Outlander Season 4 is well underway and Outlander Cast is there, thanks to blogger Andrée Poppleton. Here’s a look at how Fraser’s Ridge is shaping up.
So, you all know about my gap year. Livin’ the dream in Scotland, aye? See, I’ve already learned some of the local lingo.
I arrived back from my month long sojourn in Massachusetts — with snow and ice in abundance — to find that the same conditions were prevailing in Glasgow. The locals say it’s unusual, but I’ve been living in a winter wonderland for many weeks now. So, that’s the backdrop to seeking the places where Outlander is filming. We need to brave the frost, cold and rain, as do the cast and crew. And by the way, being there and seeing the conditions they work through does fill you with admiration, as well as an understanding that it’s not all glamour. It’s bloody hard work they do to bring our favourite stories to life.
My last post gave us a view of Rollo and other parts of Season 4. This latest chase started with all the online excitement surrounding the supposed Fraser’s Ridge being built in a forest park near the Outlander studios, just outside of Glasgow. So many pictures were showing the wee cabin under construction, but hopes were dashed a bit when Jon Gary Steele said on Twitter that this was not Jamie and Claire’s cabin.
The cabin in the woods under construction
The cabin and surroundings on a beautiful snowy morning
A little shelter and a fast-running stream
Lucky for me, I was staying with friends near filming, and we could just whip down for a reccy, or maybe two or three. Even if it wasn’t Jamie and Claire’s cabin, it was beautiful, especially on the day when it had been snowing. One day I was there for a look and a group of Outlander bigwigs were wandering about, conferring in huddles, sussing out filming angles and such. I spotted Jon Gary Steele in the group and as he walked past me, I pointed a mock finger at him and asked, “Why did you say this is not the place?” He laughed and said, “Well it’s not that cabin … You’ll see.”
So yes, time will tell. For book readers (others and non-spoilery types, close your eyes) I heard this will be the Muellers’ cabin… and you know what that means. Before filming could commence at that location, there was a call to get over to Falkland. You may remember that the village of Falkland, in the Kingdom of Fife, has been used as the location for 1940s as well as 1960s Inverness. So, the best guess was that these would be scenes with Roger and Bree. As it turned out, there was no sign of Sophie Skelton on the set but plenty of Richard Rankin.
Richard Rankin as 1960s Roger outside Mrs Baird’s in Inverness (Falkland). Photos courtesy of Edinburgh Tour Guides
The crowd of onlookers at Falkland was pretty big, and we were mostly held well back from the action. Scenes included Roger coming and going from Mrs Baird’s guest house, 1960s cars driving up the street and lots of costumed extras setting the scene. The attention to detail in the street and in the shop windows was, as usual, amazing and so great to see close up.
Farrell’s, where Claire first saw ‘the blue vase’
Filming at this location wrapped in the early afternoon, and as I was walking back to my car I spotted a clue. The luminous orange signs that lead the drivers to the filming locations and to their base. I was on the trail. It took about 10 minutes until the signs turned down a road to a big farm. The road got narrower and muddier, and by the time I reached the end of it, I was in the middle of a convoy of Movie Maker trucks and other vehicles. Oops!
I was informed that there was no way the public could watch here because it was all going to be indoors. A gigantic barn right there was the location. So I was asked politely to turn around and leave. Easier said than done with all those trucks bearing up the narrow road. The farmer came out to show me another exit and I drove down the road a bit and then pulled over to think. What next? I talked with another woman and her daughter who were in the same boat as me – love those easy Outlander fan connections – we were having a good old chat when we saw Sam Heughan whiz past. Great excitement ensued and they decided to run up and try to catch him before he entered the barn.
I wondered why they would come all that way out of town to film inside this gigantic barn, especially since according to Caitriona Balfe, conditions inside were not too good either!
I decided not to do that as we had already been asked to leave, and I had created a wee bit of a stramash with my car. Later I wondered why am I such a law-abiding citizen when all her pics with Sam and Caitriona appeared on social media! And later still I saw that funny tweet from Caitriona from inside that giant barn – looks verra cold indeed!
Anyway, I just went to look at another castle, so that was pretty cool. Even though there are castles all over the place here, I find them all fascinating, and they are usually in very beautiful surroundings, too.
So, next day it was off to Cumbernauld Glen, where the filming had been well advertised even in the local media. We joined the many onlookers where filming was underway near the cabin in the forest. It was not too easy to see as we were held well back and there was a lot of tree cover. We could see Caitriona down there, with a number of supporting actors, and it was the usual routine of doing the same scene over and over. Two beautiful horses stood patiently awaiting their cue.
Down by the stream, some cameramen were setting up their cameras in the water. These were hardy men! They were wearing waders and looked prepared to stand in that freezing water for an extended period. Better them than me. It was sunny but bitterly cold, and the whole time we were there the thick frost did not thaw, and our feet were like blocks of ice in the end.
We decided to call it a day and then, of course, so many pictures of fans with Caitriona Balfe started to emerge a couple of hours later on social media. If only we had stayed. Oh well, you win some, you lose some. At least we came away before frostbite had set in! How does she do it? Working for hours in those freezing conditions, and presumably acting as though it is very warm! Gotta admire that.
It really is an idyllic setting. Filming was set to continue in that location for three more days, so we made our plans to go back. Over the next couple of days, Caitriona was there, and there were constant rumours that Sam Heughan and maybe Duncan Lacroix would arrive. But that didn’t happen. Rollo was there, and there were scenes with horses and Indians — lots of action and lots of people standing in the cold and mud to get a glimpse!
Caitriona Balfe smiles and greets the crowd as she heads off for lunch
Andrea Middleton of Mini Kilt Tours got this great shot of Rollo
Heading for lunch on the final day. Poor Caitriona is so cold she is hugging a hot water bottle!
Horse and Indian action on the final day at Cumbernauld Glen
So, I hope you enjoyed the story and the pictures. I’ve been to a few Outlander locations now and one of the things I found quite difficult this time was the fact that people seemed to want to surge in and mob Caitriona Balfe. Maybe that’s fine on a nice relaxed sunny day perhaps, but it seemed to me that she was working in really grueling conditions and that it might be nice if fans respected that and gave her some space to head off for lunch, or just to go for a coffee or a pee! Some say it goes with the territory, and when you’re famous that’s all a part of it.
What scenes do you think they were filming this week?
What parts of Drums of Autumn are you looking most forward to seeing on screen?
Great job of breaking down the locations, the set design, the actors, and everything else! I was sorry to see those two horses standing without blankets (maybe I didn’t notice them), but the scenery is just beautiful. Your blogs are great! 🙂
Thanks Janie, glad you enjoyed it. And don’t worry about the horses, very soon after I took that picture they came and put blankets on them! They were well looked after by three people 🙂
Thank you for everything
Thank you for reading 🙂
Great job and enjoying your blog. Agree that fans (no matter how obcessed or thrilled) need to think about rushing the stars..but no matter how many times this is stated, there are always those who do it and then when they get a “meet” and photos (from the graciousness of the stars) others then think why was I polite!!!
Yes, I’ve felt that way myself … it’s a fine line between intrusion and maybe sussing out when its OK to move in for a pic or an autograph. I do notice that in all circumstances Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan are not only tolerant, but warm and friendly with their fans – hats off to them for that!
Well I just don’t understand why the filming company does not provide trailers with heat for the actors. Ridiculous! There is plenty of money being made and without the dedicated and professional actors there would be no revenue. So spend some and keep our actors and film crews etc warm and well taken care of between takes.
Hi Mary, they do have heated trailers, its just that sometimes because of the locations and the terrain they are working in, the trailers are not right near the action so they cant go back there between every take. I think Caitriona Balfe’s tweet about the conditions was a little bit tongue-in-cheek but there’s no doubt they would get very cold at times. At lunch times their drivers come to collect them to take them to the trailers for warmth and a break. So, its not all bad 🙂
Thanks for the time and energy you put into your work. It is very much appreciated??
Thanks Mary Ann, glad you enjoyed it.
A big thank you??for sharing experiences following cast and crew during the filming of S4?and the pictures!
Sorry for the ?? marks-don’t know what happened!! ?
Ha! Just a techno-glitch! Glad you enjoyed reading about it Deb … hoping I’ll be able to see some more action in the coming weeks.
Thanks for your blog. Nice to be able to keep up a little. My only disappointment,:) the trees look nothing like the trees in the mountains of North Carolina. They call them the Blue Ridge Mountains for a reason—because there are more hardwoods here. I totally understand the reasons for keeping filming in Scotland. Too bad, can’t make fake NC trees. 🙂
That’s an interesting comment Laura. I’ve never been to North Carolina but it sounds wonderful. At one filming location I went to, I wrote about it in a previous blog, they had put fake Spanish moss hanging in the trees. But that was the scene in the graveyard so they hadn’t reached North Carolina yet. Hope the final show won’t be too disappointing for you in that way.
Thank you for sharing. We were in Falkland last May. The guys to golf and the ladies to visit and shop. We saw a lot. Culloden, Devils Pulpit, distilleries, Falkland Palace, St Andrews, Edinburgh and great antique stores. When we were there, the weather was in the 70’s and even hit the 80’s! I had not packed for that! And kept buying T-shirts. ?
Wow, you went to so many places and had such great weather! I still haven’t been to the Devils Pulpit but will get there one day. It was in the media that people were getting stuck down there and had to be rescued to get back up! Maybe it was extra muddy that day or something? I love St Andrews .. your guys would’ve been in golfing heaven … their spiritual home? 🙂 🙂 Thanks for reading, Dee.
hummm I was hoping to re read Drums along with different video knowledge of the filming blocks hence droughtlander or what I call DDT’s – Droughtlander Dismal Timelapse..but thank you a very nice blog and pixs…so many parts could be just Claire and Indians when she nurses the Indian in the barn from measles when Ian and some Indians brought the very sick Indian for help right before LJG arrives??? but I hope we get to see Jamie kill the bear and that’s when they 1st meet the Indians or Claire returning from Mullers cabin and meets the skull of Otter Tooth????so I hope someone has knowledge at which junction the filming is in relation to book
Thank you so much!!!
Yes Adele it could be any of those scenes. I’m really looking forward to those scenes you mentioned, too. I wonder how they will do the bear scene? Remember Leonardo di Caprio fighting the bear in ‘The Revenant’ … that was so realistic and terrifying …. I wonder if its a CGI bear or how they do it. Of course, there’s the comical element with Claire and the fish … all will be revealed …. we just have to be patient during the DDTs!! Thanks for your comments.
There is a good company in Utah, USA that may have supplied the bear for Revenant( He’s a grizzly and Frequently seen here in the states ) but that wouldn’t do for the Appalachians – they need a good sized black bear .
I have been seeing plenty of pictures of season 4 but I have yet to see or here anything about Brianna. Where is she?
Well Sophie Skelton was seen at one film shoot about a month ago …. they were filming inside a big warehouse near Glasgow and she and Richard Rankin were there but it was totally indoors so you couldn’t see what was going on. The day I was there I saw a few extras dressed in 60s clothing with a hint of tartan! I’ll be keeping my eyes out for her though and I’ll keep you posted.
Thank you for these pics and goodies- Cait is so photogenic- and of good cheer – what a kind lady . Yes we should respect the actors needs in these cold weather situations – and my fav looking forward to scene SPOILER – Jaime and Brianna meeting followed by Jaime and Claire finding Fraser’s Ridge – strawberries and all.
She’s photogenic all right! And I so agree with you about the scenes… I LOVE the scene where Jamie and Brianna meet and the discovery of Frasers Ridge … really looking forward to S4 …. thanks for your comments Laura
I so loved all the photos of cast and crew at work. The scenery is something that I never see in Arizona. Wish I could see a picture of the stream sitting desk. That’s my favorite . Thank you very much for this vision of Scotland thats not a tourist place. Love them all. Great fortitude for being out in that freezing weather.
Hi Suzanne thanks for your comments … yes Scotland is very beautiful … and often very cold. How I would love to go to Arizona! That is on my bucket list for sure 🙂
Spa ish miss in North Carolina? Ain’t happening! The deep South grows that tree killer not sure if NC has Kudzu? Surely Georgia does, probably in NC just never saw any there.
Really enjoy your blog. You are living my dream, a year in Scotland to meet people and absorb culture! Of Course I would also be chasing filming locales, and cast. Keep us informed. I love your writing style!
Hi Muriel, did I mention Spanish moss here? or was that in my post about the night shoots? Not sure … anyhow the scenes with the Spanish moss were the graveyard scenes so I think they were in Wilmington, before any of the NC stuff 🙂
I’m glad you like to read my blog Muriel, thanks for the positive feedback .. it is like a dream, and some time it will end, meanwhile I will keep on tracking down those locations and bringing you some news 🙂
Great job of covering all the newest going on in season 4. Great pics ans stories of your time there. Look forward to more of your Outlander adventures. I cant wait till season 4 arrives but enjoying reruns. Lol. No droughlander for me! Im a big fan. Thanks again ??
My husband and I are going to Scotland in October for a week. We’re flying into Edinburgh but want to see Outlander sights. What do you suggest we do? Tour rent car, where stay? Thanks!
Pamela
I’m in Scotland now how do I find a filming site
Hi Lorraine, I don’t know where they are filming just now, they have had an Easter break and there is no news that I’ve heard about what’s next. Theres a website and twitter account called Outlander Locations and they often post up this sort of news. If you’re in Glasgow and you would like to do an Outlander walking tour with me you can contact me through http://www.tournewglasgowgirls.com If you’re in Edinburgh there is a great Outlander walking tour with Sam Thomson of Edinburgh Tour Guides.
Been an extra a lot this series. I got abused by Sam Heughan for two days, and got paid for it. Plenty of folk would have it the other way.
Wondering if you know where they are filming at the moment? I am here from Australia where outlander is HUGE.
Here from now 29th May till 3rd June any help appreciated. Thanks