Discover the ultimate Outlander experience in Inverness

The imposing structure of Fort George, built in the aftermath of the Battle of Culloden as a secure base for King George II’s army and as a deterrent to any further Jacobite Risings, is arguably the most impressive 18th century fort in Britain.  It took 22 years to build but, by the time it was completed in 1769, the Jacobite threat was all but gone.  

Remarkably, little has changed at Fort George since its completion, and it has been home to regiments of the British army now for over 250 years.  It is still an active military base to this day, and is currently the home of the Black Watch, 3rd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland.  

It also houses The Highlanders’ Museum which tells the stories of the many Highlanders who served in one of regiments that was raised from the region in the late 1700s.  The Highlanders’ Museum is home to around 20,000 artefacts and an estimated 10,000 documents and photographs.  It is the largest military museum in Scotland, outside of Edinburgh.

The final confrontation of the 1745 Jacobite Rising, and the last ever pitched battle to be fought on British soil, took place on Culloden Moor on the outskirts of Inverness on 16th April, 1746.

 
The Battle of Culloden - the heart of the Outlander story - saw a well-supplied Hanovarian Government army led by the Duke of Cumberland, son of King George II, face the forces of his cousin Charles Edward Stewart, aka Bonnie Prince Charlie who had the intention of restoring the House of Stuart to the British throne. Having failed in their attempt to gain support in England and advance on London, the Jacobites had retreated, undefeated, back to Scotland arriving at Inverness with a force of around 5,500. On the rain-soaked morning of the battle, the Government army of around 8,000 took up their positions. The battle commenced at 1pm and within an hour it was over. 1300 died, 1250 of whom were Jacobites. 

Over the weeks that followed, many of the Jacobites who managed to escape the battlefield were hunted down and killed. Charles himself evaded capture for five long months, eventually making good his escape to France and final exile. Today, the National Trust for Scotland has the responsibility for the conservation and restoration of the battlefield, and a visitor centre houses a first class exhibition, café, shop and rooftop viewing platform. 

This circular six mile (10km) trail allows you to explore the wider story of Culloden, linking Culloden Wood, Culloden Battlefield and the Cumberland Stone with local communities, fields and forests. You can start from either the Culloden Wood car park or Culloden Battlefield car park.  

En route you will see the Prisoners’ Stone where British Government troops shot 17 Jacobite prisoners on the day after the battle; the Lord President’s Seat is a stone dedicated to the local laird Duncan Forbes of Culloden House who supported the British Government in the 18th century but pleaded for humane treatment of the Jacobites after the Battle of Culloden; St Mary’s Well, an ancient healing well; and Cumberland’s Stone, where it is said that the Duke of Cumberland may have had breakfast or lunch on the table-flat top of the boulder on the day of the battle.  There are helpful interpretive panels around the route.

Although the path network is wide, you should bear in mind it can be uneven and steep in places and can get quite muddy. 
 

Urquhart Castle sits on the edge of Loch Ness with spectacular views toward Inverness in the north and Fort Augustus in the south.  The site on which the castle stands has been occupied for at least 1300 years, with one of the first recorded mentions of the site dates to a visit by St Columba in the 7th century.  During that time it wasn’t a grand stone castle but rather a small wooden palisade, and much of the present ruin was built in the 13th century.

The castle changed hands many times before finally being retained by the Scots.  During the 15th and 16th centuries, the MacDonald clan would continuously attack the area and the castle in an attempt to exert their power and hold. One last assault, known as The Great Raid, saw anything that could be removed being removed, including windows and doors. By the late 17th century, war was at the castle’s door once more.  This was the beginning of the Jacobite wars, and the Grants who held Urquhart Castle at this time were loyal to the new king and queen in London.  With only 200 men, the Grants held the castle against Jacobite siege.  With the end of the Jacobite Rising in 1690, the Grants decided to blow up the castle to prevent it falling into enemy hands in the future.  

Further damage was sustained in 1715 during a terrible storm, with one corner of the large Grant tower being struck by lightning.  Breaking, it slipped into the loch and gave us the view we see today.  This is the same view seen by Frank and Claire as they sail down Loch Ness on their second honeymoon.  The castle is currently protected and cared for by Historic Environment Scotland.

Reelig Glen is a narrow, steep sided gorge by the rushing waters of the Moniack Burn.  The glen offers a beautiful woodland walk right in the heart of Fraser country, through a mixture of old conifer and broadleaved trees which are known to be some of the tallest in Britain.  

The tallest Douglas Fir here has been measured at 62 metres (204 feet) and, after a local competition, it was named Dughall Mor, meaning Big Douglas. The same Fraser family owned this area for over 500 years, and the present character of the glen owes much to James Baillie Fraser, the 19th century Scottish explorer, who planted many of the trees which are found here today.  
The circular walk follows well maintained paths and at the top of the walk there is a stone bridge and a grotto. The Frasers sold Reelig Glen in 1949, since when it has been under the management of the Forestry and Land Scotland.

Beauly Priory dates back to 1230 and is one of three priories (or monasteries) founded in Scotland in the 13th century for monks of the Valliscaulian order. The Valliscaulians came from the Burgundy region of France, and adhered to strict ideals of poverty, chastity and obedience, with only the Prior having access to the outside world.

The Frasers of Lovat and the MacKenzies have been associated with the Priory for centuries.  As you walk around the ruins you will see many tombs for both clans, the oldest MacKenzie tomb dating as far back as 1479.  

After the Reformation the priory fell into disuse.  The lead was removed from the roof in 1582, and much of the stone was used for the construction of other buildings in the town and as far afield as Inverness.  Only the abbey church still stands today, housing some very fine funerary monuments.  

In Outlander, Claire comes across the Seer Maisri at Beauly Priory while she and Jamie are visiting his grandfather, Lord Lovat (Simon, the ‘Old Fox’) at nearby Doune Castle (now Beaufort Castle) prior to the Jacobite Rising of 1745.