Where Was Under Salt Marsh Filmed? Stunning Welsh Locations Explored
Sky's gripping new crime drama Under Salt Marsh, featuring acclaimed actress Kelly Reilly, has captivated audiences with its atmospheric storytelling and breathtaking visual backdrop. The six-part series, which premiered on January 30th, unfolds in the fictional Welsh coastal town of Morfa Halen, a community literally being consumed by the sea. This setting is not just a backdrop but a central character in the narrative, reflecting the emotional turmoil of the protagonists and the fragile state of the community they serve.
The Fictional Setting and Its Real-World Inspirations
The drama opens with a devastating storm hitting Morfa Halen, where schoolboy Cefin Hill's body is discovered in a rainwater ditch by his teacher and former police detective Jackie Ellis, portrayed by Kelly Reilly. Ellis is forced to reunite with her ex-partner Eric Bull, played by Rafe Spall, to solve the case, while grappling with past failures involving her missing niece. The fictional town, situated between mountains and coastline, serves as a powerful metaphor for communities threatened by climate change and coastal erosion.
"It's fictional but inspired by real rural communities in coastal towns across Wales, threatened by climate change and flooding," explained Reilly. She emphasised that filming on location added crucial authenticity to the production, noting that "the environment is a character in itself - reflecting Jackie's emotional state and the fragility of the community."
Principal Filming Locations Across Wales
The production team employed location scouts unfamiliar with Wales to discover dramatic landscapes that would emphasise the isolation of the community while showcasing the region's untamed natural beauty. Filming spanned both North and South Wales, with marshland scenes particularly captured in the northern regions.
Key filming locations included:
- Anglesey: Newborough Forest (Niwbwrch) featured prominently, with its 2,000-acre coastal stretch encompassing dunes, coastal marshland, and sandy and rocky coastline. The Menai Bridge area and The Gazelle Inn in Glyngarth also served as filming sites.
- Fairbourne: This compact coastal settlement in Gwynedd, North Wales, situated near Snowdonia National Park, featured extensively throughout the series. Fairbourne Golf Club doubled as an ice cream parlour, while The Promenade Car Park provided the backdrop for seafront and sea wall sequences. Crime scene, footpath, and ditch scenes were filmed in the vicinity, with streets like Llewelyn Drive and Beach Road locations appearing on screen.
- Barmouth and Mawddach Estuary: Multiple sites were utilised around Barmouth, including Barmouth Estuary, a field at Borthwnog Hall near Bontddu, the Mawddach Estuary close to Barmouth, and Sylfaen Farm on Panorama Road.
- Llanbedr: The village served as a filming location, with Shell Island, Llanbedr representing the quay and causeway marsh scenes in the production.
Behind the Scenes Insights from Cast and Crew
Welsh actor Jonathan Pryce shared his enthusiasm for filming in North Wales, stating: "Filming in North Wales was a joy. It's rare to shoot there, and it was great to return to places near my hometown of Holywell and see Snowdonia from a new perspective."
Kimberley Nixon, who portrays Shell Hill, Cefin's mother, reflected on some of the production's most emotionally charged sequences: "We filmed all over Wales - South and North. The Hill House set was beautifully detailed, with family photos and knick-knacks that made it feel real. But the most unforgettable scene was on the marshes in North Wales, in the middle of the night, holding Cefin's body. It was cold, wet, and emotionally raw. The crew gave us space, and it felt like we were truly alone in that moment."
While many scenes were captured on location across Wales, some crucial fictional elements were constructed in studio environments. Spider Island, a significant location in the narrative, consisted of timber huts built by the production crew in a studio setting.
The combination of authentic Welsh landscapes and carefully constructed sets creates the immersive world of Under Salt Marsh, where the natural environment plays as crucial a role as any character in this compelling crime drama.
