Under Salt Marsh aired another intense episode this week as police detective Eric Bull (Rafe Spall) and former supervisor Jackie Ellis (Kelly Reilly) continued probing the death of schoolboy Cefin Hill (Jack Thomas-Humphreys). The investigation led them to Spider Island, a reclusive beekeeping community, prompting viewer curiosity about the setting.
Spider Island is entirely fictional, created for the drama, much like the coastal town of Morfa Halen. The production team built a collection of wooden huts in a studio to represent the island.
The series is filmed across North and South Wales, with the Mawddach estuary serving as a key location. Executive producer Elwen Rowlands explained: “We worked with scouts who hadn’t filmed in that region before, so they brought fresh eyes. We wanted epic landscapes to make the community feel small against the wild beauty.”
Other locations include Newborough Beach in Anglesey, Fairbourne Beach, and Dylan’s house on the salt marsh. Rowlands noted challenges like transport and weather: “We weathered two real storms. Continuity of water and weather was a huge challenge, especially for big scenes like the vigil in episode two.”
While Spider Island isn’t real, visitors can explore Skokholm Island or Skomer Island in Pembrokeshire, both known for wildlife and natural landscapes.
