One of the main reasons we were so keen on visiting Fort William while in Scotland was because the area was home to numerous filming locations of iconic moments from the Harry Potter movies.
The Hogwarts Express passing over a scenic bridge, Dumbledore’s Grave, the Black Lake (AKA the Great Lake) where one of the tasks in the Triwizard Tournament was held, Hagrid’s Hut and more – they were all filmed in and around Fort William.
Here’s what they all look like and how to find them. I’ve also pinned them to a map below to make it even easier to see their locations and get directions for your own trip there.
1) Glenfinnan Viaduct (Hogwarts Express Bridge)
One of the most iconic scenes from all of the Harry Potter movies is also one of the most picturesque. In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry and Ron miss the Hogwarts Express, so to get themselves to Hogwarts they drive a flying Ford Anglia.
While on the hunt for the train, they find themselves driving over a bridge, only to discover the Hogwarts Express barreling along right behind them.
That bridge is the Glenfinnan Viaduct which was built in the late 1800s. It’s still in use today, connecting the towns of Fort William and Mallaig. Even better is the fact that the Jacobite steam train still passes over the bridge for 6-7 months of the year.
There are viewpoints on both the west and east sides of the bridge that can help you get photos of the iconic Harry Potter scene.
We wrote a separate post all about how to get to the Glenfinnan Viaduct, what time to arrive, which side is best to view the steam train and more, so check that out here.
2) Loch Shiel (The Great Lake AKA The Black Lake)
Once you’ve finished up at the Glenfinnan Viaduct, leave your car there (if you’ve driven yourself) and cross over the road. There you’ll find Loch Shiel, a beautiful loch which is the fourth longest one in Scotland.
More importantly for Harry Potter fans, the loch appears in the movies several times. It’s perhaps most recognizable from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire as it appears in a couple of different contexts.
The first is when the Durmstrang ship arrives at Hogwarts, appearing from beneath the water.
The other major scene is from the second task of the Triwizard Tournament where the champions have to rescue something dear or important to them.
Both of those scenes were filmed at Loch Shiel and as soon as you step foot on its shore, you’ll recognize it. As you stand there, you can almost picture the Durmstrang ship rising out of its waters or Harry swimming around.
Shae decided to go one further and see if gillyweed would work for her too 😉
3) Eilean na Moine (Dumbledore’s Grave)
After visiting Glenfinnan Viaduct and Loch Shiel, drive 15 minutes west. At the far end of Loch Eilt you’ll find a small island called Eilean na Moine which was the site of Dumbledore’s grave in the Death Hallows Part I. As you drive along the A830, if coming from Glenfinnan you’ll see a pull-off on the left hand side that has space for ~10 cars. If you’d like to get directions, you can find it on Google Maps here.
Once you’ve parked, you’ll see a well-worn footpath leading through to the loch. Follow that short walk and soon enough you’ll see Eilean na Moine.
As is often the case in Scotland, it was a little drizzly the day we visited. We got ridiculously lucky though because the sun came out and a low-lying rainbow appeared which made it look like it ended at Dumbledore’s grave.
4) Hagrid’s Hut
After spending some time driving through the scenic area of Glencoe, we stopped for lunch at the Clachaig Inn. After a filling meal, we took a short walk to another Harry Potter filming location – the site of Hagrid’s Hut (find it here on Google Maps).
Before you get your hopes up too much, I’m afraid to say that Hagrid’s Hut itself isn’t there anymore. However, you can still visit the filming location, seen most frequently in the Prisoner of Azkaban movie.
Even if you’ve got a good recollection of the location in the movie, you might not immediately be able to picture it when you’re there. It’s therefore helpful to have screenshots of the location on your phone to be able to get some context.
5) Rannoch Moor Viewpoint
This next one isn’t as much of an iconic location as many of the other places on this list, but it is near Fort William and it’s along the scenic Glencoe drive, so it’s worth stopping at quickly.
In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I, death eaters stop the Hogwarts Express on its way to the school and board the train. Here’s a clip from the movie:
That part of the movie was filmed on Rannoch Moor and you can stop at the Rannoch Moor Viewpoint on the A82 (find it here on Google Maps).
6) Loch Etive
Last but not least, there’s Loch Etive. This loch appeared in a couple of different scenes in both Parts I and II of the Deathly Hallows movies. In Part I, Ron gets into an argument with Harry and Hermione while camping out and leaves them. The camp they’d set up was on the banks of Loch Etive.
The other scene was in the Deathly Hallows Part II. After breaking into Gringotts Wizarding Bank to find a horcrux in the Lestrange family vault, Harry, Hermione and Ron escape by riding a dragon. To dismount from the dragon. they drop themselves into a lake; that filming location was also Loch Etive.
We found ourselves driving past the southwestern edge of Loch Etive on our way from Falkirk to Oban, then over the southern tip of it as we then made our way up to Fort William.
We therefore stopped along its shoreline at Taynuilt Jetty (find it on Google Maps here), although that wasn’t the specific part of the loch that was used in the movies.
Instead, apparently the movie scenes were filmed on the northern side of the loch. That part is less easily accessible, although there does appear to be a single track road leading to and from the north side of Loch Etive. There’s a parking area at the end of the road (find it here on Google Maps), so you can pull in there to get out and check the views. It sure does look beautiful based on this screenshot from Google Street View:
Final Thoughts
The Scottish Highlands are stunning and a trip there as a Harry Potter fan can be even more rewarding thanks to so many of the well-known movie scenes being filmed there.
Saga 2025 Trip To London, Liverpool & Scotland – All The Posts
Here are links to all of the posts in this series:
- Saga 2025: Trip With Friends To London, Liverpool & Scotland – An Intro
- Saga 2025 Day 1: London – Police Station Hotel, British Museum, Dinner In Darkness & Abbey Road
- Saga 2025 Day 2: Liverpool – Cavern Club, Hard Day’s Night Hotel, Cocktails & More
- Visiting The Kelpies In Falkirk, Scotland By Day & By Night
- Saga 2025 Day 3: Falkirk – Kelpies, World’s Only Rotating Boat Lift & More
- Saga 2025 Day 4: Drive From Falkirk To Fort William – Castles, Distillery, Monument & More
- Hotel Review: Inverlochy Castle Hotel In Fort William, Scotland
- How To Watch The Jacobite Steam Train On Glenfinnan Viaduct (Harry Potter Hogwarts Express Train)
- How To Find 6 Harry Potter Filming Locations Near Fort William, Scotland
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