Harry Potter Train | Explore Scotland with Belmond

Fans of the Harry Potter film series will immediately recognise the Glenfinnan Viaduct, even if the name doesn’t ring a bell. They may ask, however: where is the sky-blue flying Ford Anglia car, driven by two hapless teenagers on their way to a magical Wizarding school?

In many of the film series’ instalments, we see teenage witches and wizards board the gleaming Hogwarts Express at Platform 9¾ at London’s Kings Cross station before embarking on a picturesque rail journey through the British countryside. Much of the sweeping scenery you see during their journey was filmed in and around Glenfinnan, a Highland gem that is home to possibly one of the most famous viaducts in the world. Such is the impressive allure of the structure that the producers of the Wizarding franchise chose it as a shooting location for Harry and his en-route adventures. It is one of many Scottish locations that appear in the series, with the rugged Highlands offering a visually stunning landscape to help bring the enchanting world to the big screen.

One of the more famous scenes involving the Glenfinnan Viaduct comes in the second film, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. After their passage to Platform 9¾ is blocked by the mischievous house elf Dobby, Harry and Ron are forced to steal Arthur Weasley’s flying car to get to school. The car has been hexed, however, so when they finally catch up with the Hogwarts Express, they’re flung around and around the Glenfinnan Viaduct, swooping in and out of its arches. In other Harry Potter films, the viaduct simply offers a beautiful backdrop to the train’s peaceful journey to magical Hogwarts Castle.