The pretty little UK village ‘ruined by an invasion of 500,000 Harry Potter fans’

Few Harry Potter movie locations tin lucifer the Glenfinnan Viaduct. 

Featured successful fractional of the franchise’s 8 movies, the bending agelong of Scottish Highlands railway is shown successful each its glory erstwhile the Hogwarts Express - a steam bid taking the story’s wizards to their magic schoolhouse - hurtles down the line.

But, dissimilar different Harry Potter-related destinations dotted astir the country, this landmark offers a real-life acquisition astir arsenic adjacent to the movie arsenic possible.

Four times a time a moving steam bid chunders crossed the viaduct from Fort William to Mallaig. The moving relic, which bears a striking resemblance to the Hogwarts Express, costs £65 to thrust successful modular class.

Part of a clump of Harry Potter sites successful the Highlands, an country lone beaten by London erstwhile it comes to the attraction of JK Rowling movie locations, the railway attracts fans from astir the world.

Given that implicit 500 cardinal copies of the books person been sold worldwide and the films are the 3rd highest-grossing franchise of each time, it’s just to accidental the standard of this Potter-related tourism for the colony of Glenfinnan is substantial.

“Visit Scotland past twelvemonth said 1 successful 5 radical visited for movie tourism,” said Dr Adele Doran, a main lecturer successful tourism astatine Sheffield Hallam University.

“So it's a really, truly large concern and it's taking tourists into rather antecedently chartless oregon quiescent places disconnected the beaten track. 

“[This] I deliberation is bully successful presumption of tourism and bringing wealth to much agrarian areas. 

“But the occupation with the Glenfinnan Viaduct is that they're rising successful important numbers. 

“Last year, they received fractional a cardinal visitors, reports accidental [the village] adjacent has 100 to 150 residents. 

“On average, that’s 1,400 visitors a time successful a colony the size of 150 people. I unrecorded successful a colony with 650 residents which is tiny and everyone knows everyone. So for a spot of that size it’s an unthinkable number.”

Often with cases of overtourism, determination is an existing infrastructure that is being overwhelmed, but with Glenfinnan, the occupation is that astir thing was determination to accommodate adjacent a humble fig of visitors. 

“Harry Potter mania has meant that determination are websites and blogs [advising visitors connected however to marque the trip],” Dr Doran said.

“They often accidental ‘why don't you thrust due to the fact that of convenience?’ truthful that's what radical were doing. 

“The roads were getting gridlocked and, similar galore roads successful agrarian Scotland, they were precise constrictive [to statesman with]. They person [used] passing places [for] parking. 

“So the locals couldn't get anywhere. When the colony is truthful small, radical can't popular to the section shops oregon get to doctor's appointments.”

The Daily Record reported that the village’s car parkland which has 180 spaces volition scope capableness by 9.30am and those turned distant edifice to rogue parking which wreaks havoc.

Although it ranks arsenic Scotland’s 3rd astir fashionable spot, down lone Glasgow and Edinburgh, the occupation is determination is presently precise small fiscal payment from tourists' beingness - which is usually the mode that an influx of visitors tin beryllium offset.  

“There mightiness beryllium businesses that could acceptable up similar refreshments oregon different sorts of facilities but it's inactive a precise tiny assemblage and not everyone volition benefit,” Dr Doran added.    

“The astir important happening is for section radical to beryllium progressive successful designing the solution they consciousness is appropriate.”

Part of that, Dr Doran believes, could beryllium controlling however galore radical tin travel to spot the attraction.

“Limited numbers mightiness beryllium a solution,” she continued. 

“So having barriers and turnstiles is 1 way. Another mode is promoting different forms of travel, which is thing I cognize they are decidedly doing arsenic good arsenic promoting question to alternate little visited places.”

One affirmative displacement has been the engagement of authorities to effort and assistance with the issue.

“Originally the locals were benignant of near to get connected with it, but it's not feasible for them to bash that,” the world said.