Scotland has always played a prominent role in the history of James Bond, not least because of one of his favourite sons, Sean Connery, who gave perhaps his most iconic performance as the British super spy. In fact, 007 author Ian Fleming was reportedly so impressed by Connery’s portrayal in ‘Dr No’ that he gave Bond a Scottish heritage in his later books. In ‘You Only Live Twice’ we learn that the spy attended the public school Fettes College in Edinburgh, while in ‘Her Majesty’s Secret Service’ we discover that Bond’s father was from Glen Coe (a revelation used to good effect in Daniel Craig’s ‘Skyfall’). So it’s not surprising that James Bond has visited Scotland more than once on his exotic adventures around the world.
Here’s our pick of the most iconic places you can visit to follow in 007’s footsteps in Scotland (See our James Bond trip to Scotland).
1. Aviemore
Excitement was running high in July 2019 when Hollywood arrived in the Highland tourist town of Aviemore. Hundreds of trailers and makeshift temporary buildings popped up in the town’s car parks to accommodate the cast and crew shooting a car chase scene for No Time to Die.
2. The Cairngorms National Park
The Scottish car chase in No Time to Die takes place in the Cairngorms, one of Scotland’s two national parks and the largest in the UK, covering over 4,500 square kilometres.
3. Ardverikie Estate
The trailer for No Time to Die shows a car dramatically overturning as Highland deer look on. The accident was filmed on the Ardverikie Estate, just outside the Cairngorms National Park. Ardverikie House, located on the estate, is also known as Glenbogle in the BBC television series Monarch Of The Glen.
4. Loch Laggan
Another stunning Scottish backdrop used for the car chase in ‘No Time to Die’ is Loch Laggan. This freshwater lake, located near Dalwhinnie in the Highlands, was also featured in Monarch of the Glen and in the popular Temeraire series of fantasy novels.
5. Loch Gare
In the 1977 film The Spy Who Loved Me, starring Roger Moore, His Majesty Clyde’s naval base on Argyll’s Gare Loch plays a major role in the film. It is here that 007, in his naval uniform, discovers that the evil Stromberg is targeting British submarines.
6. Eilean Donan Castle
The picturesque Eilean Donan Castle on Scotland’s stunning west coast made a memorable appearance in Pierce Brosnan’s The World is Not Enough. It was used as a backdrop for Q to demonstrate his latest gadget – a bagpipe that doubles as a machine gun.
7. Loch Craignish
In Sean Connery’s 1963 classic, Kisses from Russia, 007 is seen fleeing SPECTRE agents in a speedboat, supposedly in Turkey. In fact, the scene was shot on Loch Craignish, near Crinan (Argyll).
8. Glen Etive
Skyfall was a huge box office success in 2012, and most of the film starring Daniel Craig is set in Scotland. Bond’s dilapidated family home was located in the beautiful countryside of Glen Etive. But don’t look for the house, it was built (and destroyed) in London, the interiors having been done at Pinewood Studios.
9. Glen Coe
Also used in Skyfall, and located right next to Glen Etive, the iconic Glen Coe. Here the Highland scenery dwarfs Bond’s vintage Aston Martin as he drives home.