We Took An Outlander Tour

Outlander started as a book by Diana Gabaldon and turned into a phenomenon when it came to television screens. If you want to learn more about my experience with the books and tv show you can read about it in my last blog post.

When Outlander was filmed they used actual places and historical sites for their filming and not just a studio. When people realized this, tourism in Scotland increased and Outlander tours started to pop up for fans. Garrett and I were able to take this tour and jump into the world of Outlander for just a day. Read and watch the video below to see what we got to see on the Outlander Tour we took in Scotland.

Midhope Castle - Lallybroch

The outside of Midhope Castle served as the outside of Jamie Fraser's home - Lallybroch. If you have seen the show then you know Lallybroch well. Claire and the audience was introduced to Lallybroch in Season 1, with some good but also tortured memories. Good memories of course from growing up here with his sister and parents. Tortured memories from when the Redcoats came to Lallybroch for Jamie - Black Jack Randall tied him to the archway and flogged him right there. When you visit Midhope Castle you can see the outside and the archway. The inside is in ruin so there is no way for you to get inside and look around (it is completely closed off so no one can go inside). Midhope Castle is a 15th-century castle that belonged to Alexander Drummond, brother to Robert Drummond who was Master of Work to the Crown of Scotland. The Drummond family has ties to Mary, Queen of Scots. If you would like to see a part of Midhope Castle there is a painted ceiling from the tower is in the care of Historic Scotland at Edinburgh.

Blackness Castle - Garrison (Fort William)

Blackness Castle served as the garrison, Fort William in the Outlander. Most of what you see of Blackness Castle in the show is the courtyard where Jamie Fraser was flogged by Black Jack Randall. Blackness Castle is located in Linlithgow, Scotland on the shore of the Firth of Forth. It was built in the 15th century as a residence for one of Scotland's most powerful families at the time, the Crichtons. It has taken on many roles throughout the years - it was a royal castle in 1453, was a fortress in 1542, a state prison from 1543 to the 1700s, and then an ammunition depot in the 19th century.

Linlithgow Palace - Wentworth Prison

Linlithgow Palace was closed due to renovations being done. We were here during Covid so many historical sites were closed because tourism was cut off for a while. They wanted to make sure these places were stable for when people came back. However, Linlithgow Palace is still closed for the time being (February 2023) for site inspections according to the Historic Scotland website. We were able to see the outside of the palace and get some pictures of what the palace looks like. Linlithgow Palace plays the part of Wentworth Prison in season 1 of the Outlander series. The gateway where Murtagh and Claire leave Wentworth Prison, the staircase when Claire breaks into Wentworth to try and save Jamie, the cells where Claire yells out to Jamie, and the tunnel that Claire runs through to find Jamie were all filmed here. The scene where Black Jack Randall tortured Jamie was filmed in an actual studio. Linlithgow Palace has quite the history with it being occupied as far back as 2,000 years and has been a royal residence since 1124. The palace was one of the principal residences of the Scottish monarchs and was the birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots.

Fife Scotland - Culross Village and Falkland

• Culross Village - Culross Palace, Gellis Duncan's House, Pillory

We stopped in Culross Palace on our tour and were able to see many places that are well known in the Outlander fandom. In season 2, the outside of Culross Palace is used as the encampment area when Jamie and Claire follow Bonnie Prince Charlie as part of the Jacobite cause. Also in season 2, the outside is used for Claire's makeshift dental surgery tent. Many of the rooms inside Culross Palace are used like: Geillis Duncan's parlor, a bedroom for Jamie and Claire, Bree's room and Laoghaire's kitchen, and a tavern. The Palace gardens are also used as the herb gardens outside of Leoch, that you can see Claire and Geillis exploring many times throughout the series. You also get to see the outside of Geillis Duncan's house and the pillory where a boy has his ear nailed and Claire needs to create a distraction for Jamie to help the poor boy get free. Culross Palace does have tours available on the inside, unfortunately due to limited bus tour time Garrett and I were unable to get tickets for this. Also, venture around the area and find the Culross Abbey ruins, this was such an awesome place to explore.

• Falkland - 1946 Inverness, Mrs. Bairds B&B, Bruce Fountain

As the tour bus rolled into Falkland I was instantly transported to some of the most lasting scenes of the show. Falkland was used as the town of Inverness that Claire and Frank visit while on their second honeymoon in 1946. We also saw the outside of Mrs. Bairds Bed & Breakfast where Claire and Frank stayed in Inverness. We were unable to go inside but it was so cool to look up and see the window where Claire was blow-drying her hair when the power went out. One of the most important things we saw was Bruce Fountain, the statue that Frank sees a ghost (Jamie's ghost...we think) looking up in the window at Claire. Besides visiting the Outlander locations you can also walk through Falkland Palace which once was a leisure palace where Mary Queen of Scots relaxed. Each room in the palace had a guide who talked about the importance of the room, the furniture, carvings and paintings.

Our tour was with Rabbie's Tours, we met the group and bus in the morning and the tour lasted until around 5 pm when we got back into Edinburgh. It is definitely a full-day tour that takes you all over. I would tell you to be prepared with your phone, camera, weather-appropriate clothes/shoes, and some snacks if you get peckish. We did stop for lunch in the town of Linlithgow where there were some different restaurants. Garrett and I went to The Four Marys which was delicious (look for a blog coming soon on this).

**Book your next trip to Linlithgow, Scotland with me on Booking.com.

Taking a tour like this will take some planning, after we found the tour that we wanted we scheduled it for the last day we would be in Scotland. We were able to book with the company through TravelAdvisor and we paid online (I want to say it was around 100 per person at the time we went in October of 2021). We did schedule ahead of our trip to make sure we were reserved in that spot!

While this is a tour for Outlander fans, non-Outlander fans can enjoy this tour as well. You may be visiting Outlander filming locations but they are also historical sites that you can learn from. So anyone looking to learn more and see castles/palaces in Scotland this might be the perfect tour for you!

Read more: How I Got My Husband To Watch Outlander