If The Holiday is your go-to Christmas film, then there’s a charming UK town that you’re going to want to add to the bucket list as it definitely lets you channel your inner Cameron Diaz (although sadly there’s no guarantee you’ll meet Jude Law). 

I recently visited picturesque Middleham in Yorkshire on a weekend away with friends, and I instantly felt like I’d walked onto the set of the beloved Christmas film, specifically the enchanting village where Cameron Diaz’s character spends her holiday. 

The main cobbled street is packed with antique shops, tea rooms and fish and chip shops, as well as a handful of pubs with roaring fireplaces, hearty roasts and pints with prices that don’t make you want to cry. The main visitors I saw tended to be hikers and families, so although there are tourists it didn’t feel too busy – we never struggled to get a table anywhere, which is very welcome especially on those days where the British weather isn’t feeling particularly friendly. 

The town also boasts heaps of picturesque stone cottages – think picture-perfect flower boxes and front lawns, picket fences, and twee decorations and trinkets that make you want to stop and take a photo every few metres. 

The whole place feels frozen in time, and I mean that in the best possible way. I made a pit stop at the Castle Keep Tea Rooms which had about six tables, a crackling fireplace and comfy armchairs. They served up delicious breakfasts, sandwiches and cakes, and I could have stayed there for absolutely ages. 

Middleham Castle is also worth a visit. The ruins are impressive, and if you can brave the winding staircase, you’ll be treated to epic views over the Yorkshire Dales National Park. (Adult tickets start from £9.50, more information can be found on english-heritage. org.uk). 

Everything in the town is walkable, primarily because it takes about 10 minutes to get from one end of the town to the other. (Word of caution: it is steep and hilly).

Despite looking like it could easily have been a setting for the Christmas hit, Middleham wasn’t one of the filming locations used for The Holiday. For that, you’ll need to head to the villages of Shere and Godalming in Surrey, where most of the exterior shots took place. Given their chocolate box cottages, classic pubs with wooden beams and hearty fires, and enchanting woodland walks, it’s not difficult to see why these caught the production crew’s attention. 

Unfortunately if you’re hoping to book in a stay at Rose Cottage, we have some very sad news; it’s not real. The silver lining is that in Middleham, you can find plenty of very similar homes with fireplaces, large tubs and countryside views so you can pretend that you too are on your very own Christmas rom com adventure. There are a range of homes you can book through Sykes Holiday Cottages which cater to a variety of budgets. 

During my stay, our friends booked the beautiful Middleham House (we were a group of around 24 so finding somewhere that could fit us all was no easy feat). With its huge living room, stacked library, lengthy dining room and ensuite bedrooms, it made for the ideal base for a cosy weekend – although still without an appearance from Jude Law, sadly. 

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