Can you actually ride the Hogwarts Express train in Scotland?

Yes, you can ride the same railway line. The West Highland Line runs regular services across the Glenfinnan Viaduct, and there's also the Jacobite steam train that recreates the Hogwarts Express experience complete with steam billowing across the famous 21-arch viaduct.

Where is Hogwarts Castle actually located?

There isn't one single Hogwarts location you can visit. The castle was pieced together from multiple places: Alnwick Castle in Northumberland for outdoor scenes, Durham and Gloucester cathedrals for corridors, Oxford locations for interiors, and a detailed physical model for the full castle exterior, all set against Scottish Highland landscapes.

Can you visit where Hagrid's hut was filmed?

The set for Hagrid's hut in Prisoner of Azkaban was built at Clachaig Gully near Glencoe, but nothing remains of the actual hut now. You can still visit the area and see the dramatic Highland scenery that surrounded it.

Starring: The Landscape

Finding Hogwarts in the Scottish Highlands

The journey to Hogwarts wound through some very real Scottish scenery. Follow the films through Glenfinnan, Loch Shiel, Rannoch Moor and Glencoe, where railway viaducts, lonely lochs and Highland mountains supplied much of the magic.

28 August 20266 min read