Born and raised in the U.K., I spent most of my childhood venturing into London on school trips or braving the five-hour train journey along the coast to visit family. School holidays would roll around, and we’d find ourselves traveling to Ireland and Greece but never really road-tripping much around the U.K. That’s always how it seems to go: You never know what you have until it’s gone.
It might be a controversial opinion for a Brit, but the Harry Potter series arguably put the U.K. back on the global cultural map. It reignited worldwide fascination with British settings, accents and traditions, making everything from boarding schools to Butterbeer seem iconic.
After moving to the States, I was bombarded with questions, asking if I’d been to Hogwarts, seen the Downton Castle or found Diagon Alley. And to everyone’s disappointment, the answer was always no. But the idea of hunting down filming locations wasn’t a bad idea: According to Expedia, set-jetting is still a relevant trend, with 66% of travelers saying their trips have been influenced by places they’ve seen in shows or movies.
Maybe the idea of being a tourist in my own country wasn’t a bizarre notion after all. Ten years ago, I would’ve passed on the idea of a trip around the U.K. Now, I find myself longing to go home and explore its history. So when the offer arose, I jumped at the chance to travel around North East England on a set-jetting tour.
Northumberland
Our journey began by flying into Newcastle and road-tripping along the expansive moorlands to Northumberland. Wuthering Heights connection unlocked. We toured what used to be an old schoolhouse, now the cozy Bailiffgate Hotel, and found out that some of the rooms look right out over a Harry Potter filming spot, which made it all feel more magical. As one of Britain’s largest inhabited castles, walking through the gates of Alnwick Castle really does feel as though you’re entering Hogwarts for the first time.
We practically sprinted through the gates like kids the moment we spotted those iconic castle walls where Neville Longbottom lost his Remembrall to Malfoy and where Harry and Ron famously crash-landed the Ford Anglia into the Whomping Willow. And, of course, we couldn’t resist hopping on broomsticks to complete the first flying lesson scene (yes, we really did it). Inside, the castle was just as jaw-dropping as the grounds. With rich gold and green detailing and portraits lining every wall, the state dining room instantly rang a bell — it’s where Downton Abbey filmed the scene of the family visiting Lord Sinderby at Brancaster Castle.
From there, we headed a bit further north to a charming coastal town. Bamburgh may be home to a famous filming location, but there’s still something wonderfully low-key and tucked-away about it. I usually pride myself on spotting movie backdrops before anyone points them out, but with just a handful of cozy pubs and a single main street, I had no clue what I was looking for.
After a delicious meal at the Potted Lobster (which lives up to the hype), we wandered down the road and turned a corner. “How could we have missed it?” Towering above the shoreline, Bamburgh Castle reveals itself with all the cinematic drama you’d expect from its role as Bebbanburg in The Last Kingdom. Its windswept cliffs and weathered stone have also caught the eye of major film crews — it’s been featured in Transformers: The Last Knight, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and Macbeth. Not exactly what you’d expect to find in a sleepy British town.
Our next set-jetting location in Northumberland made me realize just how many winding roads and countryside trails there really are around the U.K. Our driver seemed to loop past the same towering trees into an open clearing. The low cloud coverage and deafening silence made for an eerie atmosphere (perhaps a horror move location?). We walked the misty trail to the entryway of Cragside House, aka the exterior of Lochwood Manor in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. From the infamous bridge looking up at the house, there was no mistaking it.
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Newcastle Area and County Durham
We spent the night along the River Wear at Lumley Castle, which dates back to 1389 and has also been a popular filming location for various productions. Another thing to cross-off my U.K. travel list: staying at a haunted castle overnight. On our first evening, I couldn’t help but notice everyone dressed in period attire. Turns out, we happened to be there during one of their Elizabethan banquets, which I’d never experienced in my years of living there. Cue the chicken thighs, Port and singing in unison of “Rule, Brittania.” I felt an overwhelming sense of pride amongst my fellow Brits.
Perhaps one of the best finds on my U.K. set-jetting trip is something I’d never heard of: Beamish, the living museum of the North. As someone who has seen most British period dramas and often fantasizes about life in the early 1900s, walking into Beamish is like being transported back in time. The entirely open-air museum tells the story of life in North East England back in the day, and vintage trams loop between the towns of the 1820s, 1900s, 1940s and 1950s. Fish and chips in-hand along the cobblestone streets, I found myself in the 1900s following in the footsteps of Lady Mary during a Downton Abbey Christmas episode. “Tom’s garage!” I thought to myself as I strolled past The Beamish Motor & Cycle Works, used as the automobile shop set up by Henry Talbot and Tom Branson.
After our castle and museum adventures, we made our way back to a city I’d heard a lot about but never visited before: Newcastle. Brits will probably recognize it as the backdrop for the popular docuseries, Vera, but movie-buffs will also find it interesting. While not directly tied to the books, J.R.R. Tolkien had family in the area and was said to have drawn inspiration from the mines and general surroundings. Maybe it’s not a coincidence that Newcastle’s Black Gate looks a little like the entrance to Mordor.
Loaded up on stottie bread and sandwiches from Big River Bakery, we continued our trek down to the wizarding world of Durham. Walking along the river to Durham Cathedral is a magical feeling in and of itself because if you’re a Harry Potter fan, you know what’s coming. Our guide led us to the cathedral’s cloisters, and I was off like a bullet before she could say “guess the filming location.” Used for scenes like Harry releasing Hedwig in the snow and Ron’s “eat slugs” curse backfiring, everything seemed to be exactly as I remembered from the movies. Sauntering through the cathedral in awe, I almost lost it when we entered the next room and our guide showed us a printed image for reference: Professor McGonagall’s classroom.
While it may seem odd for a Brit to get this excited by a few filming locations, it was like I was experiencing my country for the first time — and we weren’t even halfway through yet. Our next stop was our most anticipated: York and Yorkshire.
York/Yorkshire
I’d grown up hearing of this area and admiring the videos of those who had visited but wasn’t aware of its fascinating history and close proximity to London. There’s something about the castles, landscapes, pub culture and royalty that just make me so proud to be British. Though I’ve seen a few castles around the U.K. in my time, pulling up to another still musters the same feeling as my first visit. Castle Howard was no exception. Set across a thousand acres of sweeping parkland, it doubled as Clyvedon Castle in Bridgerton. The house, gardens and wider estate were featured in episode 6, and the walled garden hosted the famous fight scene between Daphne and Nigel Berbrooke.
I’d always dreamed of visiting the real-life Diagon Alley, and wandering one of Europe’s oldest medieval streets, with its dark history and crooked charm, felt pretty close. Said to have inspired the magical streets of Diagon Alley, York’s Shambles is lined with overhanging timber-framed buildings and narrow cobbled paths. It’s the kind of place where you’d half expect to find Hagrid or Knockturn Alley around the corner. If you’re on the hunt for the Hogwarts Express, not many muggles know that the Philosopher’s Stone scene at Kings Cross was actually filmed in York Railway Station — new information to me!
As someone who travels quite frequently, this was one of my favorite trips to date. It was a chance for me to explore my heritage and my country through a different lens, as well as visit areas I’d never visited before. I was brimming with pride and could now happily answer, “Yes, I’ve been to Hogwarts and Diagon Alley — and then some.”
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