Fans of the former Top Gear trio led by chief petrol-head Jeremy Clarkson were treated to a glimpse of their latest road test for the latest series of their new show The Grand Tour yesterday.
Mr Clarkson was joined by James May and Richard Hammond as they returned to the Highlands after filming in the Loch Ness and Fort Augustus area last year.
A third season has been commissioned and a huge crew of dozens of technicians joined the stars at the Kingsmills Hotel in Inverness, before they set off on another road trip yesterday morning.
Although they weren’t revealing what was planned, the team headed north up the A9 from Inverness with speculation rife that they were to film on sections of the North Coast 500.
As usual, each had their own vehicles – Mr Clarkson in a red Alfa Romeo, Mr Hammond in a two seater purple Fiat and Mr May in a silver Lancia.
But the threesome obviously weren’t that confident their vehicle choices would complete the spectacular journey around the Highland coastline – an AA recovery truck followed the convoy of around 20 just in case of a breakdown.
First stop was the Cromarty Firth with the entourage using the oil rig repair yard in Invergordon for a spot of filming with a traffic jam of redundant rigs as a backdrop.
Residents of Invergordon were bemused by the TV team as it drove through the town centre, unaware who were behind the wheels of the three leading cars.
An insider said: “After leaving the Kingsmills Hotel, the group were heading for the Ullapool area from where they will spend a couple of days filming in different locations on the west coast.”
A spokesman for The Grand Tour said: “I can confirm the team are filming for Series Three of The Grand Tour but more information on what they’ve been up to will be shared at a later date.”
The last time the crew were in the Highlands a large marquee for filming the show’s studio segments was erected on the outskirts of Fort Augustus.
The show provided worldwide exposure to the small village and a major economic boost for local guesthouses and accommodation providers.
Other locations used for filming the last series included California, Johannesburg and Whitby on the Yorkshire coast.
