THE OUTLANDER DAY TRIP
So you're obsessed with Outlander (as you should be) and you're finally in Scotland!
Now what? Well you have a few options, if you plan enough in advance, you can take a special tour (there is one the takes you across all of Scotland in 13 days and looks dope AF.)
However, if you're like me, and don't have the money for that or maybe you're only in Scotland for a couple days, then you need to find a better (and cheaper) way to see some of Outlander's filming locations. If done correctly, I believe it is possible to see multiple Outlander filming locations in one day.
Things to note:
1) This trip begins in Stirling, its about 1 hour train ride from Edinburgh, 45 minute train ride from Glasgow
2) If you have a car, great! It will save you a substantial amount of time. If not, First Group buses and ScotRail will be your main modes of transportation.
3) If you want to be able to visit all of these places in one day, either take a car, or don't spend too much time at each location.
09:00
Location 1: Pathfoot Building, University of Stirling
Whether you do this step or not is up to you, but either way the trip starts in Stirling so you might as well take a quick five minute bus ride from the city center to visit University of Stirling (the University I studied at!) and visit the Pathfoot Building. The bus from the city center will either drop you off at the outskirts of the University - if so look at the map at the bus stop, and just start walking up the hill to the left - or at the student union building - if so, look at the map or find someone in the SUB to direct you.
This is the location of the scene from the Season two finale where Brianna accompanies Roger to a University and comes across a young Geillis Duncan (then Gillian Edgars) advocating for the White Roses of Scotland. I about lost my mind when I saw Pathfoot appear on the screen. I had both of my classes in that building and sat on the floor eating breakfast pastries in the central area where Geillis gave her big speech.
While the University of Stirling has one of the most beautiful campuses in Scotland (it has its own Airthrey Loch), don't spend too much time here before you head back to Stirling Center via bus. (If you're visiting during the school year, buses run more often than they did when I visited in the summer.)
10:00
Leave around 10 from the city center bus station to head up to Doune Castle (Its about a 30 minute bus drive. If you have a car, just drive from the University, its much quicker.) The current time table says the bus leaves the city center bus station at 9:58 for Doune.
10:30
Location 2: Doune Castle, Perthshire
Now I got lost for a minute trying to find my way to Doune Castle, so just ask a local or whip out the GPS to find it. Just head towards town, you'll eventually find it.
Hopefully I don't need to explain the significance of Doune Castle. But just in case, its the location of Castle Leoch! It does cost £5 to get in, but it's totally worth it. Provided with it is a listening tour, and multiple areas of the castle include audio from JAMMF himself, Sam Heughan!! Filming for the show took place outside the castle, where I'm standing in the photo above, and inside the castle grounds, but not in the rooms themselves (the infrastructure couldn't handle it). There is however, a room that the show based Mrs. Fitz kitchen on.
Side note: Doune Castle is also a filming location in the first episode of Game of Thrones as well as in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
Location 2.5: The Creek
The grounds outside of the castle are free to the public and so is the river that includes the scene where Laoghaire gets handsy with Jamie and tries to make him break his marriage vows. This is easily accessible by following the path I am facing in the first image above.
Spend about 1 hour 30 minutes at Doune at most. Buses leave Doune about ever hour at the 54 minute mark so try to catch the 11:54 bus back to Stirling. (This is all according to Google, again, check specifics yourself.)
12:30
Arrive back in Stirling, take a 30 minute train from Stirling to Linlithgow. When I looked at the current time table, a train leaves at 12:37 for Linlithgow.
You have 30 minutes to kill before the train. Grab some food from the Mall next to the bus station or anwywhere nearby like the McDonald's or Subway up the street.
13:07 (1:07pm)
Location 3: Linlithgow Palace
Arrive in Linlithgow and take the two minute walk over to the Palace. It's impossible to miss - its taller than the rest of the city. Linlithgow Palace is the filming location of the prison cells in Wentworth Prison and the front gate is where Claire vomited after finding out she would not be able to see Jamie. Admission is £3.30.
Mary Queen of Scots was actually born there so that's dope.
Spend 1 hour or less here.
OK.... So here is where it gets tricky. So the F 49 bus sucks and only runs every two hours until the second to last bus which isn't for three hours after the last one. And because the internet is telling me two different time tables, I don't think either really works with this scheduling.
(My brochure that I received when I visited. I'm 99% sure this is still accurate, but still grab a new, updated brochure.)
So at this point you have three options:
1) Stop here and go home from the Linlithgow train station to wherever you are staying.
2) Start getting taxis which would cost 20 pounds one way. 3) If you really want to see more, you would have to run to Linlithgow Palace for 5-10 minutes, take a few pics then leave to make the 13:25 bus that costs 1.50 round trip. If you chose this option, it is up to you if paying £3.30 is worth it.
If you chose the taxi option, you can hopefully take the bus back later for only one pound at 16:36 (4:30pm).
13:37 (1:37pm)
Location 4: Blackness Castle
Take the one minute walk from the bus stop to the castle. Known as "the ship that never sailed" (it's shaped like a boat),Blackness is the filming location for Fort William (the real Fort William is very far away) where Jamie was whipped in season one and Brianna and Roger visit in the season two finale. Watching the finale after visiting Blackness was so surreal because it looked like it does now (they were being tourists after all.) They walked through the same doorways we did... It was wild. Anyway, the Castle costs £5.50 for admittance and includes a really cool pier jutting out into the water.
Spend as much time here wandering as you want, the next bus aint comin' until 16:36.
While there is LITERALLY NOTHING to do it town, the beach is directly next to the castle and is a really nice walk.
That concludes the Outlander day tour. Head back to Linlithgow on the bus then take the train to your next destination.
Happy Exploring!
