I Went to Scotland to See Where 'Outlander' Was Filmed. Fans, These Are The Sites You Need to See.

Over a whisky-pairing dinner at Mharsanta in Glasgow, I chatted with musician and Gaelic language activist Àdhamh (pronounced Argiv) Ó Broin who taught the Outlander cast how to speak the original Scottish language.

“Actually, Sam Heughan, who plays Jamie, was pretty decent,” he told me. “I taught six of the cast: three were brilliant and three had cloth ears.” (Ó Broin declined to divulge the names of the “cloth-eared” cast members but hinted that he encouraged screenwriters to give actor Grant O’Rourke, who played Rupert, more lines and Duncan LaCroic, who played Murtagh, fewer).

Ó Broin is passionate about his efforts to increase Gaelic’s popularity and will only speak the Celtic language to his children — and for good reason. Of the roughly 5.5 million people who currently live in Scotland, only about 60,000 speak Gaelic, he explained. “But there are 100,000 people trying to learn on Duolingo.”

I wonder if they’re all Outlander fans.

It’s a fair question. Since 2013 when the TV show began, Outlander has been a significant driver for Scottish tourism, a phenomenon known as the Outlander Effect. As fans wait for the last season of the series to premiere and more books to be released, a set-jetting trip to Scotland is sure to scratch the Outlander itch. These are the filming locations I visited (and you should, too).

First thing’s first: How are Outlander filming locations in Scotland chosen?

Location scouts have a lot to consider when picking places to shoot. For one thing, filming is an expensive business. The production team needs infrastructure nearby, as well as locations that can be aged. Crew members must remove telegraph poles, satellite dishes, and any modern street furniture such as electric wiring. Then, there’s the matter of filming inside a historic location, which I learned about from the historian and guide of the Newhailes House (more on that below).

At historic properties, all of the original furniture, paintings, and decorative objects must be removed and carefully stored, although sometimes a production team will book the use of certain decorations or furnishings. Any modern lighting, such as electric lights and switches at the location, must be removed or covered. Floors must be protected: Filming equipment is heavy, especially any tracks along which cameras move, and that can damage historic floors. Film and TV lighting is powerful and hot, so crew must be careful that it doesn’t burn ancient wall coverings and paintwork.

At Newhailes House, the Outlander production team booked three months for only one actual day’s worth of filming.

Outlander filming locations in Scotland, organized by category

Castles and forts: exteriors

Doune Castle

In central Scotland, I visited the 14th-century Doune Castle, which serves as the fictional Castle Leoch in Outlander, as well as Winterfell in the pilot for Game of Thrones. I recognized the exterior and courtyard from the beginning of the first season when Claire first arrived in 18th-century Scotland (although the courtyard was transformed for TV with rustic wooden structures and hay strewn on the floor).

As TV crews have to be extremely careful with historic buildings to make sure that nothing is damaged, the interior scenes of Castle Leoch were recreated on a set. That didn’t detract from seeing Doune Castle’s real interior, however. Highlights included the kitchen with its cavernous fireplace, the wall marked by slashes where knives were sharpened, and the giant stone serving hatches where food rested before being delivered to the lord and lady at their feasting table.

A guide told me that author Diana Gabalon herself has been seen wandering the castle, gathering inspiration, and Sam Heughan himself recorded the audio guide.

Doune Castle: Castle Hill, Doune FK16 6EA, UK

Midhope Castle

About 30 minutes outside of Edinburgh, the ruins of Midhope Castle on the Hopetoun House grounds were used as the exterior setting for Jamie’s ancestral home, Lallybroch. Our guide, the kilted James from Rabbie’s Tours, told us that the production team covered the windows of the ruins, presently just empty gaps, with mock 18th-century glass windows.

Fun fact: According to some French fans I met who while visiting Midhope Castle, Outlander is dubbed into French using French actors, but when Jamie speaks Gaelic, it reverts to Sam Heughan’s original voice.

Midhope Castle: Midhope, Abercorn, South Queensferry EH30 9SL, UK

Blackness Castle

Blackness Castle, a short drive from Midhope Castle, is a 15th-century fortress perched near a misty shore on the Firth of Forth (“ness” translates to water). The atmospheric building appeared in Outlander on multiple occasions: It’s where Jamie had to rescue Claire when she was captured by the evil English soldier Jack Randall, as well as the location of the prison where Jamie was tortured by “Black Jack” Randall (some of the other prison scenes were filmed at nearby Linlithgow Palace).

Shaped like a stone ship, Blackness Castle features multiple spiral stone staircases leading to ramparts with tempestuous waters splashing over black rocks. The bleak location also doubled as Hamlet’s castle in the film by Franco Zeffirelli.

Blackness Castle: Blackness, Linlithgow EH49 7NH, UK

Dean Castle

South of Glasgow in Kilmarnock, I visited Dean Castle, which stood in for Beaufort Castle in the eighth episode of Outlander’s second season when Claire asked Lord Lovat, Jamie’s grandfather, for help. The castle’s courtyard, again aged to resemble the 18th century, appeared in several scenes.

Dean Castle: Dean Rd, Kilmarnock KA3 1XB, UK

Castles and forts: interiors

Newhailes Mansion House

At the 17th-century Newhailes Mansion House, east of Edinburgh, a National Trust of Scotland historian named Diane guided my group. She recounted a chilling moment when she was alone in the building and heard her name being called.

“I know there are presences, what they call residual activity, but I didn’t like that they used my name” she said. “It felt too personal, so I spoke aloud asking them not to do that.” As I listened to Diane’s story, I glanced around and felt a shiver down my spine.

One memorable stop on the tour was the dimly lit dining room, which featured paintings on either side of an Italian marble fireplace. A paint analysis of the room showed that it had only ever been painted twice, both times a rare and olive green made from dyes derived from plants such as hawthorn trees, so the current color is historically accurate. Scenes from Outlander were filmed in both the living and dining rooms, and the prop department was asked to keep the original paintings on the wall. In season four of the show, fans may remember fake candles lighting the mansion while the pre-revolutionary British Governor Tryon Claire entertains Claire.

Fun fact: In true rococo style, stucco embellishments and gilded scallop shells surround the mansion’s paintings. The scallop shell was a symbol of the Jacobins, supporters of the Catholic Stuart line, in the 18th century. You’ll also see the shell on the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage in Spain (Saint Iago means James), and in French, scallops are known as coquilles de Saint Jacques.

Newhailes Mansion House: Newhailes, Musselburgh EH21 6RY, UK

Traquair House

Although the origins of Traquair House, Scotland’s oldest inhabited castle, aligns with Outlander’s era, it wasn’t actually used in the show, much to the disappointment of current owner Catherine Maxwell Stuart, the first female laird (estate owner). Filming attracts visitors, which brings income to costly castles. However, I suspect that Diana Gabaldon drew inspiration from the history of the house and its inhabitants. In the castle’s ancient library, visitors can see coded letters on display that were sent between Jacobite agents, a storyline that’s featured in the Outlander books.

The family that inhabits Traquair House are recusant Catholics, meaning they refused to attend Church of England services post-Reformation, a crime punishable by death, fines, and prison until the 1920s. They were an original part of the Jacobite movement, and their constant danger of arrest in Protestant Britain in the past explains the castle’s secret stairwells and priest’s holes.

One of Stuart’s predecessors, Lady Winifred Maxwell, whose oil portrait peers down at visitors in the living room, daringly rescued her husband from the Tower of London prison. After petitioning King George I for clemency but failing to free her husband, Lady Winifred visited the tower hiding an extra cloak and petticoat. Her husband escaped, dressed as a servant with his face patted with makeup, while Winifred remained in his cell and pretended to converse, even imitating his voice. This is reminiscent of the heroic lengths that Claire goes to save Jamie.

Despite not serving as a filming location, Traquair House’s history makes it a fascinating addition to any Outlander itinerary. Much as Mary Queen of Scots once stayed there — you can see her handbag, purse, shoes, and the bedroom she slept in — three of the castle’s rooms are bookable on Airbnb for $315 per night.

Traquair House: Traquair House, Traquair, Innerleithen EH44 6PW, UK

Historic villages and towns

Culross

Culross is a village in Fife, roughly located between Glasgow and Edinburgh. A well-preserved example of a 17th-century Scottish burgh, Culross posed as Cranesmuir in Outlander where the witch Geilis Duncan, along with Claire, was put on trial for witchcraft. You can see her towering house complete with one of the village’s characteristic owl holes, or places for owls to perch and hunt vermin in attics. (This custom also served as inspiration for JK Rowling and her Harry Potter series.) While in Culross, be sure to stop by the village green, as well. There, a boy had his ear pinned to a wooden post as a punishment for theft, inspiring the phrase “tearaway.”

Falkland

Another town in Fife that’s worth a visit for Outlander fans is Falkland, which represented Inverness in the show where Frank and Claire stayed at Mrs. Baird’s bed and breakfast. In Falkland, I stood next to the Bruce Fountain where Jamie’s ghost was spotted looking up at Claire’s bedroom, making for a great photo opp. History buffs might also enjoy Falkland Palace, once a royal residence for the Stewart monarchs.

Troon

Troon is a charming coastal village and port in South Ayrshire on southern Scotland’s west coast that overlooks the island of Arran. In Outlander, it was transformed into the port where Jamie and Claire set off by tall ship to America.

Bonus: Outlander filming locations in Scotland used for American scenes

Interestingly, Outlander scenes set in North Carolina were actually filmed in Scotland, as well. Parts of North Carolina resemble Scotland, which is one reason why many Scots were attracted to it after the Battle of Culloden in the mid-18th century. In fact, James, my group’s Rabbies guide, told us that Indigenous phrases such as Mohican (meaning “my hair”) and moccasin (meaning “my shoe”) derived from Gaelic.

The Arniston House in Midlothian and Beecraigs Country Park in Linlithgow are among the Outlander scenes filmed in Scotland that represent North Carolina in the show.