Itinerary Details
1 Arrive Edinburgh, Scotland
Scotland’s lamplit capital is a wise old sage with a hundred tales to tell, brooding in the shadow of Arthur’s Seat. Lose yourself in its handsome streets and discover a tale of two dueling souls: the Old Town, a medieval tangle of cobbled lanes and closes, and the New Town’s grand Georgian terraces, the green furrow of Princes Street Gardens dividing the two halves. Watching over it all is the castle, home to the Scottish Crown Jewels.
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2 Edinburgh | Royal Legacy
Unravel the history of Edinburgh Castle, a proud symbol of the Scottish nation and home to the oldest set of Crown Jewels in Europe. Proceed along the Royal Mile to view St. Giles Cathedral and Holyrood Palace, the King’s official residence in Scotland. Here, explore the staterooms and visit the historic apartments in which Mary, Queen of Scots resided.
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3 Edinburgh | Scottish Borders
Set off on a tour of the Scottish Borders, a land of hills and rushing rivers that roll away to meet England in the south. Stroll the spectacular grounds of Floors Castle, home to the Duke of Roxburgh, and stop in the charming town of Melrose.
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4 Inverness | Gateway To The Highlands
Head north into the Highlands of Scotland, crossing the Firth of Forth to the quaint town of Dunkeld, with a short detour to Loch Tummel for a photo stop at the Queen’s View, considered to be one of the loveliest panoramas in the country. Continue to white-turreted Blair Castle, the home of the Duke of Athol. At nearby Dalwhinnie Distillery, learn how the chilly average annual temperature makes the whisky produced here truly unique, with a tasting of three single-malt whiskies paired with hand-made chocolates. At the northern end of the Great Glen, with its collar turned to the winds of the North Sea, Inverness is the gateway to the Highlands, a historic, thriving city well-placed for discovering turreted castles, whisky distilleries and sweeping valleys that once staged bloody battles.
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5 Inverness | Culloden Moor
Take in rousing Highland history on a guided visit of Culloden Moor, where Bonnie Prince Charlie’s Jacobite army was crushed in his attempt to regain the Scottish throne. Afterwards, take home a special ancestry scroll revealing the history of your surname from the Hall of Names. Walk the windswept ruins of Urquhart Castle, perched on a commanding height overlooking steely grey Loch Ness.
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6 Inverlochy | Isle Of Skye Via Applecross Peninsula
Today enjoy a leisurely drive to Skye, making a slight detour en route, to admire the view of the romantic Eilean Donan Castle, used as a setting in the James Bond film The World is Not Enough. Then, cross the bridge to Scotland’s second largest island. Weather permitting, take in the fine views of the Cuillin Hills in the centre of the island as you drive to the island’s main town of Portree to check in to your hotel. (A driver-guide is at your disposal for up to 9 hours). Enjoy the afternoon at leisure in Skye.
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7 Isle Of Skye | Trotternish PeninsulaSet out today to explore the Trotternish Peninsula, the most scenic region on Skye. See the Old Man of Storr as well as Kilt Rock and Lealt Falls viewpoint and then continue on up through the Quiraing Mountain Pass which offers one of the most dramatic lookout points on the island. Continue your journey to the north-west corner of the Isle of Skye, where, during your private tour of the tannery workshop, you witness how the world-famous Highland hand-combed fleeces are made using time-honoured methods.
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8 Isle Of Skye – Isle Of EriskaContinue your journey, on to the Armadale port for a short ferry ride to the west coast port of Mallaig and continue along the spectacular Road to the Isles. Enjoy a photo stop at Glenfinnan Monument, where Bonnie Prince Charlie famously raised his standard in 1745, in the shadow of the spectacular Glenfinnan Viaduct. Check in to your castle hotel in Isle of Eriska, set on a private island.
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9 Isle Of Eriska | Postcards From The HebridesWith excellent seafood restaurants, a seafront bright with colorful houses and poetic views of the distant Hebridean, Oban is surely one of Scotland’s prettiest seaside towns. Hike up to McCraig’s Tower, an old battery that caps the town like a giant granite crown, with spectacular vistas of ferries rippling through Oban’s scenic harbor. Continue to Arduaine Gardens to see its fine selection of rare East Asian and South American plants, followed by a visit to Kilmartin, home to an impressive number of ancient monuments ranging from rock carvings and standing stones to Neolithic and Bronze Age burial cairns.
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10 Glasgow | Culture On The ClydeEn route to Glasgow, call into Inveraray Castle, home to the Duke of Argyll, the chief of the Campbells, and tour the castle’s decadent interiors, considered among the finest in Scotland, before passing the “bonnie banks” of Loch Lomond. Continue to Glasgow. Set astride the mighty River Clyde, its banks have been an old bastion of shipbuilding for centuries, though the city wears many guises: there’s an excellent restaurant scene, a wealth of museums and botanic gardens, and art is something a local specialty, too, the streets an open-air studio for the Art Nouveau flourishes of Charles Rennie Mackintosh.
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11 Depart GlasgowMeals:
