JULY 2005 – View of the Pennan Inn in Pennan, Scotland, which became world famous when it was used as a key location for the 1983 hit movie Local Hero. Photo © Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com
The story behind the image
Pennan in Scotland is a quaint fishing village perched on the edge of the North Sea – a sleepy yet beautiful home to a small community. But you might have seen Pennan already without ever having been there: in the 1983 hit movie Local Hero.
For those of you, who haven’t seen it, here’s what the movie is all about: Mac MacIntyre, a tough purchasing manager for KNOX Corporation, a Texan oil company, is sent to Scotland to acquire the complete (!) village of Furness to build an oil harbour. At first, MacIntyre is not too impressed by the calm lifestyle in Northern Scotland, but his attitude changes over time as he discovers the stunning nature and the friendliest people he ever met.
The real village of Pennan has been used to film the fictious village of Furness, and it’s easy to see why: It is situated at the sea side, it is very small and isolated, and it has a pub, where the people of Furness/Pennan meet every night.
My photo shows two locations that are highly relevant to the movie: The pub (The Pennan Inn), where the people of Furness/Pennan meet every night. And the red phone box, which is MacIntyres only link to the corporate headquarters of KNOX in Texas! And he has to report about the progress every night.
This quiet, thoughtful but also hilariously funny movie is a hidden gem and unforgettable – even more so, if you’ve seen Pennan in real life.
P.S.: The Pennan Inn was up for sale in September 2005 and fortunately found new owners – Monika, Roland and Dominik – who refurbished the building and operate a B&B and a gallery today.
Update 10th September 2025 – The Pennan Inn is for sale again.
The high resolution image
| Capture Date | 20-JUL-2005 |
| Location | Pennan, Scotland |
| Camera | Canon AE-1 Program |
| Image Source | Fuji Slide Film |
| Digital Image Source | EPSON Perfection 4870 Photo |
| Digital Image Source Format | TIFF, 48 bits/pixel, sRGB |
| Edited Image Format | JPEG, 24 bits/pixel, sRGB |
| Edited Image Dimensions | 6495 x 4417 Pixels |
| Copyright | © by Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com |
Zanzig.com Photo Hub 