Obscure Potter
“Nevertheless, as they climbed higher and higher, London unfurling below them like a grey-and-green map, Harry’s overwhelming feeling was of gratitude for an escape that had seemed impossible. Crouching low over the beast’s neck, he clung tight to the metallic scales, and the cool breeze was soothing on his burned and blistered skin, the dragon’s wings beating the air like the sails of a windmill.”
Loch Arkaig
This will be a short post highlighting two very obscure filming locations for you Harry Potter fans. In fact, these locations are so obscure and took so much effort to reach, I think we finally achieved Super-Mega Potter Nerd status!
It was over an hour on a decidedly narrow and winding single-track road to reach the far western reaches of Loch Arkaig. Given the effort to reach the spot in our stupid little Spanish Seat, we couldn’t help but marvel at the sheer determination a director must have to insist on mobilizing a film crew to such a remote spot to capture what amounted to probably 45 seconds of production film.
Harry, Hermione, and Ron drop from the dragon.
Looking at the spot on a similarly cloudy day.
Amanda standing on the same rocks where our three protagonists climbed from the water after dropping from the dragon’s back into the loch.
The trio then climb to this small hilltop where they change out of their wet clothes.
On top of the hill.
Ironically, this loch and Loch Etive (discussed below) are related. Both occur after Harry, Hermione, and Ron break out of the high-security vaults at Gringotts Wizarding Bank on the back of the Ukrainian Ironbelly dragon.
As the dragon descends toward a loch, the loch shown was Loch Etive (below). However, as the trio dropped into the water, the filming from that point forward was at Loch Arkaig.
You can watch the scene here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDicZrBgB_M
Loch Etive
After the drive to far end of Loch Arkaig, the drive to Loch Etive seemed tame. This loch was at the end of the drive through Glen Etive, what has become known as the James Bond Skyfall Road.
Three words I’ve come to hate—singe track road.
The following map will place you at the center of the lake, but you’ll need to pan to the very north end of the lake to see where we took our photos. (If you pan further north you’ll see how they call the road James Bond Skyfall Road.)
As the dragon began to descend over the lake, the camera view is looking down Loch Etive rather than Loch Arkaig, where the remainder of that scene is filmed.
After recovering from the dragon flight, the three set up camp on the shore of Loch Etive.
Loch Etive is a tidal lake, and we’re fairly certain the lake was lower during the filming, but the the background is clearly the same.
We walked out to this point, but the best we could do was get the general perspective.
After Harry and Ron argue and Ron disapparates, Hermione ties a ribbon around this tree.
We found roughly the the same spot, but it’s not exactly right.
Despite the challenges of finding both locations, it was fun to getting to both. It gave us the opportunity to see some beautiful spots we would otherwise have not seen.
