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Scottish Dream
Superior First Class Hotels: 8 or 9 Day Coach
Tour
Tour Highlights:
Edinburgh Pub
Dinner with Ghost Tour
Scottish Entertainment in Highlands
Loch Lomond Scenic
Cruise
Bonnie Prince Charlie’s Downfall at Culloden Moor
Crathes & Edinburgh Castles
Taste Whisky at a Speyside
Distillery
Royal Deeside
St. Andrews – Home of Golf
Day 1: Glasgow City Tour
Arrive in Glasgow Airport
where your CIE Tours tour director or representative will greet you.
Complimentary group transfers depart Glasgow Airport
at 8:00 am, 10:00 am or 12:00 noon. Passengers arriving later will transfer
to the hotel at their own expense. Your hotel is centrally located within
easy reach of major attractions and the shops of Buchanan Street. At 3:00 pm take a
coach tour to see the main attractions of Glasgow including red sandstone Victorian
buildings, delightful parks, Glasgow Cathedral and the River Clyde, once
famous for shipbuilding. Visit extensive collections in Kelvinqrove Art Gallery and
Museum, originally opened in 1901 and recently refurbished.
Chat with your tour director and fellow travellers
over a welcome
drink before dinner. (D)
Day 2:
Loch Lomond Cruise & Loch Ness
Depart Glasgow
and drive north along the banks of Loch Lomond with views of Ben Lomond and
other Highland peaks. At Tarbet
embark on a short
cruise to appreciate the beauty and peacefulness of this famous
loch and admire panoramic views. Then journey across mysterious Rannoch Moor
and through Glen Coe, a spectacular glen made famous by the Campbells’
massacre of the Clan Macdonald in 1692. Travel beside Loch Ness and pause for
photos at the
huge ruins of Urquhart Castle before continuing to your
hotel in the centre of Inverness. (B,D)
Day 3:
Sheepdog Trials & Culloden Battlefield
Enjoy a leisurely day of discovery in
the lovely countryside and majestic Highland
scenery. Just south of Aviemore visit Leault Farm to
see a team of dogs herd sheep and ducks through
various obstacles. Learn how each dog responds to individual whistles and
meet collie puppies, bottle-feed orphan lambs and see sheep-shearing. Drive
to Culloden Moor to tour the Visitor Centre.
Walk around the battlefield where, on 16th April 1746, British Government
forces defeated the army of Prince Charles Edward Stuart in just one hour and
ended hopes of restoring the Jacobite Stuarts to
the British throne. Return to Inverness
mid-afternoon to relax or browse around on your own before dinner. After
dinner enjoy a special ceilidh, traditional Scottish
entertainment with singers, piper and Highland dancers in your
hotel. (B,D)
Day 4: Glenfiddich Whisky Distillery & Shortbread
Drive along the coastal route through
Nairn and Elgin and
head south into Speyside, the region where many of Scotland’s
famous distilleries are located. Stop in Craigellachie
to visit the family-owned Speyside Cooperage
which produces fine casks from American Oak using traditional methods and
tools. Although shipped around the world, most of the casks provide a vital
component in Scotland’s
whisky making process. A few miles further on tour the Glenfiddich Distillery
and enjoy a “wee dram.” In Huntly visit Dean’s
to watch staff make Scottish shortbread and learn about its history. Continue
to Blairs on the outskirts of Aberdeen to your elegant 19th century
mansion in time for dinner. (B,D)
Day 5: Crathes
Castle & Royal
Deeside
Visit
Crathes Castle,
a fairytale Renaissance castle completed in 1594 with a wealth of fine
furnishings. Take time to walk through the wonderful gardens. Drive along the
charming River Dee
Valley, called “Royal
Deeside” as it was first favoured by Queen Victoria. Stop in Braemar, where Highland
games are held each summer and the Royal Family attend. Return through Royal
Deeside passing Balmoral
Castle where the Royal Family
vacations during August and visit their lovely Crathie Church.
Near the village of Banchory stop at the Falls of Feugh, a
charming tea shop, which is popular with people in the
area. Sample afternoon tea with delicious freshly-baked scones and
enjoy a talk by a local ghillie. Return to Blairs for some free time to relax before dinner at your
hotel. (B,D)
Day 6:
St. Andrews & Coast of Fife
Travel south through the lush
countryside of Aberdeenshire and cross the modern Tay Bridge
to St. Andrews, the “Home of
Golf.” See the famous Royal and Ancient Clubhouse and the Old Course
and enjoy free time to visit the British
Golf Museum
or browse through the medieval town with its cathedral and castle. Take the
coastal route south through the picturesque “East Neuk” fishing villages. While fishing
is no longer the main industry, the towns retain an old-world charm. Stop for
a walk around the cobbled streets of Anstruther, a
rabbit-warren of alleyways and wynds. Continue
south into Edinburgh
and check in to your hotel in the New Town. In the evening walk across the Grassmarket to the cosy Beehive Inn
for an informal pub dinner and then join a local guide for a fun walking tour
to discover the haunts of Edinburgh’s many colourful
characters. (B,D)
Day 7: Edinburgh Castle & City Tour
This morning discover Edinburgh on a sightseeing
tour. Drive along Princes Street,
the main shopping thoroughfare. Compare and contrast the wide streets and
elegant mansions of the Georgian 200-year-old “New Town” with the
narrow lanes and medieval townhouses along the Royal Mile, the oldest part of
the city, and together forming a World Heritage Site. Learn about many
prominent Scottish inventors, doctors and writers. Finish your tour at the
imposing Edinburgh Castle
where you can see historic buildings and enjoy a splendid view of Edinburgh. In the
afternoon take an open-top
hop-on hop-off independent bus tour to see more of this great
city. On August 01 to August 22 departures enjoy the Military Tattoo at Edinburgh Castle. (B)
Day 8:
Depart Edinburgh
Airport or Extend your
Stay
If you are on an 8-day tour, your
Holiday ends with a group transfer to arrive at Edinburgh Airport
by 6:30 am or 9:00 am. This will allow you plenty of time for check-in
procedures and duty-free shopping before boarding the aircraft for your
return home. A transfer to Glasgow
Airport will be
provided on request at a cost of u50 per person. If you have booked our 9-day tour,
spend an additional day in Edinburgh
on your own. As your open-top bus tour pass is valid for 24 hours, you may
continue to use it in the morning. Then take a shuttle bus transfer to Edinburgh Airport on following day. (B)
Tours
run 18 April – 24 October 2010
Departure
Sundays
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Tour Dates
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Prices
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18 April > 25
April
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$1805
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2 May > 23 May
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$1960
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30 May > 25 September
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$2020
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3 October – 24
October
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$1805
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Rates
are in Australian dollars per person twin share basis
Single
supplement $480
To extend this tour to 9 days add an additional
$220 p.p. twin share and $95 to the
single supplement
YOUR
TOUR INCLUDES
• Group airport
transfers on arrival and departure
• Sightseeing
by luxury coach throughout
• Edinburgh open-top bus
tour (9-day tour only)
• Services of
a professional Scottish tour director
• Superior
first class hotels with private bath/shower for 7 or 8 nights
• Full
Scottish breakfast daily (B)
• 6 dinners
(D) including:
- Pub dinner at the Beehive Inn in Edinburgh
- 5 table d’hôte dinners
• Welcome
get-together drink
• Sightseeing
tours of Glasgow & Edinburgh
• Scenic
cruise of Loch Lomond
• Ceilidh in Inverness
hotel with singers, piper and dancers
• Sheepdog
trials at Leault Farm
• Whisky
tasting and tour at Glenfiddich Distillery
• Scottish
afternoon tea and scones at Falls
of Feugh
• Ghost
walking tour of Edinburgh
• Reserved
seats for Edinburgh Military Tattoo on August 01 to August 22 departures
• Visits and
admissions to Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum,
Culloden Visitor Centre, Speyside Cooperage Visitor
Centre, Dean’s of Huntly, Crathes
Castle, Crathie Church, St. Andrews and Edinburgh
Castle
• Deluxe flight bag, ticket
wallet, luggage tags & strap
•
All local taxes, hotel service charges & porterage
for one suitcase per person
YOUR HOTELS
Stay
at the following (or similar):
Menzies Hotel, Glasgow (1 night)
Columba
Hotel, Inverness (2 nights)
Ardoe House Hotel, Blairs (2 nights)
Roxburghe Hotel, Edinburgh (2 or 3 nights)
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