Published on Oct, 2024
We were looking for an independent shore excursion for our one day port stop in Greenock. We chose the Outlander Day Tour for the variety of sites we would see along the way. The company uses a variety of vehicles depending on how many are booked on a particular day. The day we went we were in a car with a driver/guide, and two vans with about 6 each and a guide were in our caravan that day as we traveled together to the various sites. We have seen Outlander, but are also interested in all the cultural and historical info about Scotland. Our guide Dario was so interesting with his knowledge of Scotland. He wasn't as versed with the Outlander info but that was okay as we met up with the other guides at the sites and Sergio gave us the Outlander info. We had a beautiful September day which made for excellent photos.
Our first stop Blackness Castle was beautiful, on the water. This was the castle that doubled as Ft. William in Outlander. Not too crowded so early which is a plus of independent tours. Dario was always available to take photos of us in front of the castle. Just gorgeous.
Next stop was Midhope Castle, which doubled as Jamie's family home Lallybroch in Outlander. Just as pictured in the series. No one was here as we arrived. You can't tour inside, but the outside is photogenic. Even without access to the inside, it is one of the most iconic castles seen in Outlander IMO. We saw some interesting, possibly wild chickens nearby and saw the building that served as the bird (I think quail) raising building for the property long ago (Dario pointed that out to us).
Onward, to the picturesque town of Falkland. This whole town could be a movie set it is so quaintly amazing. We had a light lunch break at the charming Hayloft Tea Room which was reserved just for our group where you could order soups and sandwiches, etc. It was delightful, tasty, affordable and quick service.
After lunch, we strolled the town and saw the fountain and building which was used in Outlander for the scene where Jamie from the past views Claire in the future combing her hair in the window.
We had a little free time to explore the town before we had a "wee dram" of Scottish whisky from our guides before continuing on through the countryside.
Last castle was Doune which was used as the fictional Castle Leoch, the Scottish Highlands home of Clan Mackenzie in Outlander. Here we were able to have an audio tour with our admission which explained the castle in depth but also the Outlander connections. It was also used in the Monty Python movie, as well as the Game of Thrones pilot. Another scenic, beautiful site.
Lastly we made a quick stop at the Trossacks Woolen Mill which was closed for the day, but we had come for the main attraction: their two "Hairy Coos" (famous Highland cows) They are so adorable. Our guides brought carrots for us to feed them! Right by a scenic field of sheep grazing, with a lovely estate in the background.
Although the ride at the start of the day was mostly expressway to quickly reach our
first destination, the return was more via backroads to avoid traffic and were quite scenic.
This was a full, delightful day. It is a lot of time in the vehicle, but well worth it to us as we chatted with the guide. And we felt like we had enough time at each site. Bathroom breaks were available at each stop. And as it is clearly stated on the Serca website, you do pay for your own admission fees at all 3 castle sites. We still feel the tour quality and value was worth it. There is minimal shopping, but we didn't come for that. We thoroughly enjoyed this tour and our time with Dario who was a wealth of information about Scotland. They know exactly when the cruise all aboard time is and make sure you are back to the port in plenty of time. We highly recommend this tour company based on the wonderful day we had. Thank you Serca Tours.
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