Scotland’s Glenfinnan Viaduct as featured in the Harry Potter films, has been voted the UK’s top Xmas film location in a recent poll by JET. Shere village from the Xmas classic The Holiday and historic Bath, the backdrop to Wonka starring Timothee Chalamet, have taken second and third places.

Conducted online by leading fuel brand JET, 1000 UK adults (18+ and nationally representative) were asked to choose the famous location they would most like to visit this Christmas - with the iconic 21-arch railway bridge from Harry Potter taking the top spot.

The dramatic Glenfinnan Viaduct, which overlooks Loch Shiel in the Scottish Highlands, is forever linked to the Harry Potter films and the magical Hogwarts Express. A beautiful and spectacular feat of Victorian engineering it played a memorable part in both The Chamber of Secrets and The Prisoner of Azkaban and is the UK’s top film location - polling 21% of the votes.

Taking second spot is the picturesque Surrey village, Shere, the idyllic backdrop to the 2006 romantic classic, The Holiday, starring Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, Kate Winslet and Jack Black.

Nestled in the Tillingbourne Valley between the towns of Guildford and Dorking, its snow-covered street and surrounding countryside was the quintessential English setting for a film about love and loss that has become a go-to Christmas classic. More than 1:10 of those surveyed (11%) said that, given a choice, they would most like to visit Shere - and a chance to re-trace the steps of Cameron Diaz and re-live some of those iconic moments.

Bath, a designated world heritage site, and one of the UK’s most beautiful and best-loved cities is also the setting for scenes from the 2023 Hollywood blockbuster, Wonka, starring Timothee Chalamet as the young confectioner famously created by Roald Dahl. Capturing a number of landmarks including the Parade Gardens and The Colonnades - Bath takes the third spot as a location made famous by films/TV that people would most like to visit.

The rest of the top 10 includes a few surprises with the animated classic The Snowman featuring the stunning South Downs taking the 5th spot, London’s hot-spot, Peckham, and home to Only Fools and Horses coming in at 6th with the Buckinghamshire village of Turville, home to the Vicar of Dibley starring Dawn French taking 7th.

Commenting on the study, Áine Corkery, Manager, Brand, UK Marketing Phillips 66 Limited said: “JET is a driver-first brand dedicated to getting its customers back on the road quickly and safely. We thought it would be fun to find out the top destinations this Christmas made famous by some truly iconic films and TV. Happy festive driving!”

The UK’s Top 10 Locations made famous by film and TV:

1 Glenfinnan Viaduct, Scottish Highlands - Harry Potter

2 Shere, Surrey - The Holiday

3 Bath - Wonka

4 Highclere Castle, Hampshire - Downton Abbey

5 South Downs National Park - The Snowman

6 Peckham, London - Only Fools and Horses

7 Turville village, Chiltern Hills - Vicar of Dibley

8 Denham, Buckinghamshire - Matilda

9 Oxford Street, London - Love Actually

10 Chatham, Kent - Call The Midwife

Scottish Highlands beauty spot voted UK's top Xmas film location