Day 1
Arrival in Glasgow, Scotland
Check
into your hotel. The rest of the day is free to relax in Scotland’s
largest city. Before tonight’s welcome dinner join your tour director
and traveling companions for a toast to happy touring with a congenial
group. (D)
Day 2
Glasgow-Carlisle
Start your grand
tour of Scotland with interesting Lowland sights: Scottish poet ROBERT
BURNS’ BIRTHPLACE and MUSEUM at Alloway; Gretna Green, where the
blacksmith used to wed runaway couples. Step over the border for a
guided visit to CARLISLE CASTLE, which has guarded England’s frontier
with Scotland since the 11th century. It is here that Mary, Queen of
Scots, was imprisoned in 1568. Overnight nearby. (FB, D)
Day 3
Carlisle-Edinburgh
First follow a
section of Hadrian’s Wall, the Roman coast-to-coast defense against
marauding northern tribes. Vistas of wild Northumberland National Park
on the way back over the Scottish border, then glimpses of the house of
Mary, Queen of Scots, and Jedburgh and Melrose Abbey ruins. Finally a
highlight visit to Sir Walter Scott’s ABBOTSFORD HOUSE, where Dame
Jean Maxwell-Scott often guides our tours herself. Overnight in
Edinburgh, the "Prince of Cities."
A unique optional experience:
board the former Royal Yacht Britannia, which for the Queen was
once the perfect royal residence for glittering state visits and family
holidays. Tour five decks and see how the Royal Family and crew of 240
lived and worked on board. Dinner rounds off this optional evening.
Instead for tour numbers from Aug 4 through Aug 26 tickets are included
tonight for a performance of the world-renowned MILITARY TATTOO: a vast
spectacle of massed Scottish pipe bands, which takes place in an arena
on the esplanade of Edinburgh Castle. (FB)
Day 4
Edinburgh
Morning city sightseeing
with a local expert introduces you to the 200-year-old “New Town”
and famous scientists, inventors and novelists. In the “Old Town”,
drive up the narrow Royal Mile to EDINBURGH CASTLE to admire
Scotland’s Crown Jewels, then explore HOLYROOD PALACE, the Queen’s
official Scottish residence. The afternoon is free to enjoy this
“Prince of Cities” at your own pace. Tonight don’t miss our
optional Scottish evening with Highland dancers, bagpipers, and the
Ceremony of the Haggis. (FB)
Day 5
Edinburgh-Aberdeen
Over the elegant
Forth Road Bridge and through Fife to St. Andrews, whose Royal and
Ancient Golf Club, founded in 1754, has given us the rules of golfing.
Cross the Firth of Tay to Dundee and visit splendid GLAMIS CASTLE, the
childhood home of the late Queen Mother and birthplace of the late
Princess Margaret. A pleasant drive this afternoon brings you to the
city of Aberdeen for an orientation drive in this east coast fishing
port whose prosperity has soared with the development of the North Sea
oil and gas fields. (FB,D)
Day 6
Aberdeen-Inverness
Trace the
salmon-rich River Dee on the way to Ballater, where the royal coats of
arms denote those shops supplying the royal household. Drive through
heather-clad moors to the lovely Spey Valley for a guided visit to a
WHISKY DISTILLERY, where you learn about the ancient art of converting
barley, water and yeast into a heart-warming liquor. Overnight in
Inverness, the Highland capital. Why not consider an optional visit to
the Loch Ness Experience and an evening cruise? (FB,D)
Day 7
Inverness-Wick
At CULLODEN VISITOR
CENTRE hear about the story of the crushing Hanoverian victory over
Bonnie Prince Charlie’s Scottish clans. Continue an unforgettable
journey through spectacular scenery to the remote northernmost part of
Scotland. Follow the coast road to majestic DUNROBIN CASTLE, originally
built in 1275 and for centuries the seat of the Dukes and Earls of
Sutherland. Visit the formal gardens overlooking the North Sea and tour
the castle’s opulent interior. Also enjoy a fascinating FALCONRY
DISPLAY. On arrival at the tiny port of Wick there’s still time to
call at the renowned CAITHNESS GLASS FACTORY. Before dinner you may want
to join your tour director for an optional excursion to a nearby village
with a chance to meet the locals. (FB,D)
Day 8
Wick. Excursion to the Orkney Islands
A
fascinating day full of adventure. Via Dunnet Head, the northernmost
point on the British mainland, and past the late Queen Mother’s Castle
of Mey you head for John O’Groats. Board a ferry for the 45-minute
crossing to South Ronaldsay, one of the Orkney Islands, where a local
coach and knowledgeable driver-guide await you. Cross the four Churchill
Barriers and overlook Scapa Flow, where the German fleet scuttled itself
in World War I. Visit the ITALIAN CHAPEL, built by prisoners of war in
1943 from scrap metal, concrete, and other materials, then head for
SKARA BRAE, part of the Orkney World Heritage Site, where you see the
fascinating remains of a 5,000-year-old Neolithic village, and visit
SKAILL HOUSE. Yet more highlights: the Ring of Brodgar, the Orkneys’
Stonehenge, and finally Kirkwall, the small and picturesque island
capital with a distinct Viking flavor and impressive red sandstone
cathedral. Return to the mainland by ferry in the late afternoon. (FB,D)
Day 9
Wick-Isle of Skye
A day to sit back
and enjoy the breathtakingly wild and unspoiled scenery, some of the
finest in Britain. The region is remote and the roads are single track
and somewhat uneven. The northern coast is lined with miles of yellow
sandy beaches and pretty estuaries. Heading inland, the hills and
mountains take on a purple hue as the summer progresses, mists create an
eerie atmosphere, and the glens and lochs form a picture-book landscape.
This is Scotland at its best! Make a lunch stop in the quaint fishing
port of Ullapool, and it’s an early evening arrival on the Inner
Hebridean Isle of Skye. (FB,D)
Day 10
Isle of Skye
A full day on Skye to
absorb the breathtaking scenery of this spectacular and history-steeped
isle. Explore Portree, the tiny island capital, then visit remote
DUNVEGAN CASTLE, seat of the chiefs of Clan MacLeod since 1200, and
learn of connections with Bonnie Prince Charlie and Flora MacDonald.
Take in the views of the Cuillin Hills on the way back to Broadford. (FB,D)
Day 11
Isle of Skye-Isle of Mull
Call at
the Clan Donald Centre for a visit to its MUSEUM OF THE ISLES and an
insight into 13 centuries of clan history before boarding your ferry at
Armadale to sail across the Sound of Sleat. Rejoin the mainland at
Mallaig and follow the "Road to the Isles," pausing at
Glenfinnan, the scene of the raising of Bonnie Prince Charlie’s
standard in 1745; then follow the shores of lovely Loch Linnhe. The
final leg of the day’s journey includes the ferry from Lochaline to
Fishnish on the Isle of Mull, where the next two nights are spent. (FB,D)
Day 12
Isle of Mull. Iona Excursion
A
leisurely day to relax and enjoy the best of the Scottish western isles.
Drive across Mull for a visit to the beautiful and fascinating Isle of
Iona. This is the burial place of many Scottish kings and chiefs,
including Macbeth. And it is here that in 563 AD. St. Columba
established one of the earliest Christian monasteries in the British
Isles. Time to visit the CATHEDRAL and explore the religious settlement
before returning to the hotel early afternoon. Later, enjoy the drive up
to Tobermory for a visit to the quaint island capital. To complete your
Mull experience, take the optional visit to Torosay Castle, where the
Laird conducts you through his ancient home. (FB,D)
Day 13
Isle of Mull-Glasgow
The final
island ferry crossing brings you this morning to Oban. Then over the
Pass of Brander, and from Inveraray follow the road known as "Rest
and be thankful" to the "Bonnie Banks" of Loch Lomond,
the most famous loch of all. Back in Glasgow this afternoon your
orientation city tour takes in the fine 12th-century cathedral, imposing
university buildings, and elegant Georgian squares built by the wealthy
tobacco barons. Time for last-minute shopping, then look forward to a
farewell drinks reception and dinner with the companions of a great tour
at a smart Glasgow city restaurant. (FB,D)
Day 14 Home
