UK day trips inspired by the biggest TV shows and movies of 2021

You’ve been watching your favourite shows during lockdown – now you can visit them too.

Rather than touring the UK from your sofa, it’s time to get out there and see some of these stunning filming locations for yourself.

From Springwatch’s nature haven in North Norfolk to the quaint village where the Repair Shop is filmed, here are some of the best on-screen spots.

The Great British Sewing Bee

Location: East London

Joe Lycett had us in stitches on the sewing show but there’s much more than makeover challenges and fancy ball gowns to Trinity Buoy Wharf on the River Thames, where the show is filmed.

Trinity Buoy Wharf, E14, is an arts and creative hub and a day out there can take in a visit to the London Cloth Company and a tour of London’s only lighthouse.

Then have a coffee and fantasise that Esme has just bigged up your hemming skills.

Getting there: Take the Jubilee line to Canning Town, then it’s a 16-minute walk.

Also see: Cross the river ands cale the heights of the o2Arena — a one-and-a-half hour experience that has to be booked weeks in advance but gives you a breathtaking view of the capital. Not for the faint-hearted.

The Dig

Location: Woodbridge, Suffolk

Ralph Fiennes and Carey Mulligan put flesh on the bones of the surprising love story that lurked behind the discovery of the Anglo-Saxon burial site in Suffolk — and the result was a left-field movie hit for Netflix.

Sutton Hoo, near Woodbridge, Suffolk, is well worth a visit. Set in the midst of a 255-acre estate with views over the River Deben, it now falls within the remit of the National Trust and offers a great day out — with just a hint of historical romance.

Artsy Woodbridge, with its galleries and independent coffee shops, makes a great stopping off point.

Getting there: The site is just over a mile from Melton station — or three miles from Woodbridge station.

Also see: Rendlesham Forest’s UFO trail, pegged to the strange sighting there in 1980.

Chloe

Location: Somerset

The pandemic wreaked havoc on TV filming schedules but now new dramas are getting up-and-running around the country.

So if you fancy your hand at star-spotting head on down to sleepy Burnham-on-Sea in Somerset where The Serpent star Billy Howle and Poldark’s Jack Farthing are among the stars of eagerly anticipated new thriller Chloe.

Burnham-on-Sea boasts seven miles of sand plus fishing from beach rivers and lakes.

Getting there: From Weston-Super-Mare station, get the bus to Burnham-on-Sea.

Also see: Apex Leisure and Wildlife Park boasts wildlife walks and perfect bird-watching opportunities.

The Repair Shop

Location: West Sussex

The much-loved restoration show is filmed at the Weald & Downland Living Museum in Singleton, West Sussex, and while the Repair Shop where Will Kirk, Julyan Wallis and the gang work wonders with leather, wood and metal is not part of the experience, there are bundles of traditional skills to try your hand at in a variety of workshops.

And it’s set in beautiful Sussex scenery with historic Chichester on the doorstep. Tickets can be booked up to September 5.

Getting there: From Chichester station, take a seven-minute walk to catch the No.60 bus to Midhurst (22 mins), which drops you a gentle four-minute stroll away.

Also see: Glorious Goodwood House, with a historical tour from local guides or — from August 27 — a bank holiday packed with racing (of course), music from Ibiza legend Carl Cox and a traditional fairground.

Across the water

The Beast Must Die

Location: The Isle of Wight

The Isle of Wight has had a bumper year on TV in 2021. As well as providing the setting for the tear-jerking climax of ITV’s It’s A Sin, the island was also the star of revenge thriller The Beast Must Die, a major coup for streamers BritBox.

You can stalk the areas where Cush Jumbo plotted her next move, with the waterfront at Yarmouth’s Norton Spit and Love Lane in Bembridge figuring prominently.

Getting there: Via ferry from Portsmouth or Southampton.

Also see: Isle of Wight Aqua Park at Tapnell Farm, open until October 31.

Springwatch 2021

Location: North Norfolk

The trend for rewilding is gathering pace, as witnessed by the fact that Chris Packham and co set up camp at Wild Ken Hill in Heacham, North Norfolk, a project aimed at encouraging sustainable farming and helping flora and fauna flourish.

You don’t need acres to re-wild — start in your own garden. Pick up tips at the guided tours covering everything from bees and bats to rewilding in practice.

Getting there: From King’s Lynn station, take the No.34 bus to Hunstanton, getting off at Bottom Farm

Also see: The seal population plus spectacular coastline with Searles Sea Tours in Hunstanton.

The Cragg Vale Coiners

Location: Yorkshire

If crime history is more your bag, This Is England writer/director Shane Meadows is bringing the controversial story of the 18th- century Cragg Vale Coiners to the screen.

Set in picturesque Calderdale, West Yorkshire, the village of Cragg Vale is the starting point of England’s longest continuous gradient — a lung-busting 968ft rise over 5.5 miles. And that’s a fact.

Getting there: The Calder Valley line runs through the town of Hebden Bridge and the closer village of Mytholmroyd.

Also see: The pretty, LGBTQ- friendly Hebden Bridge, which is also known as ‘the fourth funkiest town in the world’.

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