Holidaymakers are increasingly making 'modern pilgrimages' to landmark sites from TV, music and movies - and an iconic spot near York is among the favourites.
The Beatles' famous Abbey Road zebra crossing, graffiti artist Banksy's murals and Trainspotting's Princes Street in Edinburgh all feature in a list of top locations people like to visit.
And Castle Howard near York, where the classic Brideshead Revisited was filmed both for TV and film, is also high on the list of must-see sites.
London’s 23 Heddon Street, as featured on the cover of David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust album, and locations in Birmingham - home to the ‘Peaky Blinders’ - are also popular for trips.
In Northern Ireland, Led Zeppelin fans flocked to Giant’s Causeway, the album artwork for Houses of the Holy.
Following the results of a Premier Inn [http://www.premierinn.com/pilgrims] survey of 2,000 adults, a leading culture expert has revealed other cultural destinations worth checking out, such as Oxford’s ‘Narnia Door’ - the inspiration for CS Lewis’s iconic book series, and the village Portmeirion in Wales, site of the cult 1960s TV show The Prisoner.
Dr Ruth Adams, senior lecturer in cultural & creative industries at King’s College London, worked with the hotel company to compile a map of the top culturally iconic locations.
The list includes London’s Portobello Road - which features in both Paddington movies - and houses Will’s bookshop in the movie Notting Hill.
Dr Ruth Adams said: “Visits to TV, film and musically significant locations are modern pilgrimages. For a small country, the UK punches well above its weight as both a tourist destination and a cultural powerhouse.
“We create world leading art and popular culture - from literature to film, television and music, and many people like to plan their holidays around pilgrimages to sites of cultural significance to get closer to their idols and fantasies.
“Going to locations that the Beatles or David Bowie not only visited but made iconic on album covers can bring fans closer to the ‘aura’ of these stars.”
Other cultural hotspots film buffs have flocked to include the town of Wells in Somerset, the setting for iconic comedy Hot Fuzz.
The research found 51 per cent of people have visited a spot in the UK purely because it was linked to their favourite movie, TV show, literature, art or music.
Just over a third even say visiting a famous location really is a pilgrimage to them - something they feel they ‘need’ to do.
Premier Inn managing director Simon Ewins added: “Modern day pilgrimages to places made famous through popular culture are becoming even more popular and there are so many of these hidden gems in the UK that make perfect locations for holidays and short breaks."
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