Outlander's Scotland

by Phoebe Taplin

Since 18th-century Highland warrior Jamie Fraser and resourceful 20th century medic Claire Randall first met on screen in 2014, millions of viewers have been swept away by the Outlander TV series to the wild hills and craggy castles of Scotland. Now you can follow in the footsteps of Claire and Jamie with this guide to the inspiring locations where Diana Gabaldon’s novels were set and the hit tv show were filmed. From the ancient cobbled streets, gabled palace and herb garden of Culross, which became fictional Cranesmuir, to the iconic 1960s Pathfoot Building at the University of Stirling, which Claire’s daughter Brianna visits on her first trip to Scotland, you can time-travel through centuries. In Scotland, different eras coexist and collide – just as they do in Outlander. Focusing on easy day trips from the characterful cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow – themselves jam-packed with Outlander locations – this guide will tell you about the most rewarding sights, when to visit them and how to get there. Includes famous Outlander Locations including Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, Arthur’s Seat, Holyroodhouse Palace.

Genres: Nonfiction, Travel, Outlander, History, Scotland

45 pages, Paperback

Published December 1, 2018

Reviews

[Bego Salem · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short but very informative. Nice little read.

[Maddie Newell]

Bought this in Astoria for $1 in an eclectic, underground record store where my drive to explore overcame the trepidation I had walking downstairs in the dim, eerie basement. Worth it.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this on a recent holiday, in one of the local shops. Despite a “blink and you’ll miss it” scene from Outlander being filmed near here (at the Highland Folk Museum), there wasn’t as much Outlander purchases to be made.

I have read a couple of similar books to this, and while later seasons are released, and more filming locations are used (Beecraigs being used in season 4), this does make the books date quite quickly. This does include some filming locations used in season 4, but the majority covers the earlier seasons.

If you’re local, you’ll know a lot of the areas mentioned. So I’d seen/read about the Edinburgh and Inverness locations previously. I did have one major gripe though, which was included in the “About Linlithgow” section:

“The charming town of Linlithgow, midway between Glasgow and Edinburgh, is a perfect gateway to beautiful Hopetoun House ...”

There’s approx 29 miles between Glasgow/Linlithgow and about 18 miles between Linlithgow/Edinburgh. But Linlithgow isn’t the “perfect gateway to Hopetoun House.” Linlithgow is approximately 7 MILES away from Hopetoun House. A glaring mistake like that shouldn’t have got past the editors - as Hopetoun House is in South Queensferry.

There may be other mistakes, but I only know about Hopetoun House, as it’s local to me.

I honestly don’t think that this is worth £6. It’s only 45 pages long (if you’re including the back two pages also.) The Kindle edition may be more worthwhile, however this is an overpriced cash in. Beautiful photos though and a quick read.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of Scottish eye candy: settings for the first seasons of Outlander, what's not to like?!
Easy reading for a rainy morn over a cuppa or mug of coffee, add some shortbread, you're set, ready to hit the Highlands, lochs, and points in between Glasgow and Edinburgh. Stills of Jamie and Claire from episodes we know and love from Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series.
Published pre-covid when travel to bucket list places like Scotland were doable, no matter, this thin satisfying book full of gorgeous photography will fill that craving, not just for the series, but for those places we can only visit from our couch or armchair, for now, anyway.
Lots of anecdotal copy about the settings chosen to represent scenes and seasons plus other neat bits and bobs. Lovely book, nice quick read.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was alright, I guess I was just wishing the set up as different. Like taking a tour through Scotland with the cast. There were some interesting nuggets of information, I was just expecting more.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

TBH, it’s more of a booklet than a book. For Outlander fans who dream of touring Scotland and seeing history come alive, this guidebook is a great start.

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved seeing the real life locations that were used as the setting to the Outlander series. It's a dream to go to Scotland and check out all of these places along with everything else.

I do wish there were a few more specifics along the way, like a list of the season and episode for locations, sometimes it was a little too vague.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very fun read for any Outlander fans that plan to travel to the locations where the series is filmed. I was able to get to over 50% of the places talked about in the book during the summer of 2018, so I consider myself very lucky!

So many of the places are unbelievably gorgeous and extremely interesting in their own right, so having the impetus to visit them because of the show makes it the icing on the cake. A must read/buy for anyone interested in the sights and scenes filmed throughout Scotland in the Outlander series.

[Micheila Hideki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Da brava fan della serie e della Scozia quale sono, potevo lasciarmi scappare questo titolo? Ovviamente no, questo libricino ripercorre le tappe della serie di Outlander in pillole suggerendo anche luoghi (con a fine libro tanto di numeri in caso vogliate intraprendere un'avventura scozzese) carichi di storia e di fascino non presenti nel percorso che stiamo intraprendendo.
Super carino, lo consiglio a chi è fan della serie o anche solo per approcciarsi anche solo alla Scozia e alla sua storia.
Carinissimo.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a small but colorful book showcasing several filming sites in Scotland from the first couple seasons of Outlander. There were additional helpful tips (like bus routes to get to the location) as well as other historical tidbits about Scotland and how they relate to the show.

I've been to Scotland before, but plan to return in the coming years. I'll be referring back to this book as I plan my route around the country.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was informative and had some pretty good pictures and useful information if you were going to visit the places. For a short informative guide to the locations it was useful. Just don't expect it to have a bunch of inside information on the show besides mostly location information, but that was the purpose of the book.

[Jennifer Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the content is interesting and the pictures are beautiful, there are a few editing errors that, for whatever reason, nagged me. Things like "set-jetter" and other small errors made me start questioning the validity of some of the historical info. Still, as a predominately armchair traveler, it was nice to look at the gorgeous landmarks and dream myself into another place.

[Debbie Yeomans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short but sweet, heaps of photo's of sites used in filming Outlander seasons one through four, as well as places of interest nearby. Well worth a look if you are planninf a trip to Scotland or if you simply want to know more about these locations.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book encapsulated the beauty of Scottish heritage, landscape and architecture throughout this book. As I read through the pages, I felt as if I was right there exploring Scottish history. This makes me want to visit Scotland even more!

[Aurora Lion Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book covers the most well known spots from season 1-4 and their real names. Oh my, I thought Inverness was a real place, but it is actually Falkland. I hope to visit Scotland soon and will take this guide with me.

[CJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting facts and tidbits about where the show was filmed, but I thought it would be more in depth.

[William · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most interesting because of my visit to Scotland instead of being a fan of the show.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great wee book that will lead you on many adventures.

[Julianna Wagar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so fun and informative for my future trip to Scotland!!

[Annika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely beautiful photography. Only complaint is that this is about 1/8 the size it needs to be. I don't care if I see 30 views of the same castle or field, show me Scotland! Also, the book is a nice complement between show (i.e. filming locations) and travel guide (definitely take this one with you when you visit), not so much the books.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good little book that serves as a guide to the Outlander filming locations.

[KathiTheBookNerd · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice little book for Outlander fans, taking you to important sites used in the filming of Outlander.

[Mary Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful photos and great for dreaming of a trip to Scotland one day. Time to start re-watching Outlander and see if I can identify any of the gorgeous locations mentioned in this book !

[Michelle]

A cute little quick read about where in Scotland they filmed outlander. No rating due to how short the book was, it was just informative

[Lindsey Baird-Waugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it and quick read about different places to visit that has something to do with Outlander

[Tracie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish I had read this before planning my trip to Scotland. There were some cool Outlander film locations in Edinburgh that I wasn’t aware of! Next trip!

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

nice pictures

[Hollie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun and easy read, so I could learn more about Outlander’s filming locations and how they relate to Scottish/Jacobite history. It was far too short, though!! I wanted more detail, more locations!!

[Lyn Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

a must for any outlander fan visiting Scotland