Just take the tour! And insist Brodie be the one to take you!
I took the 2-Day Outlander Tour from Edinburgh, and the trip started more perfectly than I could have possibly planned, with the bus serendipitously waiting right outside my hostel next to St Giles Cathedral! I cannot fault a single moment along the way, aside from my already-pre-empted motion sickness which I was ready to suffer for this amazing opportunity, and trust me! It’s worth it!
Our tour Guide was Brodie, and such a great guide he was! This was my first time geeking out on a television/book themed tour and Brodie, although having admitted he had not seen Outlander when first called to do these tours, had since delved enthusiastically into the show. He was a wealth of knowledge, not only when it came to the film locations themselves, but even the odd scenes you may, yourself, have overlooked or even forgotten such as the intro over looking the entrance to Glen Coe, an absolutely spectacular sight at which we stopped for photos… but of course these don’t do the scene justice at all! You have to go there yourself… there’s just no other way!
Brodie was truly the best sport… particularly in that he brought “Jamie” out for the ladies to take that most sought after Voyager (Book 3/ Season 3) cover photo at Clava Cairns! He also shared with us all the hallmarks of a more general Scottish Highlands explorer tour, telling well-time historical stories relevant to the various land forms, locations and lochs along the road. So we did not miss out on other “versions” of a tour to the Highlands.
While many Scots had not seen Outlander and some even gave a slight roll of the eyes when I mentioned I was going on this tour… Brodie was not one of those Scots, he was immersed in the Outlander experience with us, even adding some of the Outlander Soundtrack to his music selection! All of which just added to the whole feel of it! I’m not ashamed to admit, despite that entire soundtrack being my regular work-a-day playlist… it gave me goosebumps to listen to it while actually driving through the unspeakably beautiful, brilliantly green and mysteriously misty Scottish scenery!
Most importantly, every visit and stop on this tour was adequately paced and extremely well planned. I do implore you to stick to the time intervals given, as it not only makes the guide’s life easier but it makes for just the right amount of time to be spent at all locations, which is a win for everyone!
While we all stayed at different guest houses in Inverness, there was incessant chatter and arguing the next morning over whose guest house and breakfast buffet was the best! So in fact this is the one thing I have to say was terrible about the trip! - You only get one short evening and one fleeting morning in these beautiful, warm and homely guesthouses! I had to force myself to leave just to see a bit of Inverness that night, but my guest house was just so wonderful, I didn’t want to leave! I have no doubt that Highland Experience tours has only the best guest houses in the Highlands in the their connections - although after my highlands experience I also suspect that the notion of a poorly-reviewed guest house in the Highlands just simply does not exist. From the moment I was greeted at the door by the owner, to the moment I stepped out the next morning, I felt the full veil of “Highlander courtesy” envelope me… and you can tell it comes naturally. It’s that special something that luxury brand hotels could only dream of offering.
Look! If you are an Outlander fan, just take the tour. And if you’ve never watched Outlander… just watch it and take the tour! If you have no interest in Outlander but you love history… JUST TAKE THE TOUR! Despite everything in the world being so expensive at the moment, this tour is so so so reasonably priced for everything you get, and the entry to some of the sites is completely up to you, but is well worth the small cost in each case.
And if nothing else… you will get a taster of the Highlands and you can then pick and choose where you want to return to and spend more time!
Anyway! The moral of my long-winded review is… just take the tour with Brodie and Highland Experience Tours. What the heck… call them up and insist Brodie be your guide and I can guarantee the rest will take care of itself!
Thank you Brodie, and everyone at Highland Experience Tours who helped make this dream a reality for me!
Travel Tip #1: If you are planning to visit such places as Edinburgh Castle, Stirling Castle, Craigmillar Castle, etc. in addition to this tour, invest in the Historic Scotland Explorer pass… it’s one price with free entry to an enormous number of places, including all of the main castles on this tour! (except Midhope Castle)
Travel Tip #2: Do your research before coming to Edinburgh, there are some Outlander locations that are not on this tour, but well within your reach to visit in and around Edinburgh such as Bakehouse close (the exterior for Jamie’s print house) right off the Holyrood end of Royal Mile and Craigmillar castle (the location for Ardsmuir Prison) which was just a 12min bus ride along route 49 from South Bridge, followed by a 10min picturesque walk up a grassy hill over which the castle comes into view… almost as if you were approaching it during medieval times!
This activity isn’t bookable for now.!
Edinburgh
Mobile Ticket
Offered in: English
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