A road was closed on the Isle of Skye yesterday as part of hush-hush filming for a new car advert.
The advert, understood to be for a new Volvo model, was being filmed on the Quiraing road between Brogaig and Idrigill, in the north of the island.
The area is featured in the recent blockbuster Macbeth, starring Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard and Stardust, with Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer.
The distinctive backdrop is also visible in numerous television programmes, commercials, newspapers and magazines.
Highland Council had previously agreed to the road closure between Thursday at 7pm and 10.30pm last night – but film crews had packed up and left by yesterday lunchtime.
Details of the mystery car advert were vague amid strict confidentiality agreements, but several locals said they saw the film crew in the area yesterday morning. And the Press and Journal spotted a 4×4 vehicle with a camera crane attached to the front when the road was reopened later in the morning.
One shopkeeper in nearby Uig said that the crew were parked at Staffin village hall and that they had a Volvo car with them. He added that the road was closed for most of the morning.
Another woman in the shop at the village hall said that she had served the crew and that she believed they were from Sweden. She added: “I kept on asking them what the filming was for but they didn’t want to say a word about it.”
Staff from the catering company providing food for the crew were packing up yesterday when the Press and Journal arrived at the shop, but they refused to confirm or deny who the advert was for.
Volvo, a Swedish firm, were unavailable for comment yesterday to confirm or deny whether it was their advert.
The Quiraing is a distinctive landslip feature on the eastern face of Meall na Suiranach, the northern most summit of the Trotternish ridge. The hill walk is a popular route for tourists, and yesterday the car park at the Quiraing was packed full of vehicles.
