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Scottish Isles & Glens
Superior & First Class Hotels: 11 Day Coach Tour
Tour
Highlights:
Edinburgh Pub
Dinner & Ghost Tour
Isles of Orkney & Skara Brae
Dunvegan Castle on Isle of Skye
Inverewe Gardens
Glenfiddich Whisky
Distillery & Tasting
Fort George
Day 1: Glasgow Arrival &
City Tour
Arrive in Glasgow Airport
where your CIE Tours driver/guide 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 city-centre hotel at their own expense. At 3:00 pm take a coach tour
to see Glasgow’s
main attractions including red sandstone Victorian buildings, delightful
parks and the River Clyde. Visit Glasgow Cathedral, dating from the 12th
century. Chat with your driver/guide and fellow travellers
over a welcome
drink before dinner. (D)
Day 2: Loch Lomond & Glen Coe
Travel into the Highlands as you
drive alongside the lovely shores of Loch Lomond.
Continue across the bleak Rannoch Moor and through the spectacular peaks of
Glen Coe, made famous by the Campbells’ massacre of the
Clan Macdonald in 1692. Continue through Fort William
and shop at the Ben
Nevis Highland Centre. Take the scenic Road to the Isles
passing Loch Shiel, the Glenfinnan Monument
and Glenfinnan Viaduct to cross by ferry to the Isle of Skye. Drive through part of the
“Misty Isle” and cross the Skye Bridge
to the mainland to your charming family-owned hotel located near Kyle of Lochalsh. (B,D)
Day 3: Isle of Skye Tour & Dunvegan Castle
Today discover the Isle of
Skye’s majestic Cuillin Mountains
and the island’s many associations with Bonnie Prince Charlie. Visit Dunvegan Castle,
stronghold of the Chiefs of MacLeod for nearly 800 years making it the oldest
continuously inhabited castle in Scotland. The Castle’s
stately halls contain priceless family heirlooms. Take a stroll through both
formal and woodland gardens before driving through more island scenery. Stop
in Portree, the capital, where colourful
houses cluster around the large natural harbour.
Return to your hotel for some free time before dinner. After dinner a local musician
will play some Scottish music for your pleasure. (B,D)
Day 4: Inverewe
Gardens & Atlantic Coast
Close to your hotel stop for photos
at the romantic Eilean
Donan Castle before enjoying more Highland
scenery as you drive past Loch Maree. Visit Inverewe Gardens,
where in 1862 Osgood Mackenzie converted 50 acres of bleak headland into a
haven of trees and shrubs. The varied and exotic plantings thrive due to the
warming influence of the Gulf Stream. Travel
past more dramatic scenery as you drive by lochs and Gruinard Bay
to Ullapool, an active fishing and ferry port that was built in 1788 by the
British Fisheries Society. Drive through Ullapool and check in to your hotel.
(B,D)
Day 5: Highland Scenery & 16th Century Ardvreck Castle
Today explore one of Scotland’s most remote Highland
areas, where the landscape varies from huge tracts of bogland
to rugged rocky mountains and coastline. Pass Loch Broom and the romantic
ruins of 16th century Ardvreck Castle.
Stop in Durness, one of Scotland’s most remote
hamlets. Learn about the 18th and 19th century Highland
Clearances which left these areas devoid of people. Stop in Bettyhill, a village built in 1814 to replace crofts
destroyed by the Clearances. Continue to your hotel in Thurso,
located in the centre of this picturesque town. (B,D)
Day 6:
Isle of Orkney & Skara Brae
Take a ferry ride to the port of Stromness where a local guide will escort you
around the main island
of Orkney. Visit Skara Brae, a
5,000-year-old village, where you can see the layout of houses, some with
hearths and cupboards. View the Ring of Brodgar, a circle of
prehistoric standing stones and stop in Kirkwall
to see the 12th century St. Magnus Cathedral. Drive across
the Churchill Barriers, created during World War II to prevent German
submarines from sheltering in Scapa Flow.
See the Italian
Chapel, a tiny church built from two Nissan huts with elaborate
trompe l’oeil
paintings before driving to Stromness for the
return ferry ride. (B,D)
Day 7: John O’Groats & Dunrobin
Castle
Drive along the coast of the North Sea to John o’ Groats,
the most northerly village on the British mainland. Near Golspie
visit Dunrobin Castle, seat of the Earls
and Dukes of Sutherland and the largest mansion in northern Scotland with 189 rooms. Walk
through some of the impressive chambers of the castle, which dates to 1275
but was remodelled in the mid-1800’s.
Watch a demonstration of falconry in the castle gardens to see trained birds
of prey of many species. Continue south to your hotel in Nairn,
located on the Moray Firth. (B,D)
Day 8: Battle of Culloden & Fort George
Drive along the shores of Loch Ness
to the substantial ruins of Urquhart
Castle for a photo stop
and admire great views of this famous lake. Take a look around the town of Inverness and at the Culloden Visitor Centre walk
around the moor where the Battle of Culloden took place in 1746, ending
Bonnie Prince Charlie’s political aspirations and the traditional Highland way of life. Next visit the vast defences at Fort George, located overlooking the North
Sea. Planned in 1747 as a base for the English army, it has
served as a barracks since then. See reconstructed barrack rooms and the Seafield Collection - a display of muskets and pikes.
(B,D)
Day 9: Glenfiddich Distillery & Edinburgh Ghost Tour
Drive through the Spey Valley to visit Glenfiddich Distillery.
Take a tour to learn how whisky is distilled and sample a “wee
dram.” Continue past the majestic peaks of the Grampian Mountains and
stop in the town of Pitlochry
to take a look around before heading to your hotel in Edinburgh. 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 10:
Edinburgh Castle & City Tour
This morning discover Edinburgh on a
sightseeing tour with a local guide. Drive along Princes Street, the main shopping
thoroughfare. Compare the wide streets and elegant mansions of the
200-year-old Georgian “New Town” with the narrow lanes and
medieval townhouses along the Royal Mile, the oldest part of the city. Finish
your tour at the imposing Edinburgh Castle
to see historic buildings and enjoy a splendid view of Edinburgh. The afternoon and evening are
free for independent activities. On August 01, 08 and 15 departures enjoy the
Military Tattoo
at Edinburgh Castle. (B)
Day 11:
Depart Edinburgh
for Home
Your tour ends with a group transfer
to arrive at Edinburgh
Airport by 6:30 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 journey. A transfer to Glasgow Airport will be provided on request at
a cost of $100 per person. (B)
Tour
runs 2 May – 17 October
Departure
days Sunday
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Tour Dates
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Prices
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2 May > 16 May
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$2655
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30 May > 18 July
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$2815
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1 August > 15 August
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$3040
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29 August > 26
September
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$2815
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3 October > 17
October
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$2535
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All
rates are in Australian dollars per person twin share basis
Single
supplement $605
YOUR
TOUR INCLUDES
• Group
transfers on arrival and departure
• Sightseeing
by luxury coach throughout
• Services of
a professional driver/guide
• Superior
& first class hotels with private bath/shower for 10 nights
• 10 Full
Scottish breakfasts (B)
• 9 dinners
(D) including:
- Pub dinner at the Beehive Inn in Edinburgh
- 8 table d’hôte dinners
• Welcome
get-together drink
• Ferry to
the Isle of Skye
• After-dinner
musical entertainment in Balmacara Hotel
• Ferry to
Orkney and services of a local guide
• Whisky
tasting and tour at Glenfiddich Distillery
• Ghost
walking tour of Edinburgh
• Tour of Edinburgh with a local
guide
• Reserved
seats for Edinburgh Military Tattoo on
August 01, 08 and 15 departures
• Visits and
admissions to Glasgow Cathedral, Ben Nevis Highland Centre, Dunvegan Castle, Inverewe
Gardens, Skara Brae, Ring of Brodgar,
St. Magnus Cathedral, Italian Chapel, Dunrobin
Castle, Culloden Battlefield Visitor Centre, Fort George and Edinburgh Castle
• Deluxe flight bag, ticket
wallet, luggage tags & strap
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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)
Balmacara Hotel, near Kyle of Lochalsh (2
nights)
Royal
Hotel, Ullapool (1 night)
Pentland Hotel, Thurso (2 nights)
The
Newton Hotel, Nairn
(2 nights)
Apex
International Hotel, Edinburgh
(2 nights)
NOTE:
Hotels in the north of Scotland
are of the best the remote Highlands offer;
however, they are not up to the usual CIE Tours standard.
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