EDINBURGH, Scotland – To coincide with the STARZ network premiere of Outlander in the US, which took place this past Saturday, August 9, generating over 3.7 million views, fans of the bestselling novels can now follow in the footsteps of Jamie and Claire with a new interactive map courtesy of VisitScotland. The map will also provide a unique opportunity for Canadian fans to research the locations in advance of the series’ Showcase network premiere on Sunday, August 24.
The online guide highlights real locations featured in Diana Gabaldon’s first two Outlander novels as well as numerous attractions and historical sites that have a strong connection to the Scotland-set literary phenomenon.
The map and accompanying travelers’ itinerary, which can be found at www.visitscotland.com/outlander, were launched today and form part of a wider VisitScotland marketing campaign entitled Scotland: The Land That Inspired Outlander.
Among the locations featured on the map are the Palace of Holyrood House and the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, where protagonists Claire Randall and Jamie Fraser meet with Bonnie Prince Charlie; Loch Ness, where the characters go in search of the loch’s most famous resident; and Fort William, which also plays a key role in Gabaldon’s novels.
The eagerly awaited fantasy TV series is based on the international bestselling books by acclaimed author Diana Gabaldon. The sixteen-episode first season is primarily set in the dramatic Highlands of Scotland and is a time-traveling historical fiction, romance, and sci-fi genre-bender. Outlander follows the story of Claire Randall (played by Caitriona Balfe), a married English combat nurse from 1945 who, while on a second honeymoon in Inverness, is mysteriously swept back in time to the 18th-century Scottish Highlands. There she meets Jamie (played by Scottish actor Sam Heughan), a chivalrous young warrior, with whom she becomes romantically entwined.
Filming of the Sony Pictures Television series began last October, in locations including Inverness, Glasgow, Perthshire, Fife, Edinburgh and West Lothian.
Mike Cantlay, Chairman of VisitScotland, said: “Our new map and itinerary is the perfect way for fans of the Outlander books to follow in the footsteps of Jamie and Claire and this interest is only set to grow with the release of the television series. As well as highlighting real locations that feature in the books, our map and itinerary also reveal the best places for visitors to trace their ancestry, learn about the Jacobite Uprising, and discover the real Scotland – the land that inspired Outlander.”
Ron Moore, Producer of Outlander, said: “That’s why it was so important to shoot in Scotland. This country has a particular quality to it. There is a particular quality to the light, the grass, even the trees. The landscape itself is a character in the show.”
A number of Outlander tours already operate in Scotland, with Edinburgh-based Rabbie’s Small Group Tours set to launch its Blazing the Jamie and Claire Trail in October.
Caitriona Balfe, who plays Claire Randall, said: “We traveled the length and breadth of Scotland and were filming in the most beautiful places so I can’t imagine people won’t come away with an idea of how beautiful Scotland is.”
