Outlander, the blockbuster TV series based on the novels by Diana Gabaldon, is set to return for Season Seven on June 16, 2023 – and we can hardly wait! If you’re planning a trip to Scotland and need a dose of Outlander to get you through the last few weeks before the show returns, we’ve got you covered. Here are five locations in Scotland that you can actually visit to make your time-travelling dreams come true!
1. Culloden Battlefield
The Battle of Culloden was the culminating point of the Jacobite rebellion, and around which the early seasons of Outlander largely revolve. Located just outside of Inverness, this battlefield saw the Jacobite army defeated by British forces in 1746, with a great loss of life, largely on the Jacobite side.
The Battle of Culloden features in Season Two of Outlander; but, as Culloden is a historical monument with thousands of war graves, the principal filming location for the battle scenes was Cumbernauld Glen, a beautiful ancient woodland between Falkirk and Glasgow.
The battlefield itself is well worth a visit if you find yourself up in the Highlands. The site is managed by National Trust Scotland and there is a fee to visit.
Culloden Battlefield
2. “Craigh na Dun”
One of Outlander’s most iconic moments is when Claire travels back through time at the Craigh na Dun stone circle. Fans visiting Scotland are always keen to know how to visit these stones, however, unfortunately you can’t actually visit them… because they don’t exist! The stone circle in the show was created out of polystyrene, and the set was built on private land near the village of Kinloch Rannoch.
But don’t despair, there are other options to see some amazing stone circles in Scotland. The mystical stones at Craigh na Dun are reportedly based on the 5,000-year-old Calanais (Callanish) Standing Stones on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides. This Neolithic monument predates Stonehenge and it is one of the best-preserved of its kind in Scotland. And if you’re traveling to the Outer Hebrides and you fancy seeing another wild sight, make sure you make a stop at Up Helly Aa, Shetland’s Viking Festival, which takes place the last Tuesday in January every year.
Callanish Standing Stones
3. Doune Castle
Featuring as the imposing home of the Clan Mackenzie in Season One, Doune Castle is a must-see location for fans visiting Scotland. Both exteriors and interiors of the castle were used for several scenes and a small village was built outside the front entrance.
The castle is no stranger to the silver screen. Before Outlander, it was well known as the filming location of Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Blockbuster show Game of Thrones also shot early scenes here, with the castle standing in for Winterfell in the pilot episode.
Doune Castle is open to visitors, and you can learn about the Outlander filming as you walk around. It’s operated by Historic Scotland, and there’s a fee to visit. This fifteenth-century medieval stronghold is around an hour’s drive from both Edinburgh and Glasgow. A public bus runs from Stirling to Doune, and you can easily get to Stirling by train from locations around Scotland.
Doune Castle (Castle Leoch in Outlander) – Credit: Shutterstock
4. Blackness Castle
This impressive fifteenth-century sea fortress near Linlithgow stood in for Fort William in Seasons One and Two. Scenes filmed at Blackness Castle include Jamie being given lashes in the courtyard by Jonathan “Black Jack” Randall (Tobias Menzies), and Jamie and Claire’s escape later in the season. In Season Two, Brianna (Sophie Skelton) and Roger (Richard Rankin) visit Fort William, and Blackness Castle reprises its role.
It is found forty-five minutes’ drive from Edinburgh and there’s parking on site. Blackness Castle is operated by Historic Scotland, and there’s a fee to visit. It’s free for Historic Scotland members and English Heritage members.
Blackness Castle
5. Hopetoun Estate
This location is just outside Edinburgh and is home to numerous Outlander filming sites, including Midhope Castle: a fifteenth-century tower house that fans will instantly recognise as Lallybroch, the family home of Jamie Fraser. Featuring primarily in the first two seasons of the show, sadly the building itself is derelict inside so you can’t go in, but it is definitely still worth visiting.
On the estate you’ll also find the spectacular seventeenth-century Hopetoun House. This is one of Scotland’s most impressive stately homes and appeared in Outlander as the Duke of Sandringham’s residence.
Midhope Castle (Lallybroch in Outlander) – Credit: Shutterstock
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