Scottish castle doubles for magnificent Palace of Versailles gardens

One of Scotland’s most famous gardens was transformed in to the stunning backdrop for the Palace of Versailles.

DRUMMOND CASTLE

Drummond Castle Gardens, Perthshire, was the location for the Palace of Versailles in the series Outlander. At the Palace Jamie meets Black Jack Randall and challenges him to a duel .

Drummond Castle Gardens, near Crieff, Perthshire, is the magnificent pleasure grounds of the French royal palace in a dramatic episode of time travelling drama Outlander . The grounds, which date back to 1630, are considered “the best example of formal terraced gardens in Scotland”.Drummond Castle Outlander tours

Now they feature in VisitScotland’s new online guide to Outlander locations.The map contains 11 new sites which feature in the second series of the drama, based on the bestselling novels by American author Diana Gabaldon and starring Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan.Much of the action in the second series of Outlander is set in France, where the Frasers take on a new way of life after leaving Scotland.

DRUMMOND CASTLE

The stunning grounds date back to 1630

However, locations such as Drummond Castle Gardens — as well as Gosford House in East Lothian, Glasgow Cathedral and Dysart Harbour in Fife — served as ideal substitutes for French scenes.

Drummond Castle Gardens, which are protected as a category A listed building — in contrast to the B listed castle — already attract thousands of visitors per year, and are included on the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland.The gardens — complete with peacocks — feature ancient yew hedges and the remaining beech tree planted by Queen Victoria in 1842.But the grounds — which also featured in 1995 feature film Rob Roy, starring Liam Neeson — could now see a huge boost in tourist numbers thanks to the so-called “Outlander effect”.

Fans from throughout the world flock to filming locations.Head gardener Edith Barnes said: “The team here puts a lot of effort into making the gardens look their best and we’re delighted that fans of the series got to see them on screen in all their glory.”We hope visitors will see the hard work for themselves and maybe even be transported to another place and era through their beauty.”Outlander centres around Claire Randall, a World War Two combat nurse living in the 1940s with her husband Frank. On a second honeymoon to Inverness, Claire goes to a stone circle and is mysteriously swept back in time to the Scottish Highlands in 1743.

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DRUMMOND CASTLE

The gardens are protected as a category A listed building – unlike the B listed castle

She meets a young Scottish warrior, Jamie Fraser, and falls for him, leaving her torn between her 18th and 20th century lives.Although the storyline moves to France in the second series, Scotland still provides much of the stunning scenery.Fans of the hit Sony Pictures TV show can follow in the footsteps of Jamie and Claire and visit locations shot in regions such as Dumfries and Galloway, Fife and and The Trossachs.The new map is VisitScotland’s biggest ever guide to Outlander sites, and also includes 18 locations from series one.

Drummond Castle Pictures by David Rankin

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