MEN IN KILTS INTERVIEW

If you could dream of the ultimate road trip in the Scottish Highlands what would it entail? Perhaps whiskyfuelled nights listening to tales of marauding Highland clans, tackling mountainous roads with wildlife obstacles and embracing adrenaline-pumping adventures on board a motorbike, kayak and even a tandem bike.

Well, Outlander stars Sam Heughan (who stars as the lead character Jamie Fraser in the hit Starz TV time-travel historical drama) and Graham McTavish (who played his uncle Dougal

Mackenzie and, more recently, Buck MacKenzie) ticked all these boxes and many more on their recent road trip.

In a second-hand Fiat Auto- Roller Campervan decked out with Scottish memorabilia, Sam (40) and Graham (59) set off from the Scottish capital Edinburgh before heading north to Glencoe and then on to several outlying islands. The road trip continues back in the Highlands to a backdrop of stunning natural heather-clad landscapes, majestic mountains, ancient castles and shimmering lochs where myth, passion, feuds and folklore permeate from every nook and cranny. Their journey culminates on the Culloden battlefield, where the Jacobite forces were outnumbered and defeated in the infamous 1746 battle against the British forces. The unlikely duo documented their eventful, and often hilarious, journey that appears as a travelogue in an eight-part Starz TV series entitled Men in Kilts. Their whisky-fuelled road trip is packed with history, anecdotes, songs and poetry and peppered with lots of personal banter, bickering, barbs and tales of bravado! The Scotsmen - Sam grew up in Dumfries and Galloway and Graham was born in Glasgow - talk to Annabel Mackie about their unlikely friendship, their mutual love of the Scottish Highlands and the many colourful characters they met along the way including several clan chiefs and two Outlander alumni.

Glen House Estate, a magnifcent example of Scottish baronial architecture that sits in 5,000 acres of stunning countryside in the Scottish Borders.

IMAGE: © CREDIT: JOHN BELL/STARZ ENTERTAINMENT, LLC

Where in the world are you both?

Graham: I’m in New Zealand.

Sam: I’m in bonnie Scotland.

How did the TV series come about?

Sam: I wanted to create a TV show about Scotland and its Highlanders, after seeing how popular they were on Outlander. Once I began pulling a crew together and organising the shoot I thought we should try writing an accompanying book, which then became a TV series!

Graham: I wrote a treatment for an idea called Clanlands in 1991. I had become interested in clan rivalry and the complicated nature of those times as against the sometimesromanticised view of Highland life, which tends to see clans as 'good' or 'bad' clans. I found the truth so much more interesting.

The road trip was short but you covered a lot of ground?

Graham: We filmed it over three weekends and covered hundreds of miles. Part of the nature of both the book and the show comes from the spontaneity of that journey. Totally unscripted. We would arrive to meet guests we had arranged to meet and then it was all real time, true conversations. It made for a lot of fun and a lot of laughs along the way.

Sam: I was working on Outlander during the week, whilst trying to organise the shoot. It was pretty exhausting but the adrenaline (and whisky) kept us going. As did the guests who really made the experience.

What do you both love so much about Scotland?

Graham: I love the people, their humour, their strength. The Highlands and the people from them including my great-great grandfather. It is one of the last wildernesses of Europe, its landscape tells the story of its people. Both a proud and tragic story.

Sam: The landscape, it tells a story, the people who have influenced the land. It’s a melting pot of cultures and always has a foot set in its past. The tangible history, you can feel the ghosts of those before us.

If a friend was coming to Scotland on holiday what would you tell them to do?

Sam: Hike a Munro. Drink whisky in a distillery. Eat some amazing fish and chips on a beach. Have a drink and listen to some traditional music with some locals. Take home a piece of heather.

Graham: Start in Edinburgh and be sure to walk EVERYWHERE! I have been walking those streets my whole life and still find something new and fascinating. Don’t limit yourself to the mainland. Visit the islands too. Obviously, the Callanish stones on Lewis are a must. It’s a journey but so worth it. I love Barra and Skye but also Mull, Gigha, Rhum and Harris are also spectacular. Enjoy a local Highland bar where people bring their own instruments and play together.

Keen whisky enthusiasts Sam & Graham find out why peat helps to give Laphroaig its distinctive smoky flavour

IMAGE: © ROBERT WILSON / STARZ ENTERTAINMENT, LLC

“Hike a Munro. Drink whisky in a distillery. Eat some amazing fish and chips on a beach. Have a drink and listen to some traditional music with some locals. Take home a piece of heather.”

Did you revisit many of the locations that you had filmed Outlander scenes?

Graham: We visited many locations with connections to Outlander, most notably Doune Castle and Culloden battlefield.

Sam: I wanted to incorporate a few places that I knew, whether we had shot there (Doune Castle) or places that were popular and accessible. Yet we wanted to dig a little deeper and find out more than the regular tourist information.

A couple of Outlander actors made guest appearances on the trip?

Graham: Duncan Lacroix (Murtagh) and Gary Lewis (Colum) joined us at different times. Gary is a great lover of Scotland and its history, we rowed across Loch Ness talking of history, (well Sam and Gary rowed, I gave directions!) Duncan joined us for our first night, (for moral support) and then tried to hitch a lift with us … and failed.

Sam: I also wanted to include other people involved in the show. Gillebride, a Gaelic singer, played the bard in season one. A lot of the contacts I made were through Outlander.

Did you bump into any Outlander fans and what was their reaction of seeing you two together?

Graham: The fans were great. I think mainly they were very puzzled as to why Jamie and Dougal were in a campervan together, or why we were cycling a tandem around Scotland!

Who drove the campervan?

Graham: He drove (only because I was too hung over the first morning) and it just carried on like that. I navigated. We shared everything else, especially insults. Travelling in the campervan was a real eye-opener. Not necessarily the first choice for two men over six feet tall!

Sam: I wanted to drive. In hindsight, this was a bad idea. Keeping Graham fed was the biggest challenge… whilst driving a camper van with a film crew in the back, in driving rain and on bumpy roads. It was a blast and I loved every minute but it was a challenge.

Sam & Graham enjoying views across the Atlantic from Cliff Beach, Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides

IMAGE: © ROBERT WILSON / STARZ ENTERTAINMENT, LLC

What irritating or quirky habits did you find out about each other?

Graham: Sam is always positive and full of energy, which is great for what we had to do, but can be exhausting for people like me who enjoy nothing more than a good book and a great cup of coffee. He also delights in terrifying me.

Sam: Graham is reliable. Reliably hungry and grumpy if not fed. Reliably fun and full of, at times, useless information about the weather on a certain day in 1700!

Sam, you seem to talk and drink a lot of whisky. I believe you’ve just launched your own brand, The Sassenach?

I’m so proud; it’s been real journey of discovery and endeavour. The Sassenach has won multiple Gold medals in various spirit and design awards, so it was definitely worth it.

Is the tartan you wear on the trip your family tartan?

Graham: I have a lot of kilts. I wear both the McTavish tartan and the MacDonald (from my mother's side).

Did you wear kilts doing all your sporting activities on the trip?

Sam: Kilts are terrific, and I’d happily wear one every day for most events, however, abseiling is possibly one I wouldn’t recommend!

Graham: I don’t think either Sam or I would want the other following us down an abseiling rope wearing only a kilt. There are some views in Scotland you don’t need to see! Scottish Highland clans are a big feature of the book.

Which clan are you both descended from?

Graham: The McTavish clan from Argyll.

Sam: Apparently the MacDonalds but I could be wrong. I’m also French, German and 3.9% Norwegian.

You got to meet a few Clan chiefs. From Outlander viewing, we’d expect them to be all scary and fierce. Still true today?

Graham: The ones we met were fascinating. What they all had in common was a fierce pride in their clan. That never changes whether it’s 1746 or today. I, of course, felt Dougal Mackenzie, as war chief of Clan Mackenzie, was the epitome of charm, although some may disagree!

You get to handle some precious historical artefacts on your trip. Tell us about any favourites.

Sam: We got to hold a pistol that was found at the Culloden battlefield. It was eerie. To know that the last time it was used, it was fired in anger and then thrown away whilst the Highlander brought out his broadsword and charged at the enemy.

Graham: It was such a privilege to hold an actual broadsword for the battle of Culloden. I thought about the hand that gripped the hilt on that day in April 1746. What he was thinking about as he began that fateful charge on that foggy April day so long ago that shaped the course of Scottish history?

If you could choose one clan to be part of in 17th/18th Century Scotland which one would you choose?

Sam: To act? The proud MacGregors and play their famed outlaw, Rob Roy, who may or may not lie in Balquidder Kirk. They were called the ‘children of the mist’ after being stripped of all their rights, land, weapons, income and many lives.

Graham: Apart from my own, obviously. The Camerons were a good one. They were described by the British as the fiercest and bravest on the battlefield at Culloden.

Did you get to do an activity that you’d always wanted to try?

Sam: I wanted to do a lot more, however my companion is not the most confident or enthusiastic but I did convince him to step off a cliff and jump in to a fairy pool filled with icy cold mountain water. Hopefully for MIK2 we can do some more dangerous stuff. It’s fun to watch Graham sweat!

Graham: Golf at St Andrews was a real treat for me. I’ve only ever golfed once before but this gave me a real taste for it. It helped that I beat Sam! Also surfing.

St Andrews. Graham's first ever attempt at playing golf was on one of the prestigious courses at St Andrews - the birthplace of golf - noless!

IMAGE: © ROBERT WILSON / STARZ ENTERTAINMENT, LLC

I believe there were a few death-defying experiences on the trip. Can you share an example?

Graham: I don't want to give away the ending but suffice to say it'll be a while before I climb into a motorcycle sidecar again.

“Sam is always positive and full of energy, which is great for what we had to do, but can be exhausting for people like me who enjoy nothing more than a good book and a great cup of coffee.”

There is one hilarious incident involving a castle gate, your campervan and a marathon. Can you tell us more?

Graham: We arrived at Cawdor Castle to find our campervan wouldn’t fit through the gate. We couldn't reverse and we were blocking the gate. I then noticed a sign advertising a marathon that day that was due to go through the castle grounds. Just as I was reading it Sam noticed dozens and dozens of angry runners coming towards us. I never thought runners had such a lexicon of abuse available, but they called us some great names as they tried to squeeze between the gate and the van!

Sam: Having taken part in many marathons and consider myself a runner, I felt horrified to stop these dedicated athletes in their tracks and ruin the chance of a personal best. Thankfully the campervan has a big seat and I tried to slide underneath it as they fought their way past.

Do you have any plans for a sequel?

Sam: Absolutely. More Scotland and beyond…

Graham: More adventures, more attempts by Sam to terrify the life out of me, more history and more incredible characters from Edinburgh to the Outer Hebrides and many in between.

And the final word on Outlander. Have you finished filming Season Six yet?

Sam: Hahah, no! We just started and all I can say is that it’s been a challenge with Covid and we are doing all we can to keep everyone safe but its not easy and daily we have challenges to overcome. The weather hasn’t helped much either!

Find out more

With its expert and in depth knowledge of Scotland, Dream Escape runs many tailor-made tours across the length and breadth of Scotland including their popular Outlander Adventure. This week-long tour includes many of the key Outlander film locations including Blackness Castle, the setting for ‘Black Jack’ Randall’s Fort William Headquarters, the ancient burial site of Clava Cairns that is said to be inspiration for the Craig na Dun stone circle through which Claire Randall travels back in time and the Highland Folk Museum, used as the set for the Mackenzie Village. Dream Escape specialises in providing bespoke and unique experiences for their guests and have provided workshops with herbalist Claire Mackay who consulted on the first TV series. With an enviable black book of contacts, Dream Escape can also arrange private meetings with Highland Clan chiefs as well as gain access to secret places such as Tibbermore Church, where the witch trial scenes took place.

For more information about this and other set jetting itineraries, contact lesley@dreamescape.co.uk

Clanlands by Outlander stars Sam Heughan and Graham McTavish Hodder & Stoughton hardback, £20 Also in eBook and audio. Eight-part Starz TV series Men in Kilts : A roadtrip with Sam And Graham premieres (in the US) on Valentines Day (Sunday, February 14 2021)

WORDS | ANNABEL MACKIE