Pottering around Scotland
Go back to where it all began... and maybe even ride the Hogwarts Express
DO you know your Ravenclaws from your Hufflepuffs, how to get into the Room of Requirement and all the ingredients needed for Polyjuice Potion?
If so, then you are a DIE-HARD Harry Potter fan and you need to get yourself to Scotland immediately!
Yes, I know the actual Harry Potter Studios are based outside London and you get to see exactly how the films were made and yes, they are amazing.
You get to walk through the Great Hall, go inside No. 4 Privet Drive and even get a video or photo of yourself flying a broomstick!
However, for real Harry Potter authenticity, I think Scotland is the place to visit.
First of all, you can take an actual journey from Fort William to Mallaig in the Jacobite Steam Train aka. Hogwarts Express.
It operates over the West Highland Railway Line and is a great way to see some of the most beautiful scenery the country has to offer from its highest peak, Ben Nevis, to the deepest seawater loch in Europe, Loch Nevis!
But the view that all HP fans want to see is that gorgeous moment where it goes over the viaduct, recreating the scene made famous in the movies.
(Of course, trying to get a good picture is a little difficult with so many people sticking their phones out the window to capture the exact same photo!)
There’s also a ‘magical shop’ in Carriage D that sells delicious drinks and snacks like Butterbru Hot Chocolate, Deathly Hallow Cocktails, Chocolate Frogs, Every Flavour Beans and Liqourice Wands!
But perhaps the best reason for Harry Potter fans to visit Scotland is because it’s where EVERY SINGLE BOOK in the JK Rowling series was written (bar two chapters of the first book which were written in Portugal).
That’s right. After the author’s marriage to Port- uguese journalist Jorge Ar- antes ended, she decamped to Edinburgh with her baby daughter to be close to her sister.
To get her baby to sleep every day she would walk around the Old Town, in particular the picturesque grounds of Greyfriars Kirkyard.
Believe it or not, this is a graveyard but it is used more like a park by Edinburgh natives and it was here that the author got much of her inspiration for her characters’ names.
There’s even a gravestone erected for a man called Thomas Riddell who inspired the original name – Tom Riddle – of the evil Lord Voldemort!
You can learn everything you ever wanted to know about the origins of the HP books on dedicated walking tours around the city and even wan- der down the street that allegedly inspired Diagon Alley.
As if that wasn’t enough, you can place your hands over JK Rowling’s handprints. She had them preserved after winning the Edinburgh Award in 2008.
As well as that, HP enthusiasts can have a coffee or a bite to eat in The Elephant House – the actual café where J.K. sat and wrote her books.
The story goes that she chose this particular venue because she was a struggling single mother and used to get free refills of tea there.
While there isn’t much in the way of Harry Potter paraphernalia in the café’s main interior, the bathroom is a different story.
OF course, I can only vouch for the ladies toilets but it is a veritable shrine to the best-selling author with thousands of scribbled messages adorning the wall.
They are mostly quotes from the books and messages of gratitude, thanking the English writer for bringing magic to their childhoods. It really is something special. So, what are you waiting for? Pack your cloak, your wand and at least five of the seven books and get yourself to Scotland on the next available flight/ferry!