4 TV and film set locations to visit in Scotland

2 Follow in the footsteps of 007 with a nine-day tour from Edinburgh

Winding north from Edinburgh into the Highlands, this nine-day self-drive tour from Adventures Scotland traces James Bond’s most iconic film locations amid Scotland’s dramatic landscapes. With a sleek Aston Martin rental car, eight nights in stylish hotels, and plenty of time to linger over castles and lochs, the beauty of this journey is that it unfolds at a leisurely pace, with Bond-inspired pitstops along the way.

These include Scotland’s largest collection of Bond memorabilia at Bo’ness Motor Museum in Edinburgh, featuring the BMW 750 from Tomorrow Never Dies and a 007 Bar serving Martinis; and the 200-year-old Macallan Distillery, home to Bond’s preferred whisky. Visitors to this 485-acre estate on the banks of the River Spey can take distillery tours, cast a fishing line and feast on hearty Scottish fare. 

The route winds through the cinematic mountains and sweeping valleys of Glen Coe, made famous as Bond’s fictional birthplace in Skyfall (2012), before reaching nearby Glen Etiv. Arguably Scotland’s most beautiful valley and a favourite with kayakers and walkers, it’s where 007 and M paused beside the misty glen and Bond’s iconic silver Aston Martin DB5. Along the way, look out for eagles and otters in Loch Etive and visit the folk museum Glen Coe village.

The tour also takes in the Ardverikie Estate on the shores of Loch Laggan, immortalised in No Time To Die (2021), and the pretty village of Crinan, backdrop to the boat chase in From Russia With Love (1963). Here, you can take a boat ride along the canal, sample seafood at the Crinan Hotel or hike through woodland to hilltop Castle Dounie for views of far-off islands. absoluteescapes.com/holidays/james-bond-tour

3 Venture into the cinematic wilds of Cairngorms National Park  

Covering 4,500 square kilometres, Cairngorms National Park is Britain’s largest nature reserve and, thanks to its dramatic mountains, clear rivers and ancient pine forests, it’s a favourite location for screen productions. Visitors here can hike, cycle or kayak through landscapes that have stood in for royal retreats and historic battlegrounds in films such as Mary Queen of Scots (2018), The Dark Knight Rises (2012) and TV shows The Crown and Victoria.

Ardverikie Estate, a Highland lodge on the sandy shores of Loch Laggan, was the stage for the car chase in Bond’s No Time to Die (2021) and had a starring role in Mrs Brown (1997). Visitors can stay in cottages on the estate and fish and hike, or take a guided tour of Ardverikie House, which will be familiar to some as Glenbogle from BBC British drama Monarch of the Glen, its turrets and lawns set against a backdrop of heather-clad hills. 

Then there’s the Highland Folk Museum in Newtonmore, seen in Outlander and Mary Queen of Scots, which stands as the world’s first open-air museum, with reconstructed Highland villages that showcase life in the 1700s.

For those who prefer real stars to on-screen ones, the park is among the world’s most northerly dark sky parks, where, on a clear night, the Milky Way and even the Northern Lights are visible. 

Among the park’s many other attractions are 13 golf courses (including the UK’s highest), Balmoral Castle gardens and the recently reopened funicular railway that whisks passengers up to the edge of the , in just eight minutes, to dine at the UK’s highest restaurant. cairngorms.co.uk

4 Trace Outlander’s footsteps through Scotland’s legendary castles 

Exploring Scotland through the lens of Outlander filming locations reveals a wide variety of castles, palaces, villages and landscapes, each with its own connection to the ongoing historical drama series, which has completed seven seasons.

From the cobbles of Edinburgh to the wild moors of the Highlands, visitors can step into the world of protagonists Jamie and Claire at sites that span the breadth of the country. 

Many of these iconic Scottish locations are within easy reach of Edinburgh, making them accessible for anyone wanting to combine city sightseeing (including the annual international arts festival in August) with Outlander-inspired adventures.

Die-hard fans can embark on the Explore the 12-day Outlander tour of Scotland, a suitably epic journey that also takes in historic attractions with real-world Jacobite connections (Claire travels back in time to 1743, just before the Jacobite Rising led by Bonnie Prince Charlie).

Around the capital, atmospheric streets like Bakehouse Close and Tweeddale Court on the Royal Mile transport visitors to 18th-century Edinburgh, while Craigmillar Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse offer glimpses of royal audiences and turbulent history. 

Outside the city, the Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway station is a must for recreating the pivotal scene where Claire waves goodbye to her first husband in wartime London, and further afield, Doune Castle near Stirling is instantly recognisable as Castle Leoch. tv-film/outlander/itinerary and doune-castle.

The Palace of Holyroodhouse

For more, visit www.visitbritain.org/travel-trade where you can download VisitBritain’s new Starring Great Britain – A Premium Collection 2025 guide, or download directly here.