Instead of spotting woodland wildlife, visitors to Hensol woodlands near Cowbridge in the last few weeks may have come face-to-face with a ghost, werewolf or even a vampire.
There was no cause for concern though – the supernatural visitors were the stars of the BBC Three series Being Human which was being filmed in Hensol woodlands in the Vale of Glamorgan.
The production team from Touchpaper Wales had gone down to the woods to film scenes for the third series of the supernatural drama-comedy which stars Russell Tovey, Lenora Crichlow, Aidan Turner and Sinead Keenan.
Touchpaper Wales’s Location Manager Jonathan Allot said, “When looking for locations to film, there are a number of criteria that are common to every sort of location, particularly the aesthetics and the ability to service the location, and Hensol ticks both these boxes.
“Combined with the pro-active and professional attitude adopted by Forestry Commission Wales, the whole experience was straightforward and a pleasure for our production company to deal with.”
Hensol woodlands are managed by Forestry Commission Wales on behalf of the Welsh Assembly Government and date back to at least 1600. Forestry Commission Wales is restoring these ancient woodlands by removing non-native trees that were planted in the past, such as conifers, to allow native trees such as oak, birch, rowan and ash to flourish.
Forestry Commission Wales’s Local Area Manager Karl Charlton said, “I’m extremely pleased that the BBC chose Hensol as a location for filming due to its location and unique atmosphere.
“As there is an outbreak of the tree disease Phytophthora ramorum in Hensol woodlands, we supplied the TV crew with disinfectant kits to clean their vehicles and equipment so that they were not at risk of spreading the disease.”
Series three of Being Human will be shown on BBC Three in early 2011.
