Fancy yourself as 007? Skyfall film locations explored!

The 2012 film Skyfall was one of Bond’s biggest movie outings yet, grossing a record-breaking £103 million at the UK box office. It was seen and loved by families nationwide, but did you know that many of the scenes were filmed close to home? Here’s our guide of where to visit the Skyfall film locations. (Warning: may contain plot spoilers!)

London Locations

James Bond, 007, works for MI6. The agency building is visited in many Bond films, but in Skyfall it plays its biggest role to date when it gets blown up! The real Secret Service Intelligence Building is located at Vauxhall Cross (pictured above) in London and, as you may have guessed, wasn’t actually blown up for the purposes of movie entertainment. Instead, a 50-foot high replica of the building was built in Pinewood Studios and was used to create the explosion scene. Understandably, the MI6 building isn’t open to visitors, but you can stand where M (played by Judi Dench) stood and watched the explosion on Vauxhall Bridge. You can take the Victoria Line to Vauxhall to be within walking distance.

Another of the movie’s London locations that you can visit is the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square. What’s more, it’s completely free to enter! In the movie, Bond meets the new Q for the first time in Room 34. Here they sit in front of “The Fighting Temeraire,” a painting by J M W Turner. In addition to other paintings by Turner, the gallery contains a huge number of pieces by famous artists from across the centuries.

If you enjoy visiting the National Gallery, the National Portrait Gallery is just around the corner and is also free to enter. You can see paintings of people from across history, including temporary exhibits which often feature modern famous people though it’s unlikely that you’ll see a painting of your favourite secret agent! Alternatively, only a minute’s walk away is Leicester Square where many movies premiere. Here you may just catch a glimpse of one of your favourite movie stars as they take a walk down the red carpet! You can find out what upcoming movie premieres are taking place in Leicester Square online. 

At one point in Skyfall, Bond stands and takes in the view across the London landscape. The filmmakers chose to use the roof of the Department of Energy and Climate Change building. Unfortunately the public are not allowed here, but you can get a great view of the city from the London Eye or the top of the Monument to the Great Fire of London. The view from the Monument is spectacular and it’s worth climbing the winding steps to get there! It’s also reasonably priced, at only £3 an adult.

At the 2012 Olympic opening ceremony, 007 created quite a stir in a clip starring the Queen. The short sketch consisted of Bond and the Queen appearing to parachute into the Olympic stadium and has since gained over 3 million hits on YouTube. If you’re staying in a campsite near London, you may also enjoy visiting Buckingham Palace and the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park where the sketch was filmed.

Scottish Locations

Of course, a large part of the action in Skyfall takes place in the picturesque Highlands of Scotland. One of the most beautiful landscapes in the movie is seen when Bond and M step out of Bond’s famous Aston Martin on the road toward Glencoe. This stunning view is of the impressive peak of Buachaille Etive Mor, from the A82 road, so it’s easily accessible for you to visit. You can also explore the area on foot. We’d recommend this walking route which takes an 8-hour course up one of the peaks. Alternatively, there are low-level walks through the pretty An Torr woodland that are more family-friendly.

The Glencoe area is largely maintained by the National Trust of Scotland. If you’re a family of cyclists, you may enjoy the 20 mile course around the beautiful Loch Etive. You can see the full route online. There are 1 million visitors to this part of the Highlands each year. You can learn more about the history of the area at Glencoe and North Lorn Folk Museum. 

If you’re an avid Bond fan, then seeing these filming locations in real life will be a great treat. So pour yourself a martini (shaken, not stirred) and start planning your camping holiday today!