Outlander Trail 4 Day Tour

Places you'll explore

Clava Cairns - Travel through winding back roads and discover a 4,000 year old cemetery.

Doune Castle - One of the most filmed castles in Scotland. It stars as Castle Leoch in Outlander, and featured in Monty Python’s ‘Holy Grail’, and the pilot for Game of Thrones.

Loch Ness - Take a chance to go on an optional boat cruise or wander around this alluring and eerie loch.

Glen Affric - Lochs, mountains and pine forests: this is one of Scotland’s most glorious glens. It’s also a great hiding spot for Jamie!

Culloden - A sad place to visit. It’s the location of a tragic Outlander scene, and a catastrophic battle between Jacobites and Government troops.

Culross - This town looks like it never left the 16th century. It was also the setting for the fictional Outlander town, Cranesmuir.

Falkland - This quaint town in the Kingdom of Fife boasts a beautiful palace and a serene setting.

Get as close as possible to the 16th century in the well preserved town of Culross. Or as it’s known to Outlander fans, Cranesmuir

Visit beautiful Falkland and explore the setting for 1940s Inverness in Outlander

Learn how Highlanders lived at the Newtonmore Highland Folk Museum

You leave Edinburgh and begin following the trail of the best-known film locations featured in the Outlander TV Series.

Heading north, your first stop is the charming village of Culross. In Outlander Culross posed as the fictional village of Cranesmuir and the home of Geillis Duncan and her ill-fated husband, Arthur. Exploring the town’s cobbled streets is like taking a step back in time. Look carefully and you may even find Claire’s herb garden behind the impressive, historic Culross Palace.

We continue to the small town of Falkland to relive the first scenes of the show, where Falkland substitutes for 1940s Inverness. See if you can recognize the familiar sights such as Mrs. Baird’s Guesthouses (The Covenanter Hotel) and the Bruce Fountain, where Claire sees the ghost of Jamie.

In the early afternoon we stop at the Newtonmore Highland Folk Museum, which houses replicas of 18th century turf-roofed Highland crofts. These were used as a setting in the first episode of the show.

Venturing further north we pass Aviemore, where you may recognise the stunning hilly and wooded area of Tulloch Ghru. This appeared during the journey Claire takes with Jamie and the Highlanders from Craigh na Dun to Castle Leoch. Arriving in Inverness later that afternoon your base will be at the Glen Mhor Hotel (or similar).

Stare in awe at Scotland’s ‘most beautiful glen’, at Glen Affric

Explore the tragic Culloden battlefield

Your day starts by visiting the majestic Glen Affric. Lochs, mountains and pine forests: this is one of Scotland’s most glorious glens. It’s also an ideal spot for our Jamie to hide!

In the afternoon we visit Culloden, which plays an important role in Scottish history and the Outlander books. It’s at the Culloden Battlefield where Claire and Jamie said their tearful goodbyes, before Jamie joined the Jacobite army to fight for the Stuarts. You have the opportunity to explore the visitor centre and site, and pay tribute to those who lost their lives at the last battle fought on British soil.

You then take a short drive to the ancient standing stones at Clava Cairns, which could have given the inspiration for Craigh na Dun. We return back to Inverness with time to explore the town and enjoy the city for another evening.

Delve into Highland clan history at Castle Leod

Taste Scotland’s national drink, at an optional distillery visit

A short drive this morning takes you to Beauly, the site of Beauly Priory and the tomb of Lord Lovat in the heart of Clan Fraser lands. Beauly priory is a beautiful 13th century ruin and, according to Diana Gabaldon’s book, is where the Lovat Frasers are buried.

From here we continue to Castle Leod, “home of the Clan MacKenzie”, where you can enjoy a relaxing walk while your guide tells you some of the history of the clan and castle. The Castle has a striking resemblance to how Diana Gabaldon described Castle Leoch, however she had never heard of the castle prior to writing Outlander.

In the afternoon, you have the opportunity to sample ‘The Water of Life’ with a whisky distillery tour and tasting. There might even be time to look out for the Waterhorse at Loch Garve!

You then continue along the entire length of Loch Ness before arriving in Fort William for our overnight stop.

Feel true Scottish pride at the gorgeous Glenfinnan Monument

Explore the setting for Castle Leoch at Doune Castle

You travel to Glenfinnan this morning and visit the monument which commemorates the beginning of the last Jacobite rising. It stands framed by typically spectacular Highland scenery at the head of Loch Shiel.

We continue through magnificent Glencoe and cross the rugged Trossachs area and onto Doune Castle. The Castle is an extensive ruin that represents Castle Leoch in the TV programme, home to Colum MacKenzie and his clan in the 18th century episodes.

We return to Edinburgh later that afternoon with a photo stop at Blackness Castle on the banks of the Firth of Forth.