under an hour's drive to the west of Cheltenham and the ancient Forest of Dean, a landscape which is tailormade for fantasy filmmaking. In particular the magical forest of Puzzlewood, where its twisted trees, mossy gorges and wooden bridges look like something from another world.
Puzzlewood featured in one of the world's most famous sci-fi franchises when Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens came to the Forest of Dean. And visitors can follow in the footsteps of Rey and Kylo Ren through what the film's producer Kathleen Kennedy called "the most magical forest on the face of the earth”. Puzzlewood was also a regular location for TV series Doctor Who and Merlin.
Nearby Clearwell Caves is a network of ancient tunnels hidden deep below the forest’s trees. Once used for iron and ochre mining, they're now open to visitors – and visiting film crews. The caves were another popular filming spot for Doctor Who, passing themselves off as strange planets from across the galaxy. You can also see them in the TV series His Dark Materials, Da Vinci's Demons and Atlantis.
Next travel around 10 miles to the north to Symonds Yat, on the border with Herefordshire, where you'll see the distinctive red and white chalet overlooking the river which was home to Otis (Asa Butterfield) and his mum Jean (Gillian Anderson) in the hit Netflix series Sex Education. The Sacren's Head pub just below the chalet makes a scenic riverside lunch stop.
Then climb up to the top of Coppett Hill near Ross-on-Wye where you'll find another Harry Potter filming site, this time from The Deathly Hallows Part 1 where Harry and Hermione get lost in the snow. The area has links to author JK Rowling, who lived in Tutshill village in the Forest of Dean. From Coppett Hill it's around an hour's drive back to Cheltenham.
Images feature Forest of Dean TV and film locations easily accessible from Cheltenham - Puzzlewood, Clearwell Caves, Symonds Yat
Day 3: The Cotswolds
Finally spend your last day visiting film and TV locations in the Cotswolds, which are easily accessible as a day trip from Cheltenham. The honey-stone villages, rolling hills and stately homes of the Cotswolds have appeared on screen many times, but we will be concentrating on areas which are within easy reach of Cheltenham.
You can start your Cotswold film location tour right in Cheltenham on board the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway, which runs from Cheltenham Racecourse. This beautifully preserved steam line has featured in a range of productions including Father Brown and Doctor Who thanks to its vintage carriages and quaint stations.
Just seven miles north of Cheltenham, Sudeley Castle & Gardens is a Tudor jewel with 1000 years of history, 10 formal gardens to admire, exhibitions and events. Its historic interiors make it perfect for period dramas, with 2017's The White Princess based on Philippa Gregory's novel and 2008's Tess of the D'Urbervilles among TV series filmed at the castle. Stop off for a coffee and cake in the Pavillion café before continuing your film location tour.
Carry on to Snowshill, which starred in the first Bridget Jones's Diary film in 2001 – though you might not recognise it without the snow. This peaceful, quintessentially Cotswold village appeared in festive scenes as Bridget's parents' home village, but fake snow and Christmas lights had to be added since filming took place in July.
To the south of Cheltenham, the winding streets of historic wool town Painswick helped bring the fictional town of Pagford to life in the BBC’s 2015 adaptation of JK Rowling’s The Casual Vacancy. Nearby Bisley, Minchinhampton and Northleach also made an appearance in the show.
Northleach was also the main filming location for the BBC mockumentary series This Country, created by and starring siblings Daisy May and Charlie Cooper. This hilarious series looks at life in a fictional Cotswold village, with local sights like The Sherbourne Arms pub and the square's bus shelter having starring roles.
Finally call into one of the Cotswolds' most famous villages – Bibury, described by William Morris as “the most beautiful village in England”. The beautiful weavers’ houses on Arlington Row were the home of Sienna Miller's character in the 2007 fantasy film Stardust, with their storybook good looks fitting the film's magical theme.
Images feature film and TV filming locations in the Cotswolds, easily accessible from Cheltenham - Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway, Sudeley Castle, Painswick
With its central location and rich variety of landscapes nearby, Cheltenham is the ideal base for a cinematic short break. Plan your stay to with our guide to accommodation in Cheltenham.
