Balvaird Castle – How To Visit Castle Leathers From Outlander: Blood Of My Blood (2025)!

Hey, Outlander fans. Did you know that you can visit the Castle Leathers filming location from Blood of My Blood in Scotland? 

It’s called Balvaird Castle, and it’s a REAL historic castle that existed in the Jacobite era. 

As a huge fan of Outlander and the new prequel, visiting Brian Fraser’s family home was surreal. 

It felt like I had been transported back in time, and you must go if you’re a fan.

Here is how to visit Balvaird Castle or Castle Leathers from Outlander: Blood of my Blood.

What is Castle Leathers in Blood of My Blood? 

Castle Leathers is the home of Simon Fraser, also known as Lord Lovat.

He is the father of Brian Fraser, who will eventually become the father of Jamie Fraser from the Outlander series.  

Brian lives here with his mother and housekeeper, Davina Porter, and they are sworn enemies of Clan MacKenzie of Leoch. 

Castle Leathers features heavily throughout the show, especially after Julia starts working here following her separation from Henry.

I would say more, but I don’t want to spoil the story for you. You’ll have to watch it for yourself. 

Is Castle Leathers a real castle in Scotland? 

Yes, Castle Leathers from Blood of My Blood is a real castle in Scotland.

It’s called Balvaird Castle, and it’s a historic tower house in Perthshire protected by Historic Scotland. 

This fortress existed during the Jacobite era and was owned by the wealthy Murrays. 

Fun fact: Castle Leathers is also the name of a real Scottish keep near Inverness. It was home to a Major James Fraser in the 17th century, who was an ardent Jacobite! What are the chances?

Balvaird Castle history 

Balvaird Castle was first constructed in the late 15th century. 

The name Balvaird means Baile a’ Bhàird, or ‘Township of the Bard’ in Gaelic. 

It was home to Sir Andrew Murray, who became a wealthy landowner through his marriage. 

This prosperous match allowed him a comfortable living, and his sons made significant renovations to this castle over time. 

In 1658, the Murrays left Balvaird and moved to the more luxurious Scone Palace near Perth. 

The tower house remained inhabited mostly by tenants and farm workers, but was eventually abandoned in the 20th century. 

It was owned by the Murrays until 2017.  Then, it was sold to an American entrepreneur, Brady Brim-DeForest, who is now Baron Balvaird. 

Despite the ownership, it continues to be protected by Historic Scotland, who manage the site.

Visit Balvaird Castle from Outlander: Blood of My Blood 

The great news for Outlander fans is that today, Balvaird Castle is open to the public.

So, it couldn’t be easier to visit the Castle Leathers filming location in Scotland. 

It’s important to know that they didn’t film any interior scenes at Balvaird Castle, and so you cannot go inside. 

But, fans will still love visiting the exteriors and recreating their favourite moments from the show!

How to visit Castle Leathers in Scotland 

Balvaird Castle is located in Perthshire in the Ochil Hills of Abernethy. 

As it’s in a remote location in the countryside, it’s more convenient to drive. You can access the castle off the M90 or A91.

It’s close to the city of Perth (20-minute drive) and the town of Glenrothes (25-minute drive). 

If you’re not driving, you can take a community bus service 55 (heading to Kinross) from the city of Perth to the Bein Inn, Glenfarg.

The walk is then around 1.5 miles or 30/40 minutes to get there. But the route requires walking on a main road. 

It’s better to ask your hotel to book you a taxi, as this castle is truly in the middle of nowhere. 

Just make sure to book a return, as you don’t want to be stranded. 

Opening times & prices

Castle Leathers is open 24 hours a day and all year round in Scotland.

It’s also completely free to visit, which makes it a great budget activity for Outlander fans on a road trip. 

Balvaird Castle parking 

There is a gravel car park near the entrance of Balvaird Castle that you can use to visit. 

Parking here is completely free, but as it’s a small car park, space is limited. 

Luckily, the Castle Leathers filming location is not that popular (yet), so you should be fine finding a space. 

If they have locked the main car park, you can park just outside the entrance gate. 

Please remember to park with consideration and don’t block any gates that would restrict farm access. 

The walk to Castle Leathers

After you’ve parked, you can follow the short pathway up to Balvaird Castle.

It’s an easy walk and only takes a few minutes, but it’s surprisingly steep. So, make sure to have some sensible shoes on. 

Also, I would pack a layer as the headland can get windy. In October, it was absolutely freezing. 

As I started walking up the path, it was so exciting to see Castle Leathers slowly come into view.

Once you arrive, you’re free to walk around and explore as you please. 

Can you go inside Balvaird Castle?

No, you can’t go inside Balvaird Castle. But you can visit the exteriors.

This includes the tower, inner courtyard, outer garden and wider grounds.

Although the keep is mostly a ruin today, what’s left is seriously impressive. I loved seeing all the crumbling staircases and old carving work. 

Some information boards give you an overview of the history and what life here would have been like years ago. 

But, for me, it felt surreal to finally visit Castle Leathers in real life. You feel like you’ve stepped into an episode of the show.

On my visit, they were setting up for filming the second season, which was so exciting. That’s why there’s some set construction in the photos.

I can’t wait to see what they have in store for us and to watch the story unfold next year.

Find Blood of my Blood filming locations 

There are so many filming locations that you can find at Balvaird Castle from the series during a visit. 

It features in nearly every episode of Blood of My Blood and in most of the important scenes. 

To avoid spoilers, I won’t go too much into the story, but you’ll instantly recognise the tower house where Brian lives with his father, Simon Fraser.

In the first episode, we’re introduced to Brian Fraser and Murtagh MacKenzie Fraser sitting on a tree stump on the grounds.

You may be surprised to know that this stump is real and can be found on the outer grounds in the castle walls. 

The castle also features in the backdrop of scenes with Julia attempting to run away, gathering herbs, or having secret conversations with Brian. 

The outer walls are also well worth exploring as this is where other intense scenes were filmed starring Julia, Henry and Balloch. 

As I mentioned, they didn’t film any of the interiors of the castle here. These were all filmed in private houses and a studio.

But it’s so fun finding all the filming locations around the estate.

How long do you need at Balvaird Castle?

You could spend anything from 30 minutes to a couple of hours at Balvaird Castle. 

It really depends on your interests and what the weather is like on the day.

For Blood of my Blood fans, you could spend hours recreating your favourite scenes.

For most visitors, around an hour should suffice. You can’t go inside, but it’s a lovely castle with lots of history and lush grounds to explore. 

My top tips for visiting

• There are no facilities at Balvaird Castle, like toilets or a café, so make sure to use the loo before you visit and bring drinks and snacks. 

• The walk to the castle is steep and short, but it’s worth wearing sensible shoes as the grounds are often muddy and uneven.

• When visiting, always adhere to the Scottish Outdoor Access Code and leave no trace. Take your rubbish home with you.

Blood of my Blood filming locations nearby 

If you love the new Outlander prequel, then there are plenty of other Blood of My Blood filming locations you can visit nearby.

All of these locations can be visited in a single day as part of a road trip if you plan your time well. 

If you’d rather not rush, I recommend picking either Stirling or Perth as a base for your adventure.

Doune Castle / Castle Leoch

Ah, Castle Leoch. Since watching the Outlander series, this has become one of my favourite castles in all of Scotland. 

I was so happy to see the team use Doune Castle again for Outlander: Blood of my Blood. 

It’s the seat of Clan MacKenzie with Laird Colum MacKenzie as its leader.

Although they only filmed the exteriors of the castle for the prequel, I still think it’s worth visiting inside as well.  

Make sure to pick up an audio guide where you can tune into a special Outlander tour narrated by Sam Heughan, who plays Jamie Fraser!

It’s not just Outlander that was filmed here, either. Monty Python and Game of Thrones both used this legendary keep for production. 

Kilbride Castle Chapel / Fraser Chapel

Just nearby, you can visit Kilbride Castle Chapel, which featured as the Fraser Chapel in the show.

You’ll find this chapel in many scenes starring Julia, Simon Fraser, Davina, Brian and Murtagh.

On my visit, I couldn’t go inside as it was closed for the winter. But it was worth seeing from the outside. It’s such a beautiful place. 

A wee warning: driving here requires travelling on single lanes with passing places, and there is limited parking by the entry gate. 

Remember to park with consideration and leave no trace after your visit. 

Melville House / Grant Residence 

Melville House was a filming location for the Grant Residence in Blood of my Blood.

Here, we see Henry Beauchamp act as the bladier for Laird Isaac Grant of Clan Grant.

Although most of the interiors were filmed in Bannockburn House near Stirling, the exteriors were filmed here. 

It’s a stunning 17th-century property in Fife and is well worth taking a peek at. 

Did you know you can actually stay on the grounds of Melville House? It’s called Melville Escapes, and it looks like a dream getaway. 

Even more Blood of my Blood filming locations in Scotland  

Outlander: Blood of My Blood was almost entirely filmed in Scotland.

So, there are plenty of filming locations that you can visit to feel like you’re part of the show.

In Glasgow, you can visit Julia’s flat building at Park Circus, or where Julia and Henry were united at the Kelvingrove Park Garden Steps.

Kinloch Rannoch was once again used to play the location of Craigh Na Dun, where Henry and Julia travel through the stones. 

Culross Abbey Mansion was used for Nairn Palace, holding the Jacobite meeting. The historic village was also used for some scenes. 

Finally, you can visit the village of Luss in Loch Lomond. The surrounding areas were used for clan gatherings, the tynchal and Beltaine. 

Do you love Outlander? Read more of my guides

90+ Outlander filming locations you can visit 

Outlander filming locations in Edinburgh

Outlander filming locations in Glasgow 

How to visit Lallybroch from Outlander 

Blackness Castle Outlander filming locations

Falkland Outlander filming locations

Linlithgow Palace Outlander filming locations

How to visit Cranesmuir aka Culross, from Outlander

How to visit the Devil’s Pulpit from Outlander

Visit Ardsmuir Prison aka Craigmillar Castle

An Outlander guide to Bakehouse Close

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