Of the many worlds Roald Dahl created, the land of giants where children's dreams were kept was perhaps the one held closest to his heart.

In various interviews before his death, the author said that of all his stories, The BFG bore a particularly special magic for him and it stayed with him throughout his lifetime.

Dahl was telling the story of the dream-catching giant to his own children and, later, his grandchildren before the book was written. He would climb a ladder outside their bedrooms and pretend to blow good dreams in through the window - just like the BFG.

What began as a short note, scribbled in an old school exercise book, went on to become one of the world's most beloved children's stories with Dahl himself dedicating it to his late daughter Olivia, who died of measles encephalitis at the age of seven.

The story of the gentle giant and his cave of bottled dreams has captured the imagination of readers for more than 30 years, as has Dahl's gripping account of a country not far from ours where giants roam free in grisly delight.

Bringing Giant Country to life in 2016 has been the challenge of BFG location manager David Broder, responsible for creating the dramatic landscapes that Dahl so vividly depicted in his book for a new film adaptation directed by Steven Spielberg.

"I'd read The BFG to my daughter when she was six so I knew it well," says David, whose previous film credits include The King's Speech and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

"I remember doing the voices of the giants for her," he laughs.

Tasked with finding filming locations to recreate the magical land, David and his team spent six months researching and scouring areas from Finland to Norway in the hunt for giant friendly ground.

"We eventually realised that Scotland had everything we needed," says David. "It felt like it was the right kind of place."

Gripped by the dramatic mountain ridges and still lochs of the isles, the team selected key locations, including iconic spots such as The Fairie Glen on Skye and The Old Man of Hoy.

"The mythology of these places added to it," says David. The landscape had that atmosphere that has sparked these stories."

Scotland has a long and delightfully grisly history of giants reflected in the regions that attracted the film team.

Giants occur frequently in traditional Scottish folklore, especially in the Western Isles were people would tell stories of how the land had been shaped by the exploits of giants.

From the Old Man of Storr, a giant whose finger remains frozen in death pointing at the sky, to the stone people of The Quiraing, the myths of Caledonia did as much as our geography did in gripping the imagination of the directors.

The team collaborated with Weta Workshop, the special effects group who gained world prominence for their work in Peter Jackson's film trilogy The Lord of the Rings, to create the dramatic landscapes Dahl described.

"It was an absolute dream to work on," says David. "I'm more than pleased with the end result. Hopefully everyone else will think so too."

The Quiraing

Often described as the most beautiful landslide in the world, The Quiraing is a series of dramatic linear peaks and valleys along the eastern escarpment of the Trotternish peninsular on the Isle of Skye.

A striking, ethereal landscape, the folds of land are made up of everything from pinnacles and plateaus, to hidden meadows where folklore says the fairies gather.

Tales also tell how the area used to be the home of dragons that guarded the island from invaders and local legends claim that some of the rock formations were once real people that were turned to stone through magic.

The Old Man of Storr

The Storr is a majestic rocky cliff located along the Trotternish Ridge. Legend has it that Old Man of Storr was a giant who had lived in Trotternish.

When he died, his finger remained frozen in death, pointing at the sky.

Another version is that while fleeing from attackers, two giants, an old man and his wife made the unfortunate decision to look back and as they did so were turned to stone.

The Cuillin

One of the most dramatic mountain ranges in the UK, The Cuillin and its trademark coarse black rock appears in many old island legends.

A Scottish water horse, known as a Kelpie, is said to live in Loch Coruisk (Cauldron of Waters) at the foot of the Cuillin Hills and is said to drag unwary sailors into its ice cold waters.

The FairyGlen

Renowned for its emerald mounds and cool glass waters, The Fairy Glen is largely known by how well it is hidden, with many an island ancestor claiming it to be the gathering place of the fair folk.

The Shiant Isles

The Shiants are far out to sea between Skye and the Outer Hebrides. The strait between the Island of Lewis and the Shiant Isles was known in the 19th century as 'the stream of the Blue Men' because it was said to be inhabited by a strange group of creatures.

The Blue Men of the Minch, also known as Storm Kelpies, are said to occasionally prey on sailors making the crossing.

The Old Man of Hoy

Created by the erosion of a cliff through hydraulic action some time after 1750, the Old Man of Hoy may soon collapse into the sea.

Look out for its iconic shape in The BFG as the friendly giant takes his last big step off the tower across the water and onward to the land of giants.

The BFG is in cinemas in the UK from July 22.