With its rolling hills, rugged mountains, sprawling beaches, castles and picturesque villages, Scotland has provided the perfect backdrop for the world of cinema.
Here we present 10 of the best appearances from Scotland on the big screen.
1. Timeless masterpiece
Film enthusiasts have been flocking to ‘Ben’s beach’ since the charming comedy drama Local Hero hit the silver screen in the 1980s. Camusdarach beach, as it is actually called, is regarded as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. A mile south of Morar on the old road towards Arisaig, the spectacular stretch of white sand is famous for its stunning sunsets, with views across to the Small Isles and Skye. The beach plays a key part of the fi lm, with the old man who owns it refusing to sell it to the Americans who want to build an oil refi nery there.
2. The name’s Bond, James Bond
After a four-year break, superspy 007 returned to the big screen in the 2012 epic Skyfall, which featured Dalness Estate in Glen Etive. The estate, which once belonged to the family of Bond creator Ian Fleming, played a starring role, with the remote Dalness Lodge featuring as a safe house. The stunning scenery and locations along the 14-mile glen provided the backdrop for much of the action and some touching scenes between Bond (Daniel Craig) and Dame Judi Dench’s M.
3. The Downton effect
Inverary Castle
Home to the Duke of Argyll and chief of the Clan Campbell, Inveraray Castle was the chosen location for the 2012 Downton Abbey Christmas episode. In a two-hour special, the Grantham family and staff travelled north to ‘Duneagle Castle’, the home of their cousins. Inveraray Castle was shown at its best, with magnificent shots of the castle, gardens and surroundings. Visitor numbers to Inveraray soared by almost 20 percent year-on-year thanks to the ‘Downton effect’, with a surge in interest from Americans.
4. Drama at Doune
Visitors to Doune Castle near Stirling have increased by almost a third since it featured in hit drama Outlander. The popular time-travel romance and fantasy adventure series is shot entirely on locations in Scotland, and viewers from America, Australia and Canada have been flocking to the country since the show hit their screens. Dating back to the 14th century and featuring a 100ft-high gatehouse, Doune was also the setting for Monty Python and the Holy Grail, which was shot almost entirely at the castle.
5. Hopes and drams
Ken Loach’s whisky romp, The Angel’s Share, was filmed entirely in Scotland. Starting out in inner-city Glasgow before taking in the sights of Edinburgh during a trip to a whisky-tasting in the capital, the protagonists make their way through the Highlands to the remote Balblair Distillery. Set in a wild, lonely spot, Balblair serves up the perfect location for an auction and an elaborate heist.
6. Top score
The beach run to Vangelis’s famous soundtrack, which opens and closes multi-Oscar-winning film Chariots of Fire, has become one of the most iconic scenes in British cinema. Widely recognised worldwide, the sequence, featuring a group of runners on the West Sands beach in St Andrews, has become one of the defining images of the town. However, it was only by chance that the West Sands were used. The crew had been filming in Edinburgh and going to the Fife town was cheaper than hauling the production to the south of England, where the movie is set.
7. Templars’ Tale
Rosslyn Chapel
The normally tranquil village of Roslin in Midlothian got a taste of Hollywood in September 2005 when Tom Hanks and his entourage dropped by to film scenes for the movie adaptation of Dan Brown’s novel The Da Vinci Code. The beautiful Rosslyn Chapel, dedicated in 1450, played an important role . Already a draw for readers of the thriller, the film established Rosslyn Chapel as a top visitor attraction.
8. All aboard
In recent years the striking Glenfinnan viaduct has become famous among the younger generation thanks to the Harry Potter films, with the Jacobite steam train doubling as the Hogwarts Express. The 21-arched viaduct was first featured in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets during the flying car sequence, which showcased the stunning Highland landscape from the air, with Loch Shiel in the background. The Highlands feature extensively throughout the films, with Hagrid’s hut located at Glencoe and quidditch matches filmed against a Glen Nevis backdrop.
9. Castle Caper
Standing on a crag at the end of the peninsula jutting out into the Sound of Mull, Duart Castle provided the setting for the 1999 film Entrapment, starring Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Insurance agent Gin (Zeta-Jones) is sent by her employer to track down and help capture an art thief, Mac (Connery). The castle, which dates back to the 13th century, serves as Mac’s hideout and is used by the pair to plan a complicated theft
10. Films and freedom!
Scotland’s tourism industry got a boost from the Oscar-winning epic Braveheart, which starred Mel Gibson and was filmed at Glencoe and Glen Nevis. Although the bulk of the battle scenes were shot in Ireland, the village of ‘Lanark’, where William Wallace grows up, was constructed in Glen Nevis. Based on the village houses of St Kilda, the set was dismantled after filming, but the Braveheart car park remains. The film Highlander was also set in the area.
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