Joined in 2023 
82 
63 About this deal
https://web.archive.org/web/20200125202052if_/http://www.uksteam.info/tours/t14/t0712a.htm 12th July timings Loch Eilt and island – Eilean na Moine – in real life and scenes from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (top right) and Goblet of Fire (bottom) – image: Colin Kinnear (top left) Loch Eilt Travelling on Harry Potter’s Hogwarts Express train in Scotland is a double five-star magical experience. You will live out your Harry Potter fantasy of going to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and enjoy one of the world’s most remarkable railway journeys. The locomotive used for the Express, Olton Hall, raised eyebrows in the British train spotting and heritage rail communities, since for the films it bears the name "Hogwarts Castle." Many people thus refer to it as "the Hall that thinks it's a Castle", referring to a separate, larger class of engine built by the Great Western Railway.
The only stations the Hogwarts Express is noted as stopping at are King's Cross and Hogsmeade. Pottermore states that all students have to board the train per Ministry decree. This also includes students from Scotland, Wales and more remote parts of England and Ireland. The Glenfinnan Viaduct is featured as the Hogwarts Express bridge in the Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban and the Goblet of Fire. Crossing the Glenfinnan Viaduct is impossible to miss, and the Jacobite will go very slowly and may even pause. Combine a ride on the Harry Potter train with a tour of famous Jacobite sights in Scotland. History buffs will love this tour with Jacobite history tales while soaking up the stunning Scottish Highlands scenery. Fort William is known as ‘the outdoor capital of the UK’ and lives up to its reputation. We did some walking and sightseeing at Glencoe, Glenfinnan (and got up close to the viaduct) and took a gondola to the Nevis Range.
The bridge from that scene is one of Scotland’s most famous landmarks, the Glenfinnan Viaduct, which you will go over along the way. As well as the bridge to Hogwarts, you’ll also see the loch used to film Hogwarts Great Lake and the island containing Dumbledore’s Grave. We stayed at the wonderful and highly recommended Hallaig Guest House in a remote area near Trotternish Ridge. It’s an ideal place for exploring Isle of Skye’s favourites – the Quiraing and the Old Man of Storr. Our hospitable hosts cooked the most delicious seafood meals, including fresh salmon from the river next to the guest house. The journey between Glasgow Queen Street – on the West Highland Line – to Fort William takes around 3 hours and 45 minutes. The journey takes under 5 hours from Edinburgh, changing once at Glasgow Queen Street.
The Platform 9 3⁄4 set at Warner Brothers: The Making of Harry Potter is the next best thing if you can’t ride Scotland’s Hogwarts Express. Situated just outside London, Platform 9 3/4 is more than a recreated film set. The renaming as "...Castle" has become a railway preservation joke: "...the Hall that thinks it's a Castle"—the Great Western Railway Castle Class engines were different and larger.
How to Ride Harry Potter’s Hogwarts Express Train in Scotland and What to Expect
One of the most famous scenes from the series – in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets – features Harry and Ron Weasley in the flying Ford Anglia crossing the bridge to Hogwarts. Realising the Hogwarts Express is right behind them, Ron swerves off the bridge, and Harry tumbles out of the car. Then Ron skilfully navigates the flying Ford Anglia between the bridge’s arches before saving Harry. To promote J. K. Rowling's fourth Harry Potter book, a West Country Class Southern Railway locomotive, named Taw Valley, was painted crimson red and was given the Hogwarts Express nameplate. Yet it was rejected by Chris Columbus, the film director, because it looked too modern for the film's taste. Hence Olton Hall was chosen as the star, for its stately appearance. When filmed, Olton Hall carried a "Hogwarts Express" headboard on the smokebox, featuring the Hogwarts school crest. The same emblem is featured as part of the "Hogwarts Railways" sigil on the tender and carriages. It retained its GWR number of 5972, but with alternative nameplates fitted, naming the engine Hogwarts Castle. It is painted in a crimson livery — a non-standard colour, as GWR locomotives traditionally used green. [6] Travelling along the West Highland Line is a breathtaking experience with stunning scenery of kaleidoscopic-coloured moors, snow-capped mountains, shimmering lochs and rugged coast. Taking the Jacobite steam train along the ‘iron road to the Isles’ conjures a unique kind of magic for Harry Potter fans and railway enthusiasts.
Great Deal 
New Comment