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Home , Durham Castle, The Storr

Best of

— Edinburgh, Bannockburn, Sterling, St. Andrews, Culloden Inverness, Loch Ness, Wick, Orkney Islands, Ullapool, , Eilean Donan, Glencoe Valley, Loch Lomond, Glasgow — TOUR DETAILS

Best of Scotland Highlights • Price: $2,895 USD • Edinburgh Highlights • Discounts: • Military Tattoo Performance • 5% - Returning Volant Customer • Historic battlefields of Bannockburn • Stirling • Duration: 12 days • St. Andrews Cathedral & • Date: April/May - Sept./Oct. • Pitlochry • Difficulty: Easy • Blair Atholl • Culloden Moor Inclusions • Inverness • Loch Ness • All internal flights (while on tour) • Wick • All accommodations (2-3 star) • Orkney Islands • All meals • Ring of Brogdar • Transportation throughout tour • • Airport transfers • • Personal guide • Ullapool • Isle of Skye Exclusions • Kilt Rock • International airfare (to Airport) • Valley of Glencoe • Entrance fees to museums and other attractions • not listed in ‘Inclusions’ • Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park • Personal items: Laundry, shopping, etc. • Queen Elizabeth Forest Park • Traveler’s insurance • Glasgow ITINERARY Best of Scotland - 12 Days / 13 Nights Itinerary -

DAY ACTIVITY LOCATION - MEALS

1 • Board overnight flight to Europe (not included) International Flight

Edinburgh • Arrive: Edinburgh Airport 2 • Depending on arrival time, spend the afternoon at your leisure before a warm welcome dinner Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• Visit iconic Edinburgh highlights: Edinburgh Castle, the Sir Walter Scott monument, Royal Mile, Edinburgh 3 of Holyroodhouse, 18th century New Town, Scotland's National Gallery and the Tartan • Enjoy a evening performance of the Royal Military Tattoo Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Bannodkburn, Stirling, • Tour the memorials of Robert the Bruce and Sir William Wallace; both important military leaders St. Andrews 4 during the wars that led to Scotland's Independence • Continue northeast to St. Andrews to tour the local cathedral and castle Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Culloden, Inverness • Pass through the iconic sites of Pitlochry, Blair Atholl and the Culloden Moor 5 • Transfer to the capital of the northern highlands for the night; Inverness Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• Stroll along the mystical shores of Loch Ness Wick 6 • Follow rugged coastline north to Wick • Walking tour of the Old Pulteney Distillery or the mystical Sinclair Castle Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• Pass through Britain's most northernly town, John O'Groats, before taking a ferry ride out to the Orkney Islands for the day Orkney Islands, Wick • Explore the neolithic archeological site Shara Brae, the mysterious ring of rocks, Ring of Brogdar 7 & the monumental Viking burial tomb, Maeshowe Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner • Visit the capital of the northern Islands, Kirkwall, and tour the St. Magnus Cathedral • Transfer back to Wick for the night

• Enjoy a scenic drive through the northern highlands to Ullapool Ullapool, Broadford 8 • Prepare yourself for the outstanding views of the magical Isle of Skye • Continue to the quaint town of Broadford Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Isle of Skye • Explore the endless wonders in the Isle of Skye; Neist Point Lighthouse, Fairy Pools, the Storr & 9 Kilt Rock Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• Drive east to the mainland to see the Eilean Donan Castle Loch Lomond & the Trossachs • Journey southward to the WWII Commando Memorial National Park 10 • Take a moment and gaze at Britian's highest mountain: Ben Nevis • Continue through the scenic Valley of Glencoe to arrive at Loch Lomond Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• Spend the day among the natural wonders in Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park • Get lost in the beauty of Queen Elizabeth Forest Park Glasgow, Edinburgh 11 • Climb aboard a refurbished paddle steamer for dinner; the Maid of the Loch • Continue through Glasgow; explore sights such as the Necropolis or the Green. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner • Transfer to the Scottish capital to conclude the trip

Edinburgh • Transfer to Edinburgh Airport 12 • Depart: Flight home Breakfast TOUR MAP

Kirkwall

Orkney Islands V Isle of Lewis V O L A N T

Wick

Ullapool

H i g h a n d s Isle of Skye

Inverness Culloden Broardford Eilean Donan Loch Ness

Ben Nevis NORTH Glencoe

ATLANTIC SCOTLAND

OCEAN

Loch Lomond St. Andrew’s National Park Stirling

North Sea

Bannockburn Glasgow Edinburgh

NORTHERN IRELAND Gretna Green

Hadrian’s Wall

Belfast

Durham Castle Grange ITINERARY

DAY ACTIVITY LOCATION - MEALS

Edinburgh • Transfer to the Edinburgh Airport 13 • Depart: Flight home Breakfast

DAY 1: BEGIN YOUR JOURNEY DAY 2: WELCOME TO EDINBURGH Board your overnight flight to Europe (not included). A Volant representative will pick you up at the airport and transfer you to your hotel. Enjoy a welcome dinner and a leisurely evening in the capital of Scotland. DAY 3: DISCOVER EDINBURGH'S BEST

A sightseeing tour will take you through Edinburgh’s rich history and culture. Visit the Victorian Gothic monument to Sir Walter Scott. Tour the 18th century New Town with classical Adam facades. Tour the Edinburgh Castle with all its treasures: Mons Meg, the Stone of Destiny, and the spectacular crown jewels. Walk the Royal Mile and check out the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the official Scottish residence of the Queen. Perhaps visit the Tartan Centre to find your family’s tartan, or visit Scotland’s National Gallery for artistic inspiration. In the evening enjoy the Royal Military Tattoo, a dramatic performance at Edinburgh’s imposing castle; full of color, pipes, drums, dance, and display–you won’t be disappointed. ITINERARY

DAY 4: BANNOCKBURN - STIRLING - ST. ANDREWS

Head towards the famous battlegrounds of Bannockburn, the location where Robert the Bruce fought and won Scottish independence in 1314. Continue todays history lesson in the town of Stirling by exploring the monument dedicated to one of the main military leaders in the many wars that led to Scotland's independence; Sir William Wallace. Tour the Stirling Castle and its refurbished Royal Palace considered to be one of Scotland's largest and most historically important fortresses. Explore Scotland's largest and most magnificent medieval church in the seaside town of St. Andrews. Witness the picturesque ruins of the St. Andrews Castle as well as the oldest and most iconic golf course in the world. ITINERARY

DAY 5: CULLODEN - INVERNESS

Continue on to Pitlochry, famous for it’s innovative salmon leap. traveling north to Blair Atholl then through the Grampian Mountains and the Spey Valley. The Culloden Moor is next on the list, where Bonnie Prince Charlie’s Jacobite army was ultimately defeated in 1746. Take a brief look at Culloden’s Visitor Centre, then to Inverness, the capital of the northern highlands. DAY 6: LOCH NESS - WICK

The morning is free for an optional cruise on the calm waters of Loch Ness or to simply enjoy her coastal beauty. Lean the legend and tall tales of Nessie, but keep your eyes peeled for the giant, sea monster. You never know when she may appear. After the placid waters of Loch Ness, follow the rugged coast north to the port of Wick. Either take a tour of the Old Pulteney Distillery and learn about Scotland’s national drink, or go to the mystic Sinclair Castle on the coast. ITINERARY

DAY 7: ORKNEY ISLANDS – WICK

Start the day visiting Britain’s most northernly town: John O’ Groats. Board the ferry in Gills and journey the northern Scottish waters to the Orkney Islands. Explore the neolithic archaeological site Skara Brae; the mysterious ring of rocks, Ring of Brogdar and the monumental Viking burial tomb, Maeshowe. Explore Kirkwall, the largest city and capital of the Orkney Islands as well as the location of Scotland's most northernly cathedral; St. Magnus Cathedral. Climb aboard the final ferry of the day to return to the mainland. ITINERARY

DAY 8: ULLAPOOL - ISLE OF SKYE - BROADFORD

Enjoy a relaxing drive through the northern highlands and pristine landscapes of lochs and meadows to the small town of Ullapool. Continue on past Loch Carron and Glen Carron to the majestic Isle of Skye. Considered to be the largest and most northern island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland; the beauty of the Isle of Skye is unparalleled. Settle in at your hotel in the quaint town of Broadford on the Broadford River.

DAY 9: ISLE OF SKYE

Enjoy a full day sightseeing tour of the breathtaking Isle of Skye. Walk out to most western tip of Skye to the Neist Point Lighthouse, dip your toes in the magical Fairy Pools, hike the Storr, or explore Mealt falls at Kilt Rock. The natural wonders here are endless. ITINERARY

DAY 10: EILEAN DONAN – GLENCOE- LOCH LOMOND & THE TROSSACHS NATIONAL PARK

Head east to the mainland to see the Eilean Donan Castle, which often offers a clear reflection in its loch. Journey southward to the WWII Commando Memorial, situated beneath Ben Nevis, Britain’s highest mountain. Continue on to the Valley of Glencoe, the final resting place of many massacred clansmen. Let the clear waters of Loch Lomond brighten your soul as you travel its shores. DAY 11: LOCH LOMOND & THE TROSSACHS NATIONAL PARK – GLASGOW – EDINBURGH

Enjoy the day out in the Scotland's first National Park. Climb abroad the Maid of the Loch, the lone survivor of paddle steamers from the 1950s, refurbished to be part museum, part cafe. Stroll through the peaceful scenery of the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park or hike along the shores of any of the twenty-two loch's in the park. Spend the second part of the day in the port city Glasglow, located in the Scottish lowlands. To conclude the trip continue back to the capital for the evening.

DAY 12: EDINBURGH - TOUR ENDS

Our tremendous journey and achievement comes to an end. Your Volant guide will ensure timely arrivals to the Edinburgh Airport . CONTACT VOLANT

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