EXPLORE OUTLANDER SCOTLAND

“I am come home”

Obsessed with Claire and Jamie?  Let’s be honest, who isn’t?!  Take a private tour around Scotland with Scottish Highland Trails and delve into the wonderful world of Outlander, visiting a mix of filming locations as well as historic sites with links to the Jacobite Rebellions.  We will work with you to create the perfect bespoke Outlander itinerary, with options ranging from short tours to extended multi-day itineraries designed to show the very best of Scotland.  The itinerary below fits nicely into seven days, but we can tailor shorter (or longer!) tours – let us know how long you’ve got, and we’ll do the rest.

SAMPLE SEVEN DAY OUTLANDER TOUR

This route is suitable for either a SELF DRIVE or a CHAUFFEUR DRIVE private tour

Accommodation: various options are available depending on your needs and budget, from B&B/guest house to country inn to luxury hotel.  Simply let us know what your requirements are, and we will take it from there.

Day One: Edinburgh

Kick things off in Scotland’s capital city, Edinburgh, with visits to

  • The Palace of Holyroodhouse: official residence of the Queen in Scotland, this historic palace hosted Prince Charles Edward Stuart and his court for six weeks during the Jacobite Uprising of 1745
  • Explore the nooks and crannies of the city’s Old Town and soak up the atmosphere of this UNESCO World Heritage Site. Some of the narrow passageways (or “closes”) of the Royal Mile were used as filming locations including Bakehouse Close and Tweeddale Court

Overnight in Edinburgh

Day Two: Edinburgh & Surrounding Area

Explore a bit further afield today with options to visit

  • Hopetoun House: This beautiful mansion which is the ancestral home of the Hope family doubles as the Duke of Sandringham’s stately home. The grounds and stables have also featured in the Outlander TV series
  • Midhope Castle AKA Lallybroch, Jamie’s home, is on the Hopetoun House estate
  • Linlithgow Palace: the beautiful fountain in the palace courtyard was said to have run with red wine during the visit of Bonnie Prince Charlie in 1745! The entrance was used during filming to recreate Wentworth Prison where Jamie is incarcerated

Overnight in Edinburgh

Day Three: Fife

  • Blackness Castle: known as “the ship that never sailed”, this impressive medieval fortress on the banks of the River Forth is used as Jack Randall’s HQ in Fort William
  • Wander the streets of Culross, a beautiful village by the River Forth, and visit the historic Culross Palace. Various scenes were filmed here including exteriors of Cranesmuir and Geillis Duncan’s house.
  • Falkland: the village was transformed into Inverness for filming. One of the local inns was Mrs Baird’s guest house, and you can see the fountain, where the ghost of Jamie looks up at Claire’s room. Visit historic Falkland Palace, a favourite of the Stuart kings.
  • Aberdour Castle: AKA the abbey of Ste. Anne de Beaupré, where Jamie is taken to recuperate after his torture in Wentworth Prison
  • Dysart: the picturesque fishing port stands in for Le Havre in Season 2

Overnight in the Fife area

Day Four: The Highlands

Head north today through beautiful Highland scenery to visit

  • First stop is the Highland Folk Museum, a living history museum where you can learn more about life in the Highlands in the 18th The traditional (reconstructed) Highland black houses here were used in filming to double as the village where Dougal collects rents from the clansmen
  • Continue north to Culloden Battlefield, just outside Inverness. The excellent visitor centre tells the story of the fated 1745 Jacobite Rebellion and the defeat of Bonnie Prince Charlie’s Jacobite Army on Culloden Moor.  Walk out on the battlefield to see the graves of the clans, including of course Clan Fraser
  • Clava Cairns: The standing stones and burial cairns here date from around 4000 years ago. Inspiration for Craigh na Dun!

Overnight in Inverness

Day Five: Inverness and the Great Glen

  • Spend some time in Inverness, exploring Claire and Frank’s honeymoon destination before heading west through the Great Glen to Loch Ness
  • Take a sail on Loch Ness and visit the beautiful ruined Urquhart Castle, blown up by government troops to prevent it falling into Jacobite hands in the late seventeenth century
  • Visit Fort William. The West Highland Museum houses a fascinating collection of artefacts including objects belonging to Bonnie Prince Charlie, Jacobite glassware and weapons.

Overnight in Fort William

Day Six: Glencoe to Stirling

  • You start the day heading south from Fort William to Glencoe. The simply stunning mountain scenery here hides a dark past – the massacre of the Clan Macdonald which took place here in 1692.
  • You leave Glasgow heading east towards Stirling. No Outlander tour would be complete without a visit to Doune Castle AKA Castle Leoch, which was also a real-life Jacobite stronghold in the 18th century
  • Scenes featuring Jamie’s cousin’s wine warehouse in Le Havre were filmed at nearby Deanston Distillery. Of course, it is whisky which is produced here, and not wine – take a tour (and a sample!) to learn more about Scotland’s national drink
  • Visit the impressive fortress of Stirling Castle, a favourite of the Stuart kings. Besieged by the Jacobite Army not long before the Battle of Culloden in 1746

Overnight in Stirling

Day Seven: Stirling to Glasgow

  • Drive west to Stirling with an optional detour to Loch Lomond on the way to enjoy the beautiful scenery here and perhaps take a sail on the loch
  • Continue south from Loch Lomond to visit the University of Glasgow Gilmorehill Building which doubles as Harvard, where Frank works as a professor
  • Visit Glasgow Cathedral, built in the 1100s and the oldest intact cathedral in mainland Scotland. The under church was used to film the scenes in Season Two, where Claire works a nurse in the Hôpital des Anges, Paris
  • See George Square, today the heart of the bustling centre of Glasgow and surrounded by impressive 19th century buildings including the prestigious City Chambers. The scene of Frank’s proposal to Claire

Our Outlander Tour ends here! Overnight in Glasgow OR return to Edinburgh