A small island in Loch Eilt with trees on it. Thanks to the film “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”, it achieved worldwide fame. Here’s what it really looks like.
It’s a sad scene in the Harry Potter films: Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore is carried to his grave by the giant Hagrid. Fire envelops the body, and once it dies down, the body lies in a white tomb on the island. Later, this is where Voldemort will steal the wand from.
The island on which the tomb scene was partly staged really exists. It’s called Eilean na Mòine, meaning “peat island” in English, and it lies in Loch Eilt, west of Fort William.
The area along the Road to the Isles (in German for now) is rich in film locations from the Harry Potter series: it’s followed by the route of the Jacobite Steam Train, which became known as the Hogwarts Express. And close by lies Loch Shiel (in German for now), the Black Lake of Hogwarts.
However, Eilean na Mòine is only one of many islands lying very close to the shore. Loch Eilt has many more of them: Eilean an Tighe, the “island of the house”, Eilean Mòr, the “big island”, Eilean Gaineamhach, the “sandy island”, and Eilean nan Corra-ghriodhach, the “island of the herons”.
The filmmakers, however, apparently used a trick: they digitally moved Eilean na Mòine onto the waters of Loch Arkaig, further to the north-east.
But Loch Eilt shouldn’t be reduced to just Harry Potter. In fact, several cairns commemorate well-known people from the area. One of them was Duncan Cameron of Inverailort. In the 19th century, he owned Inverailort House, today Inverailort Castle, which lies near the mouth of the River Ailort – just five kilometres from Loch Eilt, whose northern shore marked the boundary of his estate.
The mourners carried him this far, where they laid the body in a hearse that covered the rest of the way to just outside Fort William. At the spot where the body was handed over, each mourner placed a stone on a pile. That’s the cairn that still stands here today – now fitted with a memorial plaque.
Other cairns commemorate, among others, Duncan’s grandson and Ronald MacLeod, a resident of the Essan estate on the other side of Loch Eilt.
Getting there
With a sat nav: “PH38 4LZ” will take you to Lochailort. Eilean na Mòine lies just before the village – see the next paragraph.
Without a sat nav: Coming along the A830 from Fort William, past Glenfinnan, Loch Eilt soon appears on the left. Near the far end of the loch, the road passes through a cutting with rock left standing on both sides. After that, you can already see Eilean na Mòine on the left, and shortly afterwards there’s a small lay-by on the left. Park your car here carefully (!) and safely (!). Continue the rest of the way to the island on foot.
Note: The terrain is difficult and wet. Good footwear is recommended.
