HIGHLANDS& ISLANDS
Glencoeat dawnona softlylit
winter’sdaypresentsa portrait
of a countrydressedin its full
finery(picturedright).Its snow-
dustedhills,frozenwaterfalls
andlostvalleysaresuggestiveof
a mythicalplacecreatedbyan
ambitiousgod.A ruttingdeer
bellowsacrossthemoorland.
A snowgoosesoarsabove
a sealoch.A climberropesup
fora dayabovethecloudson
thefamedAonachEagach
ridge.Thepyramid-shaped
guardianBuachailleEtiveMor
is a fittingintroduction.It is your
archetypalScottishmountain:
its pathsandprecipicespresent
challengingobstaclesfor
climbersandhikers;there’s
a life-affirmingviewfromits top;
andthelocation– overlooking
GlenEtiveandGlencoe
MountainResort(groundzero
forskiersandmountainbikers)
- is classicmoviefodder.You
mayrecogniseit fromtheJames
BondfilmSkyfall, or fromthe
HarryPotterseries,extensively
shotaroundtheglen.It is a
settingmadefornaturaldrama.
FGlencoeis a 93-miledrivenorth
of GlasgowontheA82.To avoid
midgesandcrowds,visitin April,
Mayor laterin September
(discoverglencoe.scot).
YORKSHIRE
Finda perfectlypreservedsliceof
1950sEnglandin theYorkshire
Dales:villagesof honey-hued
stone,withsheepgrazingonthe
green,setagainsta landscape
of flat-toppedhillsandbroad
valleyspatchworkedwith
pasturesandstonebarns.
Thiscountrysidehasservedas
a backdropto BritishTVperiod
dramaslikeAllCreaturesGreat
andSmallandmoviessuchas
CalendarGirlsandHarryPotter
andtheDeathlyHallows. Away
fromits film-stargoodlooks,the
YorkshireDalesNationalPark
alsoofferssomeof Britain’s
bestwalking,mountainbiking,
cavingandwildswimming.
Thelimestonecountryin the
southernpartof thenational
parkdisplaysfineexamplesof
karstscenery,includingthe
naturalamphitheatreof Malham
Coveandthebeetlingcragsof
GordaleScar.To starin your
ownepic,descend,if youdare,
intothedepthsof GapingGill
(a caveshaftopenfora week
in Mayanda weekin August),
or climbupWhernside(736m),
thehighestsummitin theDales.
FThemainDalesgateways
areSkiptonandRichmond.
Goodbasesin theparkinclude
Settle,GrassingtonandHawes
(yorkshiredales.org.uk).DORSET
If youwatchedBritishTVin the
1970sor 1980s,youwillalmost
certainlyhaveseentheadvert
thatmadea cobbledstreetin
Shaftesburynationallyfamous.
MadeforbreadcompanyHovis
(anddirectedbya youthful
RidleyScott,noless),it depicted
a youngladwheelinghis
bikeupthesteepslope,against
a quintessentiallyEnglish
backdropof thatchedcottages
androllingcountryside.Forty
yearson,GoldHilllooksmuch
as it didin thead:thecobbles
andcottagesarestillthere,as is
theformidableincline.If you
wantto re-enactthescene,Have your costume ready and get a mate
to point the camera to recreate legendary
made-in-Britain scenes, even when they’re
notionally from ‘a galaxy far, far away’
Step into
a film set