Outlander Day Tour From Edinburgh
Embark on an unforgettable private Outlander day tour from Edinburgh designed for the ultimate Outlander fan. Departing from Edinburgh, this unforgettable one-day tour experience will visit some of the must see, major Outlander filming locations, leaving you with memories to cherish and stories to share with your fellow Outlander enthusiasts.
The Outlander filming locations in Scotland, many in and around Edinburgh, used stunning scenic backdrops, historic castles, and fascinating, alluring palaces to welcome the Outlander cast and crew.
The Outlander Story
This series was created to bring to life the highly acclaimed, Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander novels. It features Claire Randall, a 1940’s nurse who accidentally finds herself becoming a time traveller trapped in 18th-century Scotland.
Claire becomes embroiled in many, often horrific adventures during the Jacobite uprising. Her love interest from that era is the seemingly uncouth character, Jamie Fraser, who is central to this saga. She is torn between her love for him and her beloved husband from the 20th century, Frank, who has just returned from World War Two.
As readers and viewers, we empathise with Claire as she struggles to conceal her knowledge of the impending disaster that will befall her new friends at Culloden.
This summarises the first season of the series, with a further 6 (7th pending) covering many other historical events throughout the 17th century.
Outlander Day Tour Highlights from edinburgh
• Midhope Castle (Lallybroch)
• Blackness Castle (Fort William)
• Linlithgow Palace (Wentworth)
• Doune Castle (Castle Leoch)
• Culross (Cranesmuir)
Your private one-day outlander itinerary departing from Edinburgh
Midhope Castle (Lallybroch)
Departing from Edinburgh, our first Outlander filming location visit of the day is to Midhope Castle, the charming setting for the fictional Lallybroch (meaning lazy tower in Gaelic). This 15th-century tower house is the ancestral home of Jamie Fraser. It is located down a private lane on The Hopetoun Estate, in Queensferry near Edinburgh, although Lallybroch is set in Invernesshire in the Outlander books and series.
Lallybroch’s courtyard, with its arched entrance, is well known to Outlander fans; Claire eventually calls it ‘the place that had been imprinted forever in my head and on my heart. It was home once.’
Unfortunately, we cannot access the castle as the interior is derelict. However, we can still explore its sprawling scenic estate and capture a fantastic photo opportunity for your Outlander holiday album.
When walking away from Midhope, it is worth taking a look at the doocot on the right-hand side. This dovecote/pigeon house would have held approximately 1000 birds for eggs and food for the winter. In Outlander, this is where Ian Murray (Jamie’s brother-in-law) drives a sword through the blackmailing Horrocks, who is trying to extort more money from Jamie.
Our next Outlander tour stop will be to Blackness Castle, which is only a short drive away.
Blackness Castle (The Garrison at Fort William)
This mighty,15th-century Blackness Castle fortress, served as the setting of The Garrison at Fort William. This unhforgettable Outlander filming location, saw the infamous Black Jack Randall knock Jamie unconscious with a severe flogging. Later, Jamie rescues Claire from Jack, and they jump from the battlements into the sea (but this should not be attempted on our Outlander Tour).
Offering scenic views over the Firth of Forth, this impressive castle is known as “the ship that never sailed”, due to its unusual ship-like shape. Your guide will take you to the top of the tower, where you can see the outstanding panoramic views of the Three Brigs stretching across the Firth of Forth into the Kingdom of Fife.
We will then venture forth to Linlithgow Palace.
Linlithgow Palace (Wentworth)
Our next Outlander adventure takes us to the must-see ancient ruins of Linlithgow Palace. This magnificent Renaissance Palace doubles as the notorious, Wentworth Prison in Season One of Outlander.
Linlithgow Palace is best known as the birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots in 1542 and her Father, James V, in 1512. The majestic Palace, was a strategic residence for the Stuarts, situated between the Royal Castles of Edinburgh and Stirling in the Forth Valley Tourist Route.
Outlander Fans will remember well the horrific scenes of torture and assaults inflicted on Jamie by Randall. These actual scenes were filmed at Wardpark Studios, in Cumbernauld. However, the staircase and some of the basement rooms at Linlithgow Palace were used to film Claire hurriedly searching for Jamie in the prison cells in the dungeon.
Doune Castle (Castle Leoch)
Next, we travel on to Doune Castle. This splendorous, historic castle acts as a main feature as the fictional, Castle Leoch, in Outlander, home to Colum McKenzie.
Doune Castle overlooks the River Teith in Stirlingshire. It was constructed in the fourteenth century for the Duke of Albany, Robert Stewart, known as “Scotland’s uncrowned King”.
Robert, the younger son of King Robert Il, was appointed Guardian of the Kingdom of Scotland in 1388. Robert ruled Scotland for the next 22 years, first on behalf of his ageing father, then his injured older brother, Robert IlI, and finally his nephew, James I, who was imprisoned in England.
Secure yet luxurious, Doune Castle was every bit the royal residence for Scotland’s uncrowned king.
Before the Outlander set was built at Doune Castle, tonnes of earth were laid to create the look of an 18th-century courtyard, an entire village was built, and canisters of smoke created some good old authentic Scotch mist.
Incidentally, Doune Castle was also the filming location for the famous Monty Python film “The Holy Grail” and the setting for Winterfell in “Game of Thrones.”
You can also immerse yourself in the impressive views of the River Teith, the Menteith Hills and Ben Lomond, from the battlements.
Culross (Cranesmuir)
Our final stop on our fabulous one-day Outlander tour out of Edinburgh, is to the historical 16th- and 17th-century village of Culross, (pronounced Coo-riss), located in the Kingdom of Fife. The keen Outlander fans, will instantly recognise this idyllic and very picturesque town as Cranesmuir, which has featured in several Outlander seasons.
The Royal Burgh was transformed into the 18th-century village of Cranesmuir, where another main Outlander character, Geillis Duncan, resides with her ill-fated procurator fiscal husband, Arthur.
In Season 1, the Mercat Cross, in the centre of the town, is the setting for the dramatic scene where a tanner’s lad is punished for stealing two bannocks and his ear nailed to a wooden pillar. Jamie heroically and inconspicuously frees the lad by pulling the nail from his ear, whilst Claire feigns a fainting turn, to distract the crowd.
The beautiful tiered gardens behind Culross Palace also served as the herb gardens of Castle Leoch in Outlander. These were the gardens where Claire first met Geillis Duncan and then regularly met her afterwards.
We recommend wearing appropriate footwear as we will take a short walk through Culross’s cobbled lanes and wynds. This fascinating town has white-harled houses with red-tiled roofs lining the steep cobbled streets that run from the market cross to the hilltop abbey.
Culross is believed to be one of the most haunted towns in Scotland due to its deep connections to witchcraft. The Culross Townhouse, also known as the Culross Tolbooth, was built in 1626. Many innocent women were convicted of witchcraft in the courtroom and then imprisoned in the witches’ prison. They were subsequently chained to the rocks in the bay. If they drowned, it was believed that they were innocent, but if they survived, they were hung and then burnt at the stake.
How to book your one day private outlander tour from Edinburgh today
We hope we’ve whetted your appetite for travelling with us on our unique Outlander experience.
Dinnae fash now sassenach, if you’d like tae join us on our adventure, we recommend you book as soon as possible to avoid disappointment, as the diary fills up fast. Please call or email us today to check availability.
Secure your private Outlander Day Tour from Edinburgh today!
We offer pick-up and drop-off from your Outlander tour to your Edinburgh hotel or accommodation.
