The rural villages of the Yorkshire Dales National Park may geographically be over 5,000 miles from Los Angeles, but the area has more in common with Hollywood than you may think.
Gordale Scar in MalhamSince the golden age of cinema, movie makers have flocked to the Dales. Attracted by the jaw-dropping scenery, unique geological features, hospitable communities and the sense of wild isolation, many block busters have made use of the National Park as their backdrop.
And who can blame them! As a National Park the area is protected from excessive modern development while the natural and historic elements are conserved and enhanced, creating an oasis in the middle of an increasing industrialised world.
The sense of being in the Dales is literally a cinematic experience already; from the wide-screen long-distance views afforded to travellers who reach the tops, to the magical flower meadows and ancient woodlands of the valley floors, nature has already done the hard work for the hot-shot producers!
From Bette Davis to Michael Palin, Honor Blackman to Kevin Costner, Daniel Radcliffe to Juliette Binoche, the green grass of the Dales has seen more actors than a red carpet.
“The Yorkshire landscape steals the show in Andrea Arnold's stark, uneasy adaptation of Emily Brontë's tragic romance.”
The Observer on Wuthering Heights [2011]
Background colour endTo get a peek at the Park from the comfort of your home, try scouting for Yorkshire Dales locations in the following movies*.
A fairytale landscape.
These really are windsweptand wuthering heights.
Before Dawn (2012) [Yorkshire Dales]
The Woman in Black (2011) [Littondale]
Wuthering Heights (2011) [Muker]
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part 1) (2010) [Malham Cove]
The Wolfman (2010)
Standing in the footstepsof Harry Potter at
Malham Cove.
1920 (2007) [Bolton Abbey]
Calendar Girls (2003) [Kettlewell and various Wharfedale locations]
The Darkest Light (1999) [Ingleton]
Elizabeth (1997) [Castle Bolton]
Fairytale: A True Story (1996) [Kilnsey]
Castle Bolton played hostto "Elizabeth" in 1997.
James Herriot’s Yorkshire (1993) [Swaledale, Wensleydale]
The Dark Crystal (1992) [Gordale Scar]
Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights (1992) [Grassington, Aysgarth Falls]
Robin Hood Prince of Thieves (1991) [Aysgarth Falls, Hardraw Force]
Slipstream (1989) [Malham]
A Private Function (1984) [Bolton Abbey]
Monty Python’s the Meaning of Life (1982) [Malham]
The Omen III – The Final Conflict (1980) [Kilnsey]
The Water Babies (1976) [Bolton Abbey]
It Shouldn’t Happen to a Vet (1975) [Reeth, Arkengarthdale]
Wuthering Heights (1970) [Bolton Abbey]
Another Man’s Poison (1951) [Malhamdale]
A Boy, a Girl and a Bike (1948) [Grassington, Kilnsey, Rylstone, Bucken, Arncliffe, Malham]
We of the West Riding (1945) [Burnsall, Bolton Abbey, Upper Wharfedale]
If you know any more movies that feature the area or have any photos from their production, do let us know.
"...the Yorkshire dales, with their great natural light, are a key supporting player."
The Guardian on Calendar Girls
Background colour endUseful links
Screen Yorkshire for information about the TV and film industry in the region
Information about filming in the Yorkshire Dales National Park
Discover what there is to see and do in the Yorkshire Dales National Park
The Yorkshire Dales National Park youtube.com channel for our own movies
'Lights, camera, dales', and article written for the Darlington and Stockton Times (June 2011)
*Please check the suitability of the movie for your intended audience before watching. These movies are rated as U through to 18 so are not suitable for all audiences. Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority takes no responsibility for the content or subject of the motion pictures listed.
