The real-life filming locations of Outlander are making fans feel like they’ve stepped straight into Jamie and Claire’s world

From Doune Castle to the remote valleys of Scotland, the locations of Outlander have become sought-after spots for fans worldwide. And what haunts many the most is the feeling that every road, castle, and stone there seems to still hold the essence of Jamie and Claire’s story.

Missing Jamie Fraser’s brooding brow already? Worried what’ll happen to Claire’s unruly locks? Fear not: we have scoured Scotland’s glens and bens in search of places their presence endures. From Jamie’s post-Culloden prison to the spot where Claire was tried as a witch, here are ten filming locations where Outlander fans can go through the stones one last time.

Our tip? Download the Geotourist app’s free Outlander audio tour before you go, available on the Apple or Google Play store.

Doune Castle

Aerial view of Doune Castle, a medieval fortress, overlooking the River Teith in central Scotland.
Doune Castle was the seat of clan laird Colum MacKenzie in series one

Tucked away beside the River Teith 15 minutes’ drive west of Stirling, this mighty 14th-century castle was the seat of clan laird Colum MacKenzie in series one. Explore the castle and courtyard (which also doubled as Camelot in Monty Python and the Holy Grail), then walk to the river via the remains of an old Roman fort. Nearby Deanston distillery (tours from £25, deanstonmalt.com) doubled as a wine warehouse in Le Havre during series two.

Craigmillar Castle

A brown horse grazes in a green field with Craigmillar Castle ruins in the background under a cloudy sky.
Craigmillar Castle doubled as Ardsmuir prison in Outlander series three

Want to know how Jamie Fraser felt when he was imprisoned after the Battle of Culloden? Head three miles south of Edinburgh (40 minutes by bus and foot from Princes Street) to this 14th-century secret stronghold, where Mary Queen of Scots briefly hid out in 1566 — and which doubles as Ardsmuir prison in series three. The tower has sweeping views towards Arthur’s Seat and Auld Reekie, and you can visit the courtyard, gardens and several rooms used in filming.

Details £8.50, £1 with valid Young Scot card, historicenvironment.scot

Culross

Culross Palace, a bright yellow building with red-tiled roofs, in Culross, Fife, Scotland.
Culross in Fife, which became Cranesmuir village in Outlander

No wonder location scouts decided Culross was the ideal setting for Cranesmuir Village. With its tangle of cobbled alleys and yellow crow-stepped gables, this Fife gem is the best-preserved 17th-century village in Scotland. The evocative palace is the big draw — several Outlander scenes have been filmed here, and Claire picked herbs in the lovely walled garden — while Mercat Cross is where Geillis and Claire were later led through the crowd during their harrowing witchcraft trial (and it now has a great wee coffee shop, the Mercat, which wouldn’t look out of place in Stockbridge).

Details Palace £14, £1 with Young Scot card, nts.org.uk

The Hermitage

Ossian's Hall, a stone folly with a conical roof, surrounded by autumn trees.
The Hermitage doubled as the wilds of North Carolina in series four and five

One mile outside Dunkeld, The Hermitage is a location scout’s fantasy of towering Douglas firs and crashing waterfalls that doubled as the wilds of North Carolina in series four and five. Ten minutes’ stroll from the NTS car park via a scenic woodland walk along the River Braan, The Hermitage is home to a Georgian folly, Ossian’s Hall, perched precipitously above the raging Black Linn Falls. Half an hour’s drive north, Faskally Forest was the site of the Mohawk village in series four.

Details £2 car parking, nts.org.uk

Highland Folk Museum

The Highland Folk Museum with traditional thatched cottages and antlers on a cottage roof.
Highland Folk Museum has an annual Outlander day on June 8

A short drive from Newtonmore at the western edge of the Cairngorms, this open-air museum features heavily in series one as the MacKenzie village where Dougal and his henchmen collected rent from tenants. Superfans can go full Claire Fraser here on a “wool waulking” masterclass at the annual Outlander day on June 8. The reconstructed turf-roofed village looks exactly as it does on screen (complete with live animals and costumed staff), offering a fascinating, hands-on glimpse into Highland life from the 1700s up to the 1950s.

Twenty minutes’ walk from nearby Coylumbridge, the forests around Tulloch Ghru feature heavily in the opening credits.

Glen Coe

Loch Achtriochtan and reflections of the Eagach Ridge in the Scottish Highlands.
Glen Coe was the setting for the sequence in the opening credits of series one

The real-life location for one of Scotland’s most infamous massacres — 38 MacDonalds were killed in their sleep by royalist forces led by Captain Robert Campbell — Glen Coe is also the setting for the sequence in the opening credits of series one, when Jamie and Claire ride down the glen to the soupy strains of the Skye Boat Song. Stop for selfies in the car park below the mighty Three Sisters, then head back up the glen to the single-track road signed for Glen Etive: three miles down here is the misty spot where M and Bond talk origin stories in Skyfall.

Drumlanrig Castle

View of the south elevation of Drumlanrig Castle from Marr Burn, surrounded by gardens and trees.
Drumlanrig Castle, which starred as the Duke of Sandringham’s residence

The ancestral seat of the Dukes of Buccleuch stars as Bellhurst Manor, the Duke of Sandringham’s residence in series two. Lording it over the Nith valley 30 minutes’ drive from Dumfries, the 120-room “Pink Palace” is a magnificent example of 17th-century Renaissance architecture, with Dutch masters and a guest list that includes Bonnie Prince Charlie. The castle itself is open only on selected dates (next open May 22 to 25), but the 40-acre estate is open all year round, with beautiful trails, an adventure playground, cafés and ebikes.

Details £18 for castle, gardens and estate, £8 gardens and estate only, drumlanrigcastle.co.uk

The last working watermill in the Lothians served as Lallybroch Mill on Jamie Fraser’s family estate. On the banks of the River Tyne just outside East Linton, the wonderfully preserved mill was the setting for a scene in episode 12 of series one, where Jamie hides under the water to escape the Redcoats (fun fact: the mill lade had to be dammed to raise the water levels for the scene). Explore the 18th-century mill and 16th-century Phantassie Doocot, which once housed 500 pigeons.

Details £11, nts.org.uk

Loch Katrine

Woman admiring view of Loch Katrine from Ben A'an.
Loch Katrine is the spot where Brianna and Roger shared a meaningful moment in series two

Sure, we all know the Trossachs’ loveliest loch was the inspiration for Sir Walter Scott’s Lady of the Lake, but as any fan will tell you, Loch Katrine is actually the spot where Brianna and Roger share a meaningful moment in series two. Brenachoile Point is the exact spot, reached via a 45-minute walk from Trossachs Pier, ten miles west of Callander, or on a cruise on the Sir Walter Scott Steamship (from £20, lochkatrine.com). Bike hire at Loch Katrine Pier from £25 for 2 hours (katrinewheelz.co.uk).

Details Cruises from £20, lochkatrine.com

Advertisement

Culloden

Memorial stone for Clan Fraser at the Battle of Culloden, with coins and flowers on top.
The Clan Fraser memorial stone at Culloden

The battle of 1746, when the Jacobite army was defeated by George II’s forces in under an hour, is a recurring theme of series one, two and three. While battle scenes were actually filmed in Cumbernauld, Claire does visit the actual battlefield five miles east of Inverness to pay respects to the Clan Fraser memorial in series two finale. Be warned: so many Outlander fans visit the memorial each year that the National Trust for Scotland has created separate paths.

Details £12.50, £1 with Young Scot card, nts.org.uk