The remarkable versatility of the UK's coast
Explore the captivating coastal landscapes of the United Kingdom, where reality and illusion merge in filmmaking. Discover the remarkable versatility of the UK's coastal doubles, transporting audiences to exotic beachfront destinations without leaving British soil.
From serene sandy beaches to dramatic cliffs, embark on a journey through the UK's coastal filming locations and witness their mesmerizing ability to embody diverse coastlines from around the world. Delve into the magic of these settings, where skilled artisans bring distant shores to life, creating captivating illusions that leave viewers spellbound.
Join us as we delve into the legacy of the UK's coastal doubles, forever etched in cinematic history.
Coastal Chameleon: The UK's Transformative Power
The United Kingdom's coastline boasts a cornucopia of diversity, making it an ideal canvas for coastal filming location doubles. With serene sandy beaches, dramatic cliffs, picturesque harbors, and charming seaside towns, the UK offers a rich tapestry of coastal settings that can effortlessly embody the essence of international shores. From the golden sands of the Mediterranean to the rugged coastlines of the Pacific, the UK's coastal areas possess a chameleon-like quality, embracing the art of deception and leaving viewers awe-inspired by the seamless transformations captured on screen.
Coastal Charades: Transcending Borders
The UK's coastal filming location doubles possess a remarkable ability to transcend borders, transporting audiences to far-flung destinations without ever leaving British shores. For instance, a tranquil coastal town in the UK can effortlessly metamorphose into a vibrant Caribbean island, complete with swaying palm trees, crystal-clear waters, and vibrant colours. Skilled production designers, set decorators, and location scouts work in harmony to recreate the distinctive characteristics of these foreign coastal destinations, ensuring every frame exudes an air of authenticity and invites viewers to suspend disbelief.
The Coastal Illusion: Captivating Transformations
Through the magic of visual effects, meticulous set design, and cinematography wizardry, the UK's coastal filming location doubles have brought numerous coastal destinations to life on the silver screen. From a charming Cornish fishing village standing in for the rugged shores of New England to the windswept beaches of Scotland doubling as the sun-kissed coastlines of California, the UK's coastal locations have played host to remarkable transformations, leaving audiences captivated by the seamless illusions created.
Coastal Cinematic Legacy
The UK's coastal filming location doubles have etched themselves into cinematic history. Iconic films and television series have skillfully utilised these versatile settings to evoke the allure of international coastal landscapes. From the breath-taking coastal vistas of the Jurassic Coast serving as the backdrop for awe-inspiring dinosaur encounters in "Jurassic Park" to the English Channel doubling as the treacherous waters of the English Channel in Christopher Nolan's "Dunkirk," the UK's coastal doubles have become indelible elements in storytelling, forever etching themselves into the hearts and minds of viewers.
Examples
Durdle Door, Dorset – Portugal, Algarve
Durdle Door is a natural limestone arch on the Jurassic Coast near Lulworth in Dorset, England. It is privately owned by the Weld Family who own the Lulworth Estate, but it is also open to the public.
The Algarve, Portugal’s southernmost region, is known for its Atlantic beaches and golf resorts. Whitewashed fishing villages on low cliffs overlooking sandy coves were transformed in the 1960s, and now its central coast between Lagos and Faro is lined with villas, hotels, bars and restaurants.
Dartmouth, Devon- Oia Santorini, Greece
Dartmouth is a town and civil parish in the English county of Devon. It is a tourist destination set on the western bank of the estuary of the River Dart, which is a long narrow tidal ria that runs inland as far as Totnes.
Oia is a coastal town on the north-western tip of Santorini, a Greek Aegean Island. The town has whitewashed houses carved into the rugged clifftops, and overlooks a vast caldera filled with water.
Torquay, Riviera Coast- Turkey
Torquay is a seaside resort town on the English Channel in Devon, southwest England. Known for beaches such as Babbacombe and cliffside Oddicombe, its coastline is nicknamed the English Riviera.
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in Southeast Europe.
Scilly Isles- Maldives
The Isles of Scilly are an archipelago off the Cornish coast, in southwest England. The islands are covered in heathland and fringed by sandy beaches such as Great Bay on St. Martin’s.
The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, is an archipelagic state and country in South Asia, situated in the Indian Ocean. It lies southwest of Sri Lanka and India, about 750 kilometers (about 466.03 mi) from the Asian continent's mainland.
Achmelvich, Scotland- Corfu, Greek islands
Achmelvich is a settlement situated in the Highland region of Scotland. The name comes from the Gaelic "Achadh" - a plain or meadow and "mealbhaich" - sandy dunes.
Corfu, an island off Greece’s northwest coast in the Ionian Sea, is defined by rugged mountains and a resort-studded shoreline. Its cultural heritage reflects years spent under Venetian, French and British
Luskentyre, the Outer Hebrides- Carribean
Luskentyre is a sparse settlement on the west coast of Harris, in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. Luskentyre is situated within the parish of Harris. The name Luskentyre derives from Lios-cinn-tir, meaning 'headland fort', although there is no trace or local knowledge of a fort at the headland.
The Caribbean is a subregion of the Americas that includes the Caribbean Sea and its islands, some of which are surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some of which border both the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean; the nearby coastal areas on the mainland are often also included in the region.
Vatersay Bay on the Isle of Barra- Rendezvous Bay, Antigua
The island of Vatersay is the southernmost and westernmost inhabited island in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, and the settlement of Caolas on the north coast of the island is the westernmost permanently inhabited place in Scotland.
Rendezvous Bay, Antigua is a large, popular bay lined with sandy beaches, hotels, restaurants, spas & more.
West Voe beach, Shetlands- Yyteri beach, Finland
West Voe Beach, a crescent of white sand around the voe’s turquoise water, it’s backed by steep dunes clad in marram grass.
Yyteri is famous for its beach, which stretches for about six kilometres. It is very popular among both local people and people from elsewhere in Finland.
Man O War Beach, Dorset- Navagio, Ionian Islands of Greece
Man O' War is a very popular beach of sand and fine pebbles on the east side of Durdle Door beach.
Navagio Beach, or Shipwreck Beach, is an exposed cove, sometimes referred to as "Smugglers Cove", on the coast of Zakynthos, in the Ionian Islands of Greece.
Portrush Whiterocks Beach, Northern Ireland- Canary islands
Portrush Whiterocks Beach surrounded by limestone cliffs, this stunning beach is known for its range of caves & water sports.
The Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago off the coast of northwestern Africa, are rugged volcanic isles known for their black- and white-sand beaches.
Kynance Cove, Cornwall- Oludeniz beach, Turkey
Kynance Cove is a cove on the eastern side of Mount's Bay, Cornwall, England. It is situated on the Lizard peninsula approximately two miles north of Lizard Point.
Oludeniz beach has a nature reserve with a calm lagoon & curved beach, popular for paragliding, swimming & scuba diving.
Little Venice, London- Amsterdam Canal
Little Venice is an affluent residential district in West London, England, around the junction of the Paddington Arm of the Grand Union Canal, the Regent's Canal, and the entrance to Paddington Basin.
Amsterdam, capital of the Netherlands, has more than 100 kilometers of grachten, about 90 islands and 1,500 bridges. The three main canals, dug in the 17th century during the Dutch Golden Age, form concentric belts around the city, known as the Grachtengordel. Alongside the main canals are 1550 monumental buildings.
St Micheals Mount, Cornwall- Mont St Micheal France
St Michael's Mount is a tidal island in Mount's Bay, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The island is a civil parish and is linked to the town of Marazion by a causeway of granite sets, passable between mid- tide and low water.
Mont-Saint-Michel is a tidal island and mainland commune in Normandy, France. The island lies approximately one kilometer off France's north-western coast, at the mouth of the Couesnon River near Avranches and is 7 hectares in area.
Bude Sea Pool, Cornwall- Giles Baths, Australia
Bude Sea Pool is a beautiful, part natural, part man-made swimming pool in the rocks at Summerleaze Beach. Created in 1930, the Sea Pool has provided safe bathing at Bude for over 80 years.
Gles Baths is located at the foot of the northern headland of Coogee Beach. It's a natural rock pool, known as the "Bogey hole" and was used by male bathers in the nineteenth century and continues to be used today.
St Ives, Cornwall- Dubrovnik Croatia
St Ives is a town in Cornwall, England, known for its surf beaches, like Porthmeor, and its art scene.
Dubrovnik is a city in southern Croatia fronting the Adriatic Sea. It's known for its distinctive Old Town, encircled with massive stone walls completed in the 16th century. Its well-preserved buildings range from baroque St. Blaise Church to Renaissance Sponza Palace and Gothic Rector’s Palace, now a history museum.
The UK's coastal filming location doubles serve as testaments to the country's stunning coastal beauty and the ingenuity of the filmmaking industry. Through the transformative power of these settings, audiences are transported across oceans and continents, swept away by the magic of cinema. As we marvel at the seamless coastal charades presented on screen, let us appreciate the remarkable versatility of the UK's coastal landscapes and the skilled artisans who bring these coastal illusions to life, weaving captivating tales that transcend geographic boundaries and leave us longing for distant shores.
