Tour Description - Jamie and Claire Tour

Eight days of following Jamie and Claire's adventures from the first two books of Outlander AND the Starz TV series. Your guides know both the work and the Highlands intimately and will take you to the real locations of which Diana writes, as well as good facsimilies of those she invented, such as Craig Na Dun. This tour will immerse readers and viewers of the series in 18th century Scotland (and there's plenty for their non-reading partners).

Our sheduled Outlander tours of Scotland start and end in Edinburgh, but private tours can start or end anywhere in Scotland.

2025 Tour Dates

Your guides

• Scot AnSgeulaiche, bringing Scottish History and story.
• Samantha MacKenzie (tour owner), bringing her eye for a well-organised 'raid' (and your only guide wearing trousers). .

The Itinerary

We visit 16+ Outlander locations, both from the books and those used by Starz in the TV series. We'll also open you to a host of experiences and activites that will put you into a deeper relationship with Scotland, the Highlands and the lifestyle of Claire and James Fraser.

Locations you'll visit

• Ancient Standing Stones that inspire visions of Craigh na Dun
• Wee Chapel like the one where Claire was Handfasted with Jamie Fraser
• Lallybroch, a "Big Hoosie" most like the architecture, style & setting
• Castle Leoch as described in the book complete with drawbridge
• Inverness the real Highland city with its beautiful River Ness (where we give you a half day of free time)
• Loch Ness by land and boat to search for Claire's water kelpie
• Culloden Battlefield to pay our respects to the fallen
• Clava Cairns a cleft-stone circle where Diana Gabaldon was photographed
• Cranesmuir* the inspired twin of the village of the haunt of Geillis Duncan and multiple TV filming locations
• An Ardsmuir inspired fortification
• Cottar's Hoosie* A thatched cottar's house and township (another TV location)
• The Highlands Waterfalls & woodland rivers, mountains and villages stirring up visions of Jamie and Claire's two years travelling
• Blackness CastleTV location for Fort William
• Hopetoun HouseTV location for Sandringham's digs
• Midhope**TV location for Lallybroch
• Doune CastleTV location for Castel Leoch

* These long visited J&C Tour locations are so Outlander that they were also used by Starz.
** Midhope is not always open for visits, but we'll do our best to time the tour to when it is available.

Experiences you'll have

• To be amidst 18th century Scottish history
• More time spent on foot in the fresh air in the Highlands than in a vehicle
• Ancient Highland wilderness / bushcraft skills
• Evening of traditional music, storytelling & locally brewed Ale tasting
• Hiking and Hillwalking in beautiful woodlands, hills and countrysides
• Gàidhlig language lessons
• The opportunity to meet genuine Highlanders
• Free time to roam for yourself (Inverness)
• Some planned evenings and some free
• Going onto Loch Ness by boat (weather dependent)
• Know Jamie and Claire's homeland deeply for yourself

Optional Extras

• Pony trekking in the wilderness is offered (around £40) to give you a closer sense of the Highlands as Jamie and Claire experienced them. Note that there are weight and height criteria for pony trekking, which is addressed while booking the tour.
• Wilderness hiking on one morning for more active guests, led by us.
• Culloden Visitor Centre (Culloden battlefield is included in the tour). The Centre is excellent for interpretation, but some guests prefer to visit just the battlefield, so this is optional.

What's it like on the Tour - the video

What is included in the tour price?

• A eight day guided itinerary (this usually includes a half day of independent activity in Inverness)
• Seven nights accommodation on the eight day tour **
• Reserving your pre-tour accommodation (details on FAQ page)
• We provide 2 packed / picnic lunches, weather permitting
• Highland Wilderness / Bushcraft Skills
• Evening storytellings of ancient Highland Tales with Harp
• All transportation from tour start to completion
• Gàidhlig language lessons
• Entrance fees to all sites and experiences except the optional one above
  
• All applicable taxes
  

** Note about accommodation: The cost of the seven nights of accommodation is covered in the above tour price, however, you pay the accommodation cost directly to your room hosts, not MacKenzie Adventures. As you progress to the booking pages, you will therefore see a lower tour price of £1425. That's the price of the tour itself; the remainder of the £1800/1950 is the accommodation. In practice, some accommodation comes in at less than the budget, so your overall tour price may be lower than what is quoted above, but never higher.

What's not included in the tour price?

• Your flight
• 6 lunches / all 7 dinners (about £230 per person for the week based on the average health-minded diner)
• Optional extras such as pony trekking, the visitor centre at Culloden (the field visit is not charged)
• Personal costs such as insurance, bar bill, tips etc.

Who are these tours for?

• Obviously, travellers who are Outlander fans, but also their non-reading partners who are interested in Scotland itself, particularly the Highlands, its architecture, language, history and culture.
  
• It is for both lads and lasses, solo and accompanied travellers.
  
• Travellers who want to experience a place on foot more than in a vehicle.
• Guests who prefer active tours. Indeed, you will need a fair level of fitness (at the time of sign-on) in order to secure your place (See Walking and Fitness on FAQ).
• It is for those brave enough to leave the city and shopping behind and go hiking through woodlands or over the hills (as Jamie and Claire did).
• For travellers who want someone else to do all the hard work of putting a tour together.
• For travellers who prefer someone else to do the driving on the left.
• Those wanting to try new foods, learn a bit of Gàidhlig, partake in a dram of Usige Beatha and be open to new experiences. In short: Outlandish Spirits.

This is for me!

Still got questions? They are answered on the FAQ page.

The Jamie and Claire Tour is not affiliated with Diana Gabaldon. Diana doesn't run tours. We are on her website though as a recommended tour company.