Consider yourself a movie junkie? Then being able to visit the site where some of your favourite scenes were filmed is an attractive proposition. Scotland, with its rugged landscape and areas of natural beauty, has been the location for scenes in many great films and TV series, all of which are easily accessible to the general public. So, irrespective of whether you are a fan of; Harry Potter, James Bond or Monty Python, Scotland offers you chance to visit some of the most iconic film locations on the planet.
Why not make the most of your time in Scotland and tour around, so you can take in as many of these locations as possible? If you don’t fancy the long-haul drive and decide to fly into Edinburgh, why not take advantage of the affordable car or van hire at Edinburgh Airport for a shorter, practical trip around the country. Now as we touched on, there are numerous locations made famous on the big screen throughout Scotland, so we thought we would just pick five of the most iconic to get you started.
Glen Etive / Glen Coe
Probably one of the most used locations in Scotland when it comes to movies, Glen Coe has featured in movies such as Braveheart, thirty-nine steps. Several Harry Potter films, Rob Roy, Mary Queen of Scots and the Outlaw King a film documenting the life of Robert the Bruce. However, Glen Coe and particularly Glen Etive is probably best known as the ancestral home of 007 as featured in Skyfall. Why not mirror Bond and M’s journey through the highlands, you could even park your car in the same spot as when the secret agent took a break from his drive to survey the Glen in all its beauty.
Glenfinnan Viaduct
Probably now the most famous piece of Railway on the planet Glenfinnan Viaduct is a familiar sight in the Harry Potter films helping carry the Hogwarts Express to its destination. There is the famous scene from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets that features Harry and Ron flying over the viaduct in a Ford Anglia as they chase the Hogwarts Express. The Glenfinnan viaduct has twenty-one arches and extends for one thousand feet, with the trains travelling over one hundred feet above the ground.
Now obviously the Hogwarts Express is not a real train, however if you want to experience a train journey over the Glenfinnan Viaduct you can do so on the Jacobite Steam Train. This service runs from Fort William or Mallaig to Glenfinnan Station all through the Summer and unsurprisingly has become a magnet for Harry Potter disciples.
Doune Castle
Monty Python and the Holy Grail is one of those cult movies and another piece of genius from the creators of the hit TV series. However, despite the success of the TV series they didn’t find it easy to get backers for the film. As a result they had a smallish budget mainly provided by the rock stars, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and Elton John. This meant that the movie was almost exclusively filmed at Doune Castle which dates back to the 14th century. Located near Stirling on the banks of the river Teith. Doune Castle should be on the radar of all Monty Python fans and if you visit you will be able to take the audio tour, which is narrated by Python legend Terry Jones. Doune Castle also featured prominently in hit TV series Game of Thrones as the home of the Starks Winterfell as well as that other massive TV hit Outlander.
Rannoch Moor
Continuing the theme of cult movies Rannoch Moor was chosen as the ideal location for Spud, Sick Boy, Renton and Tommy’s getaway in the classic movie Trainspotting. Rannoch Moor is actually located near Fort William and as such a good distance from Edinburgh. To access it you need to travel to Corrour Station which is one of the highest in the UK and nearly ten miles from the nearest public road. Tourists and film fans now visit the station and Rannoch Moor to recreate the famous bridge scene from the movie. Trainspotting was not the only movie to feature the wilderness of Rannoch Moor it can also be seen in Rob Roy, a number of the Harry Potter films and in the TV series Highlander.
Glen Nevis
Glen Nevis is a valley of outstanding beauty sitting in the shadow of the highest mountain in the UK. Now that may be enough reason on its own for visiting the area, however, Glen Nevis also features predominantly in the Mel Gibson epic Braveheart. The Glen was used for famous scenes in Braveheart such as the killing of the nobles in the barn. There are numerous walks available in the Glen a lot of which start from the Braveheart car park, which was originally created as somewhere to locate the film vehicles. As with many other Scottish locations Glen Nevis features in a number of other movies including, Highlander, Rob Roy along with the first two Harry Potter films.
The locations listed above are just a small cross section of those available to visit for film and TV fans looking to follow in the footsteps of their screen heroes. If you are thinking about a visit to Scotland hopefully, this article will have given you some food for thought.