Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world dating apps, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport, and hope that the next time I walk through it, I’ll bump in to the love of my life and the rest will be history. Spoiler alert: it hasn’t happened just yet. But you never know, hey?
As far as I’m concerned, ’tis always the season to pretend you’re the main character in a Richard Curtis movie – and Tinder seem to be on board with it as well. The OG of dating apps has done a bit of rom-com research and revealed which romantic movie locations are considered the most iconic in the country, according to young British singletons. And – relatively unsurprisingly – two Love Actually spots have topped the charts.
Taking the crown as the most iconic romantic movie location in the country is – of course – Heathrow Airport arrivals. Although the reality of the place is perhaps slightly less romantic than Hugh Grant has lead us all to believe; it’s still managed to nab the rom-com crown, with plenty of people still yearning for their own magical movie moment at the airport. To commemorate the UK’s favourite romantic movie spot, Tinder has unveiled a plaque in the arrivals hall at Heathrow Terminal 3 for people to glance at as they aggressively shove their way through to the taxi rank. Who said that romance was dead, hey?
Coming in at second place is another Love Actually location – the bench by the Thames on which Sam (Thomas Brodie-Sangster) opens up to his stepdad, Daniel (Liam Neeson) about the total agony of being in love. And taking the third spot is Pembroke Castle which provided the backdrop for many heart-wrenching scenes in Me Before You.
Tinder’s research also revealed that 47% of single people aged between 18-35 admit to taking dating cues from rom-com movies and 45% of daters admit to mimicking some of the romantic gestures they’ve seen in movies in real life. All of which might begin to explain the chaotic state of London’s current dating scene. 61% say that watching a rom-com makes them feel optimistic about finding love – to which I absolutely cannot relate but good for them. Maybe if you look for it, love actually could be all around, after all.
The UK’s top 5 most romantic filming locations:
- Heathrow, London – Love Actually
- The bench alongside the Thames, London – Love Actually
- Pembroke Castle, Pembroke – Me Before You
- Bridget Jones’s flat, London – Bridget Jones’s Diary
- Eastbourne Pier, Eastbourne – Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging