9D8N Hot Tam!: Scotland By Design (FA)

Welcome to Edinburgh! Free time this afternoon. At 6 pm, meet your Tour Director and travelling companions for a welcome dinner at your hotel.

Morning city sightseeing with a Local Guide includes the New Town and Old Town. Visit Edinburgh Castle to see Scotland’s Crown Jewels.

YourChoice Excursions include one of the following activities of your choice:

DELVE: Fit for a Crown
For nearly half a century, the Royal Yacht Britannia carried Britain’s royal family across the seas, logging more than a million nautical miles. Today, this last ship in the line of 83 royal yachts is retired, and permanently docked at Edinburgh’s port of Leith. Explore this incredible floating palace, including the State Apartments and Drawing Room, Queen’s Bedroom, Sun Lounge, and the crew’s quarters. Afterward, enjoy a delicious dinner with wine and coffee at a local restaurant.

GAZE: A Scottish Stroll
Soak in the origins of traditional Georgian architecture on a walking tour of Edinburgh’s New Town with a Local Guide through the largest Georgian planned town in the world. Stroll by the ordered symmetrical grid of Neoclassical houses and private gardens. Experience the spirit of the Scottish Enlightenment as you admire elegant ironwork of the New Town streets and squares including the architectural masterpiece of Charlotte Square regarded as an architectural masterpiece. Conclude your tour with a 3-course dinner with wine at a local restaurant.

ST. ANDREWS :See the home of golf and famous university town.
DUNDEE: Visit Discovery Point and Royal Research Ship Discovery.
PITLOCHRY: Take a Guided walk through the Victorian mountain resort.

YourChoice Excursions include one of the following activities of your choice:

GAZE: Castle Stones & Tea with Scones
Visit a small market town located in Highland Perthshire made famous by the Robert Burns’ poem, The Birks Of Aberfeldy. Join a private tour and explore the spectacular 16th–century castle Menzies—a splendid example of medieval Scottish fortresses. Enjoy a traditional Scottish afternoon tea with scones and a selection of delicious sandwiches and cakes.

PLAY: Tee Time in Tummel Valley
Enjoy a round of golf on one of Scotland’s finest inland courses, complete with sweeping views and state-of-the-art clubhouse. Work on your putting game on Pitlochry Golf Club’s perfectly groomed greens in this golfer’s heaven.

CHILL: Pampered in Pitlochry
Relax and rejuvenate in the restorative waters of the Pitlochry Spa. Take in the spectacular views of the Scottish landscape while luxuriating in the natural spring water flowing from Ben Vrackie Mountain above. Relax with some traditional afternoon tea, scones with cream, and a selection of delicious sandwiches and cakes.

BLAIR ATHOLL: Visit Blair Castle. Scenic drive through the Grampian Mountains and Cairngorms National Park.
AVIEMORE: Stop in the Highland resort with time for lunch on your own.
CULLODEN: Visit the Culloden battlefield site and visitor centre

YourChoice Excursions include one of the following activities of your choice:

GAZE: Macbeth’s Ghost & Grand Gardens
Beware the Curse of Cawdor! Explore Cawdor Castle with a Local Guide to hear all about this legendary home of a noble Scottish family and how it is forever associated with Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Admire beautiful antique furniture and fine portraits by famous painters such as Sir Joshua Reynolds and Sir Thomas Lawrence in a 600-year-old collection of intriguing artifacts and ornate tapestries. Spend free time wandering the castle’s three unique gardens: the Walled Garden, the Flower Garden and the Wild Garden.

STROLL: Out and About in Inverness
Set out for a walking tour in the Scottish Highlands to discover the local history and beautiful coastal scenery and architecture. Hear the romantic tales which have shaped Inverness into the thriving city of today. Explore the quintessential sites, including the River Ness for which Inverness was named. Enjoy a leisurely walk alongside the river and learn about the history of Inverness’ Town House, a Victorian baronial house; Inverness Castle; The Victorian Market, and its quaint little shops; breathtaking St Andrew’s Cathedral; and the Old High Church and Graveyard, featured in the Outlander books.

PEDAL: Inverness on Two Wheels
Enjoy the natural beauty of the Highland capital on easy-to-ride cruiser bikes. Pedal at a leisurely pace with your Local Guide to explore the scenic areas of Inverness. Follow the canal with views out to the Beauly Firth (estuary inlet) and ride through the Merkinch Nature Reserve out to the Moray Firth, while keeping watch for local dolphins. Head back to the city, once again along the River Ness.

Free time this afternoon.

LOCH NESS: Drive the length of the legendary lake.
OBAN: YourChoice Excursions include one of the following activities of your choice:

FEAST: Castles, Clans & Catch of the Day
A guided historical tour of Oban features unique, off-the-beaten-path insights into the history and culture of this charming resort town. See the 12th-century Dunstaffanage castle and St. Conan’s Kirk, a uniquely famous church which holds the bones of Robert the Bruce. Enjoy photo opportunities at the 15th-century Kilchurn Castle, the original home of Scotland’s large and powerful Clan Campbell. En route back to Oban, pass through Glen Lonan—the “road of kings” in a verdant valley of standing stones and highland cattle. Take an opportunity to get close to the meandering cows and their calves (seasonal), and arrive in Oban in time for a sumptuous seafood lunch with views of local fishing boats, and hear insights into the “Seafood Capital of Scotland.”

SIP: Chieftains, Cathedrals & Casks
Hear the stories of Victorian entrepreneurs who developed the town known as the “Gateway to the Isles.” Hear legendary tales of giants, maidens, Clan chieftains, and warriors—as well as the heroic Royal Air Force crewmen of World War II. Discover a wealth of noteworthy buildings and businesses, and visit two of Oban’s historic cathedrals: St. John the Divine Episcopal Cathedral and St. Columba’s Roman Catholic Cathedral, and hear about its third: the Cathedral of Trees. Learn about the history and artisanship behind legendary Oban whisky with a visit to the distillery’s filling store, and sample traditional cask-drawn Oban single malt.

Free time this evening.

LOCH LOMOND: Scenic cruise on the lake. GLASGOW: Free time this afternoon. Farewell dinner this evening.

Your holiday ends with breakfast this morning.