Andrea Middleton meets Sam Heughan

It was a good day filled with luck for me. It all started with me attending a meeting about Outlander and the business opportunities it can provide local businesses. Then off we went on  to a coach to visit 2 sites where Outlander had been filmed locally. The first site we were to visit happened to have Outlander filming taking place. So the coach made a slow drive  by and we all flocked over to one side of the coach with our cameras and took as many photos as we could. While on the coach we glimpsed the back of Sam Heughan’s head! He was here on set!

After the visit to the second Outlander site and a short meeting. I got in my car and raced back to the film set. I walked down a narrow alley to emerge in the thick of things film props, and cables were everywhere. Realising I was in a place I probably wasn’t supposed to be I decided to try and look lost and inconspicuous. While doing this by looking around as if I was trying to work out how to get off the set area,  I didn’t realise Cait (Claire) walked right passed me. Then I unknowingly began to walk behind following her. She was wrapped up in a thick coat and waterproof trousers, not in costume so I guess she wasn’t needed for filming that day.

So I gathered across from the gap in the wall where the filming was going on inside and with a small group of fans waited. Who told me I had just walked behind Claire and wished that I had tripped her up a bit to get her attention! We laughed. Then Graham McTavish (Dougal) walked out and by the time I got my phone out and got it on to camera mode, he had gone. I was disappointed to say the least.

I didn’t have to wait too long after that, about 20 minutes, then Sam Heughan came out in his full Highland wear from filming. One of the other fans asked Sam for a photo and we all jumped in and asked for one too. He is a verra tall man Sam and I am only 5’4″ so when it came to my turn I said I might have to stand on a step to reach him. Instead he bent down to my level for the photo to be taken and put his arm around me.

Now I know I am 43 years old but after that I felt like a silly school girl, all giggly and shaken, all a quiver. Sam was very polite, pleasant and was very obliging to those of us there. Thank you Sam for stopping and making a good day a great one. Look forward to season 2 next year.