2012 - 11 Day Scottish Isles & Glens
Superior & First Class Hotels - 10 Nts/19 Meals
Highlights:
Tour Includes:
- Scottish Highland Evening
- Edinburgh Restaurant Dinner
- 7 table d'hote dinners
Call (888) 862-2469 for more information or to book today! Mention code 10365893
- Tour Operator
- CIE Tours
- Duration
- 11 Days
- Escorted
- Escorted - Yes
| Day | Destination | Description |
| Day 1 | Glasgow | Glasgow Arrival & City Tour : Your tour starts at Glasgow Airport with group transfers to your hotel at 8:00 am, 10:00 am or 12:00 noon. Passengers arriving later will transfer to the hotel at their own expense. At 2:30 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 tour director and travel companions about your itinerary over a welcome drink before dinner. (D) |
| Day 2 | Kyle of Lochalsh | 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 and the Glenfinnan Monument to cross by ferry to the Isle of Skye. Drive through part of the "Misty Isle" and cross back to the mainland by bridge to your charming family-owned hotel near Kyle of Lochalsh. (B, D) |
| Day 3 | Kyle of Lochalsh | Isle of Skye Tour & Dunvegan Castle : Today discover the Isle of Skye's majestic Cuillin Mountains and its 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. View priceless family heirlooms around the Castle's stately halls. Stroll through formal and woodland gardens before driving through more island scenery. Stop in Portree, the capital, where brightly-painted houses cluster around a large sheltered bay. Return to your hotel for free time before dinner. (B, D) |
| Day 4 | Ullapool | Inverewe Gardens & Atlantic Coast : 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 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 | Thurso | Highland Scenery & Durness : 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 freshwater and sea lochs and 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 and continue to your hotel in Thurso. (B, D) |
| Day 6 | Thurso | Isle of Orkney & Skara Brae : Take a ferry ride to the port of Stromness to explore the main island of Orkney. Visit Skara Brae, a 5,000-year-old village, to 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, built from two Nissan huts with elaborate trompe l'oeil paintings before driving to Stromness for the return ferry ride. (B, D) |
| Day 7 | Nairn | John o' Groats & Dunrobin Castle : Drive along the coast 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 date to 1275 but were completely renovated in the mid-1800's. Watch a demonstration of falconry in the castle gardens to see trained birds of prey. Continue south to your hotel in Nairn, located on the Moray Firth. (B, D) |
| Day 8 | Nairn | Urquhart Castle & Battle of Culloden : Drive along the shores of Loch Ness to visit Urquhart Castle, once the largest structure of its type but now reduced to picturesque ruins. Stop at the Culloden Visitor Centre for a walk around the moor where the Battle of Culloden took place in 1746, ending Bonnie Prince Charlie's political aspirations and many Highland traditions. Visit the vast ramparts at Fort George, located on the North Sea. Planned in 1747 as an English army base, it has been in use ever since. See reconstructed barrack rooms and a display of muskets and pikes. A Scottish Highland evening in your hotel will feature haggis and other traditional foods and experience lively bagpipe music, song and dance. (B, D) |
| Day 9 | Edinburgh | Glenfiddich Distillery & Edinburgh : 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 for a look around before heading to your hotel in Edinburgh. Head to a local restaurant for an informal dinner and then join a local guide for a fun walking tour to discover the haunts of Edinburgh's many interesting characters. (B, D) |
| Day 10 | Edinburgh | Edinburgh Castle & City Tour : This morning discover Edinburgh on a sightseeing tour. 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 July 29 to August 14 departures enjoy the Military Tattoo at Edinburgh Castle. (B) \ |
| Day 11 | Tour Ends Edinburgh Airport | Tour Ends Edinburgh Airport : Your tour 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 your flight home. Transfers to Glasgow Airport can be arranged at an additional cost. (B) |
- Dates/Pricing
- Lodging
- Menzies Glasgow & Leisure Club, Glasgow (1 nights)
- The Balmacara Hotel, near Kyle of Lochalsh (2 nights)
- The Royal Hotel, Ullapool, Ullapool (1 night)
- Pentland Hotel, Thurso (2 nights)
- Newton Hotel, Nairn (2 nights)
- Apex International Hotel, Edinburgh (2 nights)
