Outlander Dragonfly 1-Day Tour
Explore the sites of your favourite time-travelling romance on the Outlander Dragonfly 1-Day Tour. Take a trip around Scotland and discover the iconic filming locations of this internationally beloved TV series.
Setting the scene for Claire and Jamie Fraser’s adventures are the many spectacular landscapes of Scotland. The countries verdant highlands, rolling glens, and historic architecture all help to bring this 18th-century love story to life. Now you have the opportunity to visit the sites that feature as backdrops throughout the TV series. Take in the majesty of your surroundings and retrace the footsteps of your favourite characters.
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The Outlander Dragonfly 1-Day Tour is jam-packed with iconic sites. Beginning your day at Linlithgow Train Station, you will see some of the TV series most recognisable filming locations. All the while travelling through some of the most beautiful natural landscapes that Scotland has to offer.
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.
Your first stop of the day is Drummond Castle. Originally built in the 15th century, this castle has been the home of many important historical figures. However, as far as the tour is concerned, the most important aspect of this stop is the gardens surrounding the castle. Dating back to the 1630s, these sprawling gardens boast a vast collection of plant life. They are protected as a category A listed building, due to their cultural and historic importance. In Outlander, the gardens were a stand-in for those at the Palace of Versailles.
Travelling on from the serene setting of the castle gardens, you will visit Tibbermore Church. This was the scene a more tumultuous part of the Outlander adventure. This is the filming location of the witch trials, where Claire and Geillis are both accused of witchcraft. Thankfully, the trial finds Claire innocent and sets her free. The same can’t be said for Geillis, but this is not where her story ends either.
The next stop on the Outlander Dragonfly 1-Day Tour is Tullibardine Chapel. This chapel features in a memorable scene from the Season 2 episode ‘Vengeance is Mine’. This is where Rupert Mackenzie loses his eye after a run-in with a band of redcoats.
The final locations on this tour are both towns that the Outlander production crew transformed into other places. The first is Falkland. This small village in Fife has appeared many times throughout the TV series. It features as a 1940s version of the Scottish city Inverness. Then it’s on to Dysart, which similarly appears on screen as Le Havre in Normandy.
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.
Locations (6)
1. Meeting Point: Linlithgow Train Station
Tours depart from Linlithgow Train Station, Station Road, Linlithgow EH49 7DH
20 minutes by train from Edinburgh
30 minutes by train from Glasgow
2. 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.
3. Drummond Castle Gardens / Versailles
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.
4. 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.
5. Falkland / Inverness
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 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.
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