The Scottish actor invites travellers beyond Outlander’s famous Highland locations to the lesser-known Lowlands that shaped him.<\/p>\n
If parts of Scotland feel more crowded these days, Sam Heughan<\/a> knows why. Outlander, the time-travel-meets-historical drama he has starred in for the last 12 years, has given Scottish tourism a massive, Braveheart-esque boost. Millions of international fans now make pilgrimages to filming locations across the country, a phenomenon widely known as the “Outlander Effect”.<\/a><\/p>\n “I love the story of Outlander, but Scotland is another character in the show,” says Heughan of his home nation.<\/p>\n On screen, he plays Highlander Jamie Fraser. Off screen, he hails from the Scottish Lowlands \u2013 specifically the under-touristed Dumfries and Galloway<\/a> region in the south of Scotland. Shooting Outlander has given him a chance to introduce his co-stars, including Caitr\u00edona Balfe<\/a>, who plays time-travelling nurse Claire Randall, to his home country’s delights, from its wild landscapes to its whisky culture. The proud Scotsman is such a fan of the “water of life” that he recently bought his own distillery, Galloway Distillery<\/a>, close to where he grew up. “[Dumfries and Galloway] is an amazing place,” he says. “It’s always overlooked in Scotland.”<\/p>\n Outlander has deepened Heughan’s own relationship with the country. “I was living in London as a jobbing actor when I got this role,” he explains. “I went back to my homeland and fell in love with Scotland again. Every day, even when it was cold, raining and dark and I was standing on a mountain shooting, I felt very lucky. You can feel the history, such as the Highlanders fighting in great battles.”\u00a0<\/p>\n