Life inspires art. Art inspires life.
For the Outlander books, author Diana Gabaldon really did her historical research. Though it’s a fictional, time-travelling romance, it’s set against a backdrop of historical truth. I was amazed how much research went into the writing of the series, and how much actual history was embedded in the stories. When I went to the Highlands of Scotland, I knew I was going to see the wild and dramatic beauty of the country. What was completely and beautifully unexpected was how much of Scotland’s haunting history I’d take in, how very much it intrigued me and how deeply connected I felt to it. Scotland was a truly unforgettable travel experience. The moment we were in the Highlands, I felt like my soul had come home. It was unexplainably profound.
Part of what made the trip so special was the Outlander tour we did with Andy and Diane Nicholson of Outlander: The Past Lives Experience. Their tour really made the Outlander story and the actual history of this beautiful land come to life with such richness and depth and real connection.
I fell in love with Scotland and it’s still calling to my soul. Journey with me through my memories and reflections from the day we did the Outlander tour:
Wardlaw Mausoleum
WARDLAW MAUSOLEUM. Our day began at Wardlaw Mausoleum, the burial grounds and shrine for the 17th century Lovat Frasers. We saw many James Frasers there. Wardlaw Mausoleum is also said to be the final resting place of Simon ‘The Fox’ Fraser, the 11th Lord Lovat (Jamie Fraser’s grandfather in Outlander) of the Jacobite rebellion who lived from 1667 to April 9, 1747. Jei got the key to go into the underground crypt, where we got to see Simon ‘the Fox’ Fraser’s coffin. It was said to contain his headless body, which was smuggled here after his execution at the Tower of London, while his head remained in London. They did DNA testing earlier this year and found that it was not, in fact, Lord Lovat. But we got to see his exhumed coffin.
Down in the crypt: Simon ‘The Fox’ Fraser’s recently exhumed coffin
He was called “the Fox” because he was sly and was known for his changing of allegiance. Early on, he supported the House of Hanover, but in 1745 he changed sides, became a Jacobite and supported the Stuart claim on the crown. He was among the Highlanders defeated at the Battle of Culloden and convicted of treason against the Crown. He was sentenced to death and beheaded.
A lot of people came to the Tower of London to witness his execution. So many people that they had to set up special scaffolding for extra seating. Just before his beheading, some of the scaffolding collapsed, people fell, chaos ensued and 12 spectators were killed. This amused Simon and he laughed and laughed just as they carried out his sentence of beheading.
And that’s where we get the saying “he laughed his head off.”
Visiting the final resting place of the Lovat Frasers, Photo by Andy Nicholson
BEAULY PRIORY. Next, we visited Beauly Priory, a stunning 13th century ruin. Here we saw more familiar names: a lot of Mackenzies and some Frasers, too. Including a Sir Simon Fraser of Lovat buried in 1287, an ancestor to Simon ‘the Fox’ Fraser. Beauly Priory is where Claire met Maisri, the prophetess.
Beauly Priory, Photo by Andy Nicholson
THE ‘REAL’ LALLYBROCH. Diane and Andy took us to the real Lallybroch (not the filming location), the home of the youngest son of the Mackenzie Clan chief. If Lallybroch existed, this 17th century home would be it. It’s a shame I didn’t get any pictures of it. The day before our Outlander tour, when we drove from Edinburgh to Inverness, we did stop at Midhope Castle, the filming location for Lallybroch, which I managed to get a photo in front of.
Midhope Castle, Lallybroch filming location near Edinburgh
CASTLE LEOD. After spending much of the morning visiting with dead Frasers and Mackenzies, we headed to Castle Leod, seat of the Clan MacKenzie. It’s a beautiful, pristine castle and the actual home of the Chief of the Clan Mackenzie, the Earl of Cromartie, and has been lived in by the same family for well over 500 years through to this day. Castle Leod lives and breathes history. The family was intricately involved in the Jacobite Rising of 1745. The third Earl of Cromartie led a force of 400 men from Clan Mackenzie at the Battle of Falkirk in 1746. He was captured by the English and sentenced for High Treason, but was later pardoned. Castle Leod is the real Castle Leoch in Outlander.
Castle Leod, seat of the Clan Mackenzie
CULLODEN HOUSE. In the afternoon, we made our way to Culloden House. Jei was getting hungry and could not stop telling us all how much he was looking forward to afternoon tea at Culloden House. Delicate crustless tea sandwiches, scones with jam and cream, more cakes than we could eat, and delicious loose leaf tea complete with tea strainer. We were recharged and could then fully appreciate the history of the remarkable location. It was not lost on us that Bonnie Prince Charlie had likely taken his tea there some 270 years before.
Afternoon Tea at Culloden House, Photo by Andy Nicholson
During the time of the Jacobite rising, Bonnie Prince Charlie requisitioned Culloden House as his lodging and battlefield headquarters for the three nights prior to the battle. We saw the fireplace he sat in front of, contemplating the upcoming, ill-fated battle. Portraits of Bonnie Prince Charlie decked the walls of Culloden House. It bothered Tai and Jei to no end that the Bonnie Prince stayed comfortable, warm and fed inside Culloden House, while his Jacobite army camped outside on the grounds, hungry and cold. The boys were absolutely not impressed with Bonnie Prince Charlie.
Culloden House, Photo by Andy Nicholson
Diane also showed us a written record of the prisoners taken by the English after the Battle of Culloden. Right there in black and white, I saw the name James Fraser of Lord Lovat’s Regiment. As it turns out, he was the real life inspiration for Diana Gabaldon’s beloved character Jamie. When she was researching the Battle of Culloden, she learned that 19 wounded Jacobite officers took refuge in a farmhouse that was on the side of the battlefield. They had been there for two days when the British army came for them and sentenced them to death. They were taken out one by one and shot. We even got to see the stone these men were taken to stand against to be shot, musket holes still visible in the stone.
Musket holes are still visible in the stone where surviving Jacobites were executed after the battle
All but one man was shot: James Fraser of the Lord Lovat’s regiment. According to Diana Gabaldon in an interview with National Geographic, “While thousands of Highlanders died in the battle, there was no way the hero of the story could perish there…I was thinking that if I expect Jamie to survive Culloden then his last name better be Fraser.”
Diane showing us the written record of survivor James Fraser, Photo by Andy Nicholson
CULLODEN BATTLEFIELD. After our lovely afternoon tea and a fascinating Jacobite weapons demonstration by Andy Nicholson, we set out to Culloden Moor. It was very windy and bitterly cold, as if the ghosts of Culloden were making themselves known. Something in the atmosphere at Culloden Battlefield was different. Beyond just being somber in its significance, it was hauntingly, unforgettably melancholy. The feeling still lingers with me as I recall it.
Memorial Cairn, Culloden Battlefield, Photo by Andy Nicholson
Culloden is the site of the final and fateful battle of the Jacobite rising of 1745, and also the very last battle fought on British soil. Tai wrote a beautiful blog providing some background on the history of this fateful battle here.
In a nutshell, James II was forced into exile after the Glorious Revolution in 1688 when the House of Hanover took the British throne. Jacobites, who took their name from the Latin ‘Jacobus’ of the name James, were supporters of the exhiled Stuart king and his descendants and wanted to restore the throne to the House of Stuart. The Jacobites made many failed attempts to regain the throne between 1688 and 1746, when the bloody Battle of Culloden ended in massive Jacobite defeat.
The Jacobite forces of Prince Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie) were defeated by the Hanoverian forces commanded by the Duke of Cumberland, who later became known as “Butcher Cumberland.” The entire battle was fought in less than an hour and left 1500 Jacobite soldiers and clansmen dead. After Culloden, Jacobites were hunted down and killed or imprisoned. There have been no uprisings or rebellions since.
Culloden Battlefield is not just a battlefield. It’s a mass war grave. With Clan gravestones all over the grassy hills, it’s incredibly somber. We saw gravestones for the Frasers who tragically fell on 16 April 1746 along with so many other Clansmen. We even saw the thatched farmhouse that wounded Jacobites took refuge in until British forces came to execute them. All except that one Fraser.
Clan Fraser Gravestone, Photo by Andy Nicholson
The farmhouse on Culloden Moor, Photo by Andy Nicholson
CLAVA CAIRNS. After our haunting walk through Culloden Battlefield, we moved along to Clava Cairn, a bronze age standing stone circle and prehistoric burial site dating back around 4,000 years. Just a mile and a half from Culloden Moor, this is the real Craigh na Dun. If there were a stone circle near Culloden where Claire went back through the stones, this would have been it.
Clava Cairn, the real Craigh na Dun, Photo by Andy Nicholson
Clava Cairn had a quiet aura of mystery surrounding it. Two stone burial formations align perfectly with the sun during the winter months. Some of the cairns are in position to line up with major astronomical events like the equinox. The standing stones are the focus of a few mysteries. One enchanting belief is that Clava Cairn is a time portal to another dimension. Clava Cairn truly was the most magical end to the most magical day.
The split stones at Clava Cairn, Photo by Andy Nicholson
Burial mounds at Clava Cairn, Photo by Andy Nicholson
If you’re ever in Inverness, look up Andy and Di at Outlander: The Past Lives Experience. They really do these tours right and made our day so extra special. They are whole-heartedly passionate about Scotland. That passion is palpable and contagious. We’re already planning our next trip to Inverness so we can spend some more time with them and see more of this beautiful country. It’s been calling to my soul.
The breathtaking Scotland Highlands, Photo by Andy Nicholson
