Editor's Note: The following contains mild spoilers for Andor.Real-world locations aren’t exactly what comes to mind when we think of Star Wars, at least not in the post-prequel world. Sure, a long time ago, in a country not that far away called Tunisia, George Lucas and his ragtag team of hippie-looking Hollywood youths set up camp to shoot what would become one of the biggest media juggernauts of the 20th and 21st centuries. But, in most recent years, the Skywalker saga and its related stories has been frequently relegated to studios covered in green screen, especially after the advent of the Volume, a high-tech set of LED screens that allow for the creation of lifelike backdrops that are nearly indistinguishable from real locations, heavily used on Disney+ shows like The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. The Volume sure sounds like a very useful and convenient piece of tech. But, sometimes, it’s better to do things the old way. Sometimes, we need something to remind us of the magic of classic cinema. Sometimes, we need something like Andor.

In Andor, the Volume doesn’t play that much of a role. Producer Tony Gilroy opted for a more old-school approach and took the series’ cast and crew for a trip around the world. Or, rather, around the United Kingdom. Many of the show’s scenes are shot in fully built sets inside Pinewood Studios, in Buckinghamshire, and about just as many take place in various locations throughout England and Scotland. So far, however, Disney has been pretty secretive about where the show was actually shot. Thus, as expected, fans have been taking to social media to find out where in our own galaxy are the strange and marvelous places visited by Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) and the rest of the show’s characters. If you’re one of those wondering, here’s a guide to Andor’s filming locations and what each of them stands for in the galaxy far, far away.

Black Park, Buckinghamshire, England

An old acquaintance of the Star Wars universe, Black Park served as a location for two of the saga’s Disney batch of movies: The Force Awakens and The Rise of Skywalker. The Buckinghamshire park starred in the films both as the Resistance base and as the Mid Rim planet of Takodana, in which Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega), Han Solo (Harrison Ford), and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) meet Maz Kanata (Lupita Nyong’o). In Andor, the park first appears in Episode 1, “Kassa”, lending its grounds and vegetation to the Kenari village in which Cassian Andor grew up. As we learn in the show, Cassian is not originally from the Outer Rim planet of Fest, but from Kenari, a Mid Rim planet abandoned after an alleged imperial mining accident. In this Instagram post by Bespin Bulletin, we can see Kenari structures being built in Black Park.

Coryton Refinery, Essex, England

Once one of the greatest oil refineries in England, the Coryton refinery ceased operations for good in June 2012, a few months after its then owner, Petroplus, filed for bankruptcy. In Andor, the site gains new life as the Ferrix terminal and some of the more industrial parts of the Free Trade sector planet. Once again, in pictures from Bespin Bulletin, we can see the ship in which Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgard) arrives at Ferrix being assembled at the refinery.

Glen Tilt Park, Perthshire, Scotland

The Scottish Highlands serve as both inspiration and location for the planet of Aldhani, to which Cassian and Luthen flee after they escape the ambush at Ferrix. More specifically, the Aldhani scenes were shot at the Glen Tilt Park, in northern Perthshire. The hills and the luscious vegetation of the Highlands are a perfect fit for the grassy planet that serves as a distribution hub for the Galactic Empire. According to the Daily Dot, the history of Aldhani also takes inspiration from Scottish history, with the Empire’s relocation of local farmers to the Lowlands mirroring the 18th and 19th century Clearances that saw thousands of Scottish families sent from their ancient homes to colonies and industrial cities by the British Empire.

Cruachan Dam, Argyll and Bute, Scotland

Speaking of Aldhani - I mean, Scotland - the Cruachan Dam, in Argyll and Bute, also plays an important part in the show's main storyline. The Scottish reservoir serves as the real world location for the Nasma Klain river dam and the Empire garrison Vel (Faye Marsay) and her crew plan to hit in Episodes 4 and 5. The dam was also prominently featured in the show's trailers, as noted by the Instagram page of the Ben Cruachan Inn.

McLaren Technology Centre, Woking, England

The architecture of Coruscant sure looks like one those things only a sci-fi production designer could ever dream of. However, Twitter user The Sietch of Sci-Fi has noted that some of the Empire capital’s buildings that appear in Andor are very much real. The Corsucant spaceport from Episode 4, for instance, was shot in the headquarters of the motorsport and luxury cars company McLaren.

Brunswick Centre, London, England

In the same post, The Sietch of Sci-Fi called attention to the brutalist aesthetics of the Brunswick Centre, in London, that served as the cold and oppressive apartment complex in which Syril Karn’s (Kyle Soller) mother lives. Built between 1967 and 1972, the Brunswick Centre has both a commercial area and residential units. Whether you look at it from the inside or out, it sure looks like a Coruscantian architect’s pet-project.

Winspit Quarry, Dorset, England

Winspit Quarry is no novice to the world of television. Fans of Doctor Who might recognize the location from the classic serials “The Underwater Menace” and “Destiny of the Daleks”. Now, the Star Wars universe also has its own scenes set in the deactivated quarry in Dorset. Back when the trailer for Andor first came out, the Dorset Live quickly picked up the quarry's brief appearance as some kind of heavily guarded military facility. Turns out Winspit Quarry was cast as none other than Saw Gerrera's (Forest Whitaker) headquarters which makes its first appearance in Episode 8.

Cleveleys, England

Few people know it, but the town of Cleveleys, in northwestern England, has recently been the stage of an otherworldly imperial chase. Under a false identity, newly-recruited rebel Cassian Andor was captured by the Galactic Empire's forces and set to a forced labor camp. Filled with tourists and gorgeous beaches, the planet of Niamos seemed like the perfect hideout for Cassian, but little did he know what the coveted holiday destination had in store for him. He also didn't know that he was actually standing in the vicinity of the Café Cove, where Cleveleys locals and tourists can get together for a meal and a drink. According to Lancashire Live, the café and the nearby promenade underwent a complete makeover to appear on Andor. Honestly? Totally worth it.

Middle Peak Quarry, Derbyshire, England

Back in June 2021, the Derbyshire Times reported that Middle Peak Quarry was also being used as a location for either Obi-Wan Kenobi or Andor. Fast-forward about a year and half, and there is the quarry disguised as Narkina 5. In Episode 11, right after escaping the imperial prison, Cassian and Melshi (Duncan Pow) run into a pair of local fishermen disgruntled because the empire is killing their water and thus eliminating their main source of nourishment. The fishermen are standing around two man-made lakes at the bottom of a quarry. It's a place that looks positively alien to most Star Wars, but viewers in Derbyshire might recognize this rocky formation as their own backyard.