The Famous Glenfinnan Viaduct

The train Hogwarts Express and Harry Potter bridge filming location can be found at Glenfinnan Viaduct.

It is the longest concrete railway bridge in Scotland at 380 m. It crosses the River Finnan at a height of 30 m, or a whopping 100 feet if you work in old money measurements! The West Highland Line it carries is made up of a single track, and the viaduct between the parapets stretches 5.5 metres wide

About Glenfinnan Viaduct

• When was Glenfinnan Viaduct built? Built from 1897 to 1901
• Who built Glenfinnan Viaduct? Sir Robert McAlpine, a pioneer in using concrete for the bridge
• How tall is Glenfinnan Viaduct? It has 21 arches and reaches a height of 30 m above the valley

The Jacobite Steam Train / Hogwarts Express

The world-famous ‘Jacobite Express’ train is quite possibly the most beautiful and scenic train journey anywhere.

Operating under various names and with different operators, The Jacobite steam train has been running every summer since 1984 and is currently operated by West Coast Railways.

Morning Service:

Running from Monday 3rd April to Friday 27th October 2023 (seven days per week)

Afternoon Service:

Running from Monday 1st May to Friday 29th September 2023 (seven days per week)

The best view of the Glenfinnan Viaduct is from the Glenfinnan Viaduct viewpoint on a short walking trail. This is located around a 20-30 minute walk (depending on your speed) from the Glenfinnan Monument on the main road. This is by far the best way to see the Hogwarts Express make its way over the bridge!

How to get to Glenfinnan Viaduct?

The easiest option would be on day trips and big bus tours from outside destinations, e.g. Fort William. This takes all the organisation and guesswork out of the whole journey. It is easy enough to reach using GPS/Satnav and Google Maps travelling directly to the Glenfinnan Visitor Centre (National Trust). It’s about 25-minutes out from Fort William. From the visitor centre it is then a 5-10 minute walk to the nearer viewpoints for the Glenfinnan Viaduct and Hogwarts Express.

best view on viaduct?

If you can also walk a 5-7 min trail and get spectacular views of both the viaduct, and the monument and Loch. In terms of being able to see from the road, look for the Visitor Centre, easier to spot as the viaduct is not set along the roadside.

Plan to arrive before 10am for less parking stress. It’s a short easy walk of 15 minutes to the viewpoint. There is a free car park. Walk from car park to Viaduct – this is reached with a signposted 15 minute walk from the car park, involving a brief uphill walk to stand aligned with the viaduct. A spectacular vista over Loch Shiel awaits, where history and natural beauty collide unforgettably.

Why is Viaduct so famous?

The area has a historical claim to fame because in 1745 it was here in Glenfinnan that the Jacobite rising began here when Bonnie Prince Charlie raised his standard on the shores of Loch Shiel.

Address: Glenfinnan Visitor Centre, Glenfinnan, Scotland PH37 4LT

Monument built in 1815, the 18m-high monument was built as a poignant reminder of the clansmen who gave their lives to the Jacobite cause.

It was designed by eminent Scottish architect, James Gillespie Graham. The raising of the Prince’s Standard took place at the head of the loch on 19 August, 1745, in the last attempt to reinstate the exiled Stuarts on the throne of Great Britain and Ireland.

For up-to-date visit information, see here.

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