Scotland

 

1 – 4 July 2016

 

from £475.00

 

ITINERARY

 

Day 1 – Friday 1 July 2016

We depart this morning on a direct flight from Luton to Edinburgh. On arrival at Edinburgh Airport we will be met by our coach and transfer to the centre of Edinburgh for a panoramic coach tour of this historic city. Notable sights include the Castle, which sits on top of a rocky crag and dominates the city centre skyline; the Royal Mile, which leads down the hill from the castle past St Giles Cathedral and the controversial Scottish Parliament building to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, where Mary, Queen of Scots once lived and where Queen Elizabeth II still stays on her official visits to Edinburgh and the New Town, with its sweeping terraces of elegant Georgian townhouses where notable Scots such as Robert Louis Stephenson once lived.

 

After an opportunity for lunch (not included) we cross the Forth Road Bridge into Fife and visit Kellie Castle, home to the Earls of Kellie, which was restored by the Lorimer family in 1878. The oldest tower, dating back to 1360, is said to be haunted but today the castle is a tranquil spot.  Visit the old stables, now housing an exhibition on Hew Lorimer’s life, or take a stroll in the magical Arts & Crafts garden. But spare a thought for the 5th Earl of Kellie, who hid in the garden for an entire summer in a burnt-out tree stump after the Battle of Culloden in 1746.

 

Following our visit we will depart for our hotel in Stirling, where dinner is served in the evening.

 

Day 2 – Saturday 2 July 2016

After breakfast this morning we depart for Glasgow, where we will visit the Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery, which re-opened in 2007 after a major refurbishment. Kelvingrove first opened its doors to the public on 2 May 1901 when it formed a major part of the Glasgow International Exhibition and since then has established itself as one of the finest civic collections in Europe. French, Italian and Dutch art feature alongside exhibits as diverse as Ancient Egypt, Dinosaurs and Scotland’s Wildlife.

 

(Alternatively, visit the Riverside Museum of Transport and Travel or the Botanic Garden. The new transport museum on the banks of the River Clyde celebrates this rich industrial heritage with an extensive collection of more than 3000 objects that includes trams, buses, cars, motorcycles, majestic steam locomotives and finely detailed models of Clyde-built ships. The botanic garden is internationally renowned for its impressive glasshouses and extensive tropical and plant collections from around the world.)

 

Later we transfer to the Lomond Shores retail outlet on the banks of Loch Lomond where there will be an opportunity for lunch (not included) and some shopping before we continue on a tour through The Trossachs and then have a cruise on the steam ship Sir Walter Scott on Loch Katrine. The SS Sir Walter Scott is the only surviving screw steamer in regular passenger service in Scotland. The grand old lady has been sailing majestically on Loch Katrine since 1900. She was launched in 1899 and today retains her original engines, which are powered by steam using smokeless solid fuel.

 

We return to our hotel in Stirling where dinner is served in the evening

 

Day 3 – Sunday 3 July 2016

After breakfast we check out of the hotel and head for the New Lanark World Heritage Site at its stunning location on the banks of the River Clyde. The fascinating history of the village is brought to life in an award-winning visitor centre. The village first rose to fame when Robert Owen was mill manager from 1800 – 1825. He transformed New Lanark with ideas and opportunities which were at least a hundred years ahead of their time. Child labour and corporal punishment were abolished and villagers were provided with decent homes, schools and evening classes, free health care and affordable food.  New Lanark is still a living community and the village is in the care of an independent charity, while profits from the hotel and visitor attraction help the Conservation Trust continue to restore and maintain the historic village. You can see working textile machinery, visit Robert Owen’s house, the School and the Village Store.

 

Crossing the border into England, we continue to The Lake District, where we will visit Holehird, a garden owned by the Holehird Trust and run by the Lakeland Horticultural Society, probably the only garden in Britain run entirely by volunteer gardeners and open every day of the year.  A working farm until the mid-19th century, it is now a wonderful 10 acres of vibrant and interesting planting – described as ‘many high quality gardens within a larger garden, which is part of an outstanding landscape.’  

 

We continue to our hotel in Grange-Over-Sands at the southern edge of the Lake District. Dinner is served in the evening.

 

Day 4 – Monday 4 July 2016

Enjoy your breakfast. We check out of the hotel and begin our homeward journey, which we will break with a visit to a house/garden on the way. Possibilities include:

 

Calke Abbey, which tells the story of the dramatic decline of a country house estate. The house and stables are little restored, with many abandoned areas vividly portraying a period in the 20th century when numerous country houses did not survive to tell their story. We will discover the tales of an eccentric family who amassed a vast collection of hidden treasures as we visit the beautiful, yet faded, walled gardens and explore the orangery, auricula theatre and the kitchen gardens. We can also explore into the ancient and fragile habitats of Calke Park and its National Nature Reserve.

 

The award-winning gardens of Trentham Hall in Staffordshire. The contemporary revival of the famous Italian Gardens was led by renowned designer and multi-Chelsea gold-medal winner Tom Stuart-Smith. To the east of the Italian Gardens are the Rivers of Grass and the adjacent Floral Labyrinth. Both these schemes were designed by eminent Dutch plantsman, and Chelsea gold medal winner, Piet Oudolf. At the centre of Trentham Gardens is the mile long, Capability Brown designed, Trentham Lake. Take the circular lakeside walk all the way round as it takes you beside the River Trent, by the bird hide, through Capability Brown’s cascading weir and along atmospheric woodland trails. The show gardens offer further inspiration to gardeners on a more domestic scale.

 

Haddon Hall, an intensely romantic place set in the hilly woodland countryside. The castle was built between 12th and 17th centuries and has a rather haphazard architecture, with turrets, crenellations and tracery windows. The gardens are laid out over a number of levels and still have some of their 17th century character, evident in the knot garden. There is a fountain and an immense collection of roses, which will be at their best in July, but the eye is constantly drawn to marvellous views of the old stone walls of the castle and to the river looping across the rural Derbyshire landscape below.

 

Following our visit we continue our homeward journey, arriving back at our original departure point in the early evening.

 

Included in the price

·         3 nights’ hotel accommodation on a dinner, bed and breakfast basis: 2 nights at the Golden Lion Hotel, Stirling and 1 night at the Cumbria Grand Hotel, Grange-over-Sands. All rooms have private facilities.

·         Comfortable coaching throughout

·         Visits to Kellie Castle, Kelvingrove Museum/Riverside Museum of Transport and Travel/Glasgow Botanic Gardens, New Lanark and Holehird plus a visit on the final day; cruise on the SS Sir Walter Scott; tours of Edinburgh and The Trossachs

 

Not included (per person)

·         Single room supplement            £75.00

·         Insurance                                    £18.50 (under 65); £37.00 (65-74); £55.50 (75-90)