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Falkirk council now weighs in on Outlander fans, damage and disrespect to sites

By John Buhler

NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 05: (L-R) Moderator Lynette Rice and actors Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan participate in a panel discussion after the New York Red Carpet Premiere of Outlander Season Three, Hosted by Starz and Entertainment Weekly in New York on September 5, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Entertainment Weekly)
NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 05: (L-R) Moderator Lynette Rice and actors Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan participate in a panel discussion after the New York Red Carpet Premiere of Outlander Season Three, Hosted by Starz and Entertainment Weekly in New York on September 5, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Entertainment Weekly) /
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A Falkirk council is trying to be proactive in how to prepare for droves of Outlander fans that might be coming to the area in the coming months.

Outlander has been a massive television success worldwide in the last few years. People who originally liked the book series have become full-fledged fanatics of late, and this has led to a spike in tourism in the Scottish Highlands in some locations that weren’t expecting visitors.

Two areas have experienced an overwhelming surge of tourism activity since those areas were used as locations in the Starz television series: Culloden and Midhope Castle. While the show has brought extra attention to these areas, they weren’t exactly designed to have this many people venturing them regularly.

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Fans have been seen pouring out whisky atop the mass grave in Culloden stemming from the battle there in 1746. Midhope Castle has seen fans relieve themselves, on account of not having any bathrooms on sight. This castle was used as the backdrop for Jamie Fraser’s home Lallybroch in recent seasons.

While the unwanted rush of people to those two areas have the people of Falkirk trying to be proactive about it. See, Falkirk is home to three areas of potential interest for Outlander fans. While two have been mentioned in the series, Callendar House and Muiravonside Country Park, a third could be the biggest if ever mentioned. That would be Falkirk Muir, home to a 1746 battle during the Jacobite wars.

Photo credit: Outlander/Starz Image acquired via Starz Media Room
Photo credit: Outlander/Starz Image acquired via Starz Media Room /

In essence, a Falkirk council is trying to learn from the mistakes that have been made by Culloden and Midhope Castle in terms of how to deal with a surge of Outlander fans. Author Diana Gabaldon has urged fans of her series to be respectful of these sites, but that has been easier said than done.

What the council is hoping that happens is a well-planned battlefield walk of Falkirk Muir can be carefully integrated into these Outlander tours. While it may not be mentioned in the series, fans of the show might have an appreciation for where the biggest battle during the time period took place. However, fans are fanatics and don’t always act rationally.

Next: Andy the Highlander quits day job to hold tours

It’s a testament to this show’s immense popularity across the globe. Outlander is about to enter season five, so there could be many other areas where fans will want to venture to in the coming years. Being ahead of the curve with an influx of tourism only serves Falkirk should Outlander fans show up in droves like they tend to do.

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