Pennan Beach, Scotland, 2005

JULY 2005 – View along the tiny beach of Pennan in Scotland. Photo © Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com


The story behind the image

Pennan is a quaint fishing village perched on the very edge of the Scottish North Sea, a sleepy yet beautiful home to a few handfull of people. Yet, chances are high that you’ve seen Pennan already without ever having been there: in the 1983 hit movie Local Hero by Bill Forsyth.

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 step by step as he discovers the stunning nature and the friendly people.

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, it has a small beach – and a pub, where the people of Furness/Pennan meet 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.

So, if you are visiting the area, please plan for a side trip to Pennan – it’s worth it (just like the whole area)!


Design ideas


The high resolution image

Capture Date20-JUL-2005
LocationPennan, Scotland
CameraCanon AE-1 Program
Image SourceFuji Slide Film
Digital Image SourceEPSON Perfection 4870 Photo
Digital Image Source FormatTIFF, 48 bits/pixel, sRGB
Edited Image FormatJPEG, 24 bits/pixel, sRGB
Edited Image Dimensions6439 x 4153 Pixels
Copyright© by Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com

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