Snow White and the Huntsman Filming Locations in the UK

Snow White and the Huntsman isn’t quite the universally-loved classic that it’s Disney predecessor is. But what it lacks in personality, it makes up for in fantastic filming locations! But, exactly where was Snow White and the Huntsman filmed?

Snow White and the Huntsman (2012) stars familiar faces Kristen Stewart and Chris Hemsworth in the titular roles, respectively. Charlize Theron plays the evil Queen Ravenna, a raving mad monarch who sends a huntsman/hitman to capture her step-daughter, Snow White, so she can gain immortality and everlasting youth.

Granted, it’s not a phenomenal film (though far preferable to Mirror Mirror (2012) which came out the same year), but it is family-friendly and features some cute animals, funny dwarfs, medieval-style villages and fight sequences on horseback. Snow White shot a lot of scenes in Pinewood Studios using CGI as well as the Isle of Skye in Scotland, Pembrokeshire in Wales and the Lake District in England amongst other places. Let’s find out, where was Snow White and the Huntsman filmed?

Where Was Snow White and the Huntsman Filmed?

Snow White and the Huntsman Filming Locations in England

1. Bourne Wood, Farnham, Surrey

During the opening flashback scene, the King leads his army against another mysterious army on the outskirts of the Dark Forest. This forest is Bourne Wood also located in Farnham, Surrey. It’s notable for its densely-packed collection of tall, thin trees and features as one of the Snow White and the Huntsman filming locations a couple of times throughout the movie.

So many other films have utilized Bourne Wood as a filming location including Gladiator (2000), another Chris Hemsworth film Thor: The Dark World (2013) and another Charlize Theron film The Old Guard (2020).

2. St Bartholomew the Great Church, Barbican, London

The exterior of the Snow White and the Huntsman castle is definitely computer-generated, but the production team did take inspiration from real places, especially with the interior. During King Magnus and Queen Ravenna’s wedding ceremony, columns from St Bartholomew the Great Church in London frame the aisle.

You can also see this church in an England-set film from 1994, Four Weddings And A Funeral!

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3. Windsor Great Park, Windsor, Berkshire

Snow White manages to escape from the Queen’s sharp clutches and finds herself trekking aimlessly through the Dark Forest with the Huntsman. Oh, they both have to fight a weird tree troll at some point, too.

Bourne Wood is still utilized as the Dark Forest, as well as the huge, 4800-acre Windsor Great Park in Berkshire. Embellished with a lot of computer-generated creepiness!

Whereas Bourne Wood has upright and pin-thin trees, Winsdor Great Park offers crooked, stumpy ones with spiderweb-like branches. Those are all technical tree terms, of course.

4. Frensham Great Pond, Farnham, Surrey

The next Snow White and the Huntsman film location on the list is Frensham Ponds near Farnham, Surrey. This is where the production team built a make-shift wooden fishing village. Yes, unfortunately, you can’t really visit this filming location because it just existed for the shoot.

The fishing village is run by the women who offered respite to the Huntsman and Snow White. And (spoiler alert!) the production spent three nights burning the entire set down to the ground for a very dramatic scene. Can you imagine the risk assessment of something like that?

5. Burnham Beeches, Slough, Buckinghamshire

More forests! Next, we have a much more lush, damp, mossy forest in Burnham Beeches, Buckinghamshire. Just an altogether more pleasant place. This woodland is also a popular filming location having featured in Goldfinger (1964), The Princess Bride (1987) and Robin Hood: Princes of Thieves (1991) amongst many others.

This is where the duo meets seven, small hairy men whom they invite on the quest. Burnham Beeches also acts as the ‘Sanctuary’ Forest which is the home of fairies, enchanted fungi and adorable animals.

6. Cathedral Quarries, Little Langdale, Lake District

The seven dwarves, the Huntsman and Snow White manage to sneak away from the Queen’s Riders. They walk through a magnificent, jagged cave whilst on their journey, and this Snow White and the Huntsman location in question is the Cathedral Quarries in Little Langdale, the Lake District. The main ‘cave’ is 40ft tall and they’re all entirely manmade, hence why ‘cave’ isn’t the correct term.

7. Blea Tarn, Little Langdale, Lake District

It’s an extremely brief, blick-and-you’ll-miss-it shot, but as the group continue on their trek through the mountains, they walk single-file on a ridge overlooking Blea Tarn in the Lake District. It’s a gorgeous (albeit 3-seconds long) sweeping shot.

Snow White and the Huntsman Filming Locations in Scotland

8. The Old Man of Storr, Isle of Skye

Where was Snow White and the Huntsman filmed in Scotland? There aren’t many locations set in this part of the UK, but the ones that are featured are pretty great.

After meeting up with William and sadly losing one of the dwarves in battle, the team carry on. The weather has turned drizzly but they must continue on their quest. They hike through The Old Man of Storr on the Isle of Skye.

9. Quiraing, Isle of Skye

And the next location of Snow White and the Huntsman has the merry band of misfits hiking up on the snowy Quiraing Circuit. The Quiraing is on the Trotternish Ridge and it’s a very popular filming location on the Isle of Skye. Stardust (2007), Macbeth (2015) and The BFG (2016) have all shot scenes in this mountainous region.

Read next: Stardust Filming Locations in Scotland & England

Snow White and the Huntsman Filming Locations in Wales

10. Gateholm Island, Pembrokeshire

Everyone wants to know where the magnificent castle from Snow White and the Huntsman is located! Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but the Snow White and the Huntsman castle is entirely computer-generated. I mean, come on. It’s huge. Like a compound or a fortress. But the island it’s based on exists in real life, it’s Gateholm Island on the Pembrokeshire coastline.

I don’t think the castle has a name, but it features throughout the movie. Especially whenever Queen Ravenna is on screen doing something evil. Though there are a couple of other castles in Snow White and the Huntsman, I don’t think any exist in real-life. You might have to get your fairytale castle fix from movies with more authentic filming locations…

11. Marloes Sands, Pembrokeshire

For the final battle, the army of one of the king’s old comrades, led by Snow White and her Huntsman, wages war on Queen Ravenna. The men storm across Marloes Sands towards where the castle sits in Pembrokeshire. And that’s the last main Snow White and the Huntsman filming location!

So, where was Snow White and the Huntsman filmed? All of these locations in England, Scotland and Wales! Have you visited any of the filming locations for Snow White and the Huntsman or watched the movie? Let me know in the comments below!

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