Dorset Holidays in Famous Film Locations

Dorset has had the big screen treatment many times over the years, featuring in everything from British period dramas to big Hollywood blockbusters. This week in the blog we want to highlight some of the locations in the county which have appeared in tv and movies, and look at what it is about Dorset that has made it such an attractive destination for film-makers.

Dorset on Film


1980 film The French Lieutenant’s Woman featured an iconic scene with Meryl Streep on the Cobb, the stunning 13th century harbour wall in Lyme Bay. The movie was an adaptation of a novel by John Fowles, himself a famous Lyme Regis resident.



In 2007, a film crew working on the Harry Potter series descended on Abbotsbury to record some footage for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. They particularly wanted to capture the distinctive reed beds in the village, and the 75 crew members, including the director and stunt doubles spent two days on location in the area.

The BBC’s lavish 2008 TV adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the D’Ubervilles was filmed partly in Dorset, which was fitting since this is where the novel was set, and was also Hardy’s own home county. Hardy’s stories are full of scenes of idyllic rural England, and Dorset’s picturesque unspoilt countryside makes it perfect for capturing this pastoral world on film.



Dorset’s was also the primary filming location for Tamara Drewe, the 2010 hit film starring Gemma Arterton. The lovely traditional villages of Yetminster and Salwayash were heavily featured, along with plenty of shots of Dorset’s rolling green countryside.

It is easy to see why Dorset has been the star of so many films over the years, and tracking down the county’s iconic film locations is a great way to occupy yourself on a holiday to Dorset.

If this sounds right up your street, our Dorset holiday park is located very close to Lyme Regis, and is an ideal base from which to explore the county’s many delights.