Outlander 5-Day Tour of Scotland

Discover history and romance on the Outlander 5-Day Tour of Scotland. Join other diehard fans of the TV series on this luxury journey around Scotland.

While Scotland is not a particularly big country, it is jam-packed full of unique and stunning landscapes and monuments to history. Many of these have featured throughout the run of the Outlander TV series. The country’s castles and stately homes have become iconic filming locations and the sites of dramatic storylines. While the verdant glens and highlands have been the settings of fierce battles and intense love stories.

This tour sells out early, we suggest that you book many months in advance.

From 2.150 per person

Covid-19 safety measures

We're good to go

Check In

This will be a contactless process; your guide will check your name off their list. No handover of vouchers necessary.

We will be doing a temperature check for everyone including the guides. If we are uncomfortable with a temperature reading, the guest will not be allowed join the tour.

Tour Vehicle

Before each tour, the vehicle will be cleaned and sanitised.

Frequently touched points will be cleaned and sanitised throughout the day.

Face coverings will be required to be worn by all guests while in the tour vehicle.

Your guide will be wearing either a mask or a visor. Please make sure you have a mask with you.

In our cars, we will have a protective screen between the driver and back seats.

Hand sanitiser will be available in all vehicles

We will be following Scottish Government guidelines regarding social distancing and guest numbers in our vehicles.

Cancellations/Flexible bookings

If you need to change your booking due to being in contact with someone who has Covid-19, we will change your booking – no fee & no fuss.

Our Partners

We will only be working with businesses who are adhering to the same high-level standards as Mary’s Meanders.

Your Safety and Ours

We will be working hard to keep you safe by implementing these safety procedures. All guests accept personal responsibility for protective covering, personal sanitising and adhering to the social distancing rules.

If at any time Social Distancing & safety measures are not being adhered to, the tour will be cut short with no refund.

If a guest does have a temperature or any of the Covid-19 symptoms (consistent cough, loss of sense of smell/taste) on the tour day, they will not be allowed join the tour. No refund will be given.

By joining the tour, you are confirming that you release the tour guide, driver, and Mary’s Meanders from any and all liability for unintentional exposure or harm due to Covid-19.

Finally, the Mary’s Meanders team looks forward to sharing our love of Scotland with you all again soon!

Tour map

Tour details

Full description

Now, with the Outlander 5-Day Tour of Scotland, you have the opportunity to see these sites.

All of these sites! Whether it’s a towering fortress or a humble village, the guides of the Outlander 5-Day Tour of Scotland are sure to bring you there. They have worked hard to organise a journey that covers all that Scotland has to offer. Combining filming location visits with luxury accommodation, they make sure to leave no Outlander fan wanting. For experience or comfort!

Instead of merely driving guests from one location to another, our guides will join you into the locations and share a wealth of knowledge about the sites and the TV series. We work closely with all visited sites to ensure the entire tour is an experience you will never forget.

Day 1 begins with a walk along Edinburgh’s Royal Mile.

On this morning jaunt, you are sure to see a number of buildings that feature throughout the TV series. Some of which are Jamie’s print shop and the World’s End Pub.

Blackness Castle / Fort William
Blackness Castle / Fort William

Then you’ll head out of the city to visit some historic buildings that play an important role in Outlander. First is Blackness Castle, the huge fortress that doubles as Fort William. From there you’ll see Linlithgow Palace (Wentworth Prison) and the nearby St. Michael’s Church.

The first day ends with some free time in the Burgh of Linlithgow and then an evening meal and mixer back at the luxury cottage accommodation.

On Day 2, you’ll explore villages and buildings that were transformed for the TV series.

The are Falkland, a stand-in for Inverness, Dysart, which doubles as Le Havre in Normandy, and Culross, recognisable as the fictional village Cranesmuir. After this, you will visit the sprawling Hopetoun Estate. Here you’ll see Midhope Castle (Lallybroch) and Hopetoun House (the residence of the Duke of Sandringham).

Outlander: Hopetoun House / Duke of Sandringham's residence
Outlander: Hopetoun House / Duke of Sandringham’s residence

That night you’ll be treated to a traditional Scottish meal in Linlithgow.

Day 3 takes in some important landmarks of Scotland’s history.

First stop is the Highland Folk Museum. This reconstructed 18th-century village will transport you back to the Scotland of yesteryear. It was also the location of many scenes throughout Season 1 of Outlander.

Next, you’ll get to explore the real-life battlefield at Culloden. This was the site of one of the most important battles of the Jacobite Risings. As you take in the significance of the area, you’ll be sure to find a gravestone marked ‘Clan Fraser’. This is in honour of the family that the character Jamie Fraser is said to be a part of.

Culloden Battlefield
Clan Fraser grave marker at Culloden Battlefield and Visitor Centre

Finally, you’ll visit the Clava Cairns. An ancient burial ground, this is the site where Claire travels back in time, kicking off the whole Outlander adventure.

Day 4 brings you to a number of significant Outlander locations.

These include Doune Castle (Castle Leoch), Tibbermore Church (the site of the witch trials), Drummond Castle Gardens (the Palace of Versailles) and Tullibardine Chapel (where Rupert loses his eye). Amongst these, you will also make a stop at Deanston Distillery. Recognisable as Uncle Jared’s warehouse, it is also a purveyor of high-class whisky.

During your evening meal on this night, you’ll be treated to traditional Gaelic entertainment.

Day 5 takes in some high and low points from the TV series.

Craigmillar Castle
Craigmillar Castle which Mary Queen of Scots famously used as a safe haven in 1566.

You’ll make a stop at Craigmillar Castle (Ardsmuir Prison) before celebrating love at Glencorse Kirk, where Claire and Jamie marry. Then it’s a trip to Rosslyn Chapel, recognisable from Season 1.

Day 5 ends with a trip to the Kelpies, before being dropped off back in Edinburgh.

Accommodation

The accommodation is a mixture of double and twin rooms (2 single beds). These are allocated according to need, but we would appreciate people being willing to share. In many cases, you will be sharing a bathroom with one other person.

Did you know…

… that we have had the great honour to take Diana Gabaldon – the famous author of The Outlander saga – together with a few lucky fans on a special tour to selected Outlander locations? The event was organised by VisitScotland in recognition of Diana’s contribution to Scottish tourism with her books and subsequent TV series.

Diana Gabaldon with Emma and Anne
Diana Gabaldon with Emma and Anne

Locations (21)

2. Blackness Castle / Fort William

Blackness Castle / Fort William
Blackness Castle / Fort William

Blackness Castle is a 15th century-old fortress built by the Crichton family. It has been used as a royal residence, a prison and a weapons store. Due to its unusual shape, it is often referred to as ‘the ship that never sailed’.

When selecting a filming location for Outlander’s Fort William, Blackness Castle is the setting for Black Jack Randall’s stronghold. This is the scene where Jamie was whipped and tortured during his incarceration was filmed here, filling fans with genuine compassion for Jamie.

This is also where Jamie’s father passed away after watching his son facing punishment. During the mid-season finale of series one, Blackness Castle was used when Claire was held captive by Black Jack before Jamie breaks into Fort William to rescue her.

Not only did Blackness Castle showcase the backdrop of Fort William, but also captured scenes from 1990’s Hamlet and 2019’s Mary Queen of Scots.

3. Linlithgow Palace / Wentworth Prison

Linlithgow Palace by Night
Linlithgow Palace and St Michael's Parish Church by Linlithgow Loch

The impressive Scottish Linlithgow Palace dates back to the 12th century and is the birthplace of the Scottish Monarchs Mary Queen of Scots and James V. Due to its eerie exterior Linlithgow Palace serves as Outlander’s Wentworth Prison where Black Jack Randall captures, rapes and tortures Jamie during his incarceration.

This is also where Claire pretends to be a relative to convince the jailer to let her visit Jamie. The jailer promptly declines before Claire leaves and throws up before Murtagh swiftly picks her up. The spiral staircase that Claire descends trying to avoid the redcoats was also shot at Linlithgow, as was a later scene where Claire searches the prison cells.

5. Falkland / Inverness

Falkland Village
The picturesque village of Falkland. The Bruce fountain is the central point of Falkland Village.

The small and quiet Scottish village of Falkland has streets lined with stone cottages which have been around since the 17th and 18th centuries. The village is home to 28 listed buildings, one of which includes the historic Falkland Palace. Falkland serves as Inverness in the TV series, because Inverness was unsuitable for filming as the buildings and streets were too modern, which was far from the look and feel needed for the show.

We first see Falkland when Claire and Frank arrive in Outlander’s Inverness for their second honeymoon. Here they meet Reverend Wakefield the local minister, and Mrs Baird the owner of the bed and breakfast. Falkland featured streets such as Rotten Row, Sharps Close and Brunton Street. A house in Brunton Street is where Mary Hawkins cared for sick Alex Randall at McGilvrey’s Boarding House.

6. Dysart / Le Havre

Dysart / Le Havre in Outlander
Dysart / Le Havre in Outlander

Dysart Harbour dates way back to the 14th century, and the history behind the location is a rich one. In the 17th century, the harbour grew extensively when an influx in exports of coal and salt to the Baltic regions was agreed. Dysart Harbour is the filming location which became known as Le Havre in the series.

The French Harbour is first seen in the first episode of Season 2 when Jamie and Claire arrive. Upon their arrival, they meet the shows newly introduced villain Comte St. Germain. Although Claire and Murtagh rescue Jamie from the clutches of Black Jack Randall to escape to Paris, none of the filming ever took place in France.

7. Culross / Cranesmuir

Culross / Cranesmuir
Culross Palace and Gardens in the Royal Burgh of Culross

The picturesque village of Culross has been around since the 17th century, featuring a mustard yellow palace, rustic village homes and is lined with idyllic cobbled streets. Culross is the setting for Cranesmuir used in many scenes of the Outlander series.

Culross first appeared in season 1, painted as a dull and grey looking town during filming. After shooting the Outlander scenes, the village was painted back to its original white colour. In the centre of Culross we find the town square with the Mercat Cross and the home of Geillis Duncan in Cranesmuir. This is where Geillis was sentenced to burn as a witch and where Jamie and Claire rescued the young thief when his ear was pinned to a post.

8. Midhope Castle / Lallybroch (Apr - Oct)

Outlander: Midhope Castle / Lallybroch Castle
Outlander: Midhope Castle / Lallybroch Castle

The breathtaking Midhope Castle dates back to the 16th Century. The castle exterior remains intact however the interior of the structure has been neglected and has decayed extensively. The centuries-old castle was the home of Jamie Fraser known as Lallybroch. Jamie’s parents left him ownership of Lallybroch, but the castle was also home to Jamie’s sister Jenny, her husband and their children.

Lallybroch is first introduced in a flashback scene in season 1 episode 2, when Jamie attempts to save Jenny from the clutches of the Redcoats but instead gets captured and taken to Fort William. We then see Lallybroch further in episode 12 when Jamie and Claire return to the castle and a disagreement erupts with Jenny before settling in for the following few episodes. Some episodes later an encounter with ‘The Watch’ sees the characters having to leave Lallybroch.

Please note that Midhope Castle is occasionally subject to closures for estate activity.

9. Hopetoun House / Duke of Sandringham's Residence

Hopetoun House / Duke of Sandringham’s Residence
Hopetoun House / Duke of Sandringham’s Residence

Hopetoun House is a country home in Scotland built in the 16th century for the Hope family, located on the Hopetoun estate which covers an area of 6.500 acres. Outlander followers will recognise the country home as the Duke of Sandringham’s residence.

Hopetoun House was used to shoot the red drawing-room scene in episode 10 of season 1 when Claire blackmails the Duke of Sandringham to ensure Jamie is pardoned. During season 2, we were taken from Scotland to a Paris setting, although none of the footage was ever captured in France! The alleyway behind Hopetoun House was in fact featured as Paris backstreets. Finally, in episode 4 of season 3 Jamie and the Dunsany family arrive by carriage to visit Lady Geneva at the home of the Earl of Ellesmere. The exterior of the Earl’s home was one of many other filming locations at Hopetoun House.

12. Clava Cairns

Clava Cairns
Prehistoric Burial Cairns of Bulnuaran of Clava or Clava Cairns

13. Doune Castle / Castle Leoch

Doune Castle / Castle Leoch - Outlander
Doune Castle / Castle Leoch - Outlander

Doune Castle was built in the 14th century to seat Scotland’s uncrowned King Regent Albany, and the medieval courtyards of the castle showcase the regent’s rich tastes. The castle has one of Scotland’s best-preserved great halls and a stunning 100ft (30m) gatehouse.

Doune Castle served as the setting for Outlander’s Castle Leoch and is highlighted in several key scenes across the first season of the show. In the 18th century episodes, Castle Leoch is the home of Colum Mackenzie and his clan. At the beginning of the series, Claire and Frank pay a visit to Castle Leoch on a day trip, only to discover the castle is in ruins. Doune Castle also hosted the scene where Claire, Jamie and Dougal’s party approach the castle courtyard.

Doune Castle is more than just the home of Castle Leoch, as it was also the backdrop of Winterfell in the GOT TV series and was also seen in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

15. Tibbermore Church / Cranesmuir Church

Tibbermore Church is set in a captivating walled graveyard and dates back to the 16th century. Its unique raked stone flooring and wooden pews give the church a distinctive feel. Outlander fans will recognise Tibbermore Church as representing Cranesmuir Church in the series.

The Devil’s Mark is where the heart wrenching witch trial was held in the court. Fans will recall the episode showing Claire and Geillis being thrown into the thieves hole to await their trial for witchcraft. The pair are anxiously sat in the docks before Geillis is removed from court and sentenced to death by fire.

Unlike many Outlander filming locations, Tibbermore Church hasn’t changed since its adaption for the TV series. The interior of the church remains in the same state as it was before filming had begun.

16. Drummond Castle Gardens / Versailles

Drummond Gardens and Castle (01)
Drummond Gardens and Castle. The castle dates from the 15th Century and sits in the largest formal garden in Scotland.

The centuries-old Drummond Castle Gardens is one of Scotland’s most prestigious formal gardens. Since its initial development, the site has undergone a series of redesigns with the most recent in the 19th century. Queen Victoria planted a beech tree and yew hedges during her visit in 1842. The Gardens still retains the French style and extravagant feel today as portrayed in the Outlander series.

Drummond Castle Gardens serve as the Gardens of Versailles in Outlander. The first notable episode featuring this location is during Untimely Resurrection in season 2, when Claire and Jamie arrive at King Louis’ Court. You will recall Jamie assisting the Duke of Sandringham to select a horse before Jamie has an encounter with Black Jack Randall. This, of course, results in the two challenging each other to a duel.

17. Tullibardine Chapel

Tullibardine Chapel dates back to the 14th century and was explicitly used as a re-reformation chapel established by Sir David Murray. The chapel is one of few medieval churches in Scotland that remains unharmed, but Tullibardine Castle is no longer in existence today.

This is the location where Claire, Jamie, Fergus, Rupert and Dougal take refuge on their journey to Inverness and are ambushed by a group of redcoats. The redcoats believe Claire is a prisoner of the Scots, and demand for her to be released. Shortly afterwards, we see the church once again when the group leave by horseback, but not before Rupert receives a devastating shot to the eye.

19. Glencorse Old Kirk / Wedding scene

Set in the grounds of Glencorse House is where we find the tranquil church called Glencorse Old Kirk. A parish was built in the 16th century and sadly burned down. In its place, however, was the construction of Glencorse Old Kirk some decades later.

This is where Claire and Jamie’s wedding took place and the start of where their adventure truly began. The scene where the two tied the knot was during one of the most memorable episodes of the entire series. It took the production team a long five weeks to ensure the film set was nothing less than perfect.

Glencorse Old Kirk differs dramatically from how it is portrayed in Outlander. The film set was significantly adapted for the series to make it look more rundown, but there’s no mistaking the exterior as the place where Jamie and Claire got hitched.

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