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Can you believe that one of the most prolific filming locations for Outlander was a tiny village in Fife? Yup! And the Culross Outlander locations are not only plentiful but are a pleasure to see in real life, too. You’re going to want to make visiting Culross, the main location for the 1740s village of Cranesmuir in Scotland near Castle Leoch, a top priority if you’re a fan.
Culross has a small population of around 400 people. It sits on the Firth of Forth and has so many adorable and historic cottages and cobblestoned streets that it is now looked after and preserved by the National Trust for Scotland. No wonder it made such a great Outlander filming location!
Culross appeared in seasons one, two and four with many buildings standing in for various locations throughout the series, not just Cranesmuir. Wondering what they all are and how you can visit them? Check out the list of all the locations for Outlander in Culross below!
Where Was Outlander Filmed in Culross?
Cranesmuir Outlander Scenes in Culross, Scotland
Culross Palace Gardens
- “The Way Out” – Season One, Episode Three
The first location that Culross stands in for isn’t even in Cranesmuir. Culross Palace Gardens stands in for Castle Leoch’s herb garden during the scene from Outlander in “The Way Out” where Geillis Duncan and Claire pick medicinal plants. You can see the gardens without even going into the Palace by climbing up the stone steps at the side of the building.
Wee Causeway House, Little Causeway
- “The Way Out” – Season One, Episode Three
During the episode “The Way Out”, Claire tends to a little boy named Tammas Baxter who everyone thinks is possessed because he and his pals played at the Black Kirk. Being the badass healer that she is, Claire figures out he ate a plant and is suffering from poisoning. Little Tammas lives at a small house in Cranesmuir, which is the Wee Causeway House down Little Causeway. Just a gorgeous little crooked cottage!
West Kirk
- “The Way Out” – Season One, Episode Three
This Outlander filming location is about a 10-minute walk north of Culross’ main town, but it is still in Culross. It is West Kirk, the church which stood in for the Black Kirk in ” The Way Out.” Jamie shows Claire around so she can find the real culprit behind the deaths of the young kids and why Tammas got sick. It is supposed to be an abandoned and unused church so it doesn’t matter that the church is looking a bit worse for wear in the show and in real life!
The Study, The Cross, Tanhouse Brae
- “The Way Out” – Season One, Episode Three
- “By The Pricking of My Thumbs” – Season One, Episode 10
The mysterious and enigmatic Geillis Duncan lives in Cranesmuir with her husband Arthur. Their house is right in Culross’ main square and is called The Study. In “The Way Out”, Claire visits Geillis to ask for advice about the Baxter boy’s illness. And later in season one during the episode “By The Pricking of My Thumbs”, a fake letter summons Claire to Geillis’ house where they are both promptly arrested for witchcraft.
Culross Palace
- “The Way Out” – Season One, Episode Three
- “By The Pricking of My Thumbs” – Season One, Episode 10
- “Vengence Is Mine” – Season Two, Episode 11
- “Down the Rabbit Hole” – Season Four, Episode Seven
Culross Palace is, without question, one of the most used Culross Outlander filming locations. It was used in season one, season two, and also season four. Royalty did not actually live in Culross Palace, of course, but it was the fancy house of a merchant dating back to the 16th or 17th century. And it’s called a Palace because royalty and others of noble birth used the house for lodgings when they travelled.
In “The Way Out”, Culross Palace’s Withdrawing Room stood in for Geillis Duncan’s parlour which we see when Claire goes to visit her. The exact same room appeared again in “By the Pricking of My Thumbs” when Claire storms in with the fake letter.
In the season two episode, ” Vengeance Is Mine”, three different parts of the palace are stand-ins for different locations. The exterior acts as the Jacobite army camp somewhere in Northern England where Claire pulls teeth. The High Hall stands in for the scenes from Outlander where Jamie gives Bonnie Prince Charlie advice on how to attack the English. And The King’s Room is Jamie and Claire’s bedroom in a tavern somewhere in the Scottish lowlands.
And in the season four episode “Down the Rabbit Hole”, the High Hall again stands in for Laoghaire’s Cranesmuir home interior.
Mercat Cross, Tanhouse Brae
- “The Way Out” – Season One, Episode Three
- “The Devil’s Mark” – Season One, Episode 11
The Mercat Cross is an instantly recognisable Outlander location as the town centre of Cranesmuir. It features in “The Way Out” when Jamie frees a young lad with his ear nailed to a post there because he was found guilty of stealing. It is most prominent in another season one episode titled “The Devil’s Mark” which follows the witch trials of Geillis and Claire. Their pyre is next to the Mercat Cross and it appears a few times throughout the episode.
Balriggan Cottage, Little Causeway
- “Down the Rabbit Hole” – Season Three, Episode Seven
The final Culross Outlander location is Balriggan Cottage on Little Causeway, mere metres from the Mercat Cross in Culross. This is the exterior of Laoghaire’s home. In the episode “Down the Rabbit Hole”, it looks like her house is in the middle of nowhere and not in a town centre. Outlander is known for its heavy CGI use so it was probably superimposed onto a rural background for the brief moment it appeared in the series. We’re talking literal seconds.
Other Cranesmuir Outlander Locations
While Culross stood in for most of the Cranesmuir scenes and some other locations, two Outlander filming locations were set in Cransmuir but shot elsewhere. The first is a church in Cranesmuir that appears in “The Devil’s Mark” which is the location of Claire and Geillis’ witch trial. This church is actually Tibbermore Church in Perth, about one hour’s drive north of Culross.
The church stood in for the main trial location, but the anteroom where Geillis and Claire talk before their verdict was in a completely different location. It was the interior of Preston Mill & Phantassie Doocot in East Linton. The exterior of this old mill also stands in as Lallybroch Mill in the season one episode “Lallybroch”! Midhope Castle is the main filming location for Lallybroch with this one exception.
Culross in Scotland: Planning Your Trip
How to Get There By Car (& Parking)
Culross is less than an hour’s drive from Edinburgh, 30 minutes from Stirling and 45 minutes from Glasgow. It is just of the A985 so despite the fact it’s a small village it is pretty well connected. But like most cute villages, it gets busy on the weekends and parking is slim. Especially in the summer months! So, try to arrive as early as possible for a parking space.
The main car park in Culross is simply called “Car Park Culross” by the pier. It is free and you can use the postcode KY12 8JJ to find it. Alternative car parks are Culross East Carpark which you can find using the postcode KY12 8HQ. I’m not sure if it is free but it is open 24 hours.
How to Get There By Public Transport
I thought it would be a lot more difficult to reach Culross by Scotland’s central belt cities but I’m happy to be proven wrong! From Edinburgh Princes Street, you can hop on the X55 bus to Dunfermline and then hop on the N.8 or 8A bus to Culross which takes around one hour 45 minutes. From Stirling, you can take a ScotRail train service to Alloa and then the same N.8 or 8A bus in the other direction to Culross. The whole journey will take anywhere from one hour to one hour and 30 minutes.
And from Glasgow, you just need to take two buses. Hop on the X24 bus to St Andrews and get off at Westfield Access Road. From there you take the, you guessed it! N.8 or 8A service straight to Culross. Considering it is a far longer journey, it’s pretty good that the journey from Glasgow to Culross takes the same amount of time as Stirling to Culross.
Book Your Place on an Outlander Tour in Scotland
Of course, you could visit Culross by booking a place on one of the Outlander tours in Scotland as I did! I went on the Haggis Adventures One Day Outlander Trail from Edinburgh and it was amazing. Less than £50 and we visited Linlithgow Palace, Doune Castle, Culross, Falkland and Midhope Castle. Our guide and driver was also fun, energetic and knowledgeable about Scotland we listened to some Scottish folk music on the ride, too.
Some other great Scotland Outlander tours I’ve heard of include Rabbie’s Outlander Adventure One Day Tours from Glasgow or Edinburgh. Plus, Rabbie’s do three-day tours if you want to visit Outlander locations from the books as well as filming locations for Outlander the TV show.
Check Out My Other Outlander Filming Location Guides
Linlithgow Palace as Wentworth Prison | Hopetoun House as Helswater (& more!) | Falkland as 1940s Inverness
Doune Castle as Castle Leoch | Midhope Castle as Lallybroch | Blackness Castle as Fort William
Craigmillar Castle as Ardsmuir Prison | Culloden Battlefield
Outlander Filming Locations in Glasgow | Outlander Filming Locations in Edinburgh
And that’s my complete Cranesmuir/Culross Outlander location guide! Have you visited Culross or watched Outlander? Let me know in the comments below!
Read next: Falkland Outlander Location: A Complete 1940s Inverness Guide
