Beautiful places that have never appeared in Poldark.... yet!
It isn't difficult to find a list of Poldark filming locations with some spots possibly receiving a little too much publicity. Obviously these places were chosen with careful consideration, not only too how they would look on camera and their period authenticity, but also for practical and logistical reasons.
Now, I wouldn't know about this so I have set myself the challenge of coming up with a list of possible alternative Poldark filming locations. Admittedly the Poldark team have already snaffled a few of the prime spots but with a little bit of head scratching I think I've come up with a fairly good list of possible places to film. And who knows, you may well see some of my suggestions appearing in the final series...
Boscastle
The North Cornwall village of Boscastle is set in a deep valley that makes for a spectacular harbour entrance between the towering cliffs. Once a thriving little port, this was the only safe haven on the rugged coast for many miles in either direction. The quayside would make a great location as it oozes history and you can just imagine smugglers unloading contraband here. The village itself is home plenty of charming old cottages, Georgian houses and cobbled streets too.
Helston
Forget Flambards and Culdrose naval base, Helston is actually home to some of the prettiest streets in Cornwall. The old part of this bustling market town is an elegant mix of Georgian and Victorian architecture which winds down the steep valley side. This could have made a fine substitute for an 18th century Truro instead of having to look outside of Cornwall.
The Great Flat Lode & Carn Brea
If you are looking for mining heritage in Cornwall there are two places that should top your list. The first is the St Just area, and in particular Botallack; as we know this has been used extensively in filming all the recent series of Poldark. The only other area to be quite so jam-packed with mine workings are Redruth and Camborne, and in particular the Great Flat Lode. This was an area on the southern slopes of Carn Brea that was particularly rich in copper and tin. As a result the hillside here is home to some of the most impressive remains of mine workings in Cornwall.
Whilst this slice of mining heritage might not have the backdrop of the sea, which the Poldark producers seem to like, it does have the brooding form of Carn Brea behind with the towering Basset Monument and "castle".
Port Quin
To call Port Quin a village is a bit of a stretch, in fact it is barely even a hamlet. Just a couple of granite cottages sit in this deep cove on the North Cornwall coast. Apparently there was once a thriving fishing community here but at some point in the 19th century a terrible storm all but destroyed the fishing fleet leading its inhabitants to up sticks.
Most of the year Port Quin is a picture of serenity despite being a stone's throw away from Port Isaac. Whilst Doc Martin may have put Port Isaac firmly on the map it seems Port Quin remains a hidden gem.
Portreath Harbour
Not only does Portreath have a great beach but it is home to a quite unique and historic harbour. Set in the middle of Cornwall's rugged Atlantic coast it might seem a strange place to build a harbour, if not downright dangerous. The idea of navigating a sailing ship between the quay and the cliff on all but the calmest of days is enough to fill most with terror. But the land beyond Portreath was home to some of the most productive tin mines in all of Cornwall so this is where the Bassett family chose to build their port.
These days things are still much as they were with an inner and outer harbour along with the instantly recognisable "monkey hut" at the end of the pier. Although similar to Charlestown in some respects, Portreath doesn't have its own fleet of sailing ships.
St Ives
There is little denying the charms of St Ives with its cobbled, winding streets lined with little granite fishermen's cottages. There are any number of scenes from Poldark that could be filmed in the tight lanes of the "Down-a-long" part of town. However, it is probably this abundance of charm that would make it something of a tall order to film anything period in St Ives. These days even in the winter the town is buzzing with visitors capitalising on the fact it is a little quieter that the chaos of summer.
That aside, I can just picture some furtive looking smuggler type making his way down the Digey on a damp winter's night.
Portloe
I always think of Portloe as something of an undiscovered gem. Maybe it isn't and everyone else discovered it years before I did. Anyway, what Portloe is is a picture-postcard fishing village clinging to the valley sides of this dramatic little cove.
With a mix of whitewashed and granite faced cottages along with a slipway running right into the heart of the village this would be ideal boat launching / smuggling scenery.
The charms of Portloe haven't been completely lost on the region's location managers as it has featured in a few films including the Camomile Lawn. That said it hasn't been used since the early 2000s, so maybe it is due a revival as a filming location.
Prussia Cove
If the Poldark producers were looking for an authentic smuggling location then they couldn't do much better than Prussia Cove. The unusual name harks back to the days of legendary smuggler John Carter. It is said that as a boy he would play a game in the cove where he pretended to be Fredrick the Great of Prussia - the name stuck.
As grown ups Carter and his brothers would use Prussia Cove to land contraband and hide it in the caves. There is even a rumour that a tunnel was constructed to nearby Acton Castle from the cove. Over the years Carter became something of a local celebrity for his escapades, and strangely enough, honest dealings. A quick read through some of the tales would suggest Winston Graham may have taken some inspiration from these real life smugglers.
Luxulyan Valley
The Luxulyan Valley is an area of beautiful woodland just north of St Austell and the Eden Project. It follows the course of the River Par for around 2 miles as it cascades down towards St Blazey.
As well as being something of a beauty spot the steep-sided valley is also full of historic mine workings. Many of these were water powered and there is something of a network of leats carrying water to various workings. Of all the historic remains in the valley the most impressive is the Treffry Viaduct which stretches across the valley in a series of arches reaching up to 100ft. The viaduct was actually built in the 1840s making it a little late for Poldark, however, I'm sure a little artistic license could be used to include this fantastic and atmospheric location.
Mousehole
Described by the poet Dylan Thomas as the "loveliest village in England" there is little denying the charms of Mousehole. A huddle of granite cottages around the little harbour, this really is the archetypal Cornish fishing village.
Of course Mousehole wouldn't be the most original choice of filming location. It has been used in other productions such as the Onedin Line, Wycliffe and Frenchman's Creek. It was also used in the original 1970s Poldark series, so if it was good enough then...
Mullion
Filming of recent series has taken place all around Mullion Cove but never actually in this Natural Trust owned harbour on the Lizard Peninsula. Given its rugged charm and stunning backdrop of sheer cliffs and volcanic islands one has to think there must have been a reason why the Poldark crew didn't actually make it down here.
Perranporth
Whilst the Poldark filming has got quite close to Perranporth it has never quite made it to the seaside town and its quite massive beach. It's a bit of a shame really as this is where Poldark's author Winston Graham spent much of his life and surely imagined some of the action taking place on the coast here.
Forget horses galloping along the sands of Holywell Bay, they could have been racing along the sands of Perranporth and Penhale. Admittedly the view back to the Watering Hole bar on the beach might not be authentic 18th century, but the view in every other direction fits the bill.
