Quiet on the Set! Awakened from our peaceful night’s slumber, we prepare for our movie road trip in the highlands of Scotland. Showers; check, camera equipment; check, very warm clothes; double check, petrol in the car; check. Breakfast and coffee to be picked up asap, sustenance will be required for our long, movie road trip. Action!!! Gartmore is now just a fleeting speck in the rearview mirror as the road before us winds through fields filled with grazing sheep and their lambs. A grey canopy hovers above us, fingers crossed that some blue sky will materialise in the coming hours. In the distance, peeking above the treed skyline two familiar arches are seen. Albeit not the nutritious breakfast we were after. However, not knowing the area, better the devil you know! Tummies filled, coffee addiction satisfied for a while at least we return to our movie road trip.

As a boy, I remember my parents speaking passionately about places such as Loch Lomond, Ben Lomond and Loch Ness just to name a few. Today we will be fortunate to gaze upon them as my parents had done years before. Just a quick Scottish lesson here, Loch means lake and Ben means high mountain in case you were wondering 😊. Loch and Ben Lomond are the first of many fantastic sights we will see today. Although today is overcast the scenery is beautiful and we get the sense of how spectacular they would be on a lovely sunny day. Heading deeper into the highlands of Scotland we come to an iconic section of road known as the “Rest and be Thankful Road”.  However, and unfortunately for us, there were roadworks happening. While stopped waiting we were able to admire the scenery and see the road we could have taken.

Scene 1 Movie Road Trip

Our first major sight is the classic James Bond scene in Skyfall. M and James can be seen standing by his Aston Martin looking down the valley talking to each other. Although there was no sign to indicate where exactly this scene took place, we finally found it on our way back out. It was quite exciting looking out over the beautiful countryside imitating Daniel Craig. 

Google maps say the location of the scene is approximately 3.2 km from the turnoff from the A82 which is 18 km from Glencoe. The unnamed road follows the River Etive with lovely landscape vistas around every bend. For James Bond fans it is worth the visit.

If you continue down the unnamed road approximately 13 km you will arrive at a lovely little stream crossing the road. It has a lovely cascading waterfall great spot to capture some lovely pictures.

Scene 2 Movie Road Trip

Moving on we now set our sights on Glenfinnan Viaduct. Harry Potter fans will know this bridge as it is used in four of the movies in which the Hogwarts Express travels over.

The tourist centre at Glenfinnan Viaduct is located 24 km from the turnoff of the A82 near Inverlochy along the A830. Parking cost £3 which was a lot we thought considering where it is. However, the carpark was full. We were lucky enough to find a small street about 100m from the carpark that we could use and it was free.

From this carpark, it is about 750 m walk to one of the viewing points. The viaduct is an amazing looking structure consisting of 21 arches spanning 380m. Built-in 1898-99 of concrete it carries a single railway track still in use today.

Even though I’m not a Harry Potter fan, its worth a visit.

Final Act of our Movie Road Trip

Having already covered lots of kilometres we are still left with many more before we call it a day. However, we still have loads to see and places to go. First on the list is Loch Ness, having heard and read many stories who knows we may see Nessy. Surprisingly Loch Ness was far longer than we expected, but we are glad we have seen it. As the kilometres tick over, we are privy to incredible snow-capped mountains spectacular vista and calming streams. The highlands of Scotland are impressive and worthy of a visit. Finishing our movie road trip is the Falls of Dochart in Killin. A gorgeous set of falls running through the centre of Killin. Photographers will love these falls as there are many different compositions to be had.

As we leave Killin our movie road trip is coming to an end. Having travelled in excess of 500 km over 12 hours we can honestly say it has been an award-winning trip. Scotland has surprised us, having totally blown us away. 

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Take care

Andrew & Carolyn

Travel is Sweet (Dream It, Experience It, Treasure It)

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