Elstree

A film crew might roll through here any morning. This corner of Hertfordshire has doubled for everywhere from Victorian London to suburban America, with Elstree Studios making it the Hollywood of the home counties. The town itself keeps a proper low profile despite its showbiz connections - just neat residential streets and the odd film truck parked up.

Elstree and Borehamwood Museum tells the full story of the area's cinematic heritage, though you're more likely to bump into the real thing wandering around the studio lots. The surrounding countryside rolls away into classic Hertfordshire farmland, with Aldenham Country Park offering decent walking territory just outside town.

Getting here's straightforward enough. The Northern line reaches Elstree & Borehamwood station, putting you thirty minutes from central London. Mill Hill Broadway and Edgware stations provide alternative routes in. It's properly suburban territory - not much happens after dark, but that's rather the point.

For anyone wanting to explore this slice of film history without the London hotel bills, the nearby holiday parks make perfect sense. You're close enough to nip into the capital for the day, yet far enough out to enjoy actual countryside. Home Farm Glamping and Aldenham Country Park both put you within easy reach of the studios and the wider attractions of north London's green belt.