“You know how New Jersey has the Sopranos? Halifax has the Knezevics and they ain’t no choirboys either.”
Happy Valley’s third season concluded the hit BBC series full of twists and turns. Yorkshire gets a lot of love throughout the show, with Calderdale’s Sowerby Bridge and Halifax getting top billing.
Many Happy Valley filming locations are outdoors in commonplaces like street corners and empty fields. But here are a handful of specific spots around Calderdale that you can visit without looking suspect for photographing passersby wandering down a seemingly nondescript road.
Mollie Winnard as Joanna Hepworth and Amit Shah as Faisal Bhatti at the Shay Cafe in Happy Valley (Season 3, Episode 2). Image Credit: Matt Squire/Lookout Point/AMC
Halifax
Halifax played a big role as Happy Valley filming locations for Series 1, 2, and 3. Halifax train station is only about 30 minutes from Leeds, 39 minutes from Manchester, and 2 hours and 22 minutes from London.
The Shay Cafe on Hunger Hill is the Bell Street Kitchen where Faisal and Joanna met. The Engine Room, just a mile north, was also used in the first season. Splitting the distance between the two is Knead, a pizzeria and bar featured in episode two.
Extend your time searching for Happy Valley filming locations with a stay at Holdsworth House Hotel & Restaurant. Not only is it a lovely hotel, but it was also where Richard set up a meeting with Mafia member Darius Knezevic. Meanwhile, you’ll find Tommy’s safehouse in Warley View.
Halifax’s suburb Boothtown, West View Park, the hamlet of Mount Tabor, and the home of the Halifax Sailing Club, Warley Moor Reservoir, were also shown in the series. Keighley, Meltham, and Huddersfield were used for additional Happy Valley filming locations.
Sowerby Bridge
Only three-miles west of Halifax, Sowerby Bridge has its own station about seven minutes from Halifax train station and is accessible via the Northern Rail’s Calder Valley Line.
Ryburn Valley High School was where Ryan attended school. Tuel Lane provides the series’s opening shot, nearby which is an old post office that was used as the Happy Valley police station.
The nearby market town of Hebden Bridge in the Upper Calder Valley is where you’ll find Sgt. Cawood’s home (closest station: Hebden Bridge).
Rina Mahoney as Anisha Bhatti, Myra Sofia Iftikhar as Haniye Bhatti, Yasmin Ali as Maira Bhatti, and Amit Shah as Faisal Bhatti in Happy Valley (Season 3, Episode 5). Image Credit: Matt Squire/Lookout Point/AMC
What town was Happy Valley filmed in?
Much of Happy Valley was filmed in the town of West Yorkshire where it was set: the Calder Valley. All of the Happy Valley filming locations are within the borough of Calderdale, which includes Calder Valley, Hebden Bridge, Halifax, Huddersfield, Keighley, Meltham, Sowerby Bridge, and Park Wood Crematorium in Elland.
Read also: Shaun of the Dead filming locations
Which pub was used in Happy Valley?
It’s reported that the cast and crew of Happy Valley holed up in The Crossroads Inn in Wainstalls in between takes. While this pub wasn’t a Happy Valley filming location, it certainly makes for a nice visit, especially if you’re heading to the Mount Tabor filming spot.
Read also: Visit the UK's oldest pubs by train and learn about their fascinating histories
Rick Warden as Mike Taylor and Sarah Lancashire as Catherine Cawood in Happy Valley (Season 3, Episode 2). Image Credit: Matt Squire/Lookout Point/AMC
What is Happy Valley about?
Happy Valley follows Yorkshire Police Sergeant Catherine Cawood as she copes with the loss of her daughter, who ended her life after being sexually assaulted. When the assailant, Tommy Lee Royce, is released from jail, Cawood wants to confront Royce but is unaware that he’s working with a criminal organization to abduct a woman.
Read also: You Season 4 filming locations in London to die for
Who is in Happy Valley?
Happy Valley starred Sarah Lancashire (Skins), Siobhan Finneran (Downton Abbey), James Norton (Black Mirror), Charlie Murphy (Peaky Blinders), Susan Lynch (Killing Eve), Karl Davies, and Mark Stanley (Game of Thrones).
Where can I watch Happy Valley?
Happy Valley was originally a BBC One show. The series is now available to stream on Acorn TV and AMC+, both of which require subscriptions. You may also be able to stream it on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Youtube TV, and other streamers if subscriptions include it in your country.
Read also: Where was Netflix’s Wednesday filmed?
Sarah Lancashire as Catherine Cawood in Happy Valley (Season 3, Episode 1). Image Credit: Lookout Point/AMC/James Stack
Will there be a Happy Valley Season 4?
No, there won’t be a Happy Valley Season 4. The show’s creator said that there are no plans for another season and any rumored spinoffs have also been squashed. We believe that’s the truth, but let’s throw an asterisk here anyway: it took two years to get from Season 1 to Season 2 and seven years to get a Season 3, so never say never.
Read also: Disappear into Netflix’s Ripley filming locations on the Amalfi Coast
What are other shows or films like Happy Valley?
Need another crime thriller to keep you content on the couch? Check out these other shows and films like Happy Valley that have filming locations in Europe.
- Broadchurch
- Luther
- Fool Me Once
- Killing Eve
- Marcella
- The Fall
- Deadwater Fell
- A Confession
- Baby Reindeer
Better yet, visit Calder Valley and see the real-life location of Happy Valley yourself. Download the Trainline app and go to the Happy Valley filming locations in Calderdale by train.
Sarah Lancashire as Catherine Cawood in Happy Valley (Season 3, Episode 4). Header Image Credit: Matt Squire/Lookout Point/AMC
