Travel shows are my top recommendations on Netflix. I’ve recently watched Instant Hotel, which was a reality show based in Australia, and Stay Here, which is about renovating Airbnbs. Even the Netflix film Staying Inn Love fascinated me (though I haven’t finished watching it yet). So, is this really a surprise that a Canadian drama has caught my attention? Heartland on Netflix is one of my top favourites these days and if you like looking at beautiful locations, then maybe you should check it out, too!
What Is Heartland About?
The clouds tear open as sunshine falls on the mountains, the land, its people. In the opening scene of Netflix’s show Heartland, a young girl, Amy, is giving her healing touch to a horse with the song Dreamer by Jenn Grant playing in the background. It has a calming effect on me when I see her saddling a horse at the break of day. They’re all dreamers in the show; all characters have something they’re passionate about.
Unlike The Ranch on Netflix (which is also about a ranch and horses), Heartland is more positive, meaningful and uplifting. The show follows the lives of the main character Amy, her enterprising sister Lou, her cowboy grandfather Jack and their ranch hand and Amy’s love interest Ty. Living in her family ranch Heartland, Amy is a horse whisperer–she takes care of wounded and suffering horses, so there’s a lot of equestrian adventure on the show. Plus, you learn about ranching, rearing, cowboying, bullfighting, and rodeoing. It’s a good break from Indian dramas where emotions are heightened and in your face. There are sweet moments on the show: first dates, young romances, wins at country tournaments, and rehabilitation of horses, but there are also heartbreaks and sorrows (in the first episode, Amy’s mother dies in an accident and she takes charge at the age of 16). There are many lessons in the show–due to its coming-of-age storyline–and it’s a treat to watch because it’s written and shot with such finesse.
Don’t you love sexy cowboy hats, Canadians saying ‘aboot’ and the simple life of smaller towns? You will, after you start watching it.
Where Is Heartland Shot?
Hudson, where Heartland is located, is a fictional town in Canada. However, the show is shot in Alberta, around High River, and in a studio in Calgary. A river meanders through lush greenery, brushing through the rocks; horses trot in the mountains with the sun rising in the backdrop; a cabin in the woods invites travellers to stay still for a while. It’s just unfiltered beauty of nature that arrests me when I’m watching the show and I cannot look away.
Heartland stars Amber Marshall, Graham Wardle, Shaun Johnston and Michelle Morgan and has been running for 13 seasons!
The drama series is just what you need if you want to indulgence yourself with idyllic landscapes on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Watch Heartland on Netflix.
Also, if you’re looking for travel movies to watch, check out my blog post here.
Pictures: CBC