Where Was Beyond Paradise Filmed? Locations & Map Guide

If you’ve ever watched Beyond Paradise and found yourself wondering whether the fictional Shipton Abbott really looks that idyllic, you’re not alone. The BBC crime drama, a spin-off of Death in Paradise, transports viewers to a charming Devon seaside town — but the real filming locations are firmly in Cornwall, specifically around the fishing port of Looe. This guide pinpoints exactly where the show is filmed, from Humphrey’s cottage to the beachside cafe, so you can plan your own visit.

Main filming location: Looe, Cornwall, England · Fictional town: Shipton Abbott, Devon · First aired: 2023 · Seasons aired (as of 2025): 4 · Key estate used: Pentillie Estate, Saltash

The table below summarises the key facts about the series and its production footprint.

The pattern is clear: the BBC relies on Cornwall’s coast to stand in for fictional Devon, a choice that has boosted local film tourism.

Where is Beyond Paradise actually filmed?

Beyond Paradise is set in the fictional Devon town of Shipton Abbott, but much of the filming takes place in Looe, a seaside town in Cornwall – about 40 miles away from the fictional setting (Countryfile, a trusted countryside magazine). South East Cornwall provides the primary backdrop for the harbour, beach, and rural roads. The production team deliberately chose Cornwall because its coastlines and harbour villages closely match the look of Devon while offering unique estates and beaches unavailable in the fictional county.

Why Cornwall doubles for Devon

• Cornwall’s South East coast has similar geography to South Devon – rolling hills, sandy beaches, and quaint fishing harbours.
• The location manager specifically needed a riverside quay and rural cottages, which Pentillie Estate provided (Pentillie Estate, the real filming estate).
• Filming in Cornwall also allowed the production to stay within the same region as the main Death in Paradise franchise, which uses the Caribbean but has a UK production base in Bristol (Wikipedia).

Where is the cottage used in Beyond Paradise?

The cottage that serves as Humphrey and Martha’s home is Quay Cottage, located on the grounds of the Pentillie Estate near Saltash, Cornwall. It overlooks the River Tamar and is a private residential property (Pentillie Estate, which owns the property). The estate’s page confirms that many viewers recognized DI Humphrey’s house as the estate’s riverside cottage and quay.

Quay Cottage at Pentillie Estate

• The cottage is not open to the public – it is a private home used exclusively for filming.
• It sits on the banks of the River Tamar, offering a quiet, rural backdrop.
• The estate also provides woodland pathways, a derelict boathouse, and other structures used in various episodes (Pentillie Estate).

Other residential filming spots

• Additional cottages and houses in Looe and around the Pentillie Estate appear as secondary characters’ homes.
• Treworgey Cottages (a holiday cottage company) notes that many shots show the Quay, Harbour, and Pier in Looe, doubling as Shipton Abbott’s residential areas (Treworgey Cottages).

Where did they film Beyond Paradise Season 3?

Season 3 continued filming in Looe and at Pentillie Estate, with one notable change: the cafe set moved. Martha’s cafe, called Ten Mile Kitchen in the first two series, was originally filmed at The Stables at Port Eliot House and Gardens (Countryfile). In Season 3, Ten Mile Kitchen relocated to a new set filmed at Looe harbour, incorporating The Sardine Factory and Looe Heritage Centre (Countryfile).

Continuity of primary locations

• Looe Harbour and Guildhall remain the main backdrops for Shipton Abbott.
• Pentillie Estate continues to provide the cottage and rural lanes.
• Whitsand Bay and Mothecombe Beach are used for beach sequences (Countryfile).

New sites introduced in Season 3

• The new cafe location at Looe Harbour gives the show a fresh interior and exterior, with a direct view of the harbour.
• No major shift in base location – the production remains anchored in Cornwall.

What this means: fans who visited Looe during the first two seasons will recognise the harbour, but the cafe spot has moved. The Sardine Factory building is now the go-to place for spotting cast and crew during filming.

Are Doc Martin and Beyond Paradise filmed in the same place?

Both shows are BBC productions filmed in Cornwall, but not in the same town. Doc Martin is set in the fictional Portwenn, filmed in Port Isaac on the north Cornish coast. Beyond Paradise uses Looe on the south eastern coast (Countryfile). The two locations are about 40 miles apart by road – a scenic hour’s drive across the county.

Shared filming region but different specific towns

• Both are created by Red Planet Pictures and share the same production team.
• Port Isaac is a narrow, steep harbour village; Looe is a larger, flatter town with a broad sandy beach.
• No overlap in primary filming locations – each show builds its own set of recognisable buildings and landscapes.

The pattern: Cornwall has become the BBC’s go-to county for fictional seaside drama. For fans of both shows, a road trip combining Port Isaac and Looe is an easy weekend plan.

What country is Beyond Paradise filmed in?

Beyond Paradise is filmed entirely in England (Cornwall) (Countryfile). Despite occasional landscape similarities to Ireland, all exterior scenes are shot in Cornwall, and interior studio work is done in Bristol (Wikipedia). The show is not filmed in Ireland, nor in any other country.

Filmed entirely in England

• All harbour, beach, and countryside scenes – Looe, Whitsand Bay, Pentillie Estate, Rame Head, Mothecombe Beach.
• Interior sets are built and filmed at The Bottle Yard Studios in Bristol (Wikipedia).

For international viewers wondering if the show is set in the UK: yes, both the fictional setting (Devon) and the real filming locations (Cornwall) are in South West England.

Six filming locations, one pattern: they all serve a single fictional town. Here’s how they compare:

The implication: the bulk of Shipton Abbott’s street-level life is fully accessible to fans, while the private estates remain visible only from the perimeter.

For fans planning a visit to Looe, the filming locations are easily accessible – the harbour, Guildhall, and new cafe set are all public. But keep in mind that Quay Cottage is private property and not open to the public. The BBC’s decision to base the show in Cornwall rather than Devon means that the region has seen a noticeable bump in film tourism. For the dedicated fan, the choice is clear: drive to Looe, walk the harbour, and you’ll be standing in the heart of Shipton Abbott – even if the county sign says Cornwall.