Where Was The Rings of Power Season 2 Filmed?

Many of the exotic vistas in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power‘s second season were shot in real-life places – and Middle-earth fans will want to visit them! With this in mind, here’s a round-up of all the locations where The Rings of Power Season 2 was filmed.

The Rings of Power Season 2 Filming Locations

Unlike The Rings of Power Season 1’s shoot, principal photography on Season 2 didn’t take place in New Zealand. Instead, the Amazon MGM Studios production moved to the UK, filming on sets and locations in south-east England. The Rings of Power Season 2’s cast and crew also shot some material in the Canary Islands. While the transition from New Zealand to the UK is noticeable, for the most part, the second season’s scenery dovetails neatly with that of the first. But enough background; let’s get into the shooting sites, starting with the UK!

Related: The Rings of Power Season 2 Ending, Explained

The Rings of Power Season 2’s south-east England filming locations include:

• Frensham Common, Surrey (various shots of characters traversing the Middle-earth landscape featured throughout Season 2).
• Hankley Common, Surrey (Episode 1’s burnt out village, where Sauron/Halbrand pledges allegiance to Adar).
• High Rocks and Harrison Rocks, Kent (various scenes, including the second half of Galadriel and Elrond’s Episode 1 horse chase).
• Windsor Great Park, Berkshire (various scenes, including the first half of Galadriel and Elrond’s Episode 1 horse chase, Episode 4’s Ent encounter, Episode 7’s outdoor Siege of Eregion sequences, and most of what happens in and around Adar’s encampment in Episodes 4-8).
• Virginia Water, Berkshire (one or more waterfall sequences; this potentially includes Elrond’s dramatic escape in Episode 1).

Meanwhile, the following Canary Islands spots doubled for Middle-earth locations:

• Teide National Park, Tenerife (various scenes set in Rhûn, including the Stranger and Nori’s initial travels in Episodes 1-2).
• San Juan de la Rambla, Tenerife (various scenes set in Rhûn; this potentially includes some shots of Tom Bombadil’s cottage, the exteriors of which were filmed in Tenerife).

Why Did The Rings of Power Leave New Zealand?

A range of factors influenced Amazon’s decision to move The Rings of Power‘s production base to the UK from New Zealand. It saved the studio money, for one thing. Amazon recently built a number of filming facilities in the UK to shoot some of its other productions, so relocating The Rings of Power there meant leveraging that infrastructure. The UK government’s tax rebates further baited the hook. Plus, Amazon reportedly chafed under New Zealand’s strict pandemic restrictions on The Rings of Power Season 1 and were keen to avoid similar headaches on Season 2.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 is currently streaming on Prime Video.