Picnic Cinema: The Wicker Man (15) at Appleby Castle

Tom Grieve, Cinema Editor
The Wicker Man
Eden Arts

Picnic Cinema: The Wicker Man at Appleby Castle, Eden Valley 5 August 2017 Tickets from £15.00 — Book now

There’s nothing like a bit of good old British folk horror to get you in the mood for a night camped under the stars. Picnic Cinema have picked perhaps the perfect film to watch whilst sat in the shadow of Cumbria’s Appleby Castle.

Robin Hardy’s beloved chiller The Wicker Man transports us to the remote Scottish isle where Edward Woodward’s police sergeant has been sent to investigate the disappearance of a young girl. The sergeant finds a local population who are inclined towards pagan ritual and witchcraft — and utterly disinclined to help him. What follows is a masterful lesson in mounting suspense that leads towards a famously terrifying denouement.

Organisers recommend a wardrobe of tweed and animal masks for what is sure to be a memorable – and not at all sleepless – night.

Picnic Cinema: The Wicker Man at Appleby Castle, Eden Valley 5 August 2017 Tickets from £15.00 Book now

Where to go near Picnic Cinema: The Wicker Man (15) at Appleby Castle

Appleby Town Centre
Cumbria
Appleby Town Centre

Appleby is a small market town in the Eden Valley, characterised by its rural location and historic buildings. 

Cumbria
Park
Acorn Bank

National Trust property seven miles outside Penrith with ornate gardens and woodland walks that offer views across the Eden Valley.

Cumbria
Gallery
Red Barn Gallery

Red Barn Gallery is paramount in the Art World of the North West. Internationally renown works are put aside new artists, and the displays never ‘stand still’.

Shap Abbey
Cumbria
Tourist Attraction
Shap Abbey

Shap Abbey is a secluded area of the river Lowther, renowned for its solitude and quiet.

Cumbria
Tourist Attraction
Tebay Services

Award-winning, family-owned service station, serving and selling local products

Brougham Castle
Cumbria
Tourist Attraction
Brougham Castle

Two miles from Penrith, Brougham Castle sits on the River Eamont in the Eden Valley, a proud reminder of strength in a turbulent bygone age.

Lowther Castle and Gardens
Cumbria
Park
Lowther Castle and Gardens

Sitting proud amid lush green parkland just inside the Lake District National Park, Lowther Castle is like a fairytale illustration of a castle.

Cumbria
Sleddale Hall

Sleddale Hall is a farmhouse on the north side of the Wet Sleddale featured as “Crow Crag”, Uncle Monty’s Lake District country cottage in the cult film Withnail and I.

Cumbria
Hotel
Askham Hall

In a picturesque nook of Cumbria’s Eden Valley, Askham Hall offers luxury accommodation in a historic country house just outside of Penrith.

Brougham Hall
Cumbria
Tourist Attraction
Brougham Hall

A historic site and restoration project with an eclectic range of shops, studios and a gallery space, run by local artisans and craftspeople. 

Cumbria
Event venue
Penrith Old Fire Station

Main venue for Eden Arts, an artist-led organisation based in Eden in Cumbria creating projects around mass participation, local distinctiveness and digital engagement, from Picnic Cinema to The Winter Droving.

Cumbria
Restaurant
Xavier’s Café & Wine Bar

Xavier’s is Penrith’s answer to Paris’ wine-infused café culture. An elegant spot to unwind in both the daytime and evening.

What's on: Cinema

Three men sit next to each other. One's head is bandaged, one holds a torch and one wears a sleepmask.
CinemaManchester
Wes World at HOME

Take a trip back into the world of Wes Anderson this May as HOME present a series of the acclaimed auteur’s most beloved films alongside The Phoenician Scheme.

from £7.95

Culture Guides

portrait of Lorsung in a dark shirt with dark hair and dark round glasses
Literature Events in the North

We've got laughs and we've got leftfield on the live literature radar this month. Something for everyone, from poets playing with form to short story writers looking long.

Sextile
Music in the North

Open air clubs, new festivals and long-awaited gigs. The North West's live music scene is heating up this spring. 

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre in the North

Eclectic as ever. You'll find inventive reworkings, world-class contemporary dance and Greater Manchester's inaugural Improv Festival in our guide.

Classical Music in the North

Read our latest highlights from the live classical music offer in Manchester and the North, taking in a number of the region's most cherished orchestral forces and venues.

Laura Ellen Bacon, Into Being, 2025. Photo © India Hobson, courtesy Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Exhibitions in the North

Willow weaving, textile collages, digital arts and ecology - all this and more in our exhibition top picks this month

Three men sit next to each other. One's head is bandaged, one holds a torch and one wears a sleepmask.
Cinema in the North

Live scores, midnight movies and the latest from Wes Anderson are just some of our upcoming film highlights.