Gartmore was given a starring role in Brian Cox and Alan Cumming’s new film earlier this year.
Glenrothan, set in a fictional town of the same name, follows the story of two brothers – played by the veteran Scottish actors – who must reunite to save their family’s distillery.
Film crews descended on the Stirlingshire village in September, using the bottom of Main Street, the Black Bull Inn and the cemetery as locations.
The creative minds behind Borges and Me (based on Jay Parini’s memoir about chauffeuring blind Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges through Scotland in 1970) also chose Gartmore to shoot scenes for the new film at the end of October.
And 2024 is by no means the first time production companies have descended on Gartmore.
Almost Heaven (2006) and fantasy film The Golden Goblet (2015) were both shot in the Stirlingshire village, along with an episode of Taggart, and 1955 movie Geordie.
But filming on a Hollywood scale is guaranteed to disrupt daily life on some level for the people living nearby, whether that means road closures or an influx of traffic.
What do Gartmore residents think about their village’s increasingly regular starring role on the silver screen? We paid them a visit to find out.
‘Exciting’ for village to feature on screen
Resident Gerry McGarvey believes both recent film productions were a “positive experience” for villagers.
“It’s the nature of the village, we welcome creativity,” he said.
“We’re a creative community, a self-starting community. We have musicians, actors, artists, writers and lots of creatives here.”
Mr McGarvey, who hopes the creation of Stirling Studios will boost the region’s on-screen presence, added: “They have to come out of their way to come to the village. I welcome opportunities like this.”
One local woman who did not want to be named told The Courier: “It’s all rather exciting, I think.
“It’s great these filming experts like the look of our village.”
And Helen Webster said: “I think it’s been great having a piece of Hollywood come to our village.”
Worries over increased traffic and parking
However, some Gartmore residents raised concerns over the increase in vehicles on the village’s roads, particularly following the ban on pavement parking earlier this year.
Since restrictions came into force in July, the main road through the village has been tighter to drive through, and an exemption for the street was refused.
Another resident, Mollie Aspley, said: “It’s a temporary inconvenience with the parking but it’s nice to see it [filming] come to the village.
“The real issue is the parking, as it’s so narrow and we can’t park on the pavement anymore.”
One group of ladies told The Courier long trucks had blocked the bottom of the village, near the Manse, while Borges & Me was being filmed.
They also worried about buses being able to fit up and down the main street with more cars parking there during the most recent filming shoots.
“We like the village as it’s off the beaten track, we don’t need all that,” said one.
“Certain people do very well out of it. It’s nice in some ways, but there’s lots of waiting back [when vehicles are stopped to allow filming].”
However, Robert Dickie said: “As far as I could see, there was minimal disruption considering the volume of vehicles and personnel.
“It’s fantastic to see that Gartmore is featuring in media productions and more of this would benefit greatly all in the village.”
‘Pros and cons’ to filming in Gartmore
One local woman described the recent filming as “over the top” for Gartmore, but admitted it brought both advantages and disadvantages.
“It may cause some delays or parking frustrations, but I believe they donate money to local organisations,” she said.
Another resident told The Courier he used cones to ensure filming crews didn’t park outside his house.
He said: “It’s a bit tricky with the parking as it’s a small village, but it’s fine. They’re not here every month.
“While it’s an inconvenience, we have to deal with it and take the pros and cons.”
Another local said: “It benefits them money-wise, but I don’t see what benefits we get.
“It’s already hard enough to get parked without all these crews arriving.”
Gartmore isn’t the only Stirlingshire village to be cast in a film or TV programme.
Recently, Doune locals also shared how they feel about the influx of tourism after the village’s castle had a starring role in Outlander.
- Do you live in Gartmore? Comment below with your views, or email us: isla.glen@dcthomson.co.uk
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