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Scottish seaside town among UK's best chocolate box villages

Scottish seaside town among UK's best chocolate box villages

There is said to be "no shortage" of picturesque villages full of thatched roofs, gorgeous scenery and lush flowers in the UK.
Snap Trap said that it is these characteristics that give the listed villages their "chocolate box" title.
Plockton has been dubbed the 'jewel of the Highlands' (Image: Getty Images) The website added: "So if you're looking for chocolate box villages in the UK to add to your ever-growing list of places to visit, we'll help you discover a few so you can start planning your next getaway."
Why Plockton is the 'jewel of the Highlands' and one of the UK's best 'chocolate box' villages
Discussing the wonderful village in northern Scotland, Snap Trap said that the village, which is the "jewel of the Highlands", sits on a sheltered bay and enjoys "stunning" views over Loch Carron.
The sea is an "integral" part of the Scottish town's history, and, to this day, yachts and other boats can be seen moored alongside it.
There are also plenty of opportunities for visitors to get out onto the water, thanks to the seal tour, kayaking and sailing services on offer.
The village enjoys views of Duncraig Castle (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto) Highlighting the lovely atmosphere here, Visit Scotland said that many of the original cottages face out to sea, while the area's iconic palm tree-covered benches make it a great place to watch the tide rise and fall.
Across the bay, residents and tourists can look out onto the stunning Duncraig Castle.
Recommended Reading:
Plockton has also appeared on telly, featuring on the BBC's very own production of Hamish Macbeth.
This was a 1990s mystery-comedy series starring beloved Scottish actor Robert Carlyle.
It followed local police officer Constable Hamish Macbeth as he attempted to keep the peace in the fictitious town of Lochdubh on the west coast of Scotland.
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Mel Gibson becomes emotional as he recalls ‘joy' of making Braveheart
Mel Gibson becomes emotional as he recalls ‘joy' of making Braveheart

Glasgow Times

time20 minutes ago

  • Glasgow Times

Mel Gibson becomes emotional as he recalls ‘joy' of making Braveheart

The Oscar-winning director and actor posed for selfies with fans and signed posters before attending a musical performance of movie songs in Co Meath. Gibson starred in Braveheart as Scottish rebel William Wallace, as he sets out to challenge King Edward I of England. The film won Oscars for best director and best picture. Speaking after the score from the 1995 film was played by an orchestra in a tent in Trim on Saturday, Gibson told the audience that composer James Horner was inspired by Celtic music. He said this allowed him to relive parts of his Irish heritage, and Gibson became emotional as he spoke about Horner. 'This film was a joy to make, and my mother was born in Longford so I was raised on this kind of music myself, so it was a real treat for me to explore this culture and the sound of it,' he said. 'In the Braveheart score, you can hear bits and pieces of old tunes that he borrowed from. He drew from a very rich source of music and poetry that's part of this country, as well as Scotland.' He also retold a story about meeting three of the four Beatles at Abbey Road, where the score was recorded. The Scottish epic was mostly shot in Ireland after the Irish government lobbied and offered to supply 1,600 army reserves as extras. Gibson said that while filming in Scotland was 'fantastic', the ground was not firm enough for the big battle scenes. He said then arts minister Michael D Higgins, who is now Ireland's president, made the film possible. Mel Gibson poses for a selfie with Antoinette Dillon, from Finglas, Dublin (Conor O Mearain/PA) Fans travelled from all over Ireland to get a chance of meeting the Lethal Weapon and Mad Max star. People queued at Trim Castle Hotel to meet Gibson and other Braveheart cast members, including Angus Macfadyen, John Murtagh and Mhairi Calvey. The event raised 10,000 euro for the Irish Equity Support Fund as part of the local King John Summer Prom festival. Maksim Okhotnikov, eight, dressed up as William Wallace in a costume created by his mother, who also sketched a charcoal drawing of Gibson. 'I didn't watch all of the film, I just watched pieces because it's (rated) 16+,' Maksim told the PA news agency. Asked what he likes about the film, he said: 'I like himself.' Actor Mel Gibson meets fans Adam Walker and his son Nathan, from Dublin (Conor O Mearain/PA) Adam Walker and his son, Nathan, seven, from Dublin, were among the first people into the room to meet the cast. 'Obviously he's too young to watch the full movie, so I was trying to show him the quotes, the big freedom speech at the end of the movie. We were watching that, we were watching the mad Irishman of course, David O'Hara who plays Stephen of Ireland,' Mr Walker told the PA news agency. 'We were at the Q&A yesterday and a lot of the lads pointed out that the actors said the thing that it did was, it really changed things, Ireland seemed to really latch on to it, there was a lot of similarities between the Irish and the Scottish, but it seemed to call out to everybody. 'We were looking for a wedding venue 12 years back and we were looking everywhere and we found here, it was lovely, the prices were great, and then I read at the end the castle was where Braveheart was filmed. 'I said to my wife 'we're doing it', so we got married in the room just there and we had the castle as the backdrop. 'So it's very interesting to be able to come back 12 years later and actually meet Mel Gibson here, and this little lad wasn't even alive at the time.' Maksim Okhotnikov wore a costume created by his mother (Conor O Mearain/PA) Elaine Coyle, who travelled with her mother from Dublin, said watching Braveheart was a family tradition. 'My dad would be a big fan, it's what we grew up with. It's a Christmas tradition in our house,' she said. She said of the film: 'You can relate to it as an Irish person a little bit too, it's iconic. 'It definitely opened the door to the Irish economy around films, it completely changed how the industry worked going forward, but I think in general people recognise that it made such an impact on Ireland, and we can also relate to the history of it. It's generational.' Cousins Eileen Shields and Anita McGrath travelled from Galway at 6am to meet the star. They said they are fans of Gibson's films Lethal Weapon and Daddy's Home 2. Actor Mel Gibson records a video message for Rian Egan, from Gorey, Co Wexford (Conor O Mearain/PA) 'He has a wicked wink in his eye,' Eileen Shields said. 'It was lovely to meet him, short and sweet, but it's nice to have the opportunity. 'Hopefully we see a lot more of him in Ireland. You know his family are from Longford, he was named after St Mel's Cathedral.' Anita McGrath said: 'I crocheted a shamrock for him, for good luck, so I gave it to him and he said 'thanks very much'. Just something different.' Ms Shields added: 'He wiped his brow with it.' Sevinc Ozogul, who lives across the road from the hotel, said she was excited to see the castle from Braveheart when she moved to Trim. She said Gibson is one of her favourite actors, adding: 'I was so excited to see him.' She added: 'He was a bit tired but he looks great.' Gary Downes and Vinny McConnell, who worked as extras on Braveheart, reunited with Gibson at the poster signing and took memorabilia from the filming. Gary Downes (left) and Vinny McConnell, who worked as extras on the film Braveheart, with memorabilia from the production (Conor O Mearain/PA) As part of the King John Summer Prom festival, Gibson and his family joined people in a red and white tent on the outskirts of Trim on Saturday to listen to the Irish Philharmonic Orchestra play themes from famous movies, conducted by Niall O'Sullivan. Irish actor Patrick Bergin introduced the music from Sleeping With The Enemy, in which he starred in opposite Julia Roberts. He told a story about how, after auditioning for the role, he tried to leave the room and walked into a broom closet. 'As I came out of the closet (director) Joe Ruben said 'it was the look in your eye that got you the part'.' Actor Kate O'Toole told the story of how her father was away for two years to film Lawrence Of Arabia, before introducing the theme from the film played by the orchestra. 'One of the weird things about it that still stays with me is that scene with the quicksand, I really thought when I was a child that going to the beach was dangerous,' she told the crowd. Singer Leah Barniville performed Ennio Morricone's Ecstasy Of Gold from the Good, The Bad And The Ugly, as well as the Titanic Suite.

Mel Gibson becomes emotional as he recalls ‘joy' of making Braveheart
Mel Gibson becomes emotional as he recalls ‘joy' of making Braveheart

Powys County Times

time36 minutes ago

  • Powys County Times

Mel Gibson becomes emotional as he recalls ‘joy' of making Braveheart

Mel Gibson has said it was a 'joy' to make the film Braveheart as he spoke at an event to mark 30 years since the historical epic was filmed in Ireland. The Oscar-winning director and actor posed for selfies with fans and signed posters before attending a musical performance of movie songs in Co Meath. Gibson starred in Braveheart as Scottish rebel William Wallace, as he sets out to challenge King Edward I of England. The film won Oscars for best director and best picture. Speaking after the score from the 1995 film was played by an orchestra in a tent in Trim on Saturday, Gibson told the audience that composer James Horner was inspired by Celtic music. He said this allowed him to relive parts of his Irish heritage, and Gibson became emotional as he spoke about Horner. 'This film was a joy to make, and my mother was born in Longford so I was raised on this kind of music myself, so it was a real treat for me to explore this culture and the sound of it,' he said. 'In the Braveheart score, you can hear bits and pieces of old tunes that he borrowed from. He drew from a very rich source of music and poetry that's part of this country, as well as Scotland.' He also retold a story about meeting three of the four Beatles at Abbey Road, where the score was recorded. The Scottish epic was mostly shot in Ireland after the Irish government lobbied and offered to supply 1,600 army reserves as extras. Gibson said that while filming in Scotland was 'fantastic', the ground was not firm enough for the big battle scenes. He said then arts minister Michael D Higgins, who is now Ireland's president, made the film possible. Fans travelled from all over Ireland to get a chance of meeting the Lethal Weapon and Mad Max star. People queued at Trim Castle Hotel to meet Gibson and other Braveheart cast members, including Angus Macfadyen, John Murtagh and Mhairi Calvey. The event raised 10,000 euro for the Irish Equity Support Fund as part of the local King John Summer Prom festival. Maksim Okhotnikov, eight, dressed up as William Wallace in a costume created by his mother, who also sketched a charcoal drawing of Gibson. 'I didn't watch all of the film, I just watched pieces because it's (rated) 16+,' Maksim told the PA news agency. Asked what he likes about the film, he said: 'I like himself.' Adam Walker and his son, Nathan, seven, from Dublin, were among the first people into the room to meet the cast. 'Obviously he's too young to watch the full movie, so I was trying to show him the quotes, the big freedom speech at the end of the movie. We were watching that, we were watching the mad Irishman of course, David O'Hara who plays Stephen of Ireland,' Mr Walker told the PA news agency. 'We were at the Q&A yesterday and a lot of the lads pointed out that the actors said the thing that it did was, it really changed things, Ireland seemed to really latch on to it, there was a lot of similarities between the Irish and the Scottish, but it seemed to call out to everybody. 'We were looking for a wedding venue 12 years back and we were looking everywhere and we found here, it was lovely, the prices were great, and then I read at the end the castle was where Braveheart was filmed. 'I said to my wife 'we're doing it', so we got married in the room just there and we had the castle as the backdrop. 'So it's very interesting to be able to come back 12 years later and actually meet Mel Gibson here, and this little lad wasn't even alive at the time.' Elaine Coyle, who travelled with her mother from Dublin, said watching Braveheart was a family tradition. 'My dad would be a big fan, it's what we grew up with. It's a Christmas tradition in our house,' she said. She said of the film: 'You can relate to it as an Irish person a little bit too, it's iconic. 'It definitely opened the door to the Irish economy around films, it completely changed how the industry worked going forward, but I think in general people recognise that it made such an impact on Ireland, and we can also relate to the history of it. It's generational.' Cousins Eileen Shields and Anita McGrath travelled from Galway at 6am to meet the star. They said they are fans of Gibson's films Lethal Weapon and Daddy's Home 2. 'He has a wicked wink in his eye,' Eileen Shields said. 'It was lovely to meet him, short and sweet, but it's nice to have the opportunity. 'Hopefully we see a lot more of him in Ireland. You know his family are from Longford, he was named after St Mel's Cathedral.' Anita McGrath said: 'I crocheted a shamrock for him, for good luck, so I gave it to him and he said 'thanks very much'. Just something different.' Ms Shields added: 'He wiped his brow with it.' Sevinc Ozogul, who lives across the road from the hotel, said she was excited to see the castle from Braveheart when she moved to Trim. She said Gibson is one of her favourite actors, adding: 'I was so excited to see him.' She added: 'He was a bit tired but he looks great.' Gary Downes and Vinny McConnell, who worked as extras on Braveheart, reunited with Gibson at the poster signing and took memorabilia from the filming. As part of the King John Summer Prom festival, Gibson and his family joined people in a red and white tent on the outskirts of Trim on Saturday to listen to the Irish Philharmonic Orchestra play themes from famous movies, conducted by Niall O'Sullivan. Irish actor Patrick Bergin introduced the music from Sleeping With The Enemy, in which he starred in opposite Julia Roberts. He told a story about how, after auditioning for the role, he tried to leave the room and walked into a broom closet. 'As I came out of the closet (director) Joe Ruben said 'it was the look in your eye that got you the part'.' Actor Kate O'Toole told the story of how her father was away for two years to film Lawrence Of Arabia, before introducing the theme from the film played by the orchestra. 'One of the weird things about it that still stays with me is that scene with the quicksand, I really thought when I was a child that going to the beach was dangerous,' she told the crowd.

Mel Gibson becomes emotional as he recalls ‘joy' of making Braveheart
Mel Gibson becomes emotional as he recalls ‘joy' of making Braveheart

South Wales Guardian

time2 hours ago

  • South Wales Guardian

Mel Gibson becomes emotional as he recalls ‘joy' of making Braveheart

The Oscar-winning director and actor posed for selfies with fans and signed posters before attending a musical performance of movie songs in Co Meath. Gibson starred in Braveheart as Scottish rebel William Wallace, as he sets out to challenge King Edward I of England. The film won Oscars for best director and best picture. Speaking after the score from the 1995 film was played by an orchestra in a tent in Trim on Saturday, Gibson told the audience that composer James Horner was inspired by Celtic music. He said this allowed him to relive parts of his Irish heritage, and Gibson became emotional as he spoke about Horner. 'This film was a joy to make, and my mother was born in Longford so I was raised on this kind of music myself, so it was a real treat for me to explore this culture and the sound of it,' he said. 'In the Braveheart score, you can hear bits and pieces of old tunes that he borrowed from. He drew from a very rich source of music and poetry that's part of this country, as well as Scotland.' He also retold a story about meeting three of the four Beatles at Abbey Road, where the score was recorded. The Scottish epic was mostly shot in Ireland after the Irish government lobbied and offered to supply 1,600 army reserves as extras. Gibson said that while filming in Scotland was 'fantastic', the ground was not firm enough for the big battle scenes. He said then arts minister Michael D Higgins, who is now Ireland's president, made the film possible. Fans travelled from all over Ireland to get a chance of meeting the Lethal Weapon and Mad Max star. People queued at Trim Castle Hotel to meet Gibson and other Braveheart cast members, including Angus Macfadyen, John Murtagh and Mhairi Calvey. The event raised 10,000 euro for the Irish Equity Support Fund as part of the local King John Summer Prom festival. Maksim Okhotnikov, eight, dressed up as William Wallace in a costume created by his mother, who also sketched a charcoal drawing of Gibson. 'I didn't watch all of the film, I just watched pieces because it's (rated) 16+,' Maksim told the PA news agency. Asked what he likes about the film, he said: 'I like himself.' Adam Walker and his son, Nathan, seven, from Dublin, were among the first people into the room to meet the cast. 'Obviously he's too young to watch the full movie, so I was trying to show him the quotes, the big freedom speech at the end of the movie. We were watching that, we were watching the mad Irishman of course, David O'Hara who plays Stephen of Ireland,' Mr Walker told the PA news agency. 'We were at the Q&A yesterday and a lot of the lads pointed out that the actors said the thing that it did was, it really changed things, Ireland seemed to really latch on to it, there was a lot of similarities between the Irish and the Scottish, but it seemed to call out to everybody. 'We were looking for a wedding venue 12 years back and we were looking everywhere and we found here, it was lovely, the prices were great, and then I read at the end the castle was where Braveheart was filmed. 'I said to my wife 'we're doing it', so we got married in the room just there and we had the castle as the backdrop. 'So it's very interesting to be able to come back 12 years later and actually meet Mel Gibson here, and this little lad wasn't even alive at the time.' Elaine Coyle, who travelled with her mother from Dublin, said watching Braveheart was a family tradition. 'My dad would be a big fan, it's what we grew up with. It's a Christmas tradition in our house,' she said. She said of the film: 'You can relate to it as an Irish person a little bit too, it's iconic. 'It definitely opened the door to the Irish economy around films, it completely changed how the industry worked going forward, but I think in general people recognise that it made such an impact on Ireland, and we can also relate to the history of it. It's generational.' Cousins Eileen Shields and Anita McGrath travelled from Galway at 6am to meet the star. They said they are fans of Gibson's films Lethal Weapon and Daddy's Home 2. 'He has a wicked wink in his eye,' Eileen Shields said. 'It was lovely to meet him, short and sweet, but it's nice to have the opportunity. 'Hopefully we see a lot more of him in Ireland. You know his family are from Longford, he was named after St Mel's Cathedral.' Anita McGrath said: 'I crocheted a shamrock for him, for good luck, so I gave it to him and he said 'thanks very much'. Just something different.' Ms Shields added: 'He wiped his brow with it.' Sevinc Ozogul, who lives across the road from the hotel, said she was excited to see the castle from Braveheart when she moved to Trim. She said Gibson is one of her favourite actors, adding: 'I was so excited to see him.' She added: 'He was a bit tired but he looks great.' Gary Downes and Vinny McConnell, who worked as extras on Braveheart, reunited with Gibson at the poster signing and took memorabilia from the filming. As part of the King John Summer Prom festival, Gibson and his family joined people in a red and white tent on the outskirts of Trim on Saturday to listen to the Irish Philharmonic Orchestra play themes from famous movies, conducted by Niall O'Sullivan. Irish actor Patrick Bergin introduced the music from Sleeping With The Enemy, in which he starred in opposite Julia Roberts. He told a story about how, after auditioning for the role, he tried to leave the room and walked into a broom closet. 'As I came out of the closet (director) Joe Ruben said 'it was the look in your eye that got you the part'.' Actor Kate O'Toole told the story of how her father was away for two years to film Lawrence Of Arabia, before introducing the theme from the film played by the orchestra. 'One of the weird things about it that still stays with me is that scene with the quicksand, I really thought when I was a child that going to the beach was dangerous,' she told the crowd. Singer Leah Barniville performed Ennio Morricone's Ecstasy Of Gold from the Good, The Bad And The Ugly, as well as the Titanic Suite.

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