21 Days in the Hebrides
Land Only Price: $4535 (Cdn)
Day 1 |
Loch Duich |
The group will be met at Glasgow Airport and head north along the shores of Loch Lomond to Fort William and on to Shiel Bridge. The drive is quite scenic and we will be spending the night near Eilean Donan Castle on the shores of Loch Duich.
Eilean Donan Castle
Day 2 |
Portree, Isle of Skye |
In the morning we will cross the Mam Ratagan Pass to Glen Elg where there are two wonderfully preserved Iron Age brochs, Dun Telve and Dun Troddan. After exploring the brochs, we will take the small ferry from Bernera to Kylerhea on Skye. From there it’s a wonderful drive over the hills to Broadford and then on to Portree, where we will spend the next two nights. The afternoon will be free to explore the town and its surroundings. A popular option is a hike up to the Old Man of Storr. The views are spectacular.
Day 3 |
Portree, Isle of Skye |
In the morning, we will drive past the Fairy Bridge and around Waternish to Dunvegan Castle, hereditary home of the MacLeods, where those who wish may tour the castle and grounds. Or, we could drive out the Waternish. After lunch, we will drive to the Cuillin Hills in Minginish, stopping briefly to inspect the Iron Age roundhouse at Dun Beag.
Dunvegan Castle
Day 4 |
Tarbert, Harris |
In the morning, we will drive around the scenic peninsula of Trotternish heading for Uig where we will catch the ferry to Tarbert on Harris where we will spend the next three nights. Along the way, we can stop and pay our respects to Flora Macdonald who lies buried at Kilmuir. The ferry departs at 14:00 and the crossing takes just over 1½ hours.
Standing Stones of Callanish
Day 5 |
Tarbert, Harris |
We will start the day by driving to Callanish on Lewis to tour the remains of one of the most intriguing prehistoric landscapes in Europe. At the centre are the magnificent Standing Stones of Callanish, a Neolithic stone circle with lines of uprights running away from it towards the cardinal points. A number of other standing stones and smaller stone circles dot the landscape around the main setting. Nearby at Dun Carloway on the Atlantic coast is an Iron Age broch in an exceptional state of preservation. In the afternoon, we will continue to the Butt of Lewis—the cliffs are spectacular.
Day 6 |
Tarbert, Harris |
In the morning we will drive along the “Golden Road” from Tarbert to Rodel where we pay a visit to the sixteenth century church of Saint Clement’s. The name refers to the enormous cost of the road, which twists its way along the deeply indented coast. Along the way we can stop at one of the workshops where Harris tweed is woven. From Rodel we will drive back along the Atlantic coast with its magnificent white beaches.
Luskentyre on the Isle of Harris
Day 7 |
Lochmaddy, North Uist |
The ferry from Leverburgh to Berneray at the tip of North Uist takes about an hour and departs at 10:00. The Uists (North and South), Benbecula and Barra are the most remote of the Hebrides and contain some of the most beautiful scenery. North Uist is rather low with green, rolling hills and large watery expanses to the east, and long sandy beaches to the west. Dotting the landscape are numerous chamber tombs, stone circles from the Neolithic period along with other, much later monuments, such as the Iron Age wheelhouse now being excavated at Udal, which we will visit later in the day.
Lochmaddy, North Uist
Day 8 |
Lochmaddy, North Uist |
In the morning, we will follow the coast along to Carinish. The island is a haven for bird-watchers, especially waders who nest in the flower-rich machair, and there is an RSPB sanctuary at Balranald. Machair is the Gaelic term for a raised beach, left behind by a drop in sea-level. There is an important Neolithic chambered cairn (along with a later wheelhouse) at South Clettraval; a stone circle at Pobuill Fhionn; and another well-preserved tomb at Barpa Langass.
Standing Stone, South Uist
Day 9 |
Castlebay, Barra |
From North Uist we will make use of the modern causeways to cross through Benbecula (“the Mountain of the Fords”) and South Uist to Eriskay where we will take the short ferry hop to Barra, where we will spend two nights. South Uist is the birthplace of Flora Macdonald who helped Bonnie Prince Charlie during the Jacobite Rebellion. Nothing remains of her home but there are a number of medieval chapels worth visiting along with neolithic tombs and other monuments. A causeway links the island to Eriskay, which is noted for two events of enormous local importance. It is where the aforementioned prince landed in 1745 and it is where the S.S. Politician sank in 1941 (but not before the islanders had rescued its cargo of whisky).
Causeway to Eriskay
Day 10 |
Castlebay, Barra |
Barra was the location where the film “Whisky Galore” (based on the Compton Mackenzie version of the incident described above. It is famed for its golden beaches and low, rolling hills. We will spend the better part of the day exploring the island and its monuments, including Kismuil Castle, seat of Clan MacNeil.
Castlebay, Barra
Day 11 |
Iona |
A good deal of the day will be spent on the water. The ferry leaves the terminal in Castlebay at 07:00 and the crossing to Oban takes just under five hours but much of that is through the Sound of Mull—a very scenic route. We will have an hour or so in Oban before we take the ferry to Craignure on the island of Mull at 16:00. Happily, the trip is a short one (45 minutes), because we sail right back the way we came. Actually, there will be one final ferry crossing—the 10 minute boat trip from Fionnphort to Iona where we will spend the next two nights.
Iona
Day 12 |
Iona |
Iona is most famous for the monastery founded by the Irish exile Saint Columba and his twelve companions in 563 AD. His mission was the conversion of pagan Scotland and northern England to Christianity. The original monastery was sacked by Viking raiders in the ninth century and its medieval replacement was destroyed during the Reformation. However, the buildings have been largely restored and several beautiful Celtic crosses are located on its grounds. A trip to the nearby island of Staffa, the site of Fingal’s Cave, has been arranged for the morning but the rest of the day will be left free for you to explore Iona at leisure.
Fingal's Cave. Staffa
Day 13 |
Tobermory, Isle of Mull |
Mull is considered to be an island of exceptional beauty—even among the Hebrides. It contains some of Scotland’s highest mountains and tallest cliffs and is frequently used for movie locations. We will spend two nights in Tobermory, the capital of the island. Tobermory is a very colourful town (in the most literal sense). We will take our time getting there by way of the coastal road through Calgary and Dervaig and passing Ben More, Britain’s second-highest peak along the way.
The Tobermory Waterfront
Day 14 |
Tobermory, Isle of Mull |
Moy Castle is in a splendid state of photogenic ruin while Duart Castle, seat of Clan MacLean, occupies a particularly dramatic site, guarding the entrance to the Sound of Mull. Fans of the move “I Know Where I’m Going” will recognize both places immediately, along with the old stone pier at Carsaig. In addition to the film locations, there is a very well preserved stone circle at Loch Buie.
Moy Castle, Isle of Mull
Day 15 |
Tarbert, Kintyre |
Returning to Oban in the morning, we will head south to Tarbert on the Kintyre peninsula. Along the way we will stop at Kilmartin, a pretty little valley in the hills of western Argyll. The valley is the heart of a sprawling prehistoric landscape that includes stone circles and a linear cemetery of Neolithic and Bronze Age tombs that run the length of the valley. There is also a very interesting stone alignment and a number of individual standing stones. We will stay overnight in Tarbert.
Kilmartin.View up the Valley
Day 16 |
Bowmore, Islay |
The ferry leaves at 09:00 for Port Ellen on Islay, where we will be spending the next two nights. Islay is famous for its whisky distilleries and we will certainly organize a tour of one of them (there are eight altogether). Islay is known as the ‘Cradle of Clan Donald’ and the Macdonald ‘Lords of the Isles’ made their seat of power on a small island near the shore of Loch Finlaggan. We will spend the day touring the island at a leisurely pace. Loch Guinart is a renowned bird-sanctuary, noted especially for the wading birds that come to breed in the spring as well as its golden eagles, peregrines and hen harriers.
Portnahaven, Islay
Day 17 |
Bowmore, Islay |
In the morning we will cross over to Jura (from the Norse for “deer island”). With an area of 142 square miles and only around 180 inhabitants, Jura is one of the more isolated parts of the British Isles. No doubt that was the attraction for George Orwell who wrote most of Nineteen Eighty-Four while living at Barnhouse, a remote farm on the island.
Day 18 |
Brodick, Arran |
Returning to the mainland we will cross the Kintyre peninsula to Claonaig where we will catch the ferry for the short crossing to Arran. The island, with its rugged highlands in the north and gentle lowlands in the south is often called ‘Scotland in Miniature.’ We will spend two nights in Brodick, the island’s principal town.
Lochranza, Isle of Arran
Day 19 |
Brodick, Arran |
Arran is blessed with some magnificent scenery and we will spend most of the day walking its hills and glens. Especially noteworthy are the prehistoric stone circles and standing stones at Machrie Moor and we will be examining them closely.
Day 20 |
Glasgow |
The ferry departs Brodick at 08:20 and arrives at Ardrossan about an hour later. We will drive to Glasgow for our final night in Scotland. Accommodation has been arranged in a centrally located hotel, just off George Square.
Day 21 |
End of Tour.
Note:
The price of the trip includes:
hotel taxes
accommodation based on double occupancy
overland transportation via mini bus
all visits and sightseeing as per itinerary
the service of your tour conductor, William Rowbotham or Margaret Morden
The price of the trip does NOT include:
gratuities for individual services
meals, apart from hotel breakfasts
all items and expenses of a purely personal nature
travel to and from the British Isles
10.02.2012