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Doctor Who in Wales: A Motorhome or Campervan Road Trip Through Time and Space!
05.02.25
If you own a motorhome or campervan, you already have the perfect vehicle for adventure – and what better way to put it to the test than with a road trip through time and space? Wales offers incredible landscapes, historic landmarks, and scenic routes that are ideal for touring in your home-on-wheels. But for fans of Doctor Who, this journey takes on an extra dimension. Since its revival in 2005, Doctor Who has used Wales as a backdrop for alien planets, futuristic cities, and even historical settings, making it a dream destination for Whovians who want to explore the show’s iconic filming locations.
In this edition of our blog, we’ll guide you through some of the most famous Doctor Who spots across South Wales, from Cardiff’s city streets to the dramatic coastlines and medieval castles that have all played a role in the Doctor’s adventures. So, whether you're traveling in a new or used motorhome from Continental, get ready to map out your own TARDIS-like road trip and immerse yourself in the world of Doctor Who while enjoying the freedom and comfort of life on the road.
Cardiff
The heart of Doctor Who in Wales, Cardiff has been central to the programme since its 2005 revival. It has stood in for alien planets and dystopian futures as well as for London, and countless other urban locations. Many areas of the city have appeared multiple times in different guises. One of the most significant and frequently used in the early years of the revival is Loudoun Square, in the suburb of Butetown – so, appropriately, that’s where we’ll begin our Doctor Who locations road trip.
Loudoun Square (postcode CF10 5JE), with its mix of residential housing and urban spaces, was used to depict the London home of Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) and her mother Jackie (Camille Coduri). The tower block Harlech Court stood in for the Powell Estate flats, and was first seen in Series One opening episode Rose (2005), where Rose’s life is changed forever after encountering sentient plastic dummies the Autons - and the Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston). Filming in Butetown took place in July 2004, with the high-rise forming a recognisable backdrop throughout Series One and Two.
A nearby playground just off Loudoun Square is also important to Doctor Who. In the Series One’s penultimate episode Bad Wolf (2005), cryptic graffiti reading "Bad Wolf" is scrawled on the playground floor and on a wall, foreshadowing the climactic events of the series. This eerie detail added to the growing mystery surrounding the phrase, and visiting fans could ‘live it’ as the graffiti remained in situ for years, allowed to gradually fade away.
Another significant location in the earliest days of the Doctor Who revival is the corner of Customhouse Street. This spot is where the Golden Cross pub stood until very recently, right next to both the flats and the playground, and it’s where Rose’s father was struck by a car (in the episode Father’s Day). This emotional episode saw Rose attempting to save her father’s life, creating a devastating time paradox in the process. Please note: you might not experience quite that, when you visit this area of Butetown.
Cardiff City Centre
Beyond Loudoun Square, the city centre of Cardiff has been used extensively for Doctor Who episodes, most often standing in for the streets of London. Queen’s Arcade, Wharton Street, Westgate Street and St Mary’s Street have all been used on multiple occasions throughout all eras of modern Doctor Who. Queen Street and The Hayes were used during the notable Christmas episode The Runaway Bride (2006), when the Tenth Doctor (David Tennant) and Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) dash through Cardiff’s shopping district in a high-speed taxi chase.
The National Museum has appeared in multiple episodes, including Dalek (2005), where it doubled as a high-security museum which housed various extra-terrestrial artefacts - including the last Dalek in existence. The museum (at CF10 3NP) was also transformed into the world-famous Musée d’Orsay in Paris for the ‘Van Gogh meets aliens’ extravaganza Vincent And The Doctor (2010), adding just a touch of French elegance to the Welsh capital!
The Senedd, home to the Welsh Parliament (at CF99 1SN), once doubled as a hospital run by cat nurses in the city New New York on the planet New Earth (in the episode of that name, in 2006). The Millennium Centre (CF10 5AL, in Cardiff Bay) is one of the most iconic locations in the city. It appeared as the Torchwood Institute HQ in Army Of Ghosts (2006) and in numerous episodes of spin-off series Torchwood. Roald Dahl Plass, just outside the Centre, served as the entrance to the Torchwood Hub. It featured prominently in Boom Town (2005) and Utopia (2007).
Monmouth
The historic town of Monmouth has been used as a Doctor Who location due to its well-preserved architecture. Atmospheric streets and period buildings have made it the ideal big-scale stand-in for Victorian London. Monmouth has featured in episodes such as The Unquiet Dead (2005) and The Next Doctor (2008).
In the exceptional Christopher Eccleston era episode The Unquiet Dead, Monmouth locations Church Street, Beaufort Arms Court, St Mary’s Street, White Swan Court and the Shire Hall were transformed into 19th-century Cardiff. Here, the Doctor and Rose met Charles Dickens (Simon Callow) during the eerie tale of ghostly gas creatures the Gelth haunting a Cardiff funeral parlour.
Monmouth returned to Doctor Who for The Next Doctor, filmed in April 2008. The town once again became Victorian London, where the Tenth Doctor (David Tennant) encounters a man (David Morrissey) who believes himself to be the next incarnation of the Doctor and faces down a towering Cybermen threat.
Tredegar House
This grand 17th-century mansion in Newport, near Cardiff, has been a key filming location, offering an elegant and atmospheric backdrop for historical and supernatural episodes.
Its most famous appearance was in werewolf episode Tooth And Claw (2006), where it doubled for Queen Victoria’s country retreat Torchwood House in Scotland. Filming took place in late 2005, with Tredegar’s grand staircases and wood-panelled rooms enhancing the vintage tone of gothic horror in the episode. The Lazarus Experiment (2007) also filmed at Tredegar, with the house doubling as the laboratory of sinister Professor Lazarus (Mark Gatiss). He unveiled a machine to reverse ageing, only to mutate into a terrifying creature inside the lavish Great Hall.
Beyond Doctor Who, Tredegar House (at NP10 8YW) remains one of Wales’s most significant historical landmarks. Fans visiting the National Trust property can explore its beautifully preserved rooms and grounds - and can imagine the Doctor battling monsters within its grand walls.
Dunraven Bay
This bay, also known as Southerndown Beach, is one of the most recognisable modern era Doctor Who filming locations in Wales. Situated on the Glamorgan Heritage Coast at postcode CF32 0RT, Dunraven showcases dramatic cliffs and sweeping sands – and has been a perfect setting for alien worlds. Most notably, it was Bad Wolf Bay in second series finale Doomsday (2006). This episode culminates in the Tenth Doctor (David Tennant) and Rose Tyler saying their heartbreaking final farewell, as Rose finds herself trapped in a parallel universe, unable to see the Doctor again. The scene, filmed in April 2006, is one of the most emotional moments in Doctor Who history. The beach later reprised as Bad Wolf Bay in Journey’s End (2008), when Rose is reunited with the Doctor’s human clone.
However, Dunraven Bay has been used for more than just these iconic scenes. It also served as the setting for the alien planet Alfava Metraxis in The Time of Angels (2010), where the Doctor and River Song (Alex Kingston) battle the creepy Weeping Angels among the beach’s rocky formations.
To this day Dunraven Bay attracts visitors, with fans enjoying retracing the steps of the Doctor and his companions. Its stunning natural beauty and pivotal role in Doctor Who make it an absolutely essential stop for any Whovian road trip in Wales.
Llandaff
A couple of miles north of Cardiff, picturesque Llandaff has played a key role in Doctor Who - most famously appearing as Leadworth, the childhood village home of companion Amy Pond in The Eleventh Hour (2010). Filming took place in June 2009, transforming the village green (CF5 2LA) into the fictional location where young Amelia Pond first encounters the newly regenerated Eleventh Doctor (played by Matt Smith). Fans will instantly recognise the red telephone box and the village green itself as the spot where the Doctor crash-lands the TARDIS.
Llandaff’s most notable landmark, Llandaff Cathedral, can be seen in the background of several scenes. This stunning medieval church dates back to the 12th century and adds a historic charm to the area. Incidentally, around 30 miles north of Cardiff is the village of Rhymney. The Vicarage on Lawn Terrace (at NP22 5LL) is where the exterior and garden shots of Amy Pond’s childhood home were filmed. The house appeared in several episodes during Matt Smith’s era as The Doctor.
Caerphilly Castle
One of the largest medieval fortresses in the UK, Caerphilly Castle (at CF83 1JD) has also been a frequent filming location for Doctor Who. Its grand halls, moats, and imposing stone walls provide an authentic medieval atmosphere, making it the ideal backdrop for historical and fantasy episodes. Most notably, it was used in double episode The Rebel Flesh / The Almost People (in 2011), where it served as the setting for a monastery where the Doctor encounters the Flesh doppelgangers.
The castle has appeared in several other Doctor Who episodes including Robot of Sherwood (2014) as Sherwood Forest’s castle, where the Twelfth Doctor meets Robin Hood, and in The End of Time (2009), when it represented the Vinvocci stronghold.
Other Doctor Who Locations in Wales
The production of Doctor Who in Wales has been in full swing for more than 20 years now, and the filming teams have made best use of so many locations. Primarily around Cardiff, but equally at home venturing around the country, the makers of Doctor Who have done incredible work turning landmarks and little known places into sci-fi tourist hotspo9ts. In short, here are more to add to the list above.
- University of South Wales: The Treforest campus around Llantwit Rd in Pontypridd (CF37 1DL) has appeared multiple times. It served as UNIT’s secret headquarters in The Power of Three (2012), where the Eleventh Doctor investigates an alien invasion. The same location was transformed into an eerie Victorian mansion in 2013 episode Hide, with the Doctor and Clara (Jenna Coleman) investigating a haunted house.
- Margam Park: The sprawling Margam Park estate near Port Talbot (SA13 2TJ), with its historic mansion and surrounding woodland, has been a frequent location choice for Doctor Who. It appeared as the Torchwood Estate in Tooth and Claw (2006) and, later, its industrial-looking buildings were a sinister factory, in Rise of the Cybermen (2006).
- Penarth Pier: This classic seaside landmark has featured multiple times. It doubled as the exterior of The Byzantium spaceship in epic episode The Time of Angels (2010), and was also transformed into a Victorian boardwalk in The Idiot’s Lantern (2006), set during the Queen’s coronation celebrations in 1953.
- Dyffryn Gardens: The Dyffryn Gardens in the Vale of Glamorgan (CF5 6FZ) made a surprising appearance in The Day of the Doctor (2013). While the gardens are stunningly serene in real life, in the series they were transformed into a Dalek space station for this 50th anniversary multi-Doctor special. The tranquil beauty of the gardens is juxtaposed by their portrayal as a militarised zone.
- Roath Park: Known in part for its exceptional conservatory, Roath Park (CF23 5PA) doubled as parts of human outpost Bowie Base One in eerie classic The Waters of Mars (2009). The Doctor (David Tennant) encounters life-threatening water-based alien lifeforms attacking the pioneers.
- Tintern Abbey: Located in the Wye Valley (at NP16 6SE, on the Welsh-English border), Tintern Abbey appeared in Matt Smith’s swansong The Time of the Doctor (2013). The 900 year old ruin’s medieval structure provided a fitting backdrop to the drama.
With plenty of models available featuring Tardis-like layouts which make the absolute most of the available space, take some time to visit these locations in your new or used motorhome from Continental. You'll not only relive some of the most iconic moments from the UK’s most enduring sci-fi TV show Doctor Who, but also experience the rich history and natural beauty of Wales. Each of the sites we’ve mentioned here offers a unique window into the show's production and the buildings, streets and landscapes that have brought its fantastical stories to life.