Where The Princess Bride Was Filmed: All Locations

The Princess Bride, now a beloved family classic, had a modest budget of $16 million and likely saved a lot of money by filming on location whenever possible. The film, which successfully embraces multiple genres, is fantastical, but not a fantasy film – romantic, but not a romance. To reflect this balance between being too little “this” or far too much of “that,” the locations chosen for filming The Princess Bride are picturesque, but do not overpower the characters and their dialogue.

Based on the novel by William Goldman, The Princess Bride takes place in the fictional lands of Florin and Guilder – supposedly meant to resemble Italy and the Netherlands, respectively, based on the fact that they share their names with coins originating from said countries. However, The Princess Bride was filmed in neither Italy nor the Netherlands.

Six of the on-site locations for The Princess Bride are within Peak District National Park or Derbyshire in England. The United Kingdom has a plentiful variety of distinct and rugged coastal landscapes, moorlands scattered with stunning rock formations, and rolling green hills covered in lush forests – not to mention a plethora of old buildings, ruins, and private family homes that have been well-maintained for generations. It’s no wonder that many sites in the UK were chosen as filming locations for The Princess Bride.

Buttercup’s Farm: Bradley Rocks – Derbyshire, England

Buttercup’s farm is the first set shown in the fictional country of Florin. The scenes that take place on Buttercup’s farm were filmed at the real-world farm of Bradley Rocks just outside the small town of Birchover, England. Distant views of the farm were filmed from a footpath near Robin Hood’s Stride, another filming location for The Princess Bride. This farm is where Buttercup meets and falls in love with the “farm boy” Westley, who then sets off to earn enough money so he and Buttercup can get married.

Westley and Fezzik’s Duel: Robin Hood’s Stride – Derbyshire, England

Not far from the filming location of Buttercup’s farm is the rocky area where Westley fights Fezzik in hand-to-hand combat. This gritstone rock formation is known as Robin Hood’s Stride and is a minor attraction for locals who enjoy hiking up to the mound of rocks and taking in the view of the countryside.

Prince Humperdinck’s Castle: Haddon Hall – Derbyshire, England

The interior and exterior of this Tudor period country house were used in filming scenes that take place at Prince Humperdinck’s Castle. When Westley is supposedly killed, leaving Buttercup alone, Buttercup is forced into an engagement with Prince Humperdinck. The engagement is announced and the former commoner is introduced as Princess Buttercup at Prince Humperdinck’s castle in Florin City. The exterior of the castle appears again when Buttercup has a nightmare of an old woman berating her for marrying Humperdinck. Haddon Hall has also appeared in film adaptations of Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre.

Cliffs of Insanity: Cliffs of Moher – County Clare, Ireland

The 9 mile stretch of towering cliffs along the central west coast of Ireland is known as the Cliffs of Moher. It’s one of Ireland’s most popular tourist attractions, drawing in tens of millions of people each year. Reaching heights of 700 feet, these impressive cliffs certainly earn their fictional moniker: The Cliffs of Insanity. Vincini and Inigo kidnap Buttercup and must sneak into Guilder by harnessing themselves to Fezzik, portrayed by the late André the Giant, who carries them while climbing a rope dangling over the ledge of the cliffs. When they reach the top, they cut the rope, but Westley, who has been following them, manages to survive and bravely continues to scale the dangerous rock face in pursuit of Buttercup.

The Battle of Wits: Lathkill Dale – Derbyshire, England

At the intersection of two short river valleys, Lathkill Dale and Cales Dale, is the rock shelf where Westley and Vincini engage in wry banter over two cups of wine. One has been poisoned by Westley, who challenges Vincini to pick a cup and drink while he drinks from the other. Little does Vincini know that Westley, immune to the poison, has secretly poisoned both cups. Vincini dies and Buttercup is freed.

Buttercup and Westley on the Moorlands: Carl Wark – Yorkshire, England, UK

Roughly a twenty-minute drive down the road from Lathkill Dale is Carl Wark, a rocky protrusion of land on Hathersage Moor. This striking landscape, known for gritstone tors (naturally occurring freestanding piles of large rocks), sets the scene for a tense conversation between Buttercup and the masked Westley, who has not yet revealed his true identity. Buttercup, believing she has been kidnapped yet again, admits that she does not love Humperdinck, but expresses her confidence in Humperdinck to find and rescue her. Westley, bitter that Buttercup seems to have forgotten him, accuses her of being incapable of true love. After threatening to strike Buttercup in a moment that feels not only uncharacteristic of Westley but has not aged well, the two resume their sprint across the moorland.

“As you wish!”: Cave Dale – Derbyshire, England, UK

Cave Dale, another twenty minutes or so from Carl Wark, is the verdant glacially-formed valley where Buttercup pushes Westley down a hill, intending to seriously injure or kill him in the process. Westley finally reveals his identity to Buttercup by crying out, “As you wish!” Buttercup, realizing that Westley is alive, hurls herself down the hill after him and the two are finally reunited as a couple.

Forest Scenes: Burnham Beeches – Buckinghamshire, England

Burnham Beeches is a small nature preserve just west of London where the forest scenes for The Princess Bride were filmed. This likely includes a scene at the beginning of the movie where Buttercup rides her horse away from Florin City, the encounter between Buttercup, Westley, and Count Rugen after the couple emerges from the fire swamp, and the scene where Inigo pleads with his father to guide him to Westley, whom Fezzik and Inigo intend to rescue.

Inigo and Count Rugen’s Duel: Baron’s Hall – Kent, England

As memorable as any scene in The Princess Bride is the sword duel between Inigo and Count Rugen. Inigo challenges Count Rugen to a duel, hoping to avenge his father, and repeatedly utters arguably the most famous quote from The Princess Bride: “Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.” Inigo is gravely injured but emerges victorious after ruthlessly pursuing Count Rugen around Baron’s Hall. This and other areas of Penshurst Place, a stately home with origins dating back to the 1300s, have been used as filming locations for several movies and TV shows, including Merlin, The Hollow Crown, Beverly Hillbillies, and The Other Boleyn Girl.

Unknown Scenes: Hever Castle – Kent, England

Though credited as a filming location by many sources, it’s uncertain exactly which scenes were filmed at Hever Castle. However, it was confirmed by Cary Elwes himself on Twitter that he did indeed film scenes at Hever Castle for The Princess Bride (Twitter). Included in a reply to his tweet is a picture of Vincini’s boat sailing away from the dock in Florin. Since Hever Castle is partially surrounded by a lake, this may be where Vincini’s boat was filmed. Other productions filmed at Hever Castle: The Third Day, Lady Jane, and The Other Boleyn Girl.

Various Scenes: Shepperton Studios – Surrey, England

The majority of the remaining sets for The Princess Bride were created at Shepperton Studios on various stages. These scenes include Buttercup’s encounter with the shrieking eels, Westley and Buttercup’s passage through the fire swamp, Inigo and Westley’s duel in the ruins above the Cliffs of Insanity, the interior of Miracle Max’s hut, the scenes with Fred Savage and Peter Falk, and the final kiss between Westley and Buttercup.

Despite being only a modest box office success, The Princess Bride is still a cult classic over three decades after its release, cherished by its many fans for the way it artfully strikes a rare balance of action, fantasy, comedy, and romance. The Princess Bride is a character-driven film that doesn’t rely heavily on effects or elaborate sets – and it doesn’t need to. The striking landscapes of the English countryside and Irish coast perfectly complement the story, subtly adding to the visuals of the movie, but never distracting from the timeless story.

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