One of the most iconic scenes from all of the Harry Potter movies is in the second movie – Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. After missing the departure of the Hogwarts Express from Platform 9 ¾, Harry, Ron and Hedwig hop in a flying Ford Anglia in order to drive to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry themselves.
Along the way they follow the Hogwarts Express train track, only to find the steam train bearing down on them from behind.
Although the flying car was obviously created using CGI, the curved bridge that they pass over, the surrounding scenery and the steam train are all real and it was filmed at the Glenfinnan Viaduct near Fort William in Scotland. What’s even better is that steam trains still travel over the viaduct for six months of the year, so if you visit at the right time you can take a shot like this:
Here’s a guide for how to watch the Jacobite steam train on Glenfinnan Viaduct.
Where Is Glenfinnan Viaduct?
Glenfinnan Viaduct is in Glenfinnan, about a 30 minute drive west of Fort William in Scotland and about 3.5 hours northwest of Edinburgh.
How Old Is Glenfinnan Viaduct?
The viaduct was built from 1897-1898 using concrete and is 30 metres (~100 feet) high. It was constructed to connect Fort William with Mallaig and features 21 arches.
Where To Park At Glenfinnan Viaduct
There’s a parking lot at Glenfinnan Viaduct which costs £5 (~$6.75) for the day for cars and £10 (~$13.50) for minibuses and campers. There are quite a few parking spaces but it can fill up quickly, so it’s best to arrive earlier rather than later.
We visited on a Saturday afternoon in late April and thankfully managed to find a space. If you visit in July or August, I imagine you’d have a much harder time finding a space seeing as that’s school holiday time in the UK.
If you want to get directions to the parking lot, you can find it on Google Maps here.
Is There A Gift Shop At Glenfinnan Viaduct?
Yes! There’s the Glenfinnan Visitor Centre right next to the parking lot which features exhibits relating to local Jacobite history. The visitor centre also has a café and gift shop, with the gift shop selling, amongst other items, Harry Potter paraphernalia – perfect if you forgot to bring your Hogwarts robes to dress up in.
What Time Does The Jacobite Steam Train Pass Over Glenfinnan Viaduct
From early April to late October, the steam train runs in the morning, passing over the viaduct at ~10:40am on the outbound journey to Mallaig and ~3:10pm on the inbound journey. From early May to late September, they also run an afternoon service; that passes over the viaduct at ~1:30pm for the outbound journey and ~6:10pm for the inbound journey.
How Long Does It Take To Walk To Glenfinnan Viaduct
After parking your car or being dropped off from a tour bus, you walk to the viaduct along a paved path called the Glenfinnan Trail. The path to the viaduct is about 500 metres (~0.3 miles) long and takes 5-10 minutes to walk.
Where Is The Best Place To Watch The Jacobite Steam Train (Hogwarts Express) On Glenfinnan Viaduct?
After reaching the viaduct, you’ll want to be in an elevated position in order to watch the steam train pass over the bridge. There are two main viewing areas; one on the west side of the viaduct and one on the east.
There are pros and cons to each of the locations. If you’re visiting the site to watch the steam train pass by on its way from Fort William to Mallaig, you might prefer the western viewpoint as the steam train will be approaching you head on. Similarly, if you’re visiting in the afternoon when it’s returning to Fort William from Mallaig, the eastern viewpoint can be better for the same reason – you’ll see the train coming towards you.
There are other factors to consider. Mallaig is the end of the line for the train, but they don’t turn the entire train around. Instead, they move the front part of the locomotive from what was the front of the train on the outbound journey to what was the back of the train seeing as it’ll be heading back in the opposite direction. However, even though the steam locomotive will be at the front of the train, it’s attached in reverse with the smokestack (chimney) facing the carriage behind rather than leading the train. You can see what I mean in the photo below (it was traveling from right to left).
It’s not a big deal, but it does mean that if you’d like to see the steam locomotive facing the right direction, you’ll want to be sitting/standing at the west viewpoint for the outbound journey from Fort William to Mallaig in either the morning or early afternoon.
That’s not to say that the west viewpoint is the best viewpoint though. For starters, that seemed to be the busier viewpoint when we visited, so finding a good spot to sit or stand without having people be in your photo might be a little more tricky.
We’d actually picked the east viewpoint to be at. That viewpoint has the benefit of being the view you get in the Chamber of Secrets movie when Ron flies/drives the car on to the track.
Glenfinnan Viaduct Viewpoint – East
To get to the eastern viewpoint, walk along the Glenfinnan Trail and beneath the viaduct, then immediately turn to your right and walk up the gravel path. (n.b. If you want to go to the western viewpoint, turn left immediately after the viaduct instead).
It’ll continue uphill towards the end of the bridge; from there, head up to the left to wherever seems to have the best vantage point based on the photos you want to get and based on where people already are or – more pertinently – aren’t.
We were fortunate that there were only about ten people on this side when we arrived about 45 minutes before the steam train was due to arrive. That meant we had a good selection of spots in which to stand; we were able to pick a location where it was unlikely that people would be able to stand right in front of us.
Once again, I’d highly recommend arriving early, both so that you can get a good spot and so that you don’t actually miss the train in the first place. When doing some research online beforehand, it sounded like the train would be passing over at about 3:10pm, but it can be a little earlier or later than that. Indeed, there was a sign outside of the visitor centre stating that it was expected that afternoon at 3:20pm. A couple arrived the day we were there literally right as the train was about to pass by; if they’d gotten there at 3:20pm, they’d have missed it.
Seeing as you have to find somewhere to park, pay for parking, walk along the Glenfinnan Trail and then walk uphill some more to find a viewing spot, you’ll want a decent amount of time for all that. Arriving early meant we were hanging around for about 45 minutes, but it was worth it to not be stressed about missing out.
In addition to having a good view of the viaduct, being on the eastern side also gave us a good view of Loch Shiel which was another filming location in the Harry Potter movies, perhaps most famously as the Black Lake (AKA the Great Lake) in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
Just before 3:10pm, we heard the train’s whistle and saw a puff of steam in the distance as it rounded the corner. You can see it off towards the left of the photo below.
Pretty soon we had a better view of the Jacobite steam train chugging along.
As you can see in the photo below, we had an excellent vantage point. For what it’s worth, if you zoom in you can see all the people at the western viewpoint.
It was soon past us and on the final part of its journey to Fort William train station.
If you find yourself in or around Fort William and are a fan of Harry Potter (or trains for that matter), going to Glenfinnan Viaduct is worth an hour or two of your day.
I used my phone to take photos, while Shae used her good camera to take photos too. That meant she wasn’t using her phone, so we managed to balance it facing the viaduct in order to record this video:
Tips For Visiting Glenfinnan Viaduct
- Arrive early – This will help ensure you can find a parking space and pick a good viewing spot.
- Pick a good spot – Speaking of which, if you arrive early, there’ll be lots of people who arrive after you. Try to position yourself in a place where other spectators can’t spoil your view.
- Dress for different weather – The weather can change quickly in Scotland, so even if it’s sunny when you arrive, it could be drizzling by the time you leave. If you have a rain jacket that folds up small, it’s worth bringing that along.
- Bring your Harry Potter paraphernalia – Don’t forget to bring your wand, robes, etc. if you want to dress up and have a good photo op.
- Wear good footwear – Although the Glenfinnan Trail to the viaduct is paved, to get a good view you’ll have to potentially walk through muddy areas depending on how rainy it’s been.
- Visit Loch Shiel before or after – You can leave your car at the parking lot and cross the road to Loch Shiel. This was used in the Harry Potter movies in some scenes and it’ll look familiar as soon as you stand on its banks.
How To Ride The Jacobite Steam Train
You don’t have to restrict yourself to only watching the Jacobite steam train crossing over the Glenfinnan Viaduct – you can ride on it too. It has – understandably – very high demand, so you need to book tickets far in advance as it’s very unlikely that you’ll be able to get last minute tickets.
You can find more details on the West Coast Railways website and you can look for availability and book tickets here.
Shae and I were fortunate to experience that during our Scotland trip, so we’ll share more about that soon.
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)
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