TASTE OF SCOTLAND
TOUR
Day 1: Glasgow
Highlights
Land in
Glasgow
Airport where you'll meet
your CIE Tours driver/guide or representative. Take a group transfer to your
hotel, departing at 8:00 am, 10:00 am or 12:00 noon. If you arrive later than
noon, you must transfer to the hotel at your own expense. At 3:00 pm set out on
a coach tour to discover the main attractions of Glasgow, a city that flourished in Victorian
times due to the shipbuilding industry on the River Clyde. Drive around
George
Square with its ornate City Chambers and nearby
Glasgow Cathedral. Visit extensive collections in Kelvinqrove Art Gallery and
Museum, originally opened in 1901 and recently refurbished. Back at your hotel,
join your fellow travellers for a welcome drink before dinner. (D)
Day 2: Loch
Lomond & Urquhart Castle
Depart
Glasgow and travel alongside the famous
Loch Lomond, renowned in song and also for
unsurpassed beauty of the lake and mountains. Travel across the haunting Rannoch
Moor and through the deep valley of
Glencoe, notorious for the Campbell massacre of the
Clan Macdonald in 1692. Continue through Fort William
and stop in Fort
Augustus, located at the
southern tip of Loch Ness. Drive beside Loch Ness to enjoy delightful scenery
and keep an eye out for "Nessie". Visit
Urquhart Castle to see the ruins of what was once the largest
castle in Scotland. Enjoy views of the scenic
promontory where the castle is located. Continue to Nairn where your hotel was a
favourite summer residence of Charlie Chaplin. Experience Scottish culture in
your hotel this evening when a Scottish piper and step-dancer perform for you.
(B, D)
Day 3: Culloden Battlefield & Edinburgh Ghost
Tour
Visit
the Culloden Visitor Centre to learn about the Battle of Culloden where Bonnie
Prince Charlie was defeated by the British army in 1746 in a fierce combat that
lasted just one hour. The Scottish defeat changed the traditional way of
Highland clan life forever. Drive south through
the majestic peaks of the Grampian Mountains to visit Edradour Distillery,
Scotland's smallest, to see how whisky is distilled and sample some. Continue
south to Edinburgh and check in to your hotel, located
on a golf course a few miles from the city centre. In the evening head 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 4: Edinburgh Castle & City Tour
This
morning an Edinburgh city guide will point out the
principal sights of this interesting capital city. Drive along the bustling
Princes
Street and through the gracious, wide streets of the
200-year-old Georgian New Town. See the compact medieval section along the Royal
Mile where some houses reach 11 stories tall. Visit Edinburgh Castle, which dominates the city centre
and contains the Scottish Crown Jewels and the Stone of Scone. The balance of
the day is free for further sightseeing, shopping and dining. On August 03, 08,
15, 17 and 22 departures enjoy the Military Tattoo at Edinburgh Castle. (B)
Day 5: Depart for Home or Extra
day
For
those of you booked on the 5 day tour complimentary transfers are provided to
Edinburgh
Airport at 06:30am or
9:00am. Transfers to Glasgow can be arranged at a cost of €50.00
.
If you
have booked our 6 day tour, spend an additional night in Edinburgh with an independent Edinburgh open - top bus
tour. And a shuttle bus transfer to Edinburgh Airport the next
day