Best of Scotland 2009
Day 1 - Depart USA Overnight flight to Edinburgh.
Day 2 - Arrive Edinburgh (2 nights) Welcome to Bonnie Scotland! After check-in to your hotel in Edinburgh you have time to relax or to start exploring this fascinating capital city. Later we enjoy a Welcome Drink with our Tour Director and travelling companions.
Day 3 - Edinburgh sightseeing & at leisure Our guided morning sightseeing tour includes a visit to the apartments of the impressive castle perched high on the rock, views of Holyrood House, the official Scottish residence of the Queen and Arthur's Seat. We will also see the Royal Mile, the 18th century New Town with its classical facades, the new Scottish Parliament building and Princes Street with the ornate Scott Memorial. Later you may wish to take an excursion to the Rosslyn Chapel recently brought to notoriety by the "Da Vinci Code". During the Edinburgh Festival, we'll include tickets to the dazzling Edinburgh Tattoo. This evening, why not enjoy a Scottish night out" (Full breakfast)
Day 4 - Edinburgh — Inverness (2 nights) This morning we start with a drive over the Firth of Forth to St. Andrews, one of the most renowned golf courses in the world, where it is believed that golf was born on the Old Course in the 15th century. We have time to take a picture at the 18th hole and see the ecclesiastical ruins in the town before continuing to Dundee and Perth to charming Pitlochry. Then we see Blair Castle, the ancient seat of the Dukes and Earls of Atholl, and visit a famous whisky distillery where local water, the best malt and traditional skills combine to produce "a wee dram" for us to taste! Finally, on a sombre note, we see Culloden Moor, scene of the defeat of Bonnie Prince Charlie, before we arrive in Inverness for the next two nights. (Full breakfast / Dinner)
Day 5 - Highlands & Isle of Skye Excursion Today our Tour Director will share the secret of a Hidden Treasure with us! We drive along the banks of Loch Ness and stop at Urquhart Castle to see if we can spot "Nessie". Then along the shores of Loch Cluanie through Glen Shiel. Next we visit Eilean Donan Castle before crossing the Kyle of Lochalsh to the Isle of Skye. Here we listen to romantic tales of Flora Mac Donald and her daring rescue of the Bonnie Prince as we enjoy the beauty of the Cuillin Hills and see the island's tiny capital, Portree, which lies in a sheltered bay. Soon we must return to the mainland to continue our journey via Loch Carron and Achnasheen back to our hotel in Inverness. (Full Breakfast / Dinner)
Day 6 - Inverness — Glasgow (2 nights) We drive past Fort William and have views of Britain's highest peak, Ben Nevis, en route to Glencoe where the tragic massacre occurred in the early morning of 13 February 1692, during the era of the Glorious Revolution and Jacobitism. The massacre began simultaneously in three settlements along the glen, Invercoe, Inverrigan and Achacon, although the killing took place all over the glen as fleeing MacDonalds were pursued. We will see the Clan Memorial where each year, on the 13th February, the Clan Donald Society of Edinburgh arranges an annual wreath laying ceremony attended by Clansmen from across the world along with local people. Then we take a scenic drive along the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond to Scotland's second city, Glasgow. (Full breakfast)
Day 7 - Glasgow orientation and Lowlands Excursion Then we drive out to Alloway to see the birthplace of Scotland's greatest poet, Robbie Burns, and his monument and the famous Brig O" Doon. Afterwards we visit Culzean Castle, ancestral home to the Kennedy family, who invited Dwight D. Eisenhower in November 1945 to accept the tenancy of a specially created guest flat on the top floor of the castle for his lifetime, as a gesture of Scottish thanks for America's support during World War II. Later we head back to Glasgow where we enjoy a Farewell Dinner with our Tour Director and the other members of our group to celebrate the end of our Scottish tour! (Full Breakfast / Farewell Dinner)
Day 8 - Glasgow - USA This morning after breakfast it is time to bid farewell to our Tour Director and new-found friends as our tour of Bonnie Scotland comes to an end, and we return home with many happy memories. (Full Breakfast)
Day 9 - Edinburgh Tattoo: 7-29 August 2009 Tickets are included for the world-famous Tattoo during the Festival. Applicable to departures 5-26 August.
Free airport transfers: Transfers on Day 2 at Edinburgh Airport will operate at 09.00, 11.00 and 13.00. Passengers arriving later should make their own way to the first hotel. Return transfers on the last touring day will arrive at Glasgow Airport at 07.00 and 09.00.
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