Self Guided Outlander Tour
Sing me a song of a lass that is gone, say, could that lass be I? Okay.. we all know the theme song and wish we were Claire (or Jaime), right?
For those of you that aren’t familiar with the show “Outlander”, it’s based on the books written by Diana J. Gabaldon. The story is about a woman from the 1940s that accidently goes back in time to 1700 Scotland. The Scots were fighting the English, proper medical care and sanitary conditions were not yet "a thing", men carried swords, and women- well, women weren’t considered much unless the men were hungry or.. hungry for something else.. Anyway, the show follows Claire through her wild adjustment and struggle to survive through the Jacobite uprisings. Not to mention, her lustful relationship with the hunky Highlander, Jaime Fraser. Kilt, sword, muscles and an absolute gentleman. Drooling just thinking about it. The story is definitely a great one and I absolutely recommend picking up the first book and giving it a try! Be warned- you'll probably get hooked.
The filming for the show takes place at various locations throughout Scotland. If you have limited time and hoping to see as much as you can without driving around the entire country though- you're in luck! You can easily take a day trip from Edinburgh or Glasgow and see quite a bit. Depending on how much time you hope to spend exploring the different locations and sites in between, you may even want to take two days. There are 7 stops making up a loop that bring you through the ancient Scottish Kingdom of Fife, near the city of Perth and right past Stirling. All of which are worth spending some time and exploring if you have the interest and time. Stopping off to see the famous Kelpies is another noteworthy site. So there's loads to do in addition to Outlander sites. However, if you're looking to strictly keep your touring to Outlander- you can do that as well!
Below you will find a list of stops and their significance to the show. Choose which locations are your must visits and narrow down your choices for your own self guided tour! Driving in Scotland can be intimidating, but you'll really be able to see more this way.
Hopetoun House - Home of the Duke of Sandringham
Hopetoun House is an estate that actually has more than one filming location on the property. The main house is an impressive structure built between 1699-1701 and is a beautiful sight just to admire. In the show, the house was used as the home of the Duke of Sandringham. Scenes were filmed in the Red Drawing Room and additionally in the rear of the house on the lawn. You may recognize the property as the setting where Jaime and Jack Randal have their gripping swordfight. Or where the Duke himself is set to have his own dual with the head of the McDonald clan. Behind the Stables Tearoom, you will also find a courtyard used as a Parisian Street. The house is open to the public from Easter to the last Sunday in September. Only a 37 minute drive from Edinburgh, it makes for a great first stop on your Outlander tour!
Midhope Castle - Lallybroch
Located on the Hopetoun House Estate, Midhope Castle is a short drive from the Duke's crib. To access the Midhope Castle property though, you will need a parking pass. This can be purchased for 10 pounds either at the Hopetoun Farm Shop or the Hopetoun House Ticket Kiosk, which are both a 5 minute drive away. Once you have your pass displayed and you're all set, channel your inner Claire and walk up the drive pretending you're walking alongside Jaime as he brings you to your new home. *swoon* Sadly, you can't enter the castle- you'll notice that the interior hasn't been kept up through the years. But, take some time wandering around and pretending the year is 1743. Maybe red coats are approaching the property or Jaimie and Jenny are desperately trying to free themselves from the hands of Jack Randal. From April to September, you can visit the property from 9-5. October-December is 10-3.
Dysart Harbour - Le Havre, France
Outlander starts season two in France. And how lucky are you that you get to add a visit to France into your Scotland trip! The location of Le havre, where we meet the Comte St. Germain however, is in fact, filmed at Dysart Harbour. You can still tell everyone you swung by France for a bit though. Walk around the harbour, take some pictures and avoid the smallpox!
Falkland - Inverness
Heading North from Dysart Harbour, you'll eventually come upon the village of Falkland and it is adorable! I actually stayed here for about a week in 2017 before I even realized there was an Outlander connection. Subsequently, I was even reading Outlander at the time. So I'm sure I looked like a crazy fan without knowing it- and jump to nearly 2 years later and I'm writing an Outlander tour blog post realizing maybe I am a crazy fan afterall. Hm. Anyway, Falkland is depicted as Inverness in the show. Claire and Frank have their B+B right in town and Claire strolls the streets eyeing a vase that she likes in a shop window. The village is small so it doesn't take long to explore, but there's also plenty to do if you decide to make a trip out of it. Pop into Campbells Cafe for lunch right in the center of the village and try to get a seat near the window. From here, you can look out and imagine Jaimie staring up at Claire while in her B+B in season 1. If you have the time and are interested, check out the Falkland Palace and gardens. I really recommend spending some time in Falkland and taking advantage of the walking trails. Pillars of Hercules, an organic farm shop and cafe was one of my favorite places to go. Get some homemade soup and a turmeric latte! If you're looking to stay awhile, check out Thistle House, right in the center of town.
Doune Castle - Castle Leoch
Onto Doune Castle- err, I mean, Castle Leoch, home to Colum McKenzie and his clan! This location was used not only for Outlander, but you also may recognize it from Monty Python, "run away run away!" anddd even Game of Thrones. You can wonder the exterior of the castle and walk down to the creek, but the coolest part is you can go inside this one. And even better- there's a guided audio tour. I'm not always the biggest fan of audio tours, but this one was great! They give you an historical account of each room, but it also includes filming details, which is awesome if you're on this tour specifically for that reason. This visit is definitely a must if you love Outlander. Sam Heughan even narrates the audio parts about Outlander. I know I have your attention now.. But seriously, it's a great tour and really informative. At the end of your tour, you can even head over to the shop and throw on a costume for pictures. Talk about really channeling your inner Claire. The cost to get in is 6 pounds and that includes your audio guide. The grounds are open from 9:30-5:30 April-September and 10-4 October-March.
Culross - village of Cairnsmuir
Remember that time Claire and Geillis were accused of being witches? Or when Jaimie helped the child who was caught stealing and punished by having his ear nailed to a post? Well, all that happened in the village of Cairnsmuir, which is actually called Culross. The village is absolutely charming and transports you back in time the minute you step into it. The houses and cobblestone streets look like they haven't changed for centuries. For the show, the buildings were painted a grey to match the time period, but they have since been reverted back to their white facades. Head to the Mercat Cross area and you'll immediately recognize where you are. Just try to avoid being accused of being a witch.
Blackness Castle - Fort William
Built in the 1400s, Blackness Castle was the filming location for Fort William. It was here that Jaimie received his lashes from Captain Black Jack Randal and later broke into the fortress to save Claire at the end of season 1. With its giant walls, Blackness Castle was the perfect choice to portray an imposing fortress. Situated on the south shore of the Firth of Forth, the structure is often referred to as "the ship that never sailed" because of its interested ship like shape. In addition to being used as a castle, the establishment was also a state prison for some time. You may also recognize it from films such as Hamlet or Doomsday. Entry is 6 pound and you can visit from 9:30-5:30 April-September and 10-4 October-March.
Linlithgow Palace - Wentworth Prison
15 miles west of Edinburgh, you'll find the great Linlithgow Palace, which was used as Wentworth Prison in Outlander. We all know what happened there and we all wish we didn't. A once thriving castle used as prominent residence for Scottish royalty in the 15th and 16th centuries, Linlithgow Palace is now a ruin and a sight for visitors to explore. There's plenty to see and admire, including the courtyard. If you're obsessed with Scottish history like I am, you'll be intrigued to know that Linlithgow Palace was also the birthplace of Mary Stewart, aka Mary Queen of Scots. Pretty cool stuff!
The above suggested stops are laid out creating a loop (give or take) with a little back tracking after Hopetoun House to get over the Firth of Forth and over to Culross after Doune Castle. Like mentioned above, take as much time as you need/want and just enjoy it! You can spend as little as a day cutting a few visits out and it's just as exciting. Have fun and good luck driving! If you aren't comfortable driving on the other side of the road, claim you don't know how to drive stick and have your friend do it.. it works, believe me ;)