Dani & I in the Highlands (again)- Harry Potter edition!

We’re back with another day trip!

Although throughout last week we did lots of fun things (the highlight we can all agree on going to Drag Bingo), nothing quite compares to this day. Today, Dani and I took a daytrip back into the most magical area (the Highlands of course!) to see some iconic Harry Potter filming locations. And they didn’t disappoint!

The trip was supposed to be the 4 of us again, but unfortunately the tickets sold out very quickly and only Dani managed to snag one for the trip. So the iconic Aussie-Yank duo would be taking on the Highlands for round 2.0. Let’s do this!

28/09

Unfortunately the process of getting ready today was nowhere near as smooth as it was for our first daytrip to Inverness. Our meeting time was a bit later for this trip, which initially I thought would be a good thing, but I think it lulled me into thinking I had all this time (spoiler, I did not in fact, have lots of time). Ultimately, it ended up with me running the last couple of minutes to the bus to make it in time. But, I was overjoyed to see Joji as our tour guide again! I was so happy to catch up with him, and I knew as soon as he realised it was his favourite Aussie, they wouldn’t leave without me.

Dani was already on the bus, but she had had a similarly chaotic morning. Mostly because her alarm didn’t go off, and my message as I was leaving my apartment to walk down was what woke her up! I was glad I bothered sending the message at all, I almost wasn’t going to, but I thought I should let her know my movements. Thank God I did, or it would’ve been a solo trip! Which would’ve been fine, but I’ve done enough solo travel recently, hanging out with people on trips like these is so much fun.

Joji was also disappointed the ‘gang’ wasn’t there with us, but we knew his favourite 2 were the ones on the bus 😉2

After saying hi and debriefing about our shared traumatic starts to the day, we didn’t chat much on the way to our first stop. I think we were both still warming up to the day, and it was a peaceful hour or so before we reached our first destination, which happened to be the same one as our first trip, Loch Lomond! We didn’t mind visiting again, mostly because Dani and I both needed a hot drink from a cute café right next door to the Loch, and because Joji knew we had already visited it before, so he asked the driver to take us to a different side of the Loch, just so we would have some new views! This is what I mean when I say he’s so gorgeous, what tour guide does something like that? Joji does, of course.

We loved walking onto the jetty on the Loch, taking some beautiful photos sitting on the rickety timber, buying some postcards to add to the collection, and grabbing a chai and hot chocolate before heading back to the bus. Buying those drinks I genuinely believe was the only reason we actually ended up being alert and enjoying the day. We pretty much had half of ours then swapped, I’m really becoming a big fan of chai. I think it’s similar to wine, it’s a bit of a weird, acquired taste, but after a while you get used to it then it’s amazing! I need to find a recipe for a good chai latte, it’s so comforting yet flavourful at the same time, I’m obsessed!

Finally with some energy (or will to live) we decided to get the queue for the rest of the day going. The theme the queue ended up with: good vibes, stay awake. And this theme is one I’m really good at. I jumped at the opportunity to play some Peach PRC, DYLAN, Maisie Peters, Gretta Ray, etc etc, basically all the pop girlies the US is behind on. And because I know what music Dani would like, she was obsessed (as expected!) There’s something very memorable about watching someone listen History of Man for the first time and truly understand it, especially when we’re driving through the middle of the Scottish highlands. Definitely an experience!

Our next stop after Loch Lomond wasn’t really a place in particular, more a beautiful scenery location on the side of the road our driver decided was worth the stop. And it was truly magical. Although the last time we were up this way was beautiful weather-wise (like blue sky beautiful), there’s something so fitting about being in the highlands in low cloud and cooler weather. The difference between early and late September in terms of temperature is pretty drastic, and though it’s hard to put into words how right this weather feels for Scotland, that’s pretty much it. Although it might be ‘objectively’ nicer weather with blue sky and sunshine, there’s nothing better than driving through the dramatic, rocky valleys near Glencoe with cloud so low and thick you feel like you’re right in the sky with them. It’s so moody and mysterious and cinematic, I’m not surprised most of Skyfall was shot in the area, it was just divine.

Our next stop was also another location we had visited before, being the Three Sisters of Glencoe, but again, it was like a whole new experience. The landscape looked entirely different in the overcast, chilly weather. The green of the hills seemed even greener than before (if possible) and the way they smudged into the overwhelming clouds was incredibly atmospheric. This is a location that I just know can’t be captured on a camera. Well, we still tried, but ultimately you just had to be there! We truly felt like the only 2 people in the world, exploring a magical hidden spot of Scotland. It only took a 15-minute walk from the coach to leave the crowds behind and truly immerse ourselves in the overwhelming feeling of being so incredibly small next to these immense landforms. I felt like I could open my eyes wider, breathe deeper, feel more. Of course, the photos still look great, but nothing could compare to actually being there.

We continued driving, and I was proud of myself for the lack of naps throughout this day. Although the morning wasn’t necessarily the best start to the day, I got a lot more sleep the night before compared to our first tour, so once I warmed up, I wasn’t really that tired. Which was great, because the scenery was something I certainly didn’t want to miss out on.

Our next stop of the day was the town of Fort William, which is where the train we would eventually see that afternoon was leaving from. This is also where we stopped for a little while to explore and eat lunch. The town itself wasn’t all that riveting, especially with how picturesque Inverness was in comparison, but the Loch bank was gorgeous, and Dani and I were happy to find a picnic bench to stop and eat. In the process we also inadvertently adopted a German girl called Aurora, who was from Stuttgart and also studying in Glasgow for the semester. She was great fun, and though it was hard to keep catching up with her throughout the day as she was on a different bus, she was great to get to know in Fort William.

When we finished lunch, we had time to explore the Old Fort, right near the main river. Honestly, it was pretty underwhelming, if there wasn’t a sign and an info plaque to say where you were standing was the Old Fort, you wouldn’t have a clue, there was just a couple of old stones lying around covered in moss. And I do really love ruins, old crumbling castles, the history of it all, I really do. But it’s hard to appreciate and try to envision what this fort would’ve looked like when all that’s left is some grass and rocks that resembled bits of a stone wall. The location in the town itself was picturesque though, and we got some great views over the Loch and back into the town, so that was a plus!

We looked through a couple of really cute boutiques on the walk back to the coach, and walked to the train station to see if we could spot the train before it left, but to no avail. It was now time to finally get going to the main attraction of the day!

It was only another half an hour or so until we made it to Glenfinnan Viaduct, also known as the Harry Potter Bridge. It’s extremely well photographed and documented, as the bridge that the Hogwarts Express passes on it’s way to Hogwarts, and is one of the most visited filming Harry Potter filming locations in Scotland. I knew of the bridge long before I even considered doing an exchange program at all, so it was a bit surreal to finally not only be at the bridge, but also see the train passing through!

From the carpark we walked around 20mins up to a great viewpoint a little way away from the viaduct itself where we could get some great photos of the bridge and the surrounding valley. The sun also decided to breakthrough for the afternoon, so everything lined up for some beautifully clear photos.

What isn’t mentioned when you search up the location of the viaduct is that quite literally right next door is a gorgeous Loch, Loch Spiel, which was also within walking distance from the carpark. Once we got our corny touristy photos with the Harry Potter merch (necessary) we walked back down and across to visit the Loch. The Loch itself was also a pretty major filming location, as it was the lake that the second trial of the Triwizard Tournament was filmed at (you know, the one with all the creepy mer-people).  But the Loch itself was absolutely stunning, with a pebbly beach we could walk around on, and a stone tower right in the foreground. It was one of those scenes where, if I could actually paint, it would be a painter’s dream (note to Dad, I Whatspped you a photo of said scene, requesting a painted version please and thank you).

Since we weren’t as far north today as we were last time, we had more time to just explore the area. I’d say in total we spent around 3 hours here, which went quickly and I would’ve liked more, but was great to walk along the beach, find little secret spots in the nearby forest, and for me to get my postcards.

We killed some time at Loch Spiel before starting our mini hike over to the viaduct itself to catch the train. There were already lots of people on the hill behind the bridge waiting to see the train, but there was plenty of space, so Dani and I could still get a pretty good spot. The time difference back home worked out pretty well too, so I Facetimed the family and got them to watch the train come by with us. That was such a special experience! It truly felt like another family holiday, it was nice to be able to have a shared experience with my family from all the way from over here. Often I’ve found it hard to accurately communicate an experience, or something I’ve seen that day, but this was perfect. They could see it all for themselves! And (apart from Dad) we’re all big Harry Potter nerds, so they were right there geeking out with Dani and I.

I got a great clip of the train coming through, steam and horn and everything. The train driver even waved to us from his window! The sun decided to fully come out right at that moment too, so the photos and videos turned out so well. Joji was keen to get going as soon as the train came through, so Dani and I had a couple minutes to get some last minute photos of the bridge before we hiked back down and under the bridge to get to the coach.

This trip today had less stops than our last one, which was honestly really nice. It meant we could spend more time at the locations and get to know the area better. It also meant it wasn’t a 4 hour drive back to Glasgow. Although, we did have the entire Hamilton soundtrack to get through, and we still had enough time for that throughout the day. Honestly I feel bad for everyone on that bus that weren’t apart of our 2-person production, they were really missing out. I also loved watching the videos Dani showed me of signed performances of Satisfied (from Hamilton) and When He Sees Me (from Waitress) which were so cool. The performer was so talented, I would say it made the meaning and messages of the songs even clearer. And watching Dani being able to fluently sign You Belong With Me was equally impressive, it’s such an amazing skill! Seeing Ken and Dani be able to sign to each other over the last couple of weeks has really inspired me to look into Auslan classes when I get back home. That would be an incredible language to learn! Unfortunately the small amounts of ASL I’ve learnt from them probably won’t be helpful for Auslan, but it does feel like you’re apart of a cool exclusive club when I can actually pick up on some things they’re saying. The best thing I’ve learnt is how to play ‘Smash or Pass’ in public without having to be scared about being too obvious, no one would understand anyways!

I think we ended up arriving back on campus around 6pm, which felt a lot earlier than 2 hours earlier than 8pm. I actually had time to make a decent dinner and a cosy evening to myself.

That day was another one of those days I often found myself just looking around going I can’t believe this is my life. I truly get to do this on a random Saturday in September? Everything about this day was so surreal, and even writing about it a little while after I actually went, I’m already so nostalgic about how much fun Dani and I had exploring even more beautiful spots of Scotland. We have heaps of inside jokes, laughs, naps on the bus, half frozen chicken pesto wraps (my fault), recreations of being sorted into our houses, and a start to finish Hamilton production. That sounds like the perfect day to me!

Can’t wait to check back in soon with my latest escapades!

Currently MIA,

Lauren x