Whether you are looking to film the next Oscar winning blockbuster, need a backdrop for a television documentary or are creating your own project, our woodlands provide filmmakers with a diverse range of locations to shoot in.
We offer every type of woodland and forest setting you could need, from wooded valleys and rocky mountains to wide open spaces. Hidden away in the forests are old buildings, bridges, quarries, rock faces, rivers, lakes, ponds and rolling landscapes as well as stunning panoramic vistas. Our filming sites also have ample parking for unit bases, and are within a commutable distance from London.
Discover our different types of locations and features
Dense Robin Hood-type forests
For those seeking a mixture of broadleaf forests (for example, oak, birch, and ash trees) with lower storey undergrowth, this is ideal scenery. Some locations have a watercourse flowing through them, as well as large trees.
Located on the outskirts of London, Bourne Wood is the perfect location if you are looking for a variety of woodland types including these dense forests.
Open Robin Hood-type forests
These landscapes are typically mature or open broadleaf forest (for example, oak, birch, and ash trees), often consisting of beech trees. They have little or no ground vegetation, allowing for free and open movement through the trees.
With 600 acres of unrivalled outdoor space, Westonbirt is diverse shooting location. It houses formality in the Old Arboretum as well as natural woodland in Silk Wood, you won't be short of filming opportunities!
North American-type pine forests
These forest types are predominantly coniferous. This means that, on a small scale, they can pass for a North American scene. These landscapes include redwood groves and mature Douglas fir crops.
Film at Thetford Forest for a vibrant and rich pine woodland.
Eastern European-type pine forests
This type of landscape is great for filmmakers who are looking for an Eastern European type of forest. This is due to the dense and mature, or semi-mature, pine or spruce forest.
Mountainous landscapes
These locations are predominantly set from viewpoints or high level forest roads with views onto or out of the forest. This includes sweeping forests with mountains beyond, or steep conifer hillsides.
Water features
These landscapes consist of wooded valleys with open stream sides along with rocky outcrops in the forest, swamps, ponds and lakes, and marshy or boggy areas amongst trees.
Devastated forests
These are devastated areas of fire sites, windblow, recently harvested and cleared areas. These locations also include quarries, rocky outcrops, and deeply rutted, muddy rides. They are also useful backdrops for films that require weird, spooky or unnatural looking forest areas, including old yew trees. There are also a number of locations that could be enhanced to pass as a jungle.
Man-made features
There are a variety of man-made structures in our forests, such as:
- Buildings (including old, derelict buildings in rural locations)
- Yards
- Barns
- Bridges
- Tunnels
- Dams
- Gravel roads
- Fire towers
Notable television dramas, comedy productions and documentaries filmed in our forests and woodlands include:
- Black Adder (Millennium Special)
- Murder Rooms
- Midsomer Murders
- Chambers
- Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased)
- Ultimate Force
- Redcap
- Goodbye, Mr Chips
- Foyles War
- Bill Oddie Goes Wild
- Great Battles
- Robin Hood: Fact or Fiction
- Human Instinct
- Darwin
- Scream Team
A variety of promotional and advertising productions have used the nations’ forests. These include promotions for:
- Ford
- Hyundai
- Suzuki
- Harrods
- John Lewis
- Pimms