Doune Castle
I revisited Doune Castle at the beginning of September. Those who are fans of the Outlander series, will know this was used for the fictional Castle Leoch, where Colum MacKenzie and his clan lived. As always I took a great many photographs, despite having done so on previous occasions. If you have watched the Outlander series, the castle and the rooms featured are easily recognisable, despite being empty of the film props. There is also a walk down by the river Teith and makes for a great day out.
There was a good number of tourists and the Castle operates a one-way system which is ideal when entering and leaving the various rooms and having to negotiate the steps as you make your way up and down the floors. There is also a audio guide you can take around with you, providing fascinating detail about the castle and its history.
The pull of the Outlander series and the impact it continues to have on Scottish tourism cannot be underestimated and a location like Doune Castle is a hugely popular one. I note from the official guide book (I’ve started to buy these now when I visit as I’m back into reading more about Scottish history), a local newspaper in 1859 reported that ‘scarcely a day passes without large parties of travellers surrounding it…’ Seems not much has changed!
I love visiting castles and I’m fortunate living in Scotland, as there are a great many to choose from. Although they vary in terms of size, location and state of repair, I find they all have something that makes it worth taking the time to go and see. Doune Castle is described as one of Scotland’s finest late-medieval castles and was built in the late 1300’s.
I have only watched a few episodes of Outlander and have yet to read the books. My ‘to be read’ pile is huge and is constantly being added to. They are on the list and I’m hopeful to get around to them eventually. I prefer reading the book prior to watching a film adaptation. That’s not always possible, but that’s what I aim for.
The Fiction Factory 