Seeing Outlander: Roslin Glen Country Park in The Reckoning

Roslin Glen Country Park played a prominent role in Outlander as the Scottish park where parts of “The Reckoning” in Season One were shot. We take you for a behind-the-scenes look.

Maybe you’ve been to Scotland and visited Outlander locations yourself. Maybe you dream of going one day and want to know where to find your favorite scenes. Or maybe you just can’t get enough of the show and/or Scotland and need a fix. Whatever your reason, we hope you’ll enjoy our new periodic series Seeing Outlander, in which we show locations from the series (juxtaposed with the scenes themselves where we can). We’ll also have some never before seen photos coming your way as Outlander Season 4 kicks off too, so stay tuned.

First up in the series is Roslin Glen Country Park, which was the setting of one of Outlander’s most gripping moments between Jamie and Claire.

Picnic and a swim anyone?

Well swimming might be stretching it! But a picnic certainly. Well, OK, weather permitting!

This is a beautiful Outlander location to visit, even for people who might just be having a short stay in Edinburgh. It’s only 25 mins south of Edinburgh, and just under an hour from Glasgow. By car is the quickest and most convenient way to get there but there is also a bus service from Edinburgh. You catch the Number 37 from Central Edinburgh. It takes 55 mins to get there – google for a timetable. And be aware that you need the correct fare as you can’t get change on the bus.

Not only is this a fabulous iconic Outlander site to visit, but it’s a beautiful walk to the location. The day I was there I mostly had the place to myself. Only a couple of families strolled by and it was sunny and warm. And it’s an easy and very accessible 15- to 20-minute walk on well-made level path alongside a beautiful burn (you may call it a creek, a stream or a brook).

Arriving at the place immediately transports you to that emotional scene where Claire and Jamie have their first big fight in Season One’s “The Reckoning.” You can just hear Jamie yelling that he wants to slap Claire until her ears ring ….. she calls him “a brute and a fool” …. and then “You’re tearing my guts out Claire” and finally “forgiven” from both of them.

If you listen to the Outlander STARZ podcast for this episode, Ron D. Moore and Matt B. Roberts discuss what it was like filming on that day. They knew it was such an important and iconic scene from the book so they allowed a whole day for filming, which they described as “luxury.” Although they qualified that by saying that it was 30 degrees (-1 celsius) !!, but at least it wasn’t raining! Those actors and crew really do work in some grueling conditions.

Apparently they didn’t even initially rehearse that scene; They just went to the location and tried different things, just letting the actors go for it. They wanted to have plenty of options because in post production, something that may not have seemed too good at the location, can become “gold” when it’s all being put it all together.

Ron and Matt loved the raw emotion shown by Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe, and how they really showed these two characters cutting loose with each other for the first time in their relationship. Jamie is so confused that a woman of his time does not just blindly obey him and typical Claire will not back down one little bit.

You’ll recall that in the final shot of this sequence, Claire and Jamie are seen from an aerial view. Ron talks in the podcast about how a crane was used to take that shot. He says that early on he was particular about not using cranes, as he wanted much more of a hand-held look to the filming, but eventually he changed his mind about that.

And as so often happens in Outlander, the setting /location/landscape are powerful elements of the production. It is a very atmospheric place.

Here are the maps to get you there from Edinburgh ……

and from Glasgow …..

And here is the route you take up to the “Mill Lade remains” where the scenes were shot. Follow the yellow line ….

You can also download a pamphlet with a map of the park.

It’s not easy to park your car right at the entrance to the path because it is on a hairpin bend in the road. You need to go a little further along and find a spot on the side of the road, or even a little further to the main parking area for the park.

If you want to make a big day (or two) of it, nearby beautiful Pentland Hills Regional Park is worth a visit. Also the beautiful Rosslyn Chapel (famously used for the filming of Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code in 2003) and Rosslyn Castle are nearby.

Have a great day!

Have you visited Roslin Glen Country Park? Or any other Outlander locations? Let us know in the comments what you learned.

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Nora Fleming

· Reply

August 14, 2018 at 1:01 PM

Thank you so much for sharing these marvelous photos, maps, and details. This iconic scene is a favorite of so many Outlander fans. Wasn’t this from the first episode that was filmed?

Andrée Poppleton
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Author

August 15, 2018 at 9:55 AM

Hi Nora, glad you enjoyed it. It was from the episode called ‘The Reckoning’ …. it was Episode 9 in Season 1 where Jamie has just rescued Claire from Black Jack Randall at Fort William.
- Cynthia
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  August 19, 2018 at 11:17 AM
  
  Thank you. Thank you!! Visiting Scotland in October & have added this to my itinerary! ?

Dawn

August 14, 2018 at 2:52 PM

What a nice treat to see some more Outlander stuff. Droughtlander has been
so very long already.

It’s interesting hearing about The Reckoning.

I thought it was a wonderful juxtaposition because the scenery was downright lovely, but the episode as a whole made me feel so uncomfortable: First it was Black Jack’s cruelty toward Claire (and by extension to Jamie as well), Claire’s anger and guilt directed at Jamie and herself, and Jamie’s anger at Claire.

The most uncomfortable of all is when Jamie beat Claire with a belt!

During the argument scene by the pond, I have to say that it might have been the first time I noticed that Jamie actually had some actual feelings, and Sam had something more to play than the “hero who could do no wrong, hero in love.” type of role.

During the argument scene, Sam seemed to inject layers into Jamie’s character, layers we as the audience didn’t see until then.

Jamie wasn’t just someone magnified in Claire’s eyes, he became a person in his own right.

I have to say it was the only time I had ever heard Jamie refer to Claire as a “foul mouthed bitch,” and it was a little harsh coming from him, (as opposed to BRJ who spewed that on a regular basis). When Jamie said this, it was as if he was FINALLY actually saying what was on his mind, what he actually thought.

Because Jamie was so much in love, he often looked past or accepted Claire’s flaws, foibles, and personality.

But acceptance does not mean you have to like something–Jamie clearly didn’t like being disobeyed or cast aside.

It was maybe the first time in Season 1, that Jamie came into his own

Both Sam and Cat seemed to really enjoy sticking their teeth into that scene. They showed some real acting chops, both of them.

Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and the pics and info!

Andrée Poppleton
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Author

August 15, 2018 at 10:00 AM

Hi Dawn, well thanks for your insightful analysis of that scene. Yes, I agree it was the first time we saw Jamie saying exactly what he thought, and your comments are echoed by Matt Roberts and Ron Moore in the podcast. They really enjoyed seeing Sam and Caitriona cut loose with their characters for the first time. Glad you enjoyed reading it.

Lori

August 14, 2018 at 11:04 PM

Thank you was well done, lovely photos. We also were able to visit there, it is a beautiful location! We had difficulty finding it, not knowing exactly what it was or what it was called. The map & intstructions you show are great!

Andrée Poppleton
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Author

August 15, 2018 at 10:02 AM

I’m with you Lori, when I went there I was lost, too, and wandered around looking at the map in the carpark and trying to figure it out. That was one of the reasons I thought to write this, so people can find their way straight there. Glad you were able to go there too, it certainly is a beautiful place.

Ruth Ann Carr

August 15, 2018 at 3:02 PM

I’ve been to this spot a couple of times. The first time it was difficult to find and actually took me 2 attempts. The signage in the car park is very confusing and at the time we did not know about the mill ruins. But when we finally found it, wow what a great location! Kudos to the team that picked this location. It’s so peaceful and scenic and then Sam and Cait really went at it. Maybe my favorite scene in season 1.

What is amazing to me, is that there are some significant rapids on the other side of that mill. Production managed to make it look like they had ridden their horses along that creek. I really don’t know how they got all the people, horses, and a crane in to that location. There are lots of others that are also really remote. So it was impressive that they put such a great scene together.

It’s one of my favorite places to visit. I love Roslyn Chapel just up the road and this is a lovely peaceful walk that transports me back to that fabulous scene.
Thanks for sharing your experience.

Andrée Poppleton
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Author

August 17, 2018 at 6:38 PM

Thanks for your comments Ruth Ann ….. yes, I got terribly lost at first down in the car park not knowing which way to go. So, I thought my take on the map might help people to get there more easily. Peace and serenity abounding there for sure …. and such a lovely walk to get there. I have no idea how they got all those horses down there etc …… I did wonder that …. perhaps that little bit of the overall scene was done somewhere else? Any excuse to rewatch an episode and check out the detail!

Anne Gavin

August 15, 2018 at 3:57 PM

Andree — I love this. I would KILL to see those ruins!!! Must put this on my list for next trip. No chance getting lost with all these great directions!

Andrée Poppleton
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Author

August 17, 2018 at 6:39 PM

Thanks Anne …. I have no doubt that you will get there … with your nose for exploration of ruins! #bucketlist

June Farwell

August 15, 2018 at 5:13 PM

Please note N37 is the night bus. The number you will need is just 37 from central Edinburgh. Rosslyn Chapel is also well worth a visit. Edinburgh bus drivers are great so tell where you want to go and they will do their best to let you off at the correct stop. Just remember you need the correct fare as you can’t get change in the bus.

Andrée Poppleton
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Author

August 17, 2018 at 6:41 PM

Thanks so much for that information June … I will go in and change the post. I didn’t even realise there was a bus until another reader told me. I appreciate you setting me straight.

Maria

August 20, 2018 at 3:49 AM

I found this site last year. It’s a beautiful hike down to it. A local told us where she thought it was so we took a chance on this spot as like you said, there is a dangerous 45 degree angle turn on the road that this local described. We didn’t know how far down the path it was and as it was almost dusk, my friend turned back. I being tenacious, continued on. I was so happy when I found the site. There is a small dam there where a metal platform was left from filming. I could see from standing on it where they all dismounted and watered their horses. It’s a bit overgrown since the filming. It is a magical place. It was much longer to get there so It was almost dark when I arrived back to the road with my camera loaded with pics from the site. I’m glad I continued after my friend turned back!

Andrée Poppleton
· Reply

Author

August 20, 2018 at 8:15 AM

Thanks for your comments Maria, I bet your friend was disappointed that they turned back and missed it all! Must’ve been beautiful to go there on dusk. Interesting about that platform you saw and where the horse action was filmed … either I missed that or it was taken down by the time I got there? Thanks for sharing your experience.