James Bond might serve queen and country all over the world, but Bond is a true British icon. With Daniel Craig’s last outing as 007, No Time To Die released in cinemas, holiday lettings company, holidaycottages.co.uk has revealed 10 iconic UK filming locations from across the Bond franchise.
Ready to explore these action-packed locations? From 1964’s Goldfinger right up to the 25th instalment of No Time to Die, the top 10 list is as follows:
1. Cairngorms National Park, Aviemore, Scotland
As seen in: No Time to Die (2021)
Scotland serves as the backdrop for many Bond films and is a pivotal place for Bond himself, as his family home as seen in Skyfall lies within the Highlands. In No Time to Die, we can expect to see a thrilling car chase scene on the banks of Loch Laggan in the Cairngorms National Park. And with scenery as beautiful as this, we’re sure this scene is sure to be spellbinding!
2. Whitehall, London, England
As seen in: No Time to Die (2021)
Located in prestigious Westminster, Whitehall serves as the centre of the British government, and its streets are lined with numerous ministries and departments including Downing Street, the Ministry of Defence, Cabinet Office, and Horse Guards. In No Time to Die, we can see Bond walking the city’s light-stone streets and driving an Aston Martin vantage down them. Whitehall, like Bond himself, is quintessentially British, and we’re sure to see more in the upcoming film.
3. Vauxhall Cross SIS Building, London, England
As seen in: GoldenEye (1995), The World Is Not Enough (1999), Die Another Day (2002), Skyfall (2012) and Spectre (2015).
Also known as the MI6 Building, the real headquarters of the British Secret Intelligence Service is featured in many James Bond films, including Skyfall where we see an attack upon the building. The SIS building can be found in the southwestern part of London on the banks of the River Thames and is one of London’s most visited landmarks. Although we won’t see the building in No Time to Die, following its demolition seen in Spectre, it still remains one of the most iconic filming locations of the franchise.
4. Glen Coe, Scottish Highlands, Scotland
As seen in: Skyfall (2012)
Glen Coe is one of the most prominent locations in the whole Bond franchise and is where Bond himself grew up, at Skyfall Lodge. Glen Coe serves as the backdrop for some of the most destructive scenes in Skyfall, for example when Judi Dench’s M lost her life at the hands of Silva’s men. Glencoe’s foggy and dramatic landscape in the film is what makes Skyfall so poignant.
5. Gare Loch, Argyll and Bute, Scotland
As seen in: The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
Gare Loch is the setting of one of the most important moments in The Spy Who Loved Me. Her Majesty’s Naval Base Clyde is located on the eastern shore of Gare Loch, and this is where Bond, played in this movie by Roger Moore, discovers that the huge loss of British submarines is a sinister plot by Karl Stromberg to create underwater civilisation and not an accident as previously thought.
6. Eden Project, Cornwall, England
As seen in: Die Another Day (2002)
Cornwall’s Eden Project was used as a filming location on Pierce Brosnan’s last Bond film, Die Another Day. Gustav Graves was the film’s primary villain, and the Eden Project was used to film the interior of his ice palace. Halle Berry’s character, Jinx Johnson, even climbed down the real attraction for the film!
7. Bourton-on-the-Water, Cotswolds, England
As seen in: Die Another Day (2002)
In one of the most unlikely filming locations, this quaint Cotswolds village was transformed into an Icelandic glacier in Die Another Day. The now-icy village was used to film Bond’s icy car chase with Zao in the film – who’d have thought?
8. Eilean Donan Castle, Scottish Highlands, Scotland
As seen in: The World is Not Enough (1999)
Eilean Donan Castle in the Scottish Highlands is one of Scotland’s most visited tourist attractions, and also serves in the film as Castle Thane – the Scottish headquarters of MI6. The Castle is used in The World is Not Enough after England’s SIS building suffered a terrorist attack, so was a temporary base for Bond and M.
9. Stob Dearg, Buachaille Etive Mor, Scotland
As seen in: Skyfall (2012)
The atmospheric scenes of Bond and M driving his iconic Aston Martin DB5 through Scotland were actually filmed on the A82, near Buachaille Etive Mor and Buachaille Etive Beag. Somehow, we don’t think even Bond’s classic car could upstage this beautiful backdrop!
10. Stoke Park, Buckinghamshire, England
As seen in: Goldfinger (1964), Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
Remember Goldfinger’s infamous golf scene? Stoke Park plays a backdrop to this scene, in which Bond’s trusty bodyguard Oddjob decapitates a statue with his hat during a round of golf between Bond and his nemesis, Goldfinger. Stoke Park also plays a part in Tomorrow Never Dies, where Pierce Brosnan’s Bond faces off with the evil Dr Kaufman.
To find out more about further filming locations in the US and worldwide, please visit: https://www.holidaycottages.co.uk/blog/top-uk-filming-locations-from-james-bond.
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