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DAY
1 DEPARTURE FROM NORTH AMERICA
Enjoy full meal service on your scheduled wide-bodied flight
to Glasgow.
DAY
2 ARRIVE GLASGOW - STIRLING - OBAN AREA
(2 NIGHTS)
You will be met at the airport by your Casterbridge tour
manager/guide where we board our own private coach and are
transferred to the hotel in the Oban area. En route, we will
visit to the impressive
Stirling Castle,
which dates from the Middle Ages, and was an important seat of
two kings, James IV and James V. Included in our tour of the
castle is the Museum of the Argyll and Sutherland
Highlanders, presenting an excellent exhibit of
colors, pipe banners, and regimental silver, along with medals
won by Scottish soldiers for valor. From the castle, we will
also get a wonderful view of the Wallace Monument,
which commemorates the Scottish hero’s victory over the
English at Stirling Bridge in 1297. After time to relax our
guide will be pleased to take us on some introductory
sightseeing of the local area.
DAY
3 DAY TRIP TO ISLES OF MULL & IONA
After breakfast we board a cruise ship that will take
us to Craigmure on the Isle of Mull. The landscape of Mull
is wild and desolate with its moorlands, rocky cliffs and
castles. We then continue on to quiet and peaceful Isle of
Iona. 1,400 years ago, St. Columba came to this remote island
and established his monastery, making Iona the cradle of Christianity
in Scotland. For centuries, the island was also the burial
place of Scottish kings. The 13th century Abbey is
the highlight of Iona, standing on the site of Columba's first
church. You will have time to explore the island on your own
until the cruise ship returns to Oban.
· Your First Concert Performance will
be today
DAY
4 OBAN AREA - FORT WILLIAM - LOCH NESS - INVERNESS
(1 NIGHT)
Leaving Oban we travel north through the magnificent Highland
scenery, we will view Ben Nevis - the highest mountain in
Britain and visit the village of Fort William. Today we
will make our search for the Loch Ness Monster, beginning with
an expedition along the shores of the Loch. If we are
unsuccessful in our sighting, our visit to the Loch Ness
Monster Museum provides photographic evidence to challenge
the skeptics. Later this afternoon we will continue to our
hotel in Inverness, capital of the Highlands. Standing astride
the River Ness, the historic town center contains many lovely
shops and attractive buildings that have been carefully
restored. Our guide's Walking Tour includes many sights
of pertinent relevance to the Scottish reformation.
DAY
5 INVERNESS - CAWDOR - ABERDEEN AREA (1 NIGHT)
This morning we will make a brief stop at the Battlefield
of Culloden. We then continue on to Cawdor, the 14th century
home of the Thane of Cawdor. We visit the Castle, which
has fascinating furnishings. Of particular interest is a portrait
of the 18th century Thane or Lord. He is wearing several different
patterns of tartans at once, a gesture of defiance against
the Banning of Tartan by the British government at the time.
We continue to Aberdeen, the third largest city in Scotland
that lies on the estuaries of the Rivers Dee and Don and is
built almost entirely of granite, hence its nickname, the
Granite City. We begin with an introductory Walking Tour where
our sightseeing will include the Fish Market,
the Old City with its cobbled streets and quaint
cottages and Duthie Park. Later this afternoon
we visit St. Machar Cathedral in Aberdeen dating from
580.
DAY
6 ABERDEEN - ST. ANDREWS - EDINBURGH
AREA (2 NIGHTS)
We leave Aberdeen traveling to St. Andrews, for several
centuries the ecclesiastical center for Scotland. We will
visit Holy Trinity Church before continuing on to
Edinburgh, one of the most wonderful cities in Britain. Upon
our arrival we begin with a Walking Tour along the
Royal Mile, where we will view many of the city’s most
interesting structures, with turrets, gables, and towering
chimneys.
· Your Second Concert Performance
will be today
DAY
7 EDINBURGH
Our day begins with a visit to Edinburgh Castle, a
place filled with history, legend, and lore. Our visit will
include: St. Margaret's Chapel, the State
Apartments, the Great Hall and the Crown
Chamber, which houses the Honours of Scotland
(Scottish Crown Jewels). Later today we visit St.
Giles Cathedral one of the most important architectural
landmarks along the Royal Mile. Our final stop will be the
Palace of Holyroodhouse, built by James IV, adjacent
to an Augustinian abbey David I established in the 12th century.
Our tour of the palace will include: King James Tower,
the Throne Room, the King's Bedchamber
and the Picture Gallery, with portraits of Scottish
monarchs.
· Your Third Concert Performance will
be today
DAY
8 DEPARTURE FROM GLASGOW
Your enjoyable and rewarding tour will come to an end as your
guide accompanies you to the airport for the return flight
home.
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