Harry Potter may be a wizard, but he still manages to miss the train in Harry Potter And The Chamber of Secrets. Unlike us muggles, however, he has a trick or two up his sleeve. Resorting to wizardry, he conjures up a magic flying car and catches up with the Hogwarts Express speeding over a magnificent viaduct. From here, computer wizardry takes over as the car ducks and dives spectacularly between the viaduct arches.
The flying car may be make-believe, but the viaduct is real and is located in the Highlands of Scotland, the heart of Hogwarts country in the new film. But while you can't actually travel on the Hogwarts Express, you can recreate the journey on the Jacobite Steam Train, which follows the same route.
Having taken the night sleeper up from London's Euston station to Fort William, I was met the next morning on the platform by Neil MacLeod, who organises daily excursions on this beautifully maintained steam train to Mallaig, Britain's most westerly mainline railway station. On the stroke of 10.15am, the whistle blew and we were off on the 42-mile journey along The Iron Road to the Isles, one of Britain's most scenic railway journeys.
The West Coast Railway line was built to service the herring trade based in Mallaig and runs through some of the Highlands' most impressive scenery. Just outside Fort William, the train passes Neptune's Staircase where boats are lifted from sea level through a series of seven locks and into the Caledonian canal. The track then snakes alongside Loch Eil before passing the Glenfinnan monument, complete with Highlander on top.
The train journey only takes around two hours, and soon we were approaching Glenfinnan viaduct, the setting for Harry's spectacular driving scenes. As the train slows, the full sweep of the 21 curving arches becomes visible, carrying us more than 100m above the ground. But it is not just the viaduct that is impressive, bending as it does around the edge of Loch Shiel, with the peaks of Ben Shiel rising dramatically in the background. Menacing clouds swirl round the Ben, but obligingly allow shafts of sunlight to cascade through and bring to life the waters below.
After the excitement of crossing the viaduct, the Jacobite makes a rest stop at Glenfinnan station, where, during filming of The Chamber Of Secrets, the Hogwarts engine managed to get stuck. There is ample time to wander round the railway museum that occupies a delightful turn-of-the-century booking office, and the serious rail enthusiast can even spend the night here in one of the restored carriages.
The Loch nan Uamh viaduct, a few miles further on from Glenfinnan station, overlooks the spot where Bonnie Prince Charlie first set foot on Scottish soil and is where the railway line meets the Atlantic Ocean. The train then passes through a series of tunnels that had to be cut through solid rock before climbing up Beasdale Bank, the steepest hill on the line and which the train doesn't always make it up at the first attempt. Once it had panted and heaved its way slowly to the summit, however, we spotted birds of prey soaring above the peaks, a scene that appeared appropriately Potteresque.
The smell of the sea gets stronger as the train heads further west, and soon the coast becomes peppered with sandy beaches. We passed Camus Darrarach beach at Morar, where Local Hero was filmed, before reaching the end of the line at Mallaig, a picturesque fishing village. Here I searched for more Potter clues but other than some children in Hogwarts-style school uniforms, the trail turned cold and I was unable to locate any castle.
It was only on the return journey, as the skies cleared and the late afternoon sun lit up the glens, that I learned from Neil that Hogwarts Castle is actually Alnwick Castle, south of the border in Northumberland. But it was the journey rather than the destination that counted in this instance.
It would be a shame to travel all this way, however, and not take time to savour the Highland scenery. Fort William is an ideal base from which to explore the whole area. If you don't feel up to the strain of climbing Ben Nevis, Britain's only mountain gondola ride will whisk you over 610m up Aonach Mor, the next peak along. From here, you can walk any number of well-marked trails, one of which takes you up to the 1,220m summit and stunning views. You can even take your bike up with you in the gondola and ride it back down the 2.6km course, which was used in this year's Mountain Bike World Cup.
I stayed just outside Fort William at a little gem called The Old Pines. A single-track road follows the Caledonian canal from Neptune's Staircase until it reaches the tiny village of Spean Bridge. Owners Bill and Sukie Barber have created a dinner party atmosphere in the restaurant, where most guests share tables. The Barbers are committed to home-grown produce, with their own smokehouse and vegetable garden, and they have recently been awarded first prize in the Flavour of Scotland category in the Thistle awards. Added to that, it is both child and canine friendly.
But if, after all, it's a castle you're looking for to fulfil your Hogwartian dreams, try Inverlochy Castle nestling in the shadow of Ben Nevis. It was built in 1863, and Queen Victoria spent a week here in 1873, remarking that the drawing room was "large and rather handsome". And indeed it is. From the moment you arrive, you realise that this is a different kind of a hotel experience - not even a reception area, just the odd member of staff materialising from nowhere at exactly the moment you need them; it feels more like someone's country house than a hotel.
It is not difficult to see why the producers of the Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets chose to shoot some of the scenes in the Highlands - the mystical quality of light and landscape create a permanently moody atmosphere. Cinematographers claim they can always tell scenes shot in Scotland by the uniqueness of the light. Having stood on top of Glen Nevis, where scenes from both Potter and Braveheart were filmed, I have to confide that there is little to beat it in the British Isles.
· Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets is released nationwide on November 15.
Way to go
Getting there: The Scot Rail Caledonian Sleeper leaves Euston at 9.05pm and arrives in Fort William the following morning at 9.43am, in time to connect with the Jacobite Steam Train. Tickets start from £99 and a first-class sleeper berth is £189 (0845 7550033, scotrail.co.uk).
The Jacobite Steam Train service (01524 732100, steamtrain.info) runs June-October. The rest of the year, you can catch a regular train along the same route. The Jacobite leaves Fort William at 10.20am and returns at 4pm Monday-Fridays and some Sundays. A standard day return is £23 (children £13) and booking is advisable.
Where to stay: Old Pines Restaurant with Rooms, Spean Bridge by Fort William (01397 712324, oldpines.co.uk). Rooms including a five-course dinner cost £80pp. Inverlochy Castle, Torlundy, Fort William (01397 702177, inverlochycastlehotel.com). Singles/ doubles £205/£330.
Further information: 0845 2255121, visitscotland.com.
