🏰 Films on the Map · Regional guide
Alnwick Castle, where the first flying lesson was filmed, Durham Cathedral’s cloister, Goathland station as Hogsmeade, the cliff at Malham Cove and Malfoy Manor at Hardwick Hall. 5 places across the north, for a single day or a three-day drive.
Photo: Hadrianus1959, CC BY-SA 4.0
The map
The numbers are a suggested walking order. Pick an area to zoom in, and tap a pin to see what was filmed there.
Map data: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)
Pin = a filming location from “Harry Potter — the filming locations” · the number = the suggested walking order
Tap a pin on the map
Locations, distances and times are estimates only. Check opening hours, prices, access and safety before you go.
The places
For each place: what was filmed there, what’s there today, an estimate of the visit time, and links to Google Maps and the scene page.
📍 Alnwick, Northumberland · ≈ 2 h 30 min there
A medieval castle that is still home to the Dukes of Northumberland. It opens to visitors in season, roughly late March to October, with a ticket. In the Outer Bailey, right where the flying lesson was filmed, broomstick training sessions for children are included in the ticket.
📍 Durham · ≈ 1 h there
A Norman cathedral begun in 1093 and part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Entry is free, with donations welcome. The cloister and its central garth are open to visitors, and non-flash photography is allowed except during services.
📍 Goathland, North Yorkshire · ≈ 1 h there
A heritage station on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway steam line, with a tea room and a shop. Trains run seasonally, and only on special dates in winter, so check the railway’s timetable before you go.
📍 Malham, Yorkshire Dales · ≈ 1 h 40 min there
Free. Walk from the pay-and-display car park by the National Park Centre in Malham village, then climb about 400 stone steps to the top. The edge is unfenced and the cracks are slippery when wet. There are no toilets at the cove.
📍 Chesterfield, Derbyshire · ≈ 1 h 40 min there
An Elizabethan mansion from the 1590s, run by the National Trust. The park and gardens are open all year and the house seasonally; house and gardens are ticketed, and parking is charged for non-members.
Itineraries
All times here are estimates (a rough visit time plus travel by distance). Check opening hours and tickets before you go.
Estimate: ≈ 5 h
Durham Cathedral’s cloister in the morning, then north to Alnwick Castle. The castle mostly opens from spring to autumn, so check dates first.
Day 1 · ≈ 5 h 35 min
Malfoy Manor at Hardwick Hall, the cliff at Malham Cove in the Yorkshire Dales, Hogsmeade station at Goathland, Durham Cathedral’s cloister and finally Alnwick Castle. Alnwick and the Goathland steam railway mostly operate from spring to autumn.
From the collection’s “Northern England: Derbyshire to Northumberland” route
Day 2 · ≈ 3 h 25 min
From the collection’s “Northern England: Derbyshire to Northumberland” route
Day 3 · ≈ 2 h 30 min
From the collection’s “Northern England: Derbyshire to Northumberland” route
Tips
Some places open only part of the year: Alnwick Castle (roughly late March to October), the Jacobite (summer and autumn), the Goathland steam railway and Lacock Abbey’s upstairs rooms. Check dates before you go.
In London, walk and take the Tube. Oxford is about an hour by train, the Studio Tour is a train to Watford Junction plus a shuttle, and for northern England and Scotland a car is easier.
At Malham Cove and the Cliffs of Moher the edge is unfenced, the path to Steall Falls is rough, and at Freshwater West you don’t swim. In bad weather, postpone.
Cathedrals and colleges are working places: they close for services, exams and events, sometimes at short notice. Keep quiet in churches; some ban photography during services.
FAQ
This guide has 5 filming locations in northern England, from the “Harry Potter — the filming locations” collection, where 7 scenes were filmed. Each place has what was filmed there, what’s there today and a Google Maps link.
In many places. The flying lesson was shot at Alnwick Castle, the staircase to the Great Hall at Christ Church in Oxford, the corridors in Gloucester and Durham cathedrals, the classrooms at Lacock Abbey and Harrow School, and the library at the Bodleian. The castle you see from outside was built as a model at the Leavesden studios.
The guide has ready itineraries for one day and three days. As a rough estimate, all the places together take about 15 h of visiting and travel at a normal pace. The planner splits them into one to five days, at the pace you choose.
Yes. In the trip planner you pick the number of days, a pace and how you’ll get around, and get a day-by-day plan with time estimates, a map for each day and Google Maps directions. The plan is saved in your browser, and you can send it as a link.
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