Outlander Tour from Inverness (1-4 Days)

One-Day Classic Outlander Tour from Inverness

Our Classic One Day Outlander Tour from Inverness

Clava Cairns and Standing Stones

Clava Cairns and Standing Stones are 4,000 years old and are a ritual landscape of fantastic design and spirituality. These Bronze Age monuments align on both sun and moon, and could be viewed as a temple of astronomy. Outlander fans love Clava because it has a split stone, just like the book, where you could tumble backwards in time! May 1st (Beltane) and November 1st (Samhain) are the days when the Stones are allegedly at their most active. The former is when Claire fell through time in the book, and the latter when it happened in the show!

Culloden Battlefield

Culloden Battlefield, site of the last battle on British soil, stands atop a ridge, four miles from Inverness. Here, Bonnie Prince Charlie’s Jacobite army met a final and chilling end. This story is well-told in the multi-media centre onsite. We will walk you to the Well of the Dead, the Main Cairn and the Clan Fraser Stone. This is where those fallen clansmen are buried.

Clanlands Exhibition

Clan Munro operate a fabulous exhibition centre in an old 1740’s agricultural storehouse. The clan still value the building today, as it now preserves stories of a thousand years of land and people. Two particularly relevant The “Clanlands” and the “What is a Clan” exhibitions in particular give great insights into the history and culture surrounding Outlander.

Castle Leod

Castle Leod is a 1500’s Scottish tower house, and home to the chief of the Clan Mackenzie. It is seen as the inspiration behind Castle Leoch, and Diana has therefore been a guest here on occasion. We like to give time for a walk up the impressive drive and as a result the opportunity for photographs.

Weapons Demonstration

A weapons demonstration is our next stop. You will receive a presentation on the weapons of the 1700’s while enjoying tea and traybakes. We chose this hotel as the location for this demonstration due to two factors. Firstly because this is an historic house built by a Mackenzie laird in the 1600’s. Secondly, because this house is exactly as Lallybroch is described in the Outlander books.

Beauly

Beauly, a pretty market town, was the main settlement for the Lovat Frasers. The ruined priory, dating from the 1200’s, was in the Outlander books, as was Beauly harbour. Beauly is popular with our visitors because it has a wide range of interesting shops and hotels. We also like to visit with some highland cows here, because of Claire using hairy coos to rescue Jamie.

One-Day Classic Outlander Tour from Inverness – Price

£450 for the tour

One-Day Classic Outlander Tour Inverness to Inverness – Departure

The day departs from, and returns to, your Inverness accommodation or transport hub, such as bus station or train station. You tell us, and we’ll be there.

Two-Day Highland Outlander Adventure Tour

This, our second day, adds the following sites to the first day extravaganza.

Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle

Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle make a great stop because you can capture two icons in one photo. One of the great castles of Scotland, Urquhart was first held by Pictish tribal chiefs, later becoming a mighty royal castle, and finally a Clan Grant stronghold. It saw 1,000 years of continuous occupation before its fall, in 1692. Frank and Claire visit Urquhart Castle by boat, near the beginning of the Outlander book. The Castle overlooks the dark waters of Loch Ness – the largest lake in the country. This is more than enough water to hide its most famous inhabitant – Nessie!

Five Sisters of Kintail

The mountains known as the Five Sisters of Kintail are very popular with photographers and hikers due to their five jagged peaks. The Battle of Glen Shiel was fought between Jacobites and redcoats on the lower slopes in 1719. This was the Jacobite Rising immediately before the struggle that engulfed Jamie and Claire in 1745.

St Kilda Churchyard

The ruined, roofless church here is called St Dubhthac’s Church, and it stands in the Clachan Duich Burial Ground. This is the traditional burial ground of the Clan Macrae chiefs, and as a religious site dates back 1,000 years. Diana Gabaldon said that this place was the inspiration for the churchyard of St Kilda. That was the location of Jamie’s false gravestone.

Glenelg Brochs

The Glenelg Brochs are two of about 500 brochs in Scotland, of which only a handful (including these) still stand to near their original height. These Brochs are Iron-Age round towers unique to Scotland. Dun Telve is a fine example, where it is easy to see this tower in cross-section. The double-skinned wall with internal galleries is clearly visible. Lallybroch had an old Broch up the hill above it. Jamie took his French title from this – Milord Broch Tuarach. Some of Jamie’s men were recruited from the village of Broch Mordha.

Skye Ferry

From Glenelg we can go to the Isle of Skye in exactly the way an Outlander fan would wish. If it is between April and October, and weather permitting then we go – “Over the sea to Skye”. We take the last manually operated turntable ferry in Scotland (which also starred in the movie Made of Honor). However, even if the ferry isn’t operating we still make landfall on Skye. We just use the bridge.

Loch Garve

We finish by travelling back to Inverness through yet more stunning Highland scenery and past Loch Garve, home of the Water Kelpie made famous by Rupert’s tale by the fire. This was the story he wove, to make everything appear normal, just before the Grants attacked the rent wagon. We will delight in retelling the tale to you.

Two-Day Highland Outlander Adventure Tour – Price

£840 for the tour

Two-Day Highland Outlander Adventure Tour Inverness to Inverness – Departure

The second day departs from, and returns to your Inverness accommodation or transport hub, such as bus station or train station. You tell us, and we’ll be there.

Three-Day Outlander Journey Tour

This, our third day, adds the following itinerary to the two days we have already enjoyed.

Highland Folk Museum (the thatched buildings in Rent)

The Highland Folk Museum is located in Newtonmore and is a fascinating collection of buildings in a mile long site. It is an ethnographic museum – meaning that it is all about people’s life and culture. The displays span the period from 1700 until the mid 20th century, and this was great news for Starz. They were able to film a number of the scenes requiring thatched buildings in the 1700’s township here. As a result we can recognise scenes from Rent and the Eagle Inn Tavern, to name but two.

Craig na Dun

Mid-way between Inverness and the south we suddenly divert from the main highways onto some little used single track byways. Thus we find, deep in Highland Perthshire, that hill that has since become known worldwide as Craig na Dun. It is an emotional experience for many people, climbing up among the pines and becoming one with all the surroundings.

Falkland (was 18th and 20th century Inverness)

Falkland has many buildings dating from the 1500’s and 1600’s and was Scotland’s first conservation village. It grew up because of the existence of the monarchs’ hunting lodge, Falkland Palace. The palace, begun in 1500, is Scotland’s finest example of French-style Renaissance architecture. Starz chose this beautiful ancient burgh as a film location for Inverness 1946, and used it again in series two as Claire was treating Alex Randall in 1746. It was also Inverness in the 1960’s during the visit to the records office.

Three-Day Outlander Journey Tour – Price

£1260 for the tour

Three-Day Outlander Journey Tour Glasgow to Inverness – Departure

The third day departs from your Inverness accommodation. It ends at your Edinburgh or Glasgow accommodation or transport hub, such as bus station or train station. Tell us where and we’ll deliver.

Four Day Outlander Experience Tour

This, our fourth day, adds the following itinerary to the three days of Outlander Tours that we have already been immersed in.

Edinburgh or Glasgow

In Edinburgh this day can begin or end with a drive-by of Dragonfly and Voyager Sites to be found on the Royal Mile. There are three filming sites on the Royal Mile and if traffic allows we will try to stop near at least one of these sites for photos. Alternatively, if Glasgow is where you have chosen to stay then we will be able to either drive-by the Boston locations in Glasgow’s West End, or the City Centre locations of George Square and Glasgow Cathedral.

Midhope Castle (Lallybroch)

Starz filmed Lallybroch at the 16^th Century tower-house of Midhope Castle. They only filmed the exteriors here, because there are no floors in the interior of the building. It’s a great place to have a wander, though, and take photographs on the steps of the house.

Blackness Castle (Fort William)

Fort William, and Jamie’s flogging, was filmed at the grim old castle-keep of Blackness Castle. George Crichton, a man later sentenced as a traitor, built this castle in the 1400’s. The government seized the castle when Crichton was sentenced. They used it firstly as a state-prison, and later as a garrisoned ammunition-store so we can think of no better place to double as Fort William. The views from the walls and towers are amazing!

Linlithgow Palace (part of Wentworth Prison)

The Wentworth prison photostop is in the forecourt of Linlithgow Palace; the summer palace of the Stuart dynasty. We will not stop here for long because only a little of Wentworth was filmed at the palace. The production team chose to create the prison from scenes shot in several castles both in Scotland and in England. You will, however, enjoy the views from this impressive ruin on its hill above Linlithgow Loch.

Doune Castle (Castle Leoch)

Doune Castle is a perfect choice as Castle Leoch. It has provided the perfect setting for two important time periods. Filming of Frank and Claire’s twentieth century visit took place there, and it also starred as the home of Colum and Dougal Mackenzie in the 1700’s. Eager visitors also get the chance to listen to Sam Heughan (Jamie) on the audio guide.

Culross (Cranesmuir)

Cranesmuir is our next stop. This is the village of Culross, in Fife. Probably one of Scotland’s most perfectly preserved towns dating from the 1500’s and 1600’s. You’ll see Geilis Duncan’s House, the Mercat Square and Claire’s Herb Garden from Castle Leoch (actually filmed here) along with many other film locations.

Four-Day Outlander Experience Tour – Price

£1680 for the tour

Four-Day Outlander Experience Tour Inverness to Edinburgh or Glasgow – Departure

The fourth day departs from, and returns to, your Edinburgh or Glasgow accommodation or transport hub, such as bus station or train station. You tell us, and we’ll be there.