Scottish History and Literature Student Tour

Day 1

Flight to Edinburgh

Flight to Edinburgh: You depart from home on your overnight flight to Edinburgh.

Day 2

Arrival in Edinburgh. Visit to Edinburgh Castle

Arrival in Edinburgh: You are met at the airport by your Tour Manager who will accompany you to your hotel and will be staying with you throughout the tour.

Edinburgh Castle: After lunch you visit Edinburgh Castle. Dominating the skyline of Edinburgh from its lofty position on Castle Rock, the castle dates from the 13th century and has been involved in many conflicts including the Jacobite rebellion of 1745. The visit includes entry to the attached National War Museum.

Evening: This evening there will be a welcome dinner at a city restaurant where you will be able to try the traditional Scottish dish of Haggis.

Day 3

Holyrood Palace, the Writers Museum and the Scottish National Portrait Gallery

Holyrood Palace: This morning you visit Holyrood Palace, the Monarch’s official residence in Scotland. Situated at the end of the Royal Mile, the Palace dates from the 15th century and has seen many famous events. William the Bruce held a Parliament in 1326, and several English kings were crowned king of Scotland here. Most notably it was the residence of Mary Queen of Scots when she returned from France and the place where she married both her husbands, Darnley and Bothwell. It was also here that she witnessed the murder of her Italian courtier David Rizzio.

Writers Museum: After lunch, you will be able to walk along the Royal Mile and visit the Writers Museum on Lawnmarket which celebrates the lives and works of Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson. You can see historic manuscripts and first editions, as well as personal effects including Stevenson’s fishing rod and pipe. Lawnmarket is the perfect place to discover Edinburgh traditions and there are often Bagpipers playing tunes here.

National Portrait Gallery: In the afternoon you visit the Scottish National Portrait Gallery which tells the story of Scotland and her people through a wealth of portraits of famous historical figures such as Mary Queen of Scots, Bonnie Prince Charlie and Robert Burns.

Day 4

Stirling Castle, Doune Castle, Loch Lomond, Glencoe and Fort William

Travel to Stirling: This morning you depart from Edinburgh by private bus and travel to the town of Stirling where you find one of the largest and historically most important castles in Scotland.

Stirling Castle: The Royal Palace at Stirling Castle was the childhood home of Mary Queen of Scots and it was here in the Chapel Royal that she was crowned in 1543. Her son, the future James 1 of England, also spent his early years here.

Doune Castle: From Stirling you continue to Doune and its medieval castle dating from the 1300’s which served as a fortress for Robert Stewart, the Duke known as ‘Albany’ who was King of Scotland in all but name during the 14th century. It is said that Doune is so well preserved that if Albany was to return to the Castle today, he would recognise most of its original features. Doune Castle has been used as the setting for several films including Game of Thrones and Outlander.

Loch Lomond: Leaving Doune you follow the winding road along the shoreline of Loch Lomond heading northwards to the small village of Inverarnan. Stop for a drink in the Drovers Inn, one of the most famous coaching houses in Scotland. Opened in 1705 the Inn has reputedly hosted Rob Roy MacGregor and exudes character.

Glencoe: You continue north through the spectacular scenery of the Scottish Highlands to Glencoe. This was the scene of the infamous massacre of 1692 when, in the aftermath of the Glorious Revolution of 1688 which deposed James II of England, and the Jacobite rising of 1689, members of the MacGregor clan were killed by the Campbell clan on the orders of the English. The treachery was compounded because the MacGregors had given hospitality to the Campbells as guests in their homes. Even to this day, it is unwise in this area to admit to having the name Campbell.

Fort William: North of Glencoe the road follows Loch Linnhe, an area which is home to Scotland’s highest mountains including Ben Nevis. You soon arrive at the town of Fort William, named after King William III of England, the Jacobite’s early nemesis. The town is a center for climbers and hikers and there are a wide selection of Inns to cater for them.

Day 5

West Highland Museum, Glenfinnan and the Isle of Skye

West Highland Museum: This morning you visit the small West Highland Museum which among its varied exhibits tells the tale of Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Jacobite cause.

Glenfinnan: From Fort William you continue the journey to Glenfinnan where a monument marks the spot where Bonnie Prince Charlie landed in 1745 and was greeted by the Highland Chiefs before embarking on the rebellion which doomed the Jacobite cause for evermore.

Isle of Skye: At Mallaig you may be able to see the historic Jacobite steam train which also features in the Harry Potter films. You take a ferry across to the Isle of Skye and on a clear, blue-sky day, this gives fantastic views of the rugged Cuillin Mountains. Once on Skye, you travel through some spectacular mountain scenery to the northern part of the island where you spend the night.

Day 6

Dunvegan Castle and Gardens, Eilean Donan Castle and Loch Ness

Dunvegan Castle: This morning you visit Dunvegan Castle and Gardens. Built on a rocky outcrop overlooking the loch, Dunvegan is the oldest continuously inhabited castle in Scotland and has been the ancestral home of the Chiefs of the Clan MacLeod for over 800 years. Inside you can see historic family portraits, trophies and weapons. There is also a lock of Bonnie Prince Charlies hair and a pin cushion embroidered by Flora MacDonald.

Dunvegan Gardens: The castle’s five acres of formal gardens were laid out in the 18th century. The gardens feature a tremendous range of imported plants which thrive, thanks to the warm waters of the Gulf Stream. You explore woodland glades, shimmering pools, waterfalls and streams which flow down to the sea.

Eilean Donan Castle: In the afternoon you return to the mainland with time to visit to Eilean Donan Castle, one of the most recognizable in Scotland. Dating from the 13th century, it stands on a small headland in Loch Duich and has been used in countless films including Highlander.

Loch Ness: You continue through the Highlands to the small town of Invermoriston, situated on Loch Ness. The road then follows the shore of the Loch until you reach Castle Urquhart, situated on the edge of the Loch. Although only ruins remain, these are testament to the fierce battles which took place here and the fact that it was deliberately blown up by in 1692 to prevent it falling into Jacobite hands.

Inverness: Not far beyond Castle Urquhart you come to Inverness, the largest city of the Highlands where you spend the next two nights.

Day 7

Culloden Battlefield Site, Scotch Whisky Distillery and return to Edinburgh

Culloden: Just outside of Inverness lies the site of the last battle ever to be fought on British soil and a name which has a unique resonance through the ages – Culloden. The name marks the final point when, in April 1746, the Jacobite cause was irrevocably lost and the Young Pretender, Bonnie Prince Charlie, fled back into exile. Little remains at Culloden to indicate that this was once the scene of a ferocious pitched battle with the Highland Clans and the British Redcoats fighting in hand to hand combat. There is a memorial and informative visitor center with an exhibition which tells the whole story of the battle and the events leading up to it. You can also see the Graves of the Clans where the majority of those Highlanders killed were buried in mass graves.

Scotch Whisky Distillery: In the afternoon you visit the traditional Scotch Whisky Distillery to learn about how the nations most famous export is made.

Return to Edinburgh: You return to Edinburgh and an evening to enjoy the lively city.

Day 8

Surgeon's Hall Museum and the Edinburgh Literary Pub tour

Surgeon’s Hall Museum:  The morning will be spent in Edinburgh and  there will be a timed morning visit to the Surgeon’s Hall Museum which is part of the Royal College of Surgeons.  The Museum has a macabre connection to the nineteenth century grave robbers Burke and Hare who stole recently deceased corpses to order for dissection in anatomy classes. When the supply ran short, they turned to murder, but Burke ended up at the end of the hangman’s noose and his skeleton is now on display in the Museum.

Lunch and Free Time:  You have lunch and time to explore Edinburgh on your own.

Edinburgh Literary Pub Tour:  In the early evening you do the Edinburgh Literary Pub Tour where guides take you from pub to pub through the Old Town district, acting out roles and debating how Scottish literary works were made.   Some of the historic pubs include such as the Beehive Inn  and the Jolly Judge.

Evening:  On your final evening in Scotland you enjoy a celebratory dinner at a city center restaurant.