Outlander Day

June 17, 2017 - I'm so excited! Today is Outlander Day! First thing after breakfast we head to Lallybroch. We wind around, in and out, up and down, various country roads and arrive at a gravel driveway. We turn into the drive and there is a place for four cars to park next to a field of weeds. There is a small manned guard shack with a man collecting the fees. We pay and walk up the hill to the stone structure we see ahead of us.

It is early and only another couple of people are there. We start snapping pictures of the home depicted in the tv show as Jamie and Jenny's family home. We respectfully do not take photos of the bungalow sitting next to it as this is someones home and we have been asked not to do so. The excitement is palpable among the group but especially Dana and Melissa, who attended the TTS convention, and myself. I joked it was like the mother ship had called us home!

The building is not that large and is in disrepair and we are not allowed to enter. We did walk up the stone steps to the front door and pretend to knock for pictures. We were allowed to walk around it and we took pictures from every angle. As we were leaving, two couples and a kilted and tattooed tour guide named Ross arrived. Of course, we started talking with them and became a bit attached swapping stories and eventually cards. Ross tells me he is new at his tour guide job and is learning the ropes but it seems he is doing a fine job.

We continued to chat and Ross asked if we wanted to stay around a few minutes he would show us a site used in the upcoming Season 3. Of course we stayed and chatted some more as the other people took their pictures. Then we headed down the hill and Ross directed us to a well-worn muddy path to our left. We follow the path down and around and see a brook not very deep, quickly flowing over large rocks. This area looks a lot like any woods in Illinois except more English Ivy draping from the branches and there are a lot of tender ferns that we don't see at home because they won't winter over in our area  but seem to thrive here in this gentler climate.

Not far in we see a rough bank of stone forming a small concave section that is not covered by foliage. Ross tells us that the cave scene filmed for S3 was done here. Because Voyager has this important cave scene, the production company built one onto the bank that was already there. After filming was done they completely removed it. I can't wait to see the scene in the upcoming show and know that I stood in that spot and remember how much different it looks now!

We say our goodbyes to Ross and the other couples, exchange business cards, and say perhaps we will see each other again, knowing we probably won't, and get in our vehicle to head to the next destination. But then again, you never know, one lady was from Florida and loves Outlander and was excited to hear of my convention.

Our next destination was Fort William. This stone structure sits on the edge of water and is an imposing sight but we are not allowed inside and take photos from the yard. It is another beautiful day and we can't believe our luck at avoiding the cold rainy weather Scotland is known for. Here at this site they have embraced the Outlander fandom and are raking in the cash at the gift shop. I even purchased something for myself - a silver filigree ring with the Celtic rings and thistles all round. As we were leaving who pulls up in a cute red car - it's Ross and his charges! We share a big wave and a hello and are off.

We next drive to the town where Jamie's ghost stands in the town center looking up at Claire in the window. Falkland is a pretty big town and we are unable to find it from the map and directions that Dana found online. These things can't be helped and we are running short on time so decide to move on with our day.

We are going to see the giant art display known as the Kelpies. They are great big horse heads made out of what appears to be aluminum sheets. As we walk along the path to the horses we are able to view a lovely nature preserve and canal with locks. But the horses are the main attraction and after a decent hike we are upon them. They were installed to honor the usage of horses throughout history in Scotland. We are able to walk all around them and enjoy leisurely walking around and taking photos. Some had lunch here and I enjoyed an ice cream cone in the bright sunshine.

The next stop is Castle Leoch!! We TTS girls are excited to see this castle where some scenes of the Mackenzie homestead were filmed. As we enter the grounds, again the excitement builds! This castle is not deteriorated as much as others and we are able to go inside of it. There are mobile devices that we are able to hold and as we walk around we listen to the story. This is my favorite way to do tours because we can go at our own pace and walk around as fast or slow as we want. Various areas have a number that yo press on the keypad and you hear about that area.

When we get to the large kitchen area a nice surprise is that some of it is done in Sam Heueghan's voice. Sam starts out, "Welcome to Mrs. Fitz's kitchen." It is a nice added touch as he continues to talk a bit about filming here. Sam does two other areas also and the voice that we are so familiar with helps being things to life. I am out in the center court area looking down the extremely deep well, which is covered over with a metal screen protecting people from themselves, and who do I see? It is Ross with his group! Again we chat while the others are wandering about. He seems to be a very nice guy and certainly would be a fun tour guide and I took a photo to remember the encounter.

We move on and as we are driving we enjoy the scenery filled with sheep and their darling baby lambs, beautiful flowers in many places, some pheasants, gorgeous ferns and mosses, and even a couple deer. We stop by Blair Castle for a little bit to view their gardens. The forest area had labels on the various trees. Some of the pines are HUGE and I wonder how old they are and what they have seen over the centuries. We encounter a peacock in the parking lot who was roaming about greeting people and some of the ladies feed him grapes that he really loves. Across the street are two big Highland cows munching contentedly in their pasture.

Around the corner I spy an old cemetery and I walk over to see if I can get a closer look. I am able to open the gate after reading warnings about unstable stones and walk gingerly around. So many of them are covered in moss and are quite beautiful as they are slowly being destroyed by the elements. I saw several wrapped in yellow tape that read "Caution Unstable Headstone" which is not a caution tape you run into very often!

Down the winding Scottish roads we drive and arrive at our final destination for the night. Our overnight quarters will be in a castle and we are all excited to see it, have dinner, and sleep! We are running ourselves ragged this trip and need some rest so Good Night, dear friends from somewhere past Inverness in the Scottish countryside at Tulloch Castle. This beautiful castle is one to revisit someday and stay for a few nights!

Outlander's Lallybroch

At home at Lallybroch

Kilted tour guide Ross

Area where cave scene is shot for Season 3 Outlander

The Kelpies

Mrs. Fitz's kitchen in Outlander

Beautiful Scottish cemetery