Culloden Battlefield & Cawdor Castle tour from Inverness

The Jacobite rebellion ended at Culloden on a single April day in 1746, and you stand where it happened.

A half-day guided tour from Inverness visits three sites tied to Scottish Highland history: the Bronze Age cairns at Clava (which inspired Outlander's fictional stone circle), the Culloden Battlefield where the Jacobite army made their last stand against George II's forces, and Cawdor Castle, the only major Jacobite house to survive the destruction that followed. A local guide in English leads the route. Transport and bottled water are included.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each

1. Clava Cairns45m
2. Culloden Battlefield1h 30m
3. Cawdor Castle and Gardens2h

Explore Clava Cairns and Culloden Battlefield

• Visit Clava Cairns Bronze Age cemetery
• Pass by Culloden Viaduct
• Tour Culloden Battlefield and hear Jacobite tales
• Explore Cawdor Castle and its gardens

The experience

Culloden Viaduct appears first: the massive red sandstone structure that opened to rail traffic in 1898 and still carries trains today. It frames the landscape before you reach the battlefield itself, where on 16 April 1746 the Jacobite army fought to restore a Stuart king and were crushed by the Duke of Cumberland's government forces. The guide walks you through what that day meant: a ferocious war that divided families and set clan against clan, and a moment that altered the course of British and European history. You stand on the moor where it happened, not in a museum reading about it.

Clava Cairns comes next: three Bronze Age burial cairns and standing stones dating back roughly 4,000 years, set in open Highland ground near Inverness. The site remained largely overlooked until 2014, when the Outlander TV series suggested it inspired the fictional Craigh na Dun stone circle. The cairns themselves are exceptionally well preserved, a tangible link to prehistoric Scotland that most visitors to the region never find. The guide explains what you are looking at and why it mattered to the people who built it.

Cawdor Castle closes the loop. A medieval tower house built for the 3rd Thane of Cawdor around 1370, it has sheltered the same family for over 23 generations and survived the brutal aftermath of Culloden when so many other Jacobite properties were destroyed. You walk through 12 principal rooms holding tapestries, fine art, furniture and sculpture spanning 3,500 years, and see the dramatic medieval details (the iron gate, moat, drawbridge, turrets and vaulted 16th-century kitchen) that make it feel less like a museum and more like a house that happens to be very old. The castle and its gardens are included depending on which option you choose at checkout.

What’s included

• Air-conditioned transport throughout the half-day route.
• a local guide speaking English who leads the commentary at each site.
• bottled water.
• entry to Culloden Battlefield (the exhibition is included in some options).
• entry to Clava Cairns.
• entry to Cawdor Castle and its gardens (depending on which option you select at checkout).

Before you book

Days and timesNext departure: 1 May 2027

Book up to12h before

AgesAdult (16 and older) · Child (5 to 15 years) · Under 5: can't be booked

GroupUp to 8

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Paid on site£ 29

Prices and times updated 5 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortStroller-friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by highland bucket list tours

Is this one for you?Pick this if you have a half-day and want to hear the Jacobite history and Culloden battle explained live in English without driving yourself: the guide covers the story and stops while you sit in the air-conditioned vehicle.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (5 to 15 years). Children under 5 can't be included in the booking.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What exactly happened at Culloden Battlefield on 16 April 1746?

The Jacobite army, led by Prince Charles Edward Stuart and fighting to restore a Stuart king to the British throne, took their final stand against the government forces of George II, commanded by the Duke of Cumberland. The battle ended the Jacobite cause and reshaped British history, though the guide explains the context and the human cost rather than just the military facts.

Is Clava Cairns the stone circle from Outlander?

Clava Cairns inspired the fictional Craigh na Dun in Diana Gabaldon's Outlander novels and the TV adaptation, though the real site is a Bronze Age cemetery complex of passage graves and ring cairns dating back about 4,000 years. The guide will explain what the cairns actually are and why they became a bucket-list destination after the show aired in 2014.

Can I go inside Cawdor Castle on this tour?

Cawdor Castle entry is included in some options but not others. You choose at checkout. When included, you walk through 12 principal rooms of the castle and its gardens, seeing collections of tapestries, fine art, furniture and sculpture spanning 3,500 years, plus the medieval tower, dungeon and vaulted kitchen that have sheltered the Cawdor family since 1370.

How long is the tour and what's the schedule?

The tour runs six hours total from Inverness. You visit Clava Cairns, pass the Culloden Viaduct, spend time at Culloden Battlefield with the guide's commentary on the 1746 battle, and finish at Cawdor Castle (if that option is included). The guide paces the stops so the day holds together without gaps.

Do I need a car to do this tour?

No. The tour includes pickup from Inverness in an air-conditioned vehicle, so you don't need to hire a car or navigate to each site yourself. The guide handles the route and the commentary at each stop.