Wuthering Heights expected to bring tourism boom

Yorkshire takes centre stage as the backdrop to the new adaptation of Wuthering Heights.

The film, based on Emily Brontë's 1847 novel, stars Margot Robbie as Cathy and Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff, the romantic leads.

The exteriors were largely shot in the Yorkshire Dales National Park early in 2025, primarily in Swaledale, Arkengarthdale and the village of Low Row.

While the film has divided critics, it is expected it will inspire a new generation of fans to visit the "wily, windy moors" and the places associated with both the movie and the Brontë sisters.

Jake Dinsdale, from Simonstone Hall Hotel, near Hawes, said he believes the "set-jetting" concept is a reality.

"We are getting visitors coming in from Canada, Germany and the States," he said.

The hotel's attraction is based on the fact that Robbie, Elordi and other cast members stayed there for just over two weeks during location filming last year.

"It was so much fun," Dinsdale said.

"They ate with us every night, they stayed with us over the weekends."

Dinsdale said the actors had loved the area and Robbie has returned to the hotel to stay since filming concluded.

He said he could not wait to see the film and that anything which drew attention to the area was good for business.

"We've got such diversity here, diversity of landscape, diversity of weather.

"Suddenly those things that were one a negative have become a positive in terms of also trying to realise unexploited locations and put the spotlight on somewhere new.

"Lots of great things are filmed here but attention isn't always fully on the Yorkshire Dales and this will really expose the natural and untouched scenery we've got here."

Tourism organisations and businesses are ready for the film's release too.

The front page of Visit North Yorkshire's website highlights Wuthering Heights locations with the tagline "where longing meets North Yorkshire's rugged heights".

It offers a two-day itinerary following in the footsteps of the film's cast and crew.

The Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority was involved in assisting the film's team with accessing locations.

It said one of the most identifiable landmarks used was Old Gang Smelt Mill.

A scheduled monument built in 1846, it once processed lead ore from local mines using water power and peat as fuel.

Sarah Whiteley, the authority's senior historic environment officer, said she was at the mill for each day of filming there.

"It was fascinating, possibly one of the most surreal experiences I've ever had in my working life, but really interesting," she said.

The park has issued some guidance for anyone inspired to visit including reminding people that most of the area is in private ownership and urging visitors to "respect the land and the community".

"These locations are remote, and in some of the higher moorland areas of the National Park, and great care should be taken before attempting to visit these areas," they added.

The place most strongly associated with the Brontës is Haworth, near Bradford.

The village is used to admirers of the literary sisters making the pilgrimage to their former home, which is now a museum.

Rebecca Yorke, director of the Parsonage Museum, said there is an enduring fascination with Emily, Charlotte and Anne.

"I think its partly that their lives were as extraordinary as anything they wrote," she said.

Yorke said she does expect the film to create a new wave of visitors.

"We're hoping that they will be inspired to find out more about the Brontës, read Wuthering Heights, and come see where it was written and engage with the whole family and their amazing legacy."

She was invited to the premiere of the film in London and said it had been an exciting evening.

"Emotional as well, seeing Yorkshire and that amazing landscape."

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