In search of the Dorset locations of Nuts in May

Mike Leigh was one of the great directors to rise through the ranks of the BBC in the 1960s and 1970s. Alongside the likes of Ken Loach, Alan Clarke and Ridley Scott, he honed his craft with smaller-scale dramas, usually for the BBC’s various single drama strands such as Second City Firsts, BBC2 Playhouse and, most successfully, Play for Today. Leigh directed six Play for Today dramas in total, including the celebrated Abigail’s Party (1977) and, probably the most filmic and interesting in terms of its location work, Nuts in May (1976).

Nuts in May follows middle-class couple Keith (Roger Sloman) and Candice Marie (Alison Steadman) on a camping holiday to Dorset. Their plans include a mixture of sightseeing and relaxation away from the hustle and bustle of city life. In between their visits to beauty spots and sites of historic interest, however, their hopes for a pleasant trip are quickly scuppered by both the locals and other campers. It’s not long before Keith in particular is pushed to his breaking point.

Leigh’s TV film follows the aggrieved pair around various tourist sites, as they tick off items from their itinerary. Because of this, a large number of locations are featured, even if some are only seen for a few seconds before the characters trudge off to their next destination.

Here are five locations from Keith and Candice Marie’s sojourn to the coast as they stand today.

One of the many walks Keith and Candice Marie enjoy is along the coastline to St Aldhelm’s Head, a headland southwest of Swanage. While the weather looks distinctly peaky during the original shoot, the first location is very recognisable in spite of the mist: St Aldhelm’s coastal steps.

The shot pans left to show the edge near the path and the cliffs that curve around Chapman’s Pool.

Back on the path at St Aldhelm’s Head, we see the small, 800-year-old building of St Aldhelm’s Chapel, which is still standing today.

Finally, a very distinctive rocky outcrop is briefly seen in another shot. This is further along the path towards the chapel.

One of the film’s most famous locations is Corfe Castle. The historic ruins and the local town are featured extensively. Before Keith and Candice Marie arrive, there’s an establishing shot from south of the monument near where the National Trust entrance is today.

This shot looks up at one of the ruined castle’s towers near the old entrance of the actual castle itself.

This then pans to the distinctive pathway running through a chunk of ruined building. In place of the barrier-free path, today a safer bridge passes through the ruin.

The shots gradually become more difficult to map as various aspects of the ruin have changed, with stricter paths and fences to stop random wandering. The shot below is likely further around the outer part of the castle. Leigh likely captured it in logical sequence as the crew moved through the location.

This shot showing a daring Candice Marie climbing onto one of the fallen slabs of building is in one of the more recognisable parts of the location.

Finally, this shot shows Candice Marie enjoying the view over the nearby village from a gap in the castle’s south-facing wall. Sadly this part was closed on my visit due to restoration works.

Continuing the pair’s attempt to visit every key tourist destination in the county, Keith and Candice Marie find themselves enjoying various spots near the beautiful Stair Hole in Lulworth. This shot shows Keith at the famed rock formation itself.

Candice Marie, meanwhile, has climbed right to the top of the cliffside overlooking Stair Hole. The distinctive curves in the rock make this location recognisable, though the tide prevented access to the exact spot.

Finally, Leigh shoots the location from Candice Marie’s view, though the exact spot she looked on from has since been roped off due to cliff erosion.

Another of the sites visited by Keith and Candice Marie is the adjacent beach at Lulworth Cove. This famously beautiful spot has been used in several films and television series, though Leigh’s visit is deliberately fleeting, as Keith keeps to the frenetic pace of his itinerary. We first see a shot looking along the pebbly beach.

This sequence is shot where the evocatively named Main Road meets the beach. As the camera follows the characters, we see them walk past a number of boats and a shed which is now a café.

We see Ray (Anthony O’Donnell) exiting an ice cream parlour housed in an old fisherman’s building. The building has since vanished, though a similar business is now running in the nook a little further along.

Finally we see Keith and Candice Marie braving the weather and wandering on along the curve of the cove in the other direction.

Most of Keith and Candice Marie’s woes revolve around their first campsite of choice, where their peace is frequently disturbed. The site where they stay is not far from Corfe Castle and is run today by Corfe Castle Dorset Camping.

While tricky to map exactly as the location is a field, several shots are quite easy to spot, especially those towards the camp’s entrance, which is still roughly as it was today, albeit with a far larger office and general amenities. The remains of the original office are still at the campsite entrance.

This shot where Keith notices the toilet block also makes for an easy spot, with the little path to it still just to the left of the modern entrance today.

The spot where the pair initially set up camp, before the various intrusions lead them to move, is also not far from the site’s entrance, and is roughly where this patch of land is today.

Finally, this shot shows the entrance to the camp roughly from the perspective of where the pair put their tent up. Today, the paths and roadways are a little more defined, but apart from a more respectable clientele, who likely won’t start fires or attack with branches, the location is the same.

Thanks to Corfe Castle Dorset Camping and Keith Scovell.

IMDb
Corfe Castle Dorset Camping

Nuts in May is out on BFI Blu-ray on 17 August.