In the 007 novels, it was revealed that Bond attended private school in Edinburgh and his father originated from Glen Coe. Inspired by Bond's heritage, several films also cast Scotland as the main star. Its enchanting highlands and lochs may not have been anything new to people from the UK, but for fans watching around the world, it was another exotic destination that went straight onto their Bond bucket list.
Daniel Craig’s Skyfall in 2012 was a box office hit, with most scenes filmed in Scotland. Bond’s family home was set in the countryside setting of Glen Etive. The house doesn’t actually exist, but it’s incredible natural surroundings are very much real. Craig returns to Scotland in his final film No Time To Die, with another dramatic car chase through Britain’s biggest national park, The Cairngorms, and past Loch Laggan.
Craig wasn’t the first Bond to introduce Scotland to his global audience. Loch Gare made an appearance as a naval base in Roger Moore’s A Spy Who Loved Me in 1977, and Loch Craignish gave its best impression of Turkey in 1963’s Kisses From Russia, starring Sean Connery. Finally, and perhaps most notably, Piers Brosnan visited Eilean Donan Castle in 1999's The World is Not Enough. Scotland is littered with castles, but 13th century Eilean Donan is often called one of the country’s most beautiful.