Where was The Witcher Season 2 filmed? UK filming locations - including Fountains Abbey and Gordale Scar

Season 2 of The Witcher debuted on Netflix on 17 December 2021, and has once again been enthralling audiences with another series of epic fantasy episodes based on the best-selling series penned by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski.

Critics and fans seem to be in agreement that series two is even better than the first season, and plans are already afoot for a third instalment, as well as a variety of spin-offs.

The first season of The Witcher was filmed on location in Central and Eastern Europe (mostly in Hungary, although shoots also took place in Gran Canaria and in Poland).

But just where was Season 2 shot?

From authentic looking interiors to the beautiful, sweeping vistas of the Continent, here is everything you need to know.

Where was The Witcher Season 2 filmed?

For the second season, the production upped its base to the UK, news which was no doubt welcomed by the mostly British cast.

Much of the filming for the second season of The Witcher took place at Arborfield Studios.

A relatively new studio just south of Reading and around 40 miles west of London, the biggest credit to its name (before The Witcher) was Disney’s Aladdin live-action remake.

The majority of filming took place here, including scenes that you may otherwise have assumed to have been filmed on location.

For example, the town of Oxenfurt was actually a massive purpose-built set constructed on one of Aborfield’s backlots, and was reconfigured and reused to represent many of the settlements in Season 2 of The Witcher.

Where else was it filmed?

However, a few outside locations were used to shoot exterior shots for the show, and showrunner and executive producer Lauren Schmidt Hissrich disclosed some of these to Variety.

“It has been fantastic to shoot The Witcher here in the UK,” she said. “We have filmed at some incredible locations including Fountains Abbey, Blea Tarn, Hodge Close, Frensham Ponds, and of course, our comforting home at Arborfield Studios.

Fountains Abbey and its surroundings, located close to Ripon in North Yorkshire, were used to shoot a number of scenes across October and November 2020.

The Late District also provided a number of locations with both Blea Tarn and Hodge Close standing in for Continental locations, while Frensham Ponds in Surrey was also used.

Filming also took place at Gordale Scar, a limestone ravine just northeast of Malham in North Yorkshire, and Janet’s Foss, a small waterfall nearby.

Stars Henry Cavill, Freya Allan and Anya Chalotra were all spotted filming at these locations by onlookers.

How did Covid-19 affect production?

Filming for the second season began in London in early 2020, but was halted for two weeks in March due to concerns over the coronavirus pandemic, and confirmation that actor Kristofer Hivju (who plays Nivellen) had tested positive.

Two months later in May 2020, film and television productions that were filming in the UK were given permission to resume filming, including The Witcher.

The show resumed pre-production in July, and resumed filming on 12 August, with its schedule expected to extend into early 2021.

However, further delays to production came in the form of more Covid-19 cases, when in November a number of crew members had tested positive.

Production resumed two weeks later and continued in December, with filming for Season 2 finally wrapping up on 2 April 2021.

How can I watch it?

Season 2 of The Witcher debuted on Netflix on 17 December.

All eight episodes of the series are available to stream right now, as are the eight episodes that make up the first season, released back in 2019.

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