Finding Outlander's Craigh na Dun (Or How I Stomped Through the Scottish Countryside to find Jamie and Claire)

If you you’re a fan of the STARZ TV series Outlander, the mention of Craigh na Dun instantly conjures up images of a mystical (but fictional) stone circle that propels a British World War II Army nurse back to 1743.

But if you’re like me -- a casual fan propelled into the Outlander world by virtue of living in a high-estrogen household -- the mention of Craigh na Dun probably elicits a shrug or the question: “Craigh na what?”

I claim no special expertise into the world of Outlander, only the observations of a midlife male surrounded by a wife and two daughters who love the sci-fi, time-traveling historical romance set in Scotland.

The show strikes all the right chords from what I can see. A strong and beautiful heroine in Claire Randall Fraser (Caitriona Balfe), and a drool-worthy and brooding male lead in her 18th century husband Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan).

How fixated is my wife on Heughan’s character?  Let’s just say she wouldn’t be against Photoshopping him into our wedding pictures.

Scouring the Highlands

When the family planned a February 2017 vacation to Inverness, Edinburgh and places in between, there was no doubt that we’d be on the Outlander trail. Some of the locations of the scenes in the series are easy to find. After all, they’re real places. Others take a bit of detective work. It’s harder to find the imaginary.

The Battle of Culloden, a key part of Scottish history and a key plot point in the series, took place just outside of Inverness. There’s a historic site and visitor center there.

Then there’s Castle Leoch – another easy find. In real life, it’s Doune Castle, located about 40 miles (64 km) northwest of Edinburgh. In Outlander, Castle Leoch is the seat of the McKenzie clan, where Claire is being held captive. You might also know Doune Castle from Game of Thrones. It’s used as the set for Winterfell. 

But, perhaps most famously, it appears in several scenes from “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.” Remember the dance number with the Knights of the Round Table and then when King Arthur and his knights are taunted by French soldiers and showered with farm animals? Yep, both were filmed at Doune Castle.

The quest for our “Holy Grail” came in trying to find Craigh na Dun.

Excuse Me, Could You Direct Us to Craigh na Dun?

We had some clues. Mainly from coy fan site operators who didn’t want to give up their secrets or who possibly owed favors to the creators of the series.

Armed with a few details we set off for Kinloch Rannoch in Perthshire in the heart of the Scottish Highlands. It’s about halfway between Inverness and Edinburgh. 

We arrived in the village on the River Tummel with the accumulated knowledge that the mythical Craigh na Dun was somewhere near Kinloch Rannoch and that if we drove around “a bit” we’d know it when we saw it. Driving around “a bit” didn’t prove successful – it’s a hamlet of about 300 people and we quickly ran out of options in town – so we stopped by a small grocery store, just on the other side of a single-lane stone bridge.

“Do you know where Craigh na Dun is – from the Outlander series?” my daughter asked the woman behind the cash register.

She told us she thought it was about 10 miles down the road to the left, the one with the sign that points to Schiehallion.

“But, it’s not really a place,” she said, repeating it a second time just to make sure she heard her. I’m pretty sure this woman wanted to make sure a car full of people on a pilgrimage from America understood the difference between fiction and reality.

In the Neighborhood

Down the road, we went.  As truly the odd man out, I wasn’t very optimistic. Trying to be the voice of reason, I reminded my ladies-in-waiting not to be too disappointed if we didn’t find the mythical Craigh na Dun. I was thinking maybe I could find a nice little teahouse to ease their pain.

One mile in, nothing to show for our efforts except the beautiful Scottish countryside. One sheep gave us a funny look as we tried to strike up a conversation. Maybe it was our accent.

Mile two. The tension builds. Our eyes dart from side to side of our rented Toyota RAV4. Every clump of trees is analyzed. Every grouping of rocks is worthy of a second look. “Is that it,” I asked, not really knowing what we were looking for since I didn’t see the particular episodes Craigh na Dun was featured in.

The countryside around Kinloch Rannoch is breathtaking – narrow winding roads lined with stone fences, emerald pastoral fields dotted with livestock and the towering peaks of the Highlands. If our quest was to be a failure, the Scottish scenery would be a great consolation prize.

As we entered our third mile, I was thinking, “We have at least seven more miles of this.” Then I heard a squeal of delight. “There it is!” my oldest daughter said, sounding more like a four-year-old than someone who was two decades older.

And there it was, Craigh na Dun, in all its “ancient” glory. A circle of trees on top of a rocky mound, perhaps 50 yards off the road in the middle of a field. The scene certainly looked the part, even though it was partially a moviemaker’s creation. There’s no stone circle at the site. The tall “stone” props were imported for the filming and then trucked away when they were done.

Seeing it might have been enough, but there was a small road leading onto the property that could take us even closer. We ventured in, parked the car and piled out. Well, I piled out. For my wife and daughters, I’m not sure they ever touched the Earth. After all, this was sacred ground.

We stayed about 30 minutes, taking pictures. My wife and daughters relived scenes from Outlander. “I think this is the spot where Jamie and Claire made love,” one of them said. I guess there was more privacy in the 1700s.  

I kept a wary eye on the farmhouse that was perhaps 100 yards away. I don’t know if they didn’t see us or just didn’t care. I was just happy that my ladies were happy.

Their bucket list. Craigh na Dun. Check. 

L-R: My daughter and wife

My two daughters

At Craigh na Dun