confirmation .. Hogwarts is in Scotland

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 83966

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Kirstini" <kirst_inn at y...> wrote:
> ...edited... as three weeks  of every year of *my* childhood were
>  spent in Kinlochrannoch, the village beside Loch Rannoch. 
> 

bboy_mn:

Wonderful childhood memories, thanks for sharing those with us, and
thanks for the link to the Youth Hostel (ahh... to be young again).

But Loch Ronnoch is right off of a highway on my map, and I don't
think that would do for Hogwarts. The place has to be much more remote
than that, if you want to keep the prying eyes of muggle away.

So I've isolated four areas of Northern Scotland that are vast
expanses of open unspoiled areas generally free of roads, towns, and
rail. Of course, I've never been there (sighs regretfully), so
everything I know is from paper maps, satellite images, and the internet.

1.)Just north east of the area you suggested are the Cairngorn
Moutains and a place called Ben Macdui, although I can't tell exactly
whe Ben Macdui is. This is a very large very rugged area that is very
isolated.

2.)Just west of that bounded by highway A9 on the east and Loch Ness
on the west are the Monadhliath Moutains. Again a very rugged and
isolated area.

3.)Cross Loch Ness and move into the true northern Highland into the
area that surrounds Loch Monar. Bounded by Hwys A890 & A832 on the
North West, A835 on the North, Loch Ness on the East, and Hwy A87 on
the south.

4.)Cross Hwy A835 and move north into the Easter Ross areas. Bounded
on the North by A837/A836, and on the East by Cromarty Firth.

All four of these, as I have said, are large tracks of unspoil
wilderness, with very few towns, roads, or rails. 

For some insight into what these areas look like, check out the
absolutely magnificent Carbisdale Castle Youth Hostel. This is youth
hostel living of Royal magnitude. -

http://www.syha.org.uk/pages/more-picture-pages/carbisdale.htm

http://www.carbisdale.org/pages/virtual-tour/virtual-tour-1.htm

At this last site, move your mouse around the photo of the Castle
until it turns into a link pointer, then click and you can view the
interior of that part fo the castle. It will blow you away!

Also, check out the historic photos, there is a very good one showing
a very large terrace area with a view of the lake. Very reminicent of
Hogwarts.



> Kirstini:
> 
> And yet, none of this occurred to me - the whole geographic area has 
> been lurking, all fertile in my mind and yet didn't form any sort of 
> background image for my conception of Hogwarts/Hogsmeade. I suspect 
> that this is because Hogwarts itself doesn't come accros as 
> convincingly situated in Scotland to me. ...edited...
> 
> 1.) Hogsmeade. This isn't a Scottish name. I hope someone will jump 
> in and correct my woolly English geography, but a name like 
> Hogsmeade suggests a particular area - middle-southern England, ...
> 

bboy_mn:

When I think of Hogsmeade, I get the image of the towns the spring up
outside the gates of military bases; house of ill-repute, bars, pawn
shops, fast food, etc.... These are communties of opportunity. 

I think Hogsmeade sprang up the same way. The school was there which
made the area a destination for wizards, there had to be businesses to
support the school and staff, businesses to entice the students sprang
up, and all the secondary business to support the primary businesses
soon appeared. Gradually, a town grew up outside the entrance to the
school, again a town of opportunity; people will go to places where
there is money to be made.

My point is, that this town is more an extension of Hogwarts, which
doesn't sound all that Scottish to me, rather than an extenion of
Scotland or the native people of that area.

One could deconstruct the names as Hogworts (I know it's mispelled,
but spellings change in 1,000 years time) which could mean 'Hogs
Plant', and Hogmeade, could be broken down to 'Hogs Meadow'. Those are
very similar, and could be based on a native plant to that area.
Unless I'm mistaken, and occassionally, I am, 'hogwarts' actually is
the name of a plant, some type of water lily I think.

I will acknowledge, and therefore save other's the trouble, that these
two names can be deconstructed in other ways. It could be 'hogs lump'
and 'hogs brew', but those seem are less likely. 

The point is that in this very isolated village with so much general
wizard influence and it's close association with the school, it
doesn't seem unreasonable that it's name would not reflect local culture.

>Kirstini:
>
> 2.) If it's in Scotland, the Giant Squid doesn't live in a lake, it 
> lives in a loch. This could be another clue - the only "Lake" in 
> Scotland is Lake Catrine - has anyone had a wee search around that 
> area of the map for possible locations?
> 

bboy_mn:
So, am I safe in assuming that in Scotland the difference between a
lake and a loch, is that a loch is any lake that is connected to the
ocean in some way (like connected by a river), and a lake is a
stand-alone unconnected slef-contained body of fresh water?

I also want to point out that the lake at Hogwarts is a 'lake', and
not a 'Lake'. For it to be a 'Lake' with a capital 'L', it would have
to be named; Lake Spooky or something. But as it stands, it is never
named, only described, and I think most English people would describe
a Loch as a lake, while at the same time, would not change the name of
Loch Ness to Lake Ness. Restated, they would describe Loch Ness as a
big lake.

> Kirstini:
>
> Anyway, here's the Youth Hostel at Loch Ossian on Rannoch Moor. It's 
> certainly striking enough to be home to a Germanic castle, but I 
> can't seem to find any shots of the Forbidden Forest. May have to 
> scan in some old childhood photos of the Forest, editing out the 
> gawky child with train-track braces and Bermuda shorts...
> 
> http://www.syha.org.uk/pages/more-picture-pages/loch-ossian.htm
> 
> Kirstini, resident Scot.

bboy_mn:
That's a great link, with a map showing Youth Hostels all over the
Highlands. Some very interesting places and beautiful country side.
Everyone should really check it out.

Also, I'm not trying to say your are wrong wrong wrong. This is
fiction, so if the area you described is Howarts to you, then more
power to you. It's just my over-thought and mostly uninformed opinion
that Howarts/Hogsmeade has to be in an extremely isolated area.

Peace out.

bboy_mn