Y is for Y Bother? Mistaken or Pointless Trips

Okay, so that's the second time I've cheated.  It's the second last day - I'm doing well!

On the A-Z Tour of Harry Potter Filming Locations, Y is for Y Bother.  This is the list of places I visited by mistake (they weren't really in the films) or places that really weren't worth the detour/journey because either it's so hard to see the link, or they are really boring.  This is the list of "Places to avoid when planning your own Harry Potter tour".  It's also an excuse to show off more of my photos.  Again, we're going to be jumping around the country a bit - hold on tight.

Cape Wrath

Cape Wrath is the most north-western poin of mainland Britiain and accessbilt only by hire-boat-and-bus, or on foot.  It was reported to be the location visited by Dumbledore and Harry in their hunt for the horcruxex, however as we learnt in the M post, this was really the Cliffs of Moher.  Besides which, if you are not into bird-watching, there is nothing to do at Cape Wrath during the hour or so wait for the return but.  Nothing except take a few photos and drink some very bad coffee.

Power Station, High Marnham, Nottinghamshire

The Power Station Cooling Towers in High Manham were used as one of the many hideouts for the trio during their hunt for the horcruxes.  However due to the dark and the very out-of-the-way-and-creepy village, I made do with a distant photo from the roadside, and probably wouldn't recommend anyone try to get too close.  Honestly, it was creepy and about the only time in the two years I was in the UK that I felt unsafe. Maybe I've watched too many episodes of Midsomer Murders...

Australia House

The Exhibition Hall at Australia House stood in for the interior of Gringotts Wizarding Bank.  Security concerns mean visitors aren’t allowed inside, so they only chance you’ll have of seeing the Hall is if you are a diplomat or some other fancy official person invited to a fancy official event.

Green Lanes, Bourne Hill and Park Avenue, Palmers Green, London

The Knight Bus tears along these roads on its way to deliver Harry to the Leaky Cauldron in the Prisoner of Azkaban.  It zooms past the locations so fast it's difficult to work out exactly where the Knight Bus is, unless you live around the area and are familiar with the streets and shops.  It's an ordinary main street, and not really worth the hunt.

Gypsy Lane, Abbots Langley, Hertfordshire

The open field off Gypsy Lane in Abbots Langley, just south of the Leavesden Studio, was used as the home of the Weasley’s Burrow in both The Chamber of Secrets and The Goblet of Fire.  It’s an open field in the middle of nowhere.  There’s not a lot to see, and it’s pretty hard to get to!

Abbotsbury Swannery, Dorset

For The Half-Blood Prince, the Burrow moved from Gypsy Lane to the village of Abbotsbury in Dorset.  The reeds of the Swannery can be seen surrounding the Burrow, both when Dumbledore apparates Harry there and later during the attack by the Death Eaters.  This listing is more of a timing one.  If you visit in the winter when the place is closed and the reeds have all died (like I did), there is nothing to see .  From the pictures on line, when the park is open it's very interactive and you may even get to see cygnets.  So pick your timing better than me! 

Tomorrow is the last day - hurray!  Which means my cross stitch alphabets over at Fangirl Stitches are also almost finished.

Happy travels

Ros

X is for Not Crossed Off - the ones I've missed

 

Yes, I cheated with that one.  But it's the first one I've really cheated with (I don't count "R"), so I think I'm doing pretty well to have got this far! :) 

In our A to Z of the Harry Potter Filming Locations, X is for the ones I haven't crossed off my list - the places I'm yet to visit. and my reasons for another trip to the UK in the future.  This post is going to be jumping over the place a bit so hold onto your broomsticks.

Fourth Form Room, The Old School, Harrow School, Middlesex

Flitwick's Charms classroom was filmed in the Fourth Form Room at Harrow School in Middlesex.  It is a working school, and therefore only open to the public for tours at set times each year.  Each time I looked it up thinking "I'll plan a visit", it was only to discover that I'd either just missed the tour, or it wasn't for another 6 months.

Rannoch Moor Railway, Scotland

As mentioned in the J post, Rannoch Moor was used for sections of the Hogwarts Express journey.  Rannoch Moor is really only accessible by railway.  The train runs from Glasgow to Fort William, which made it a bit difficult to plan a trip, given that I needed a hire car for the rest of my trip in Scotland, and Fort William doesn't really have car hire options. 

Spean Bridge Railway Station, Scotland

Spean Bridge Railway Station, north of Fort William in the Scottish Highlands, was used for the Hogsmeade Station in The Half-Blood Prince.  I'd driven through Spean Bridge before I realised it and missed the station completely. 

Grassington Moore, Grassington, Yorkshire

Grassington Moore in Yorkshire was used as the backdrop for the Lovegood house.  One of those out-of-the-way places I didn't get to.  Another time.

Queensway Tunnel, Liverpool, Merseyside

The interior of the tunnel Hagrid and Harry fly/ride through in The Deathly Hallows, part 1 was filmed in Queensway Tunnel in Liverpool.  The tunnel is part of a toll road, and since I wasn't heading to Liverpool for anything else, I didn't make it to the tunnel. 

It's going to be an interesting trip trying to fit all these places in next time.

Over at Fangirl Stitches I'm cross stitching two alphabets for the challenge - Pokemon and Supernatural themes.  I didn't even have to cheat for the X post... well, only slightly!

Happy travels

Ros

S is for Scottish Lakes

The A to Z of Harry Potter Film Locations takes us up into the highlands of Scotland to visit its many lakes, or "lochs" as the Scots call them.  There were 5 different lochs used over the course of the 8 films, so get ready for a long and photo-heavy post!

Loch Shiel
Loch Shiel is a 28km lake, extending from Glenfinnan in the Scottish highlands to Loch Moidart, a sea loch.  On the banks of Loch Shiel stands the Glenfinnan monument, marking the place where Charles Edward started the Jacobite rebellion of 1745. Loch Shiel has already been mentioned a couple of times in this A-Z tour, its size and location making it a popular one for the film crew.  I've already mentioned that the loch is seen behind the Quidditch stadium, and as the Hogwarts Express crosses the Glenfinnan Viaduct.

Loch Shiel has been used as Hogwarts' Black Lake in three of the Potter films.  In The Chamber of Secrets, Loch Shiel can be seen in the background aerial shots of the castle, and in The Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry flies Buckbeak over the loch.  In The Goblet of Fire, the loch was the setting for the second Triwizard task, Victor Krum's training ground, and in aerial shots of the Durmstrang ship. 

To be honest, a lot of the lochs look the same, and it can be a little difficult to work out which loch was used in which scene.  However once you are there, just occasionally, you get a real sense of "yes, this was the spot where..." Loch Shiel and Vicktor Krum's training ground was one of those moments, because you stand on the exact spot where he walked up and down. 


Loch Etive
Loch Etive was one of my favourite lochs in Scotland - because it is so peaceful, quiet and out of the way... the northern end anyway, which is the section I want to talk about.  The northern banks of Loch Etive are located 14 miles south of the main road through Glen Coe - a small twisting road that leads nowhere else.  It runs for 30km south towards Oban, and is reported to be home to a colony of 20 seals.

Loch Etive can be spotten in background aerial shots of Hogwarts in The Order of the Phoenix.  It was also used in The Deathly Hallows as the lake the trio camp near before Ron leaves in a huff.

Loch Eilt
Loch Eilt is located between Glenfinnan and Lochailort in the West Highlands of Scotland. 

Because of its position next to the train line, Loch Eilt has appeared in several Harry Potter films, both during aerial footage of the Hogwarts Express and through the carriage windows.  

In The Prisoner of Azkaban, Hagrid stands on the banks of the loch, skimming stones as he informs Harry, Ron and Hermione of Buckbeak's execution.  The loch's other claim to fame is that Eilean na Moine, one of the loch's small islands, was the place where Dumbledore was buried.  However Loch Eilt wasn't used in these scenes; instead the Eilean na Moine was superimposed onto footage of Loch Arkaig.  Speaking of which...

Loch Arkaig
Loch Arkaig is located north of Fort William and west of the Great Glen.  It is 12 miles long and reaches a depth of 300 feet.  

Loch Arkaig was used in The Deathly Hallows as the location of Dumbledore's grave.  Stephen Elson, the managing director of special effects firm Baseblack, said in an interview "We used technology to plop the island in Loch Eilt seamlessly into the middle of Loch Arkaig."  Apparently helicopter footage of the loch was use in The Half-Blood Prince, with the loch at sunset situated behind the astronomy tower.  To be honest, it looks like most other lochs in this scene, so who knows.

Torren Lochan
Situated in Clachaig Gully, the small lake of Torren Lochan is difficult to spot on a map, and it took me several drive-by's to find it.  It's located in the area of Signal Rock, and there's very little information (if any) about it on line.  There are some beautiful photographs though.  Check out this webpage for a good view of the lake as my photograph really doesn't do it justice - clearly I was on the wrong side of the lake.

Torren Lochan is seen in The Prisoner of Azkaban, at the bottom of the gully behind Hagrid's Hut.  It was also used as the lake where Harry fights the Dementors.  However, due to the midgies, close ups were filmed at Virgina Water (from yesterday's R post) in Surrey. 

At Fangirl Stitches I am cross stitching two alphabets for the A-Z Challenge - it's keeping me rather busy!  Stop by to see today's Pokémon and Supernatural characters - Sandshrew and Sam Winchester.

Happy travels,

Ros

Q is for Quidditch Locations

 Q on the A-Z Tour of Harry Potter Filming Locations is for the Quidditch sites.

Quidditch featured in five of the eight Potter films.  Hogwarts Quidditch stadium was clearly enchanted as it tended to move around Scotland a bit, sometimes even in the middle of a match!

Before we continue, we need a little Scottish-to-English translation: "ben" means "mountain"; "glen" means "valley"; "loch" means "lake".

Glen Nevis & Ben Nevis
Ben Nevis, north of Fort William in Scotland, is the highest mountain in the United Kingdom, standing 1346 metres above sea level.  It is a popular location for bush walkers, hikers, mountain climbers, etc.  Ben Nevis is one of the mountains surrounding Glen Nevis.

Ben/Glen Nevis featured as the background to the Hogwarts Quidditch Stadium in four of the Potter films - The Philosopher's Stone, The Chamber of Secrets, The Goblet of Fire, and The Half-Blood Prince.

Steall Falls, Glen Nevis

to avoid confusion - these are what Aussies call "thongs"
Image: http://bpfaus.com/documents/aussie-thongs.jpg

At the northern end of Glen Nevis is a walk leading up to Steall Falls, the second highest waterfall in Scotland.  There is a rather stern sign at the begining of the walk warning hikers to wear proper shoes and be wary of slippery ground as it can become quite wet and muddy in sections. That being said, when I was there I saw people completing the walk in thongs and with small dogs so each to their own.

The Steall Falls have appeared behind the Hogwarts Quidditch stadium in two films.  For the first task of the Triwizard Tournament in The Goblet of Fire, the stadium is located on a ridge of Glen Nevis, with Steall Falls visible in the background. The falls can also be seen behind Ron during his trial for Gryffindor Keeper in The Half-Blood Prince.

Loch Shiel
I mentioned Loch Shiel briefly in the J post, and it will come up again in the S post.  Loch Shiel appears behind the stadium in The Chamber of Secrets - one of those times when the stadium moved mid-match.

Beachy Head was the location of the Quidditch World Cup, but I went into all of that back in the B post, which you can find here if you want to catch up.

I'm cross stitching two alphabets for the A-Z challenge as well - you can see my progress on my other blog - Q is for Abadian (Supernatural) and Quilava (Pokemon)

Happy travels

Ros

J is for the Jacobite Railway

We're back off up to Scotland today on the A to Z Tour of Harry Potter Filming Locations - into the Highlands, and riding on the Hogwarts Express itself, otherwise known as the Jacobite Steam Train. 

Riding the Jacobite in Scotland

Owned by West Coast Railways, the Jacobite steam train runs from Fort William in the Scottish Highlands through to Mallaig on the western coast.  The website claims it to be "one of the greatest railway journeys of the world" and I agree it is pretty impressive.  You travel from the base of Scotland's highest mountain (Ben Nevis), past freshwater lakes, rivers, and finally end up at the sea.  The scenery is spectacular throughout the journey - if your camera takes good moving pictures, you can wind up with some impressive shots.

The scenes that were filmed on Rannoch Moor rather than the Fort William-Mallaig line

Which is why the overhead footage of the Hogwarts Express was so visually engaging and breathtaking.  Nearly all of the footage of the Hogwarts Express in action was filmed along this 42 mile stretch of train track (I go into more detail in the S post - stay tuned).  So much so, that it is easier for me to tell you what wasn't filmed here than what was.  The long flat stretch in The Half-Blood Prince and The Deathly Hallows when the Death Eaters stop the Hogwarts Express - they were filmed on Rannoch Moor, also in Scotland.  That about covers it.

The top photo is the view we had from a boat on Loch Shiel

Most notably of course is the Glenfinnan Viaduct - the large curved bridge that sits 100 feet above the ground.  Leaning carefully out of the window, I was able to snap some shots of the train as it passed over the bridge.  There is a walk around Glenfinnan which gives you a great view of the Viaduct and Loch Shiel, however it's not advisable to head out during the train's brief stop at Glenfinnan station - unless you don't want to complete the rest of your journey of course.  Come back another day with a car.  Or take a boat out on Loch Shiel - that gives you a good view too, and is what we did.  If your driver times it right, you can watch the steam trains pass over the Viaduct.

The Hogwarts Express at the Warner Bros Studio Tour

The Hogwarts Express itself was originally one of the Jacobite trains, and stories abounded that when you took this railway journey, if you were lucky, you would be riding behind the actual train used as the Hogwarts Express.  I don't know if that was ever the case, but it's certainly not any more - the Hogwarts Express is now on display at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour in Leavesden.

Happy travels,

Ros

P.S. I'm still madly stitching away over at Fangirl Stitches.  Today's J's are Jigglypuff and John Winchester.