'Outlander effect' boosts tourism at Doune Castle

Visitors to Doune Castle near Stirling increased by 44%

The "Outlander effect" has been credited with a record-breaking surge in visitors to Doune Castle, near Stirling.

The castle has seen a 44% increase in visitors since it took a starring role as "Castle Leoch" in the TV series.

Historic Scotland revealed that more than 1.8m people visited the country's heritage attractions over the summer.

Edinburgh Castle also saw record visitor numbers, as did Skara Brae and several other sites.

The three months from June to August 2015 saw 1,826,047 visitors at Historic Scotland's 77 ticketed attractions, an increase of more than 34,000 on the previous year.

The country's most popular attraction Edinburgh Castle welcomed 666,348 tourists, an increase of 7% on the same period in 2014.

TV series Outlander has boosted the popularity of Doune Castle

The biggest increase was at Doune Castle, which recorded three consequitive record-breaking months with an overall rise in visitor numbers of 44%, to 32,540.

Culture secretary Fiona Hyslop said the boost at Doune Castle was thanks to the "highly successful TV series" Outlander, which "now attracts visitors on both a UK and international level".

Stephen Duncan, commercial and tourism director at Historic Scotland, added: "Heritage attractions are a vital element of Scotland's wider tourism offering. We've recorded high levels of footfall at our properties including castles, abbeys, a palace, a 5,000 year old village and a military fort."

Stirling Castle attracted 216,132 visitors over the summer, while 190,083 people went to Urquhart Castle by Loch Ness.

The Neolithic settlement at Skara Brae in Orkney saw 55,078 visits, while St Andrews Castle and Linlithgow Palace both attracted more than 34,000 tourists.

Edinburgh Castle, Historic Scotland's most popular attraction, also saw strong visitor numbers