Hogwarts ... Logically it had to be set in a secluded place, and pretty soon I settled on Scotland in my mind.
-J.K Rowling in a 2000 London interview
Hogwarts…Logically I had to go find it, and pretty soon I settled on Loch Lomond as the first place I’d look.
Basically, that was my super nerdy way of introducing a new blog post about my enchanting visit to Scotland’s largest body of freshwater: Loch Lomond. As a small weekend excursion, my eight other Dartmouth pals, our trip advisor, and I visited the lake and went hiking for the day just so we could escape the hustle and bustle of the city and grab a breath of fresh country air. The lake was only about an hour’s drive away, but the scenery was a stark and welcome contrast to that of Glasgow. As I was standing in the heather on the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond, I no longer felt like an inhabitant of Gotham City, but rather like a Paige in a Harry Potter novel (ba dum chhh - the pun was too good to pass up, sorry). In fact, Loch Lomond is in Harry Potter…or at least the movies. It is the lake that was used for all the screen shots of the Great Lake outside of Hogwarts! Obviously I was very pleased about this. Ya know that scene in the third movie when Harry takes his first ride on Buckbeak? If not, this is what I’m talking about:
Well just try and tell me that this is not the spot where they filmed that scene (or at least very near to it). It’s so beautiful!
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| view of Loch Lomond from Ben Lomond |
Unfortunately, I must be a muggle though, because the actual castle never revealed itself to me. Expecto tragedio.
Anyway, once my initial Harry Potter excitement had finally been placated, we all went on a lovely hike up Ben Lomond, a domineering mountain overlooking the lake. And let me tell you, this hike made up for every one of the disappointments Maddie and I encountered on our hiking adventure on the Isle of Mull. We saw sunshine, fog, mist, rain, dazzling views, purple heather, rusty meadows, grassy knolls, sheep, cows, and several Scottish hikers, every one of them greeting us on the trail with a friendly, “Hiya!" I already liked Scotland before that day, but the hike up Ben Lomond alone convinced me that at some point in my life, I will need to return to the Scottish Highlands and explore to my heart’s content - someday when I have more money and less school (which will probably be never considering I’m an English major).
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| another gorgeous view of Loch Lomond from Ben Lomond |
After the invigorating day hike, we all trekked back to our youth hostel to dip our toes into the lake, eat yet another hearty meat and potatoes (or potatoes and potatoes if you’re me) type meal, and spend the night reading. We packed up and went home the next morning. Even though we were only gone for about 24 hours, the break was so refreshing and I returned to Glasgow feeling like I had been away for weeks. I can’t say I’m surprised though; Hogwarts is a magical place.
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| Loch Lomond and Ben Lomond |
