Depart London for the beautiful city of YORK. (described in England tour).
Northwards via Durham and Hadrian’s Wall over the border to Scotland. We visit the first town in Scotland Jedburgh with its magnificent Abbey ruins and the enchanting Mary Queen of Scots House. Abbotsford, a fantasy in stone, is typical of Sir Walter Scott, who did so much to popularise all things Scottish. Here are souvenirs of the man, his world & his cherished collection. Traquair House a fortified demesne, where the gates have remained closed since Bonnie Price Charlie spent his last night in Scotland. On to the capital EDINBURGH.
We spend the day in the capital there is so much to see. The magnificent castle, the Scottish Crown Jewels, Holyrood Palace, The Royal Mile the many wonderful museums or just to walk along Princes Street. In August there is an opportunity to attend the Festival so another night is spent in EDINBURGH
On our way north we visit Hopetoun House a mansion of 17th and 18th contrasting styles, one of Robert Adam’s masterpiece. Culross is a fascinating 16th/17th century royal Burgh with a lovely palace. On to ST. ANDREW’s famous for golf and its ancient university.
Perth ‘The Fair City on the Tay’ is the gateway to the Highlands. We visit Scone Palace the 9th century centre of the Scoto Pictish Kingdom the origins of the ‘Stone of Destiny’ (Stone of Scone ) upon which all British Kings and Queens have been crowned. Glamis Castle is the birthplace of the Queen Mother and the epitome of a Scottish castle. We travel up the east coast to the historic city of ABERDEEN.
Or alternatively, to the family owned CASTLE FORBES with its wonderful salmon and trout fishing on the River Don. This can be just an overnight stop or a complete sporting holiday in its own right. See http://www.castle-forbes.com/
Back to the tour, we explore Royal Deeside. There is much to see such as Drum, Crathes and Craigivar Castles. Aboyne, and a Highland Games centre, home of the Cock O’The North, Chief of Clan Gordon. Braemar and Balmoral Castle, the private Scottish residence of the H.M. The Queen, sometimes open to visitors. Back to ABERDEEN.
Up into the Highlands via Cairngorm one of the highest peaks in Scotland. Wonderful scenery and the home of Whisky, where we will visit a distillery of course. We visit the tragic site of the Battle of Culloden the last battle on British soil and on to INVERNESS capital of the Highland Region at the northern end of the Great Glen.
We follow Loch Ness in search of the monster, a beautiful journey towards Fort William but cut across to the ISLE OF SKYE reputed for its spectacular scenery and wealth of legends. Dunvegan Castle is the seat of the MacLeods a wonderful mixture of legends and art.
From the Isle of Skye it is possible to carry on up North via the stunning gardens of Inverewe to the northernmost tip of the Great Britain at John O’Groats. This would take an additional two days.
We take the ferry to Mallaig and follow the road over the Pass of Glencoe where the dreadful massacre took place between the Campbells and the McDonalds. The Trossachs are one of the most beautiful parts of Scotland and known also as Rob Roy Country. The delightful whitewashed town of INVERARAY on the shores of Loch Fyne is the seat of Clan Campbell, it contains the Gothic revival castle of the Dukes of Argyll.
We follow the beautiful road south along the banks of Loch Lomond to Scotland’s second city of GLASGOW. A wealth of museums is to be found here, most notably the Glasgow School of Art synonymous with Charles Rennie Macintosh and the Burrell Collection.
We leave Scotland via Gretna Green, where elopers came to get married from the 18th century onwards and over the border to England.
A Day in London Day Trips around London Day Trips from London Touring the West of England Touring Wales Touring Central & Northern England Touring Scotland Touring Ireland Tours in Europe
