Under Salt Marsh on Sky Atlantic: Filming locations including 'dramatic UK landscapes' and if Morfa Halen is a real place
Bucket list destination unlocked - and it's actually in the UK!
Under Salt Marsh is a truly gripping crime drama about a murder that shatters a small town, and the dramatic filming locations only add to the atmospheric – often eerie – scenes.
Just as The White Lotus used exotic locations to complement its glossy US storytelling, this UK-based crime drama uses its setting to the same effect. Here, however, the scenery carries its own mood and becomes a character in its own right.
The production crew filmed Under Salt Marsh in the UK – and that’s not always a given. Many series, including Girl Taken, The Couple Next Door, and The Game, set their stories in the UK but filmed them abroad.
Here’s everything we know about the jaw-dropping filming locations featured in Under Salt Marsh on Sky Atlantic – a part of the world that rarely gets the credit it deserves.
Where is Under Salt Marsh set?
The six-part drama Under Salt Marsh takes place in a “close-knit Welsh town”. Writer, creator, and executive producer Claire Oakley introduces viewers to the residents of the fictional town of Morfa Halen.
As the story unfolds, an “unspeakable crime” fractures Morfa Halen’s tight-knit community. The residents are “precariously nestled between towering mountains”. That and a fast-encroaching sea that threatens their very existence.
The town sits on the coast, leaving residents at the mercy of the weather. Viewers watch them attempt to raise money for a sea wall, while others warn of more immediate danger. Rising sea levels threaten to swallow the town entirely, and some believe authorities must relocate the residents. During heavy rain and high tide, the causeway becomes impassable, cutting the town off from the outside world.
Viewers join the town as a “once-in-a-generation storm” gathers far out at sea. Against this tempestuous backdrop, former detective turned teacher Jackie Ellis discovers the body of her eight-year-old pupil, Cefin, who appears to have drowned.
Under Salt Marsh filming locations: Is Morfa Halen a real place?
Morfa Halen does not exist in real life. The writer created the fictional Welsh town specifically for Under Salt Marsh. However, the Sky Atlantic series did film extensively in Wales, where another coastal town stood in for Morfa Halen.
Talking about the village, Kelly Reilly said: “Morfa Halen is fictional but inspired by real rural communities in coastal towns across Wales, threatened by climate change and flooding. We filmed on location, which added authenticity. The environment is a character in itself — reflecting Jackie’s emotional state and the fragility of the community.”
Describing the process behind the location, Creator Claire Oakley added: “What if we set a detective drama in a town that’s disappearing into the sea? And they have to solve the crime before all of the evidence is washed away? This was the seed of the idea that grew into Under Salt Marsh. The ticking clock would be an approaching red-level storm, destined to destroy the town, disappear the evidence and challenge a community already wracked by grief and suspicion.”
Is Under Salt Marsh really filmed in Wales?
Filming on Under Salt Marsh began in October 2024. With support from Creative Wales, the production shot the series entirely in Wales, using locations across both North and South Wales.
The team filmed in Gwynedd, Anglesey, and Cardiff. Fairbourne, in Gwynedd, served as the primary stand-in for the fictional Morfa Halen. Its exposed coastal position and sense of isolation played a key role in the show’s plot, and viewers will immediately notice the dramatic surrounding landscapes.
In a case of art mirroring reality, Fairbourne and its 700 residents face the risk of becoming the UK’s first community abandoned to the sea. The village, which sits across the Mawddach estuary from Barmouth, has long carried the unwanted reputation of being the first UK settlement likely to succumb to climate change-driven flooding.
The low-lying village faces threats from the sea, the estuary, and rivers descending from the surrounding hills. Over the next 30 years, flood risk is expected to increase significantly, and Gwynedd Council has warned residents that Fairbourne could become uninhabitable by mid-century.
In real life, Fairbourne remains the kind of place where few people lock their doors at night. Although the village has its own sea wall, the film crew constructed a fake sea wall in Embankment car park for the series. The car park sits directly on top of the village’s existing sea defences.
The production also filmed scenes at Fairbourne Golf Club and the village hall.
What filming locations were used in Under Salt Marsh?
The production crew also filmed in other Gwynedd locations, including Barmouth, Llanbedr, and Malltraeth. Locals spotted cast and crew filming at the north end of Barmouth promenade. According to one resident, Storm Ashley arrived just in time to heighten the drama on screen.
Gwynedd is the second-largest county in Wales, yet it remains sparsely populated. The county sits in north-west Wales and borders Anglesey across the Menai Strait.
On Anglesey, the cast and crew filmed in The Drive area of Malltraeth, as well as Menai Bridge and Newborough Forest. The production also used locations in South Wales and Cardiff.
Welsh viewers might also recognise Aberffraw as one of the settings for the crime drama.
Key filming locations in Under Salt Marsh
Anglesey
- Newborough Forest, Niwbwrch, Anglesey
Fairbourne
- Fairbourne Golf Club, Penrhyn Drive North
- Fairbourne Streets, Llewelyn Drive
- Fairbourne/Friog Corner, Beach Road
- Fairbourne (Salt Marsh)
- Fairbourne Crime Scene (footpath – ditches and entrance)
- Promenade Car Park, Fairbourne (seafront and sea wall)
Barmouth and Mawwddach
- Barmouth and Mawddach Eatuary
- Barmouth Estuary, Field at Borthwnog Hall, Nr Bontddu
- Mawddach Estuary, Nr Barmouth (swim spot)
- Sylfaen Farm, Panorama Road, Barmouth
Llanbedr
-
Shell Island, Llanbedr (Quay, Causeway, Marsh)
Menai Bridge
- The Gazelle Inn, Glyngarth, Menai Bridge
Under Salt Marsh filming locations: What is a salt marsh?
Under Salt Marsh is based in the fictional Welsh town of Morfa Halen. Welsh speakers will know that Morfa Halen means Salt Marsh in Welsh.
But literally, a salt marsh is a coastal wetland ecosystem flooded by tides. They are characterised by salt-tolerant plants (like grasses and herbs) growing in salty mud and peat. Salt marshes are vital for trapping sediment, supporting wildlife, and protecting coasts.
The definition of a salt marsh is a coastal wetland between land and sea. Salty tidal water regularly covers the salt marshes, thus creating a fertile, muddy ground. Salt marshes are found worldwide, typically in sheltered coastal areas, estuaries, and bays.
‘We wanted epic landscapes’
Talking about the Under Salt Marsh filming locations, Solomon Bevan actor Jonathan Pryce said: “Filming in North Wales was a joy. It’s rare to shoot there, and it was great to return to places near my hometown of Holywell and see Snowdonia from a new perspective.”
Kimberley Nixon, who plays Shell Hill, added: “We filmed all over Wales — South and North. The Hill House set was beautifully detailed, with family photos and knickknacks that made it feel real. But the most unforgettable scene was on the marshes in North Wales, in the middle of the night, holding Cefin’s body. It was cold, wet, and emotionally raw. The crew gave us space, and it felt like we were truly alone in that moment.”
She said that working on a Welsh production with a Welsh crew “meant everything”. She said: “I live in Wales, and filming here allows me to go home to my own family at the end of the day, which is rare. Welsh crews have a special magic. There’s camaraderie, support, and a kind of unspoken understanding. It’s like having a backbone of home behind you.”
Executive Producer Elwen Rowlands said: “We wanted epic landscapes to make the community feel small against the wild beauty. We filmed largely at the Mawddach estuary in North Wales, avoiding anything too twee. Other standout locations include Newborough Beach in Anglesey, Fairbourne Beach, Dylan’s house on the salt marsh, and Spider Island — a collection of wooden huts we built in studio.”
