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SCOTLAND

The islands of Scotland are some of the most enchanting places on earth. Even the tiniest of them has its own individual character and charm. Dramatic sunsets, spectacular scenery and an untouched coastline are just a few of the things that await you on your Scottish Island holiday

SCOTTISH ISLANDS AND QUEEN’S CASTLES

18 Day Exclusive and Custom Tour led by the finest guide in Scotland, Iain MacDonald

Advance Itinerary Copy

$5399.00 PP based on double occupancy

August 2008

Highlights include:

    • Loch Fyne home to Inverary Castle
    • Barra Island in the Outer Hebrides with its thousands of species of flowers
    • The Outer Hebrides island of Lewis’s beautiful sea cliffs and bay
    • Harris-often described as the “heart of the Hebrides”
    • The Island of Okney and its fascinating archeological sites
    • Durness “ the most spectacular corner of Scotland”
    • Famed “Roslyn Castle”
    • The famed Edinburgh Military Tattoo

Join us and enjoy one of the world’s most pristine travel destinations.

COST OF TOUR FROM DENVER   $ 5339.00 pp                
RESERVATION DEPOSIT                $500.00 pp                             
FINAL PAYMENT                             $4839.00 plus applicable airlines taxes
SINGLE ROOM SUPPLEMENT**  $800.00          

**Payment for single room does not guarantee a superior room, only ensures privacy.

Day 01 DENVER / GLASGOW - Our “Scottish Islands and Queen’s Castles” adventure begins as we board our jetliner.  Time en route to enjoy the friendly service and excellent food while we become acquainted with our fellow travelers and read up on the fascinating areas we will soon be visiting.

Day 02 GLASGOW - We arrive at Glasgow airport around 10:25 a.m. where we will be met by Iain MacDonald who will be with us throughout our stay.  Many of us will remember Iain from our previous visit to Scotland.   The humor, broad knowledge, and love of all things Scottish that made our last visit to Scotland memorable will make this tour truly spectacular as well.  At our request, Iain and Tumlare have collaborated to create an itinerary for us that takes us to places few tourists have had the opportunity to explore.  What an incredible adventure lies before us!

Following our transfer to our private, air-conditioned motor coach, we will checkinto our hotel, wherewe will enjoy a welcome lunch and a panoramic sightseeing tour of Glasgow. Glasgow, a cosmopolitan city churning with enterprise, celebrated its reign as “Cultural Capital of Europe” in 1990.  No other Scottish city can rival Glasgow for its rich diversity of culture and entertainment. It is home to the Scottish Opera, the Royal Scottish Orchestra, the Scottish Ballet and the Burrell Collection, which draws art enthusiasts from the world over.  St. Mungo’s Cathedral (13th century) will be one of the highlights on our city tour.  A light supper on our own at our hotel will give us the opportunity for an early night and a good rest before the true beginning of our adventure on the morrow.  Overnight stay in Glasgow.  (L)

Day 03 GLASGOW / BARRA - After a hearty Scots breakfast, we depart Glasgow and travel to Loch Fyne home to Inverary Castle, which is a remarkable and unique piece of architecture incorporating Baroque, Palladian and Gothic.  Featuring four imposing French influenced conical spires surmounting the stone castelated towers, this unmistakably Scottish Castle was the first of its size and type to be built.   From Loch Fyne we travel on to Oban, a charming, seashore village where we will check into the hotel for overnight stay and welcome dinner. (B, D) 

Day 04 OBAN/BARRA - After breakfast we will make our way to the Scottish Sea Life Sanctuary, where you can come nose to nose with the graceful rays as they swim to the surface to greet you or stand in the middle of a huge shoal of silvery herring making you dizzy as they constantly swim around you in our unique herring ring. A great chance to see up close and personal the sea life of Scotland. From there we will board the ferry sailing to Castlebay on the Island of Barra in the Outer Hebrides. We will arrive at Castlebay, Barra’s main harbor town. The island of Barra is the smallest and the most remote of the main islands of the Hebrides and is noted for its beauty.  Only five miles across by eight miles long, it has one ring road which circles it.  The island boasts over 1,000 different species of flowers and some of the most stunning coastal scenery in Scotland.   The waters around Barra are home to a playful, friendly school of dolphins which we will hope to have the luck to see. From there we will make our way to the hotel to check in for our overnight stay. (B,D) 

Day 05 BARRA - Following breakfast, we will begin our day on Barra with a visit to the historic and impressive Kisimul Castle, ancient seat of the Clan Macneil and the only surviving medical castle in the Western Isles. Complete with great hall, kitchen chapel, dungeon and 60 foot tower it is a “must see.” After an exploration of the island via the ring road, we will also visit the nearby isle of Vatersay, now linked to Barra by a causeway. Here the classic film “Whiskey Galore” was made back in 1949. We’ll succumb to temptation and take a walk on the golden sands of Vatersay. Overnight in Castlebay. (B, D)

Day 06 BARRA / HARIS - Following breakfast, we will leave Barra after this and take a 40 minute ferry ride to the beautiful little island of Eriskay (at 0920).  We’ll visit “Am Politician” Eriskay’s only pub, restaurant and guesthouse named after the real cargo ship (the Politician) full of whisky that sank off the Isle of Eriskay back in the 1940’s:  Compton Mackenzie’s inspiration for his novel, Whisky Galore.  Crossing the causeway  which connects Eriskay to South Uist we arrive at Lochboisdale, a small village that is the ‘capital’ of South Uist.   As we travel up South Uist we may see the ruins of Caistel Bheagram, a late medieval tower and enclosure located on an island in Loch an Eilean,  ruined chapels dating from the 12 and 13th centuries, and old thatched cottages.  An Iron Age broch and settlement and a 3000 year old Bronze Age settlement have also been discovered here by archaeologists.   Here, also, three miles north of Daliburgh, is a cairn that marks the birthplace of Flora MacDonald.  On we travel north to Benbecula and on to North Uist where we take the one hour ferry to Leverburgh in Harris (at 1330). 

Harris, which means ‘high land’ in Old Norse, is often described as the high heart of the Hebrides.  The East coast is both rocky and dramatic, making one wonder how people ever managed scrape a living from this land, while the West coast is breathtakingly beautiful with miles of golden sandy beaches with stunning mountainous backdrops.  The Harris Hills are formed on the oldest rock in the world, Lewisian Gneiss, and form an awe inspiring landscape.In the west are vast expanses of white sand whilst the north and east are rugged, rocky places which make you think you have reached the moon. There are very few trees so look out for those in Tarbert, Borve, Horgabost and Luskentyre and make the most of them. Overnight in Harris.  (B, D)

Day 07 HARRIS/LEWIS - This morning after Breakfast we will have some free time to explore Harris.  Visiting some local ships, making sure to stop and see some of the traditional Harris Tweed and how it’s woven, will be on many of our list of “must do’s.”.The famous Harris Tweed is made all over both Harris and Lewis. Genuine Harris Tweed bears the orb symbol, the mark of the Harris Tweed Association. The wool is Scottish in origin, but for it to be classed as Harris Tweed it must be spun, dyed, finished and woven in the Hebrides.From Harris we will depart for the Island of Lewis arriving at its capital, Stornoway.  Stornoway surprises most visitors.  It has all the amenities of a small, mainland town as well as a lively and vibrant social scene.  There are pubs, organized events and celidhs.  In Stornoway, the Lews Castle grounds have extensive woodlands containing a huge variety of trees.  Common seals fill the harbor and it is likely that we will spot dolphins, whales and even sharks. Overnight stay in Stornoway.   (B)

Day 08 LEWIS - Lewis is filled with world famous archaeological sites.  Today we take a tour of Lewis and visit the 5000 year old standing stones at Callanish and the 1000 year old Pictish Broch at Carloway.    The Callanish Stones predate the Egyptian Pyramids.   A cross-shaped setting of standing stones, they are unique in Scotland and outstanding in Great Britain.   At Dun Carloway we will view the best preserved broach tower in Scotland.  Next we will drive to the most northerly point of the Island at the Butt of Lewis.  The entire landscape of Lewis is built for adventure with great sea cliffs, bays and islands best explored by kayak or boat. We will break here for a picnic lunch along the shore, with free time after to explore the area, and later transfer back to the hotel. Overnight at Stornoway.  (B, L, D)  

Day 09 LEWIS /ULLAPOOL - This morning we have free time in Stornoway, before we catch the 1:35pm ferry to Ullapool.  We arrive at 4:30pm to check in to our hotel in Ullapool, a picturesque fishing village on the shores of Lochbroom.  We’ll have some time to wander the village before dinner.   Overnight in Ullapool.  (B, D)

Day 10 ULLAPOOL / THURSO - Today we travel north along the most remote roads on the UK mainland visiting Durness at the very northwest before heading east along the wild coast of the Pentland Firth to Thurso.   Durness is called “the most spectacular corner of Scotland” and is the most North Westerly village on Britain’s mainland.  The road from Durness to Ullapool is known as the “best scenic route Scotland has to offer”.  Our day will be filled with utterly superb and remote landscapes.   Thurso, Scotland’s most northerly town is known as the stepping stone to Orkney.  The Vikings were established here as early as the 900’s.  Overnight at Thurso.  (B, D) 

Day 11 THURSO / KIRKWALL - Today we head for the Island of Orkney, but before boarding our ferry, we visit the Castle of Mey, the hideaway of the late Queen Mother.  It is a beautiful little castle and is now owned by Prince Charles. From there we catch the Pentland ferry to St. Margaret’s Hope on the island of South Ronaldsay. 

Orkney is a group of islands a few miles off the north-east tip of mainland Britain.  Its green fields and hills, stone pinnacles rising out of the sea, rugged cliffs and many sandy beaches make it an ideal, if remote, destination.  Orkney’s main attraction is its ancient history.  From the Stone Age to the Picts and Vikings, the islands have myriad sites of archeological interest.  It is expected that Orkney will soon become a UNESCO World Heritage Site which will help to preserve its unique history.  The people of Orkney (about 15,000) have a unique accent and do not see themselves as Scottish so much as Orcadian.  The islands were owned by Norway for a long time and today have a unique and very mixed culture. 

Driving over the Churchhill Barriers, we will visit the amazing Italian Chapel built out of scrap materials by Italian prisoners of war.  During the second World War, Scapa Flow was protected by “block ships”, old ships that hadbeen scuppered and strategically arranged to prevent vessels from approaching the mainland.  When a U-boat managed to slip through and sink a British warship, Winston Churchill ordered the sea to be filled in between Lamb Hom and south Ronaldsay. 

Italian prisoners of War from a camp in the Orkneys carried out the work on Churhill Barriers.   Far from home, they asked permission to convert two old Nissen huts into a Roman Catholic chapel.  Trimmed with red, the white façade and belfry hide the original shape of the huts with an exterior that resembles nothing so much as an ornate wedding cake!  Inside, the surprises continue.  Plasterwork has been painted to resemble bricks.  Plain glass windows were painted to look like stained glass.  Corned beef tins were turned into candlestick holders while stair rods became candles.  And that is just the beginning.  Restored several times over the years, the chapel stands today as a reminder of the great faith and ingenuity of the Italians who created it.

Following our visit, we drive on to Kirkwall, capital of the Orkney’s.  Kirkwall, (which comes from the old Norse and means “church bay”) is a beautiful old town with many interesting historical sights.  Among these are St. Magnus Cathedral, Earl’s Palace, Bishop’s Palace, and the Wireless Museum, a huge and unique collection of wartime communications equipment, old magazines and many other displays.  Overnight in Kirkwall.  (B, D)

Day 12 KIRKWALL - Today we will take an unforgettable archeological expedition to explore the World Heritage Sites of Ring of Brodgar, Scara Brae and Maes Howe.  The Ring of Brodgar  (Circle of the Sun) is a series of towering monoliths erected over 3,500 years ago to chart the seasons.   Even though only 36 of the original 60 stones remain standing, the size of the site is breathtaking. We can also view the Standing Stones of Stennes (less than a mile from the Ring of Brodgar) before continuing to Skara Brae, the best preserved group of Stone Age houses in Western Europe.   Built before the Pyramids, Stonehenge, and the Great Wall of China, the ten houses to be seen today were occupied from about 3100 to 2500 BC.   The houses contain stone furniture, hearths, and drains and give a remarkable picture of life in Neolithic times.  On we adventure to Maes Howe, recognized as the finest megalithic tomb in the British Isles.  A large mound covers a stone-built passage and a large burial chamber with cells in the walls.  Returning to Kirkwall, we will have time to wander the town before dinnertime.  Overnight in Kirkwall.  (B, D)

Day 13 KIRKWALL / INVERNESS - This morning will be the perfect time for a visit to St. Magnus Cathedral, one of only two surviving pre-reformation cathedrals in Scotland, before we catch our last ferry, the 12:00 to Gills Bay.  From there we will travel south to explore Dornoch with its beautiful little cathedral before continuing to Inverness.  Dornoch is an historic small town on the edge of the Dornoch Firth, a designated National Scenic Area in the Highlands. Group will have free time to take in Dornoch, and explore it on their own. Overnight in Inverness.  (B, D) 

Day 14 INVERNESS - Inverness, with its suspension bridges across the River Ness and old stone buildings, is a lovely little city.  A walk down along the river band (in the direction of the Caledonian Canal) brings you to the Ness Islands where you can cross the river on little bridges to visit Bught Park.  Close by is the Floral Hall – a sub-tropical horticultural extravaganza with small waterfalls and all sorts of plants and trees.   Today we will take a tour of the Inverness area visiting Culloden Battlefield, where the last battle fought on British soil took place in 1746, and Cawdor Castle.   Located 12 miles east of Inverness and redolent with associations with Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Cawdor is set in beautiful wooded grounds and gardens.  Our tour of both castle and grounds will be long remembered.   A visit to a distillery for those who wish will cap an unforgettable day in the highlands.  Overnight in Inverness.  (B, D)

Day 15 INVERNESS / EDINBURGH - This morning we depart Inverness and drive south via Ballater for a visit to Glamis Castle, the birthplace and childhood home of the Queen Mother, birthplace of Princess Margaret, and legendary setting for the murder of King Duncan in Shakespeare’s Macbeth.  Today it is home to the Earl of Strathmore and his family. The Rev. John Stirton said of Glamis, “So long as poetry, romance and religion have a place in Scottish life and character, the Castle of dim memories, of secrets and haunting shadows, crowned with the beauty and dignity of years, will win men’s hearts by a mysterious fascination and stir them to their very depths.”  In summertime the gardens of Glamis are spectacular with superb displays of rhododendrons and azaleas.  Summer is also the time to enjoy the heady scents of the flowers in the Italian gardens.  As we wander the gardens we may choose to walk along the banks of the Glamis Burn watching for the many Kingfishers and Dippers. On we go to Edinburgh for an overnight stay. (B)

Day 16 EDINBURGH - This morning after breakfast we will depart on a full day guided tour of the “Borders of Scotland”. Our stops will include visiting the Roslyn Chapel, which just recently has become famous, with being the one of the churches used in the filming of the DaVinci Code. We will also stop off at Melrose Abbey-famed in Sir Walter Scott’s poem “the Lay of the Last Minstrel” and “the Monastery”, and at Abbotsford House, home of Sir Walter Scott. Overnight in Edinburgh. (B)

Day 17 EDINBURGH - Today our city tour of Edinburgh introduces us to Prince’s Street and the Royal Miles, John Knox’s house (dating from 1490), the City Chambers and Parliament House.  Our splendid day includes entrance to St. Giles Cathedral and brooding Edinburgh Castle which overlooks the city and is home to the Scottish Crown Jewels.  There will be time for strolling and shopping before we are treated to Edinburgh’s famed Military Tattoo, featuring over 50 years of music set against the world famous backdrop of Edinburgh Castle. Overnight in Edinburgh.  (B, D)

Day 18 EDINBURGH/DENVER - This morning we transfer to the airport for our flight home, filled with a new appreciation for the rugged landscape, remote islands, magnificent castles, and diverse culture of Scotland.  Our memories will last a lifetime!  (B)

For more information, contact Ellie Leinaweaver.

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