Where was Braveheart filmed?

Few films sent travellers reaching for a map of Scotland quite like this medieval epic. Its mix of sweeping rebellion and raw landscape turned the country's wild interior into a character in its own right, and decades on it still pulls history lovers and hikers toward the glens where the story was staged.

The Highland heart of the film is Glen Nevis, the green valley beneath Ben Nevis, Britain's tallest peak, where the river and grassy slopes carry the quieter, homeland scenes. The medieval towns, by contrast, were built around Trim Castle in County Meath, Ireland, the largest Norman castle in the country, whose mighty keep was dressed to stand in for cities like York and London.

It splits neatly into two trips. Pair Glen Nevis with Fort William and the wider Highlands for walking and scenery, ideally in the long light of late spring or summer. Trim sits an easy drive from Dublin and folds well into a Boyne Valley day out among ancient tombs and abbeys, making the castle an easy half day for film fans.