I went to Glenfinnan to see Harry Potter tourism chaos

The National

15 hours ago

The first is the population of the Lochaber hamlet. The second is the number of people that now visit every year to see the viaduct, made famous over the last quarter of a century by a combination of the Warner Bros Harry Potter films and the catalyst of social media.
I recently visited Glenfinnan to see how the community struggles daily with this increasingly difficult equation, and what I witnessed was anything but magical.
Cars were parked anywhere and everywhere. A hillside turning into a muddy monstrosity. National Trust staff forced to wear bodycams due to the behaviour of some tourists.
This is a village at breaking point, and even just being there for one day left me feeling frazzled.
The 11am crossing
Glenfinnan is full of impossible equations, and here's another – how do you deal with so many tourists when most of them come at the same time of day?
I arrived in the village in time for the madness of the 11am viaduct crossing of The Jacobite steam train.
I began making my way up to the hillside viewpoint just after 10 to avoid being caught up in a hoard of stragglers that start running down the A830 trunk road when they realise they might miss the key moment.
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What I saw as I approached was a sight to behold. There must have been around 1000 people up there, waiting to watch the moment they all remember fondly from the Harry Potter films, when the 'Hogwarts Express' crosses the 21-arched viaduct at the foot of Loch Shiel.
(Image: Network Rail) West Coast Railways supplied the engine and carriages used for the filming, and it has subsequently created that rare moment where you can witness the scene from the film almost exactly as it happened – bar the flying Ford Anglia, of course.
The problem is not so much that they come to see the train, but the fact that they all come for the same crossing. A lot of tourists who are trying to tick off the big bucket list of locations in Scotland will come to Glenfinnan in the morning for the first crossing and then move on to catch the ferry to Skye.
It creates this pressure cooker moment every day for the village.
(Image: NQ) Hege Hernes, who is the curator of the Glenfinnan Station Museum, said: 'Lots of people want to come to Glenfinnan, but they are all coming at the same time. There is not enough space.
'It's because that's the itinerary recommended online. For the 11am [crossing], then you can continue with your car to Skye, and you can do this and that in a day.
'If everyone comes by car or comes on the same train, there's not going to be room. If we spread it a bit, then things will get easier.'
A new weekend bus service has been launched in recent weeks between Fort William and Glenfinnan to encourage more people to leave their cars behind and travel more sustainably.
It will run four times a day and should go some way to helping break up crowds of tourists, easing the strain on the village roads, landscape and resources.
Watching the train go over was truly an impressive sight, and, as a 32-year-old who grew up with the hype of Harry Potter, it was a magical sight I was glad I was able to see.
But getting into a spot to see the train was hazardous. You could see the toll the footsteps of tourists had taken on the hillside, which was extremely muddy and slippery, even more so when there were so many people to manoeuvre around.
(Image: NQ) People I spoke to on the hillside were shocked by the number of tourists they encountered when they got up there.
Michelle and Annika were visiting from Germany after being in Edinburgh for the Oasis concert.
Asked if she was surprised by the number of people gathering for the train, Michelle said: 'Yes. We were kind of naive.
'We were very surprised [by the number of people] and we were very late, so we had to run.'
The pair of friends also had to be dropped off as there was nowhere to park, yet another tricky equation Glenfinnan faces.
Glenfinnan's soundtrack – horns, alarms and traffic
Driving to Glenfinnan by car is something I strongly suggest you do at your own risk.
I arrived in my car at 9am and had made advance arrangements for a parking space, given I had been informed of the chaos I would face on arrival.
At that time, I drove past the National Trust Visitor Centre car park which was nearly full. It was originally designed for people to visit the Glenfinnan Monument – which commemorates the Jacobite rising of 1745 that started in the village – but like everything else has fallen victim to the Harry Potter craze.
That site, and a slightly larger community car park next door, are the only significant parking facilities in the village, with only a limited number of spaces available at the station.
It means tourists – who more often than not choose to arrive in hire cars – get stuck looking for a space and abandon their cars in laybys and verges next to a 40mph trunk road.
Some of the scenes I witnessed included a tourist blocking an access road, drivers turning around in the road at what locals like to call the 'magic roundabout' by the Glenfinnan House Hotel, drivers parking half in the road at already full laybys, and tourists wandering up the trunk road where there is no path after leaving their cars.
(Image: NQ)And I was told I had come on a quieter day.
Everywhere you look, the parking situation is having a huge impact on the community.
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Jennifer Northcote, visitor experience manager at the National Trust, told me staff are now having to wear bodycams because of being driven at when turning people away from the car park.
Asked what the biggest problems staff face are, she said: 'It's not being able to accommodate everybody and having to say we can't get you in.
'[Abuse] does happen. In the past we've had people being driven at. We've had verbal abuse. That's why we've got bodycams now.
'We also do public management training. It's been less chaotic this year than last year because we've had that management, but it's still been quite intense.'
Ally Entwistle is a member of the community council and runs two accommodation sites in the village – one of which is at Glenfinnan station.
She explained the strain the situation is placing on staff at the station and on her own life.
'People driving through the village are now heading to the station to try and park there,' she said.
'So Hege and the Glenfinnan station museum team have had to hire extra bodies to mind the car park at the bottom and direct people because it's become busier than it has been in previous years. They've had to pay for more folk to marshal that, otherwise the station would become gridlocked.'
She went on: 'I have to get around between two sites, and it's very difficult.
'I really feel for people who have been here a long time and have had to see this huge change. People adjust their days from April to October when the train runs. They try not to be on the road.'
Entwistle also told me of an incident recently where an ambulance making its way between Mallaig and Fort William with a casualty had to call for police assistance because of the hold up in Glenfinnan.
Thankfully, no damage was done, but scenes like these are becoming all too common for villagers who feel as if they are living by the seat of their pants.
The problem is too big
Gradual improvements have been made to the village, such as double yellow lines and bollards being installed along the eastern entrance, but residents feel they are being left to solve a problem that is beyond them.
The yellow lines at one end of the village may have stopped verge parking on the Fort William side, but this has simply displaced the issue, with people now parking unsafely at the Mallaig end. Residents are trying to put out fires, only to watch other ones pop up.
The issue is not helped by inadequate public transport. One member of car park staff at the National Trust told me there are not enough ScotRail trains coming to Glenfinnan, while Entwistle explained the ones that do come do not have sufficient capacity – with Sunday trains only having two carriages. ScotRail has been approached for comment by The National on this.
Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes, who represents the area as an MSP, hopes the new bus will be 'transformational', but it will only operate at weekends. I travelled to Glenfinnan on a Wednesday and left scratching my head as to how the community gets to the bottom of this.
Where a pot of money or a helping hand comes from is of little relevance to Glenfinnan residents. It just has to come from somewhere, for it is no exaggeration to say this beautiful wee place is bursting at the seams.
Mark Ilderton, ScotRail service delivery director, said: 'ScotRail is absolutely committed to supporting leisure travel across the country, and we recognise the West Highland Line as one of the most popular with customers.
"Investment in recent years by ScotRail and Network Rail – in refurbished trains, dedicated cycle carriages, upgraded signalling equipment, and the provision of a footpath and viewing areas for the viaduct – shows our commitment to the route.
'And earlier this year, the introduction of longer trains on the route has provided additional space and comfort, particularly for those travelling with bikes and outdoor equipment.
'In the years to come, we'll continue to work to support tourism, sustainability, and bring wider economic benefits along Scotland's most scenic railways by replacing all our diesel trains with a low carbon alternative.'