Castlevisitors increasedue toOutlander
Visitors numbers to Doune Castle are expect to treble this year thanks to the hit television series Outlander.
Annual footfall at the castle in the years leading up to the programme’s screening averaged about 38,000.
Historic Environment Scotland’s head of sales and marketing Gillian Macdonald revealed they last year welcomed 92,000 visitors and this year expect the number to rise to 130,000 as the series is shown on free-to-air television for the first time.
No fewer than 37,000 visited the castle between the beginning of April and end of June.
Doune Castle, which in its present form dates back to the 14th Century, doubles as ‘Castle Leoch’ in Outlander, the historical time-travel drama series based on the books of Diana Gabaldon.
Gillian told the Observer: “The level of growth in footfall at Doune is a surprise but we are well aware of the impact of film tourism.
“Visits to our locations used in the series have been growing year-on-year since it was first screened in the States and then as it was bought up by other geographical areas.
“At Doune, we have put in a new shop and we have Outlander-inspired products as we have so many visitors visiting the castle for that reason.
“We also work with companies who run Outlander-themed tours and our staff are fully aware of the links between the castle and the series.”
And although it was first screened around 40 years ago, fans of Monty Python and the Holy Grail still visit the castle to see where it featured.
Other sites which recorded increased visitor numbers after making a cameo appearance in Outlander include: Aberdour Castle, up 58 per cent; Linlithgow Palace, up 43 per cent, and Glasgow Cathedral, up 39 per cent.