The Touch Estate on the outskirts of Stirling stars in a new film alongside British acting stalwart, Timothy Spall.
Directed by Scottish filmmaker Gillies MacKinnon — who made Small Faces and Whisky Galore — The Last Bus was filmed across Scotland in October and November 2019 and is now set for release today.
In the film Spall’s character journeys from John O’Groats to Land’s End – despite the cast and crew having never left Scotland.
The film charts the story of 90-year-old Tom Harper, played by Spall, who, after the death of his wife Mary, played by Phyllis Logan, travels the 874 miles from their home at Scotland’s most northern mainland point to England’s most southern point, via local buses using his bus pass.
Despite the epic nature of the journey, film production made clever use of Scottish-only locations and real regional buses to recreate the route.
Touch Estate acted as Tom and Mary’s cottage, with an unused house renovated to create a warm and cosy home.
Other filming took place in and around Glasgow, including at the Glasgow Vintage Vehicle Trust’s Bridgeton Bus Garage on Fordneuk Street. The exterior of the former Corporation bus garage was used for bus stops and depots, while sets were built in the interior of the museum which is home to around 130 vintage buses, coaches, commercial vehicles and fire appliances.
Other film locations included Summerlee Museum of Scottish Industrial Life in North Lanarkshire, and Dunure on the Ayrshire coast and Hunterston House in West Kilbride, both of which are familiar to Outlander fans as filming locations for the hit television series.
The film also features many scenic shots of the beautiful landscapes in the Scottish Borders, Argyll and Highlands.
The Last Bus is just one of many productions to have taken advantage of Scotland as a backdrop in recent years.
Research shows that around one in five visitors are motivated to travel to Scotland after seeing locations on the big and small screen. With the rise of streaming services and increased availability of watching Scottish-set films years after their release, screen tourism could play a more significant role in attracting visitors and boosting Scottish tourism.
Neil Christison, VisitScotland regional director, said: “Big and small screen productions have always played their part in attracting visitors to locations across Scotland and it’s wonderful to have Stirling on-screen in this life-affirming and poignant tale.
“Films shot in Scotland not only boost the local economy during production but are a shop window for the country’s amazing landscapes. They provide an opportunity to promote regions across the seasons and the long-term impact allows for investment and product development to take place which enables sustainable growth in tourism.”
