New Dates: August 1-10, 2018
YOUR TRIP INCLUDES:
- Airfare from Toronto
- Accommodations in a Castle or Stately Home
- Breakfast and Dinner daily
- Rail Journey from Glasgow to Oban
- Optional trip on the Paddle Steamer Waverley
- Distillery Tours (with free samples)
- All ground transportation on a Luxury Coach
- $2,875.00 CDN per person
- Prices are subject to change and availability until the time of booking
For more information or to book your spot please contact:
John Watson
jwatsonjourney@gmail.com
Download the Scotland Trip Flyer
TRIP ITINERARY
Day 1: Depart Toronto for Glasgow Airport.
Day 2: Arrive in Glasgow in the morning; picked up by our coach to our hotel in Glasgow. The balance of the day is free time to relax and adjust to the time change.
Day 3: Glasgow train station to Oban. Considered by many to be the most scenic rail journey in the world, the West Highland line leaves cities behind and delves deep into the wild west coast going through the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park. You will travel through a daunting landscape of mountains, steep sided lochs and heather moors. Watch out for red deer outlined on a skyline or half hidden in the heather.
Our trip continues from Oban to Pitlochry by our bus. Pitlochry is situated in the heart of the stunning scenery of Highland Perthshire. Pitlochry today is a bustling tourist town and has been welcoming visitors for over 170 years. The name comes from Gaelic origins meaning, “Place of the Sentinel Stone”. Pitlochry is justifiably proud of its Victorian heritage, offering visitors much to enjoy. It is the ideal holiday destination for those who love Scotland’s hills and heritage. Our base accommodation will be the Atholl Palace Hotel. Its central position and easy accessibility makes it a perfect touring base for visiting Scotland’s other delights in every season.
Day 4: Trip to the Cairngorm National Park. Cairngorm National Park is the largest National Park in the UK with the widest variety of traditional and unique villages. This park is your gateway to Aviemore and the Cairngorms, Angus Glens, Atholl and Glenshee, Tomintoul and Glenlivet as well as Royal Deeside and the donside area.
A tour of the park and a ride to the top of the mountain on the vehicular railway. From the top of the mountain, you have a view of 50 miles in every direction to witness the beauty, ruggedness and charm of this corner of the Highlands.
Day 5: Distillery tours. For those who are familiar with the “water of life”, this will be a fascinating and enjoyable tour. Most tours will show you their process of how Scotch whiskey is made and make sure you enjoy a dram if the mood strikes you. There is always a small store to make purchases to bring home.
Day 6: Half day free time in Pitlochry. Walk among the buildings, visit the shops and wonder about beautiful jewelry made from heather. Heathergems are handcrafted from the stems of the Scottish heather plant. You may want a bite of lunch and a pint at a local pub ahead of an afternoon bus trip before returning to Atholl Palace Hotel.
Day 7: Day trip to Inverness, Culloden and its battlefield museum and Clava.
As well as being the home of the renowned Loch Ness monster, Inverness offers beautiful scenery, walks along the Ness River, a bustling city and many tourist activities. A trip from Loch Ness to Urquhart Castle drawing in the mottled green fields and beautiful hills surrounding the Loch make for beautiful pictures for memories of this trip.
Culloden is the scene of one of the pivotal battles for Scotland centuries ago. The Battlefield Museum has done an excellent job of revealing the politics, the clans and the warriors of this battle. Definitely a must see.
The Clava Cairn is a type of Bronze age circula named after the group of three cairns at Balnua, Inverness. There are about 50 cairn round stones about Inverness.
Day 8: Return to Glasgow. We return to Glasgow by way of historic Stirling, former capital of ancient Scotland. Stirling Castle overlooks a city of beautiful architecture, friendly people and a history going back centuries. We will also be stopping and the unique Falkirk Wheel on the way back to our Glasgow hotel.
Day 9: This is a free day to enjoy the retail therapy of Glasgow and enjoy the sights. There will also be an optional tour of a trip on the Waverly. This is the only ocean going paddle steamer in the world. The tour will take you down the clyde to some of the Western Isles.
Day 10: Return to Canada. This will be a daytime flight back to Toronto arriving sometime in the afternoon.
