A film about an octogenarian tackling one of Scotland’s most iconic mountains hopes to inspire visitors to pull on their hiking boots, say VisitScotland,
Edie, stars English actress Sheila Hancock as an 83-year-old widow who decides to climb the 731m tall mountain, Suilven, in Sutherland, a feat which was carried out for real by the actress herself during filming.
The film co-stars Kevin Guthrie as Johnny, a reluctant local guide who joins Edie on her journey to the summit, as Edie is determined to prove to herself and everyone else that it’s never too late.
The tale, which features the scenery of Assynt, is set for release on 25 May during National Walking Month.
New figures taken from the latest Great Britain Day Visitor Survey reveal there were 34.6 million day trips in Scotland in 2017 which involved an outdoor activity such as walking, with 9 million of those trips taking place in the countryside.
Walking is one of the most popular topics searched on the VisitScotland website, with more than 670,000 page views for articles related to the activity last year.
A page on Munro-bagging was viewed on average 85 times per day in 2017, up from 68 the year before.
VisitScotland’s Insight paper on walking, which was published last year, estimates the activity generates up to £1.26b to the Scottish economy.
The paper found walking is most popular with those aged 55-64 but millennials make up more than a quarter of visitors participating in long walks.
And Edie may not be alone in her endeavours with 12 per cent of 65-plus visitors taking part in a long walk, hike or ramble.
While not as high as a Munro – which must be at least 914m tall – with its remoteness and stunning views, Suilven is considered one of the finest mountains in Britain.
To coincide with the film’s release, VisitScotland is working in partnership with the distributors, Arrow Films to help promote the movie, as well as Scotland’s outdoor appeal.
Activity includes the creation of a blog on holiday ideas for the North West Highlands, direct marketing, media promotions, and the display of promotional materials at a number of VisitScotland information centres and partner sites.
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