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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 - EDINBURGH (2 NIGHTS)
You will be met at the airport by your Casterbridge tour manager/guideboard
your own private coach and be transferred to your hotel in
Edinburgh. Upon arrival your guide will take you on a walking
tour that will start at Holyrood Palace and continue
along the Royal Mile to St. Giles Cathedral
the first Presbyterian Church and Edinburgh Castle
.
DAY
3 BORDERS REGION
We will journey into the Scottish Lowlands this
morning where our first stop will be Sir Walter Scott's
home at Abbotsford. In this house that is a fantasy in
stone he wrote an astonishing three novels at the desk, which
is still preserved, in his study. There is also a collection
of over 9,000 rare books and many of the items that Scott
himself collected that relate to Scottish history. We will
continue to the picturesque ruins of Dryburgh Abbey
where Scott is buried and which dates back to 1150. Before
returning to Edinburgh, we stop at Jedburgh Abbey founded
in 1138. The mellow stone church took 75 years to build but
was often plundered and attacked before the final destructive
raid in 1545. We return back to Edinburgh for the night.
· Your First Concert Performance will be today
DAY
4 EDINBURGH - ST. ANDREWS - ABERDEEN
- (2 NIGHTS)
This morning we travel to the beautiful university
city of St. Andrews, overlooking the North Sea. For several
centuries St Andrews was the ecclesiastical center for Scotland
and was the setting for a number of John Knox's denunciations
of Roman Catholicism. We will visit Holy Trinity Church
where Knox preached his first and last sermons. The University
of St. Andrews was founded in 1410 and is the third oldest
university in Britain after Oxford and Cambridge. We will
take a look at the University and the Cathedral on our Walking
Tour, before continuing to Aberdeen.
DAY
5 ABERDEEN
We make a morning visit to St. Machar Cathedral
in Aberdeen.Our sightseeing includes the Fish Market, the
Old City with its cobbled streets and quaint cottages
and Duthie Park. Today we will make a trip to Dunnottar
Castle, an impressive ruined fortress situated 160 feet
above the sea on a rocky cliff. Dunnottar was the stronghold
of the Earl Marischal of Scotland from the 14th century. In
1645 the Royalist Marquis of Montrose failed to dislodge the
Earl Marischal, a fierce Presbyterian Covenanter, from the
castle. Scotland's Crown Jewels hidden in the castle were
smuggled out by the wife of the minister of nearby Kinneff
and hidden under the pulpit in the church. In 1685, 167 Covenanters
were imprisoned in the dungeon. We return to Aberdeen for
the evening along the beautiful coast of Scotland.
· Your Second Concert Performance will be today
DAY
6 ABERDEEN - ELGIN - CAWDOR - INVERNESS
(1 NIGHT)
We travel to Inverness with a lunch stop at Elgin
"the Lanthorn of the North" and its Cathedral which
is Scotland's most beautiful Cathedral Ruin. We continue on
to Cawdor, where we visit the 14th century Castle,
home of the Thane of Cawdor. The castle has fascinating furnishings.
Of particular interest is a portrait of the 18th century Thane
or Lord. He is wearing several different patterns or tartans
at once, a gesture of defiance against the Banning of Tartan
by the British government at the time. We also make a brief
stop at the Battlefield of Culloden. On then to Inverness,
also the capital of the Highlands. The historic town center
contains many lovely shops and attractive buildings, which
have been carefully restored to preserve its ancient character.
The guide's Walking Tour includes many sights of pertinent
relevance to the Scottish reformation.
DAY
7 INVERNESS - LOCH NESS - FORT WILLIAM
- OBAN
(2 NIGHTS)
Traveling south, our search for the Loch Ness Monster begins
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. Our tour of the magnificent Highland scenery
ends in the shadow of Ben Nevis - the highest mountain in
Britain at the village of Fort William. We will continue to
our hotel in Oban.
DAY
8 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. 1400 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.
DAY
9 OBAN - TROSSACHS - STIRLING CASTLE
- GLASGOW
(1 NIGHT)
Leaving Oban this morning we travel through the historic Trossachs
with its rugged scenery and the inspirational setting used
by Sir Walter Scott in The Lady of the Lake" . Our first visit
will be the Battlefield of Bannockburn and 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. From
here we continue on to Glasgow for our last night in Scotland.
· Your Third Concert Performance will be today
DAY
10 DEPARTURE FROM GLASGOW
Your enjoyable and rewarding tour will come to
an end as your tour manager/guide accompanies you to the airport
for the return flight home.
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