By Melissa Corkhill
30th January 2017
Although Brave is an animated film, it’s very much set in Scotland, with the natural scenery based on its makers’ visits to the country. Princess Merida’s DunBroch Castle, for instance, was based on three forts: Dunnottar Castle, 13th-century sea-cliff ruins south of Aberdeen, Urquhart Castle, also ruined and sitting regally beside Loch Ness in northern Scotland, and the much-filmed and still-in-one-piece Eilean Donan Castle, located on Scotland’s west coast. The iconic Callanish Standing Stones on Lewis, an island off Scotland’s west coast, are evident; Merida escapes from inside ones very similar to them early in the tale. Finally, the young redhead’s own archery skills implement techniques which Brave’s animators studied at the Braemar Gathering, a long-held Highland Games in central Scotland, traditionally attended by the British royal family.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Who doesn’t want to ride in a magical car like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang? This children’s classic - relating the adventures of Caractacus Potts and his children, peppered with sing-a-long songs - was partially filmed in Britain. The Needles stacks, which stand majestically in the sea off the coast of the Isle of Wight (itself off the coast of south England) featured in the film, and tour company Brit Movie Tours offers the chance for fans to ride in a replica Chitty Chitty Bang Bang car for the day around the island. The Isle of Wight is a short ferry ride from Portsmouth or Southampton harbours, both of which are around 90 minutes by train from London.
The Railway Children
Vintage steam trains and the beautiful county of Yorkshire in north England take centre stage in this film adaptation of Edith Nesbit’s early 20th-century children’s novel. Follow in the footsteps of the stars and visit the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway, used extensively in the film. Watch steam trains puff through the valley or get on-board and travel to Oakworth station - one of the film’s most-famous sets, preserved as it would have been in the early 1900s. Five of the carriages used in the film can be found at the Museum of Rail
Travel in the nearby Ingrow West, while you can also follow one of two self-guided walks around some of the film’s locations.
101 Dalmations
The 1996 live-action Disney film saw Glenn Close as Cruella de Vil, alongside scores of spotty puppies. Some of the dogs are born after Pongo and Perdy, and owners Anita (Joely Richardson) and Roger (Jeff Daniels), meet in a London park and fall in love. The park used in the film was London’s St James’ Park, a lovely place to take a walk - with or without a dog - and very close to Buckingham Palace. If you visit between 2.30pm and 3pm you can see the resident pelicans being fed. The birds, not usually found in Britain, were introduced to the park in 1664 as a gift from the Russian ambassador.
Wallace & Gromit
The Wrong Trousers, A Close Shave, The Curse of the Were Rabbit - magnificently named films created by one of Britain’s leading animation houses, Aardman Animations, and all starring the brilliant Wallace and Gromit. The dynamic duo’s favourite food is, of course, Wensleydale cheese, so why not pay a visit to the Wensleydale Creamery in the village of Hawes, set in the picturesque Yorkshire Dales, north England. Take a tour around the museum to learn how the cheese-making processes have evolved through the centuries, watch cheese-making in action and sample all of the Yorkshire Wensleydale cheese varieties. Children will be further entertained by the clips of Wallace and Gromit showing around the site. The nearest station is Garsdale, 90 minutes by train from Leeds.
Harry Potter
There is so much to see and do in Britain that will transport you into the magical world of Harry, Ron and Hermione and all their friends and foes at Hogwarts. Start off by re-enacting the ‘trolley through the wall’ scene, when Harry has to find his way onto Platform 9 3/4. At London’s King’s Cross station you’ll find a photo opportunity to do just that, plus a shop selling all sorts of Potter memorabilia. Imagine you’re on the Hogwarts Express and board the Jacobite steam train in the Highlands of Scotland. You’ll wind your way past mountains, rivers and lochs, and go over the famous Glenfinnan viaduct - this has 21 arches and can be seen on-screen in the films.
This 2014 family film saw a small brown bear travel from deepest, darkest Peru all the way to London’s Paddington station, where he was found (and given his name) by the Brown family. Pack your marmalade sandwiches and head to the Natural History Museum, in south Kensington, London. The museum, free to enter, doubled as the Museum of Natural History in the film, the workplace of Paddington’s nemesis, Millicent (Nicole Kidman). Climb down the sweeping staircase of the Great Hall - Millicent chased Paddington down the stairs in the movie, closely followed by the Brown family. You may find that one star of the film is missing though - Dippy the Diplodocus, whose giant skeleton was seen on screen, had been in the museum’s entrance hall for more than 30 years, but moved this year to make way for a blue whale skeleton.
The BFG
Directed by Stephen Spielberg, and based on Roald Dahl’s classic children’s book, The BFG hit cinema screens in 2016, and used a mixture of filming and animation to bring the giant-sized story to life. One very real location used in the film was Buckingham Palace, Her Majesty the Queen’s London home. The story sees Sophie (Ruby Barnhill) and the Big Friendly Giant take the perilous journey to warn the Queen about the fearsome giants of Giant Country. Spielberg got special permission to film the front of the palace, with Downton Abbey’s Penelope Wilton playing the role of the Queen. You can go inside the palace in the summer - in 2017 it will be open between 5 August and 24 September.
