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15 days (16 nights)
Out of Vancouver: Sunday, September 10 to Friday, September 28, 2007
Land only: £1,795 (approx. $3,950 Cdn) - based on 20
participants
Plus Air approx: $950 Cdn Group rate
All-inclusive except lunches. Exact Cdn.$ prices will depend on exchange at
time of payment.
Scotland is a country of great diversity. Best-known for its wild,
romantic Highland scenery, it has many lesser-known parts which are
equally as attractive both historically and scenically. There are the
lovely, rolling borderlands with their ruined castles and abbeys, stark
memories of more turbulent times; beautiful coastlines with gorgeous
beaches—which would be lined with hotels were it not for the temperature
of the water!
There are lovely gardens with exotic plants, courtesy of the Gulf
Stream, found far further north than would be expected; heritage
villages which have been carefully restored so that we can see what life
used to be like; and enough fairy-tale castles, with many different styles
of fascinating architecture, to satisfy any keen photographer—not to
mention the Whiskey trail.
Many tours of Scotland cover the major tourist attractions. We cover
the "majors" and much, much more, including the smallest
distillery in Scotland! But we concentrate on the small towns and villages
rather than cities, visit as many sites as possible made famous by novels,
films and TV movies, and stop for pub lunches wherever possible.
Included in the price:
- Airport transfers for those arriving and leaving with the group
- Accommodation and transportation (up to 35-seater coach) for tour
length
- All breakfasts and dinners, including coffee or tea with all hotel
dinners
- Admission to all attractions
- Porterage - one bag per person in and out of hotels
- Escort throughout
Not included:
- Airfare and related taxes
- All Insurance
- Personal requirements, laundry
- Alcoholic beverages
- Gratuities for driver and escort/guide
Day 1 (Thur)Our tour bus picks everyone up from the B&B's.
We drive to New Lanark where we stay in a truly stunning hotel overlooking the
River Clyde. It is a conversion from an original 18th century cotton mill
set in the middle of a fascinating World Heritage Site, which is now a
complete museum in itself. The rest of day free to enjoy
your surroundings. (Overnight) New Lanark Mill Hotel,
New Lanark. Dinner & Breakfast
Day 2 (Fri)
We depart for dramatic Culzean Castle where Eisenhower had an
apartment, then stop at a "farm shop" for lunch, before visiting amazing Creetown
Gem Rock Museum, which houses one of the finest privately owned
collections of gemstones, crystals, minerals, gemstone objets d'art and
fossils in Britain. Our hotel tonight is in Dumfries, in a renowned
newly refurbished Victorian hotel.
(Overnight) Station Hotel, Dumfries. Dinner
& Breakfast
Day 3 (Sat)
Our first stop is Caerlaverock Castle, an unusual 13th-century
triangular fortress, one of the finest medieval moated ruins in Scotland,
which was seized by Edward I in 1300.
Then we have a beautiful drive through the Scottish borderlands to
visit Abbotsford, the original home of Sir Walter Scott. We
continue to the attractive little town of Melrose, where we see the ruins
of Melrose Abbey, a Cistercian Abbey begun in 1136, redone in
ornate Gothic style and then decimated again in 1543. One of the most
famous of the great Borders abbeys, it is now one of the most beautiful
ruins in Britain, and herein lies the heart of Robert the Bruce.
(Overnight) Buccleuch Arms Hotel, St. Boswells.
Dinner & Breakfast
Day 4 (Sun)
Near the attractive market town of Kelso, we visit Thirlestane
Castle, one of the most popular castles of the Borders. Home of the
Maitland family since the 13th century, it is most remarkable for its rich
plasterwork. With its magnificent Baroque features, it surely looks like a
fairy-tale castle.
We continue for the shock of the Royal Burgh of Culross with its
palace and heritage village, the nearest thing to a 16th century time capsule
anywhere in Scotland. After a fascinating visit to this unusual village, we continue on to the lakeside resort of Kinross.
(First of 2 nights) Windlestrae Hotel, KINROSS.
Dinner & Breakfast
Day 5 (Mon)
We visit Falkland ancient village, and Falkland Palace and Gardens
which was once the hunting lodge of the Royal Stuarts and is still in
regular use. It is the oldest court in the United Kingdom. Lunch will be
at St. Andrews with its golf course, ruined castle and cathedral.
We return to Kinross via the coastal route to the attractive harbour
resort of Anstruther, to visit the Scottish Fisheries Museum,
after which the rest of the afternoon is free.
(Last of 2 nights) Windlestrae Hotel, KINROSS.
Dinner & Breakfast
Day 6 (Tue)
Today we see magnificent Glamis Castle, with a dozen storybook
turrets, the legendary setting of Shakespeare's play, Macbeth, and
childhood playground of the Queen Mother. On to the Angus Folk Museum
with one of the finest Folk Collections in Scotland, housed in a row of
six restored early 18th-century cottages with stone-slabbed roofs.
We drive via Kirrimuir, home of J.M. Barrie, author of Peter
Pan, and after a stop in the lovely restored village of Dunkeld,
with one of the most magnificent ruined cathedrals, we continue to Pitlochry
where we stay in a magnificent castle hotel overlooking the town.
( First of 2 nights) Atholl Palace Hotel, PITLOCHRY.
Dinner & Breakfast
Day 7 (Wed)
We take the famous drive along Loch Tummel for the Queen's View
en route for Blair Castle, full of marvellous artifacts from all
around Scotland dating from as early as the 12th century. Its grounds are
used for training the Duke of Atholl's army, the only private army in
Western Europe.
After visiting attractive Edradour, the smallest and most
picturesque distillery in
Scotland, the rest of the day is free in Pitlochry.
(Last of 2 nights) Atholl Palace Hotel, PITLOCHRY. Dinner
& Breakfast
Day 8 (Thur)
After a photo stop, and perhaps a visit(!), at the Royal Bakery at Ballater, we
visit Crathes Castle and Garden, a 17th-century castle with
fairy-like turrets, fantastically shaped gargoyles, superbly-painted
ceilings and lovely interior, surrounded by a delightful series of
small-scale yew-hedged gardens.
 This
is such a popular attraction that timed tickets are needed to gain
admission.
We finish the day at Castle Fraser, another delightful
storybook castle with its own charm and entirely different
collections of furniture, art, etc.
(Overnight) Thistle Skean Dhu Hotel, ABERDEEN. Dinner
& Breakfast
Day 9 (Fri)
A surprising start at the wonderful French-style formal Pitmedden
Garden, originally laid out in 1675 by Pitmedden's first baronet, Sir
Alexander Seton, and re-created by the National Trust for Scotland in
the 1950's. The elaborate designs were inspired by those reputedly used in
the garden of the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh.
We continue to Fyvie Castle, probably the grandest example of
Scottish baronial architecture, with a marvellous frontal facade of
fairy-tale, crow-stepped gables, turrets, and sculpted window surrounds in
the form of musicians. It contains the finest great wheel-staircase in
Scotland in addition to several interesting collections. Via picturesque
Huntly we visit the famous Glenfiddich Distillery en route to the attractive seaside resort of Nairn.
(Overnight) Windsor Hotel, NAIRN.
Dinner & Breakfast
Day 10 (Sat)
First we visit beautiful turreted Cawdor Castle,
associated with Shakespeare's "Macbeth" as home of the
thanes (clan chiefs) of Cawdor. Dating from the 14th century it has
been the home to the Campbells for 600 years. A well-preserved
drawbridge crosses an equally well-kept moat, and the two separate
gardens are lovely.
We continue to Culloden, scene of the last battle fought
on British soil in 1746, where the battlefield has been re-created.
And then to
explore the dramatic ruins of Urquhart Castle which was one
of the largest castles in Scotland before it was blown up in 1692 to
prevent Jacobite occupation. It is now much more famous for the
number of movies in which it appears.
(Overnight) The Inverness Palace Hotel, INVERNESS.
Dinner & Breakfast
Day 11 (Sun)
A delightful drive through the Highlands to Inverewe Gardens
on Scotland's glorious West Coast. Set alongside lovely Loch Ewe,
there are spectacular views from this unexpectedly beautiful
sub-tropical garden far in the north-west of Scotland which has
stunning displays of plants from many far-away places.
After yet
another spectacular drive through the Scottish mountains we visit Eilean
Donan Castle, the romantic, restored 13th-century castle, home
of the Clan Macrae, picturesquely set on an islet in Loch Duich,
and perhaps one of the most-photographed castles in Scotland.
(First of 2 nights) Balmacara Hotel, Kyle of Lochalsh. Dinner & Breakfast
Day 12 (Mon)
Today we drive around the dramatic and romantic Isle of Skye,
strongly connected to Bonnie Prince Charlie, to see its delightful
capital, Portree, Kilt Rock Waterfall which descends over
dramatically high cliffs directly into
the sea, the Skye Museum of Island Life, and Dunvegan Castle,
the oldest home in the whole of Scotland continuously inhabited by the
same family—chiefs of the Clan MacLeod.
(Last of 2 nights) Balmacara Hotel, Kyle of
Lochalsh. Dinner & Breakfast
Day 13 (Tue)
We leave Skye by ferry from Armadale to Mallaig for the Glenfinnan
Monument where in 1745 Bonnie Prince Charlie raised his standard and
succeeded in rousing various clans to follow him to the disaster of
Culloden. Then on to Fort
William to see Neptune's Ladder, where a ladder of eight locks at the western end of the Caledonian Canal raises the water
level 70 ft. over the short distance of 500 yards. Hopefully, we may also
see Ben Nevis (4,406 ft.), the highest mountain in the British Isles.
After lunch we continue for a drive up Glencoe, famous, or
rather, infamous, for the Glencoe massacre in 1692. We finish the day at
Oban, with its attractive and interesting harbour, the busiest
ferry port on the west coast, overlooked by McCraig's Tower, a Colliseum-like
structure.
(First of 2 nights) Queen's Hotel, OBAN. Dinner
& Breakfast
Day 14 (Wed)
We spend today on the Isle of Mull, a lovely island which
has a permanent population of only approx. 2,500 people and 10,000
sheep! But we especially visit the tiny Hebridean Island of Iona,
a unique place visited by thousands of pilgrims, royalty, artists
and craftsmen, where, in 563, St. Columba, exiled from Ireland,
landed in a curacle boat and built what was to become one of the
major centres of medieval Christendom.. We also have some time in Tobermory,
capital of Mull, which is basically a string of very colourful and
interesting buildings stretched along the bay.
(Last of 2 nights) Queen's Hotel, OBAN. Dinner
& Breakfast
Day 15 (Thur)
Free time in Oban before we depart for Inveraray, where we
visit Inveraray Jail, a fascinating recreation of a 19th-century
jail, before driving down the shores of Loch Lomond to our final
hotel.
(Overnight) The Beardmore Hotel, GLASGOW.
Dinner & Breakfast
Day 16 (Fri)
End of Tour. Transfer to Glasgow Airport.
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