Quad Bikes, New Roads & Secret Glens: Inside The Remote Scottish Filming Locations In Outlander: Blood Of My Blood

We may still be (impatiently) awaiting Outlander season 8, but new prequel Blood of My Blood is more than tiding us over. Taking us back to the Highlands in 1715, 30 years before the events of Outlander begin, the series (which has already been renewed for season 2) tells the story of Claire and Jamie Fraser’s parents met: Julia Moriston (Hermione Corfield) and Henry Beauchamp (Jeremy Irvine) in England, and Ellen MacKenzie (Harriet Slater) and Brian Fraser (Jamie Roy) in Scotland.

But the real protagonist? As always, Scotland herself. To delve into the real filming locations behind the series, we picked the brains of Outlander: Blood of My Blood’s head of locations Beverley Syme, who worked in the Outlander locations team from season 2 onwards. Given the chance to step up and head the department ‘has been such a great opportunity,’ Syme tells us, ‘because I have been able to build on my experience on Outlander and bring my own vision to Blood of My Blood.

‘With the story being set in Scotland, it felt that we could get back to basics and showcase Scotland at its very best,’ Syme says, adding that ‘many of the locations team from Outlander joined me to continue their amazing work.’

Here are the Scotland filming locations we can expect to see as Blood of My Blood unfolds weekly.

Where Was Outlander: Blood Of My Blood Filmed?

Like the original series, Outlander: Blood of My Blood was filmed across Scotland. And just like Outlander, alongside our leading stars, Scotland becomes a protagonist in its own right. 

‘The brief was to make Scotland number one on the call sheet – to really show Scotland at its best,’ location manager Beverley Syme tells C&TH. ‘That wasn’t too difficult. The team who work with me on Outlander: Blood of My Blood have such a font of knowledge – of every glen, loch, munro and moss covered glade as well as castles, kirks (or churches) and bothies – that provided a great start. We really begin with the story and work with the showrunners, production designers and directors to find the locations that sing on camera.’

While some of the Blood of My Blood filming locations are accessible to the public (more on that below), the most ‘breathtakingly beautiful places’ are ‘very remote and not on the beaten track of tourists’, Syme tells us. ‘I guess the feeling when I first arrive is to appreciate the beauty of it all, then to work out if it is feasible to work there,’ Syme outlines. ‘Then fear it’s not going to work… Then relief when my amazing team makes it happen.’

It seems nothing is off limits for the Blood of My Blood location team. ‘For one location, we had to build a two mile track to get the vehicles and equipment in and out – but it was worth it when you see the final results,’ Syme says.

‘Filming the first meeting between Brian and Ellen felt impossible, but it was so beautiful we decided it was worth it.’ (Brian Fraser (Jamie Roy) & Ellen MacKenzie (Harriet Slater) in Outlander: Blood of My Blood. (© Starz)

A highlight is the first meeting between Brian (Roy) and Ellen (Slater), which is ‘extraordinary as it is so remote,’ Syme says. The bridge in question was ‘impossible really for a film unit to service, but it was so beautiful we decided it was worth it,’ Syme says, with the team transporting equipment via quadbike to make it happen. Another highlight is ‘the glen that we shot Red Jacob’s (Peter Mullan) funeral procession at, which was a 45 minute drive via four wheel drive vehicles,’ Syme says. ‘But it sings on camera, so it was worth the effort.’

So committed to the celtic nation, Blood of My Blood filming took place in Scotland even for the two storylines that take place elsewhere. The first is Henry Beauchamp’s (played by Irvine) story: ‘Henry is Claire Fraser’s father, and we meet him battling at Passendale in WW1,’ Syme says. ‘We recreated this in a quarry in Scotland and then built the trenches, which took the art department three months – to really create the history and destruction of war. We filmed this in January so the ground was frozen, and then it rained hard for days which really added to the misery and desperation of the war scenes.’

The parallel England plot is that of Clare’s mother, Julia Moriston (Corfield), who is working in a redaction office in London when Blood of My Blood opens. ‘We filmed in Glasgow for London – in Park Terrace and Kelvingrove Park,’ Syme says. ‘Henry and Julia’s first meeting on the steps down to the park from the Terrace looked great, with the weather again being lucky for the scene that day.’

Blood Of My Blood Filming Locations

‘The Blood of My Blood stories in season 1 centre around three Scottish Clans: the MacKenzies, the Frasers and the Grants,’ Syme explains. ‘We wanted their worlds to be different enough that it was easy for the viewer to recognise where they were. Mike Gunn, the production designer, created worlds which clearly showed the differences in their wealth – the Grants being very rich, the MacKenzies living well but not overly wealthy, and the Frasers being very poor at this time of their story.

‘A lot of the places we found – that we hope will make the audience gasp at the beauty of Scotland – are very remote and or on private land,’ Syme says. ‘But the ones I can tell you about include…

‘Some scenes will remind fans of Outlander, such as Henry and Julia, Claire’s parents, driving in the Highlands, just as Claire and Frank did in the opening episode of Outlander.’ (Henry Beauchamp (Jeremy Irvine) & Julia Moriston (Hermione Corfield) in Outlander: Blood of My Blood © Starz)

Castle Leoch

‘Outlander fans will recognise Doune Castle (aka Castle Leoch) from the first season of Outlander,’ Syme says. Home to the MacKenzie clan, this is where our heroine Ellen MacKenzie lives, as well as her brothers Dougal (Sam Retford) and Colum (Séamus McLean Ross). ‘The prequel begins in 1715, 30 years before Outlander, so we see the younger version of a lot of key characters,’ Syme says. ‘Of course in those times, people didn’t move house or location very often,’ meaning using the same filming location is not just apt but accurate.

‘The exterior of Leoch is filmed at Doune Castle near Stirling, but we built the interiors of the Great Hall and the rest of the castle at our studio near Glasgow,’ Syme explains. 

‘A lot of the other locations are new, but the prequel has a lot of echoes of Outlander, and the fans will love seeing the story play out in similar locations. Some will remind them of great moments, such as Henry and Julia, Claire’s parents, driving in the Highlands, just as Claire and Frank did in the opening episode of Outlander.’ 

Address: Doune Castle, Castle Hill, Doune FK16 6EA

Bowmont House

‘For Bowmont House, the home of Clan Grant – the richest of the three clans – we filmed at a private house,’ Syme says. ‘We removed all modern elements of the house and redressed a few rooms to work for the 18th century.’

Lord Lovat, Simon Fraser (Tony Curran) in Outlander: Blood of My Blood. (© Starz)

Castle Leathers

‘For the home of the disgraced and impoverished Lord Lovat, we used Balvaird Castle in Fife,’ Syme says. ‘A ruin, this impressive remote facade created the right vibe for the virtual prison Julia finds herself in when she travels back in time to the 17th century. The interiors of Leathers were built in a studio.’

Address: Castle Balvaird, Cupar KY14 7SR

Beltane

‘We have an incredible midsummer festival called Beltane which was fun to find the locations for as we wanted this to be really beautiful and natural,’ Syme says. ‘We found a loch high in the mountains which was extraordinary, but logistically a huge challenge.’

Looking back, star Rory Alexander (who plays Murtagh Fitzgibbons Fraser, Jamie’s godfather in Outlander) says the cast ‘had such a giggle filming the Belton Festival’. ‘It was pissing with rain, but we were under a massive marquee, and we danced, and we danced, and we danced and we danced,’ Alexander recalls. ‘I basically just got the giggles for three days. 

‘All of the cast were there, pretty much,’ he adds. ‘At times, I slightly forgot my character might not know their character, because I forgot we weren’t just a bunch of friends dancing in a tent. So I would keep smiling and nodding at Ned Gowan, despite the fact that my character had never met him before. Because I was like, “Oh, it’s my mate Connor (MacNeill), and he’s doing a jig!” 

‘There’s another incredible moment on a Highland loch all lit by torches,’ Alexander adds. ‘We filmed it at night, and I’d never really seen anything like it – an actual physical location like that, and then to make it into a set on top of that. It was magic.’

‘We had such a giggle filming the Belton Festival.’ (Rory Alexander (Murtagh Fitzgibbons Fraser) & Sally Messham (Mrs Fitz) in Outlander: Blood of My Blood. © Starz)

The Gathering For Red Jacob’s Funeral

It’s back to Doune Castle for the Gathering for Red Jacob MacKenzie’s funeral and the choosing of the new Laird, which involved ‘dressing the exterior and the surrounding woods and fields,’ Syme says.

‘Doune Castle was built by the Duke of Albany in the 14th Century and is now unoccupied,’ Syme adds. ‘Though we filmed in winter, which meant short cold days in Scotland, our director embraced how real it looked and felt for the 17th century story we are telling.’

Speaking to C&TH, star Séamus McLean Ross highlights this glen as his favourite filming location across the entirety of Blood of My Blood season 1: ‘The location we shot Red Jacob’s funeral in episode one was unbelievable, especially when you see the procession slowly walking in their plaid through the mist,’ he told us. ‘It felt like we were aligned with the past.’ 

More Gatherings

‘Historically, we are building to the Jacobite Rebellion, so we needed locations for Gatherings,’ Syme says. ‘We used the interior of Bannockburn House to play for the home of Lady Nairn, where we filmed a Jacobite Meeting that the infamous Rob Roy will attend.’

Address: Bannockburn House, Stirling FK7 8EY

‘It felt like we were aligned with the past.’ (Colum MacKenzie (Seamus McLean Ross) & Dougal MacKenzie (Sam Retford) in Outlander: Blood of My Blood © Starz)

The Blood Of My Blood Locations To Visit

‘We have a few locations that are open for visitors,’ Syme says, ‘like Doune Castle, Balvaird Castle, Bannockburn House, and Park Terrace in Glasgow (which we used as a London street) and the steps into Kelvingrove Park where Henry and Julia first meet.’

Otherwise the glens, lochs, glades and more are probably too remote to access – unless you have the ability to build a new track, or even a quad bike to hand…

New episodes of Outlander: Blood of My Blood arrive Saturdays on MGM+.