The latest TV series to showcase our beautiful landscapes is a new star-studded Sky Originals thriller.This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
Yellowstone’s Kelly Reilly stars in the drama set in a Welsh town (Image: Sky)
While we’re used to seeing iconic cities like Paris, New York and LA on the big screen, Wales has started to steal the spotlight and become a world-class filming location. With its craggy coastlines, soaring mountains and ancient castles, Wales is the perfect backdrop and has featured in multiple films and streaming hits.
The latest TV series to showcase our beautiful landscapes is a new star-studded Sky Originals thriller. Under Salt Marsh is a new limited series from writer, creator and executive producer Claire Oakley and is due for release on January 30th.
Starring Yellowstone’s Kelly Reilly (who plays Beth in the hit series Yellowstone), the six-part new drama is set in the fictitious Welsh town of Morfa Halen and was filmed entirely in Wales. Also joining the cast are Welsh star Jonathan Pryce (The Crown), Naomi Yang (Nightsleeper) and Harry Lawtey (Industry).
According to Sky’s synopsis, the series follows tragic events in a tight-knit community wedged between towering mountains and a fast-encroaching sea, a place where beauty and danger sit side by side.
The idyllic seaside town of Fairbourne is the setting for the fictional Morfa Halen, with its coastal features mirroring the show’s premise.(Image: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
As a once-in-a-generation storm begins to gather far out at sea, tragedy strikes. Jackie Ellis (Kelly Reilly), a former detective now working as a teacher, discovers the body of her eight-year-old pupil, Cefin, apparently drowned.
The discovery sends shockwaves through Morfa Halen and reopens an old wound, the unsolved disappearance of Jackie’s niece Nessa three years earlier, a case that cost her career.
Cefin’s death draws Jackie’s former partner, Detective Eric Bull (Rafe Spall), back to Morfa Halen to lead an investigation in a town he failed before.
Convinced the two cases are linked, Jackie and Bull are forced to confront their shared past as they search for answers. With the storm closing in and the sea threatening to wipe away crucial evidence, they must uncover Morfa Halen’s buried secrets before time runs out. For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter
Welsh actor Jonathan Pryce is a part of the huge cast of stars (Image: Sky )
Viewers might be able to spot several of Wales’ most beautiful spots, such as Salt Marsh filmed in Anglesey and across Gwynedd. BBC reports that filming was seen along Barmouth promenade in October 2025, with additional scenes shot in Fairbourne and Llanbedr.
The idyllic seaside town of Fairbourne is the setting for the fictional Morfa Halen, with its coastal features mirroring the show’s premise.
Located south of the Mawddach Estuary, backed by Snowdonia National Park, it’s well known for beautiful golden sands and the narrow-gauge Fairbourne Railway, which runs to the end of the beach.
The show’s storm premise is bittersweet for residents as locals were once tipped to be the UK’s first ‘climate refugees’, due to rising sea levels.
Beautiful Newborough Forest was also used for filming(Image: Ray Wise)
As Wales Online reports, this devastating tag was first applied when Cyngor Gwynedd said in 2014 it would not maintain flood defences indefinitely as global sea levels rose.
At that point, some gave it three decades, with Natural Resources Wales identifying 2054 as a potential tipping point.
The “curse” of Fairbourne was the flood risks it faced from the sea, from the nearby Afon Mawddach, and, because the land is so low, from groundwater.
More recently, the community’s defiance has hardened, and they are determined to cast off their unwanted reputation, believing the seaside village still has a future beyond 2054.
Since Sky rolled into town, Fairbourne has embraced the filming: not only does it generate out-of-season income, it may also create future tourism opportunities.
Over in Anglesey, Aberffraw, home to massive dunes, features as one of the drama’s locations and appears in the show’s trailer, after filming took place in the village in early 2025.
Rafe Spall from Trying and Life of Pi plays alongside Kelly Reilly as Detective Eric Bull(Image: Sky )
Beautiful Newborough Forest was also used for filming and is where you’ll find Newborough Warren, one of the largest and finest dune systems in Britain. Together with Ynys Llanddwyn, it was designated the first coastal National Nature Reserve in Wales in 1955.
The towering Corsican pine trees that make up Newborough Forest were planted between 1947 and 1965 to provide timber and to stabilise the shifting sand dunes. You can discover the forest and the island on a 3.5-mile circular route from the Newborough Forest car park near Niwbwrch.
It’s a fairly straightforward track as Llanddwyn is only around 1km long, so it doesn’t take long for the ruins of Santes Dwynwen’s chapel to come into view on your walk.
Route highlights include forests, sandy beaches and the dreamy Tŵr Mawr lighthouse. Seals are also regularly seen around the island, and playful dolphins or harbour porpoises are frequently spotted in the choppy waters.
Menai Suspension Bridge(Image: Arwyn Roberts/North Wales Live)
Other north Wales locations include Malltraeth and Menai Bridge. This small waterside town is home to Michelin-star dining, wildlife spotting boat trips and lovely pubs with excellent beer gardens. Menai Bridge, or Porthaethwy in Welsh, offers the first glimpse of Ynys Mon as you enter via the impressive Menai Suspension Bridge. Read more about the town here.
The new series could spark an increase in visits to these gorgeous north Wales locations. In recent years, screen tourism, or set-jetting, has emerged as one of the fastest-growing trends in the travel industry, and Wales is well positioned to capitalise on this growing demand. Read more about Wales’ screen tourism here.
As a Sky Original, Under Salt Marsh will be available to watch on Sky and streaming service NOW. More information here.