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Classic Scotland

Experience the Best of Scotland with Classic Scotland Tours

• Every tour is personally planned, so you visit the places your want to see.
• Customised private itineraries, transported in style at your own pace.
• Fully qualified Blue Badge driver / guides
• Any group size from 2 upwards.
• Indulge yourself with fine dining and the best hotels.
• Departures all year.
• Fully bonded and licensed operator so you are financially protected

You decide, we provide!

Classic Scotland Tour Profile

Starting in Scotland’s sophisticated capital, Edinburgh, this tour travels throughout this great and beautiful country discovering the history and hidden places that make it so endearing. We will explore some of the most stunning scenery in the world from picturesque mountains to peaceful lochs and glens.
Why Not? Create your own tour. As with all our tours the attractions you see will take account of your interests and can be adapted to what you want to see.

DAY ONE AIRPORT TRANSFER > CITY TOUR From your arrival airport, our guide will collect you and introduce you to the history and sites of Edinburgh. The heart of the city is a World Heritage Site and one of the most beautiful cityscapes anywhere. Edinburgh Castle dominates the skyline and you can relax whilst we drive through the city streets. You will start with the Old Town – a medieval city with the complicated street pattern and bustling cultural scene before passing Arthur’s Seat and the new Scottish Parliament building. One of the best views of the city can be had from Carlton Park and then, passing Princes Street we then move onto the Georgian New Town and award winning architecture. You will stay for the next two nights in the heart of the city.	Edinburgh
DAY TWO EDINBURGH CASTLE > ST GILES CATHEDRAL > PALACE OF HOLYROODHOUSE On our first full day, we will take a stroll down the Royal Mile. At the top of the street is Edinburgh Castle. This is most famous of Scottish castle and dates from the C12th. Your guide will relate the castle’s stories and key personalities and you will see the Crown Jewels of Scotland and the Stone of Destiny. From here, we will walk down the Royal Mile exploring its numerous hidden alleys and legends. About half way down is St Giles Cathedral. Often referred to as the “Cradle of Presbyterianism” it was John Knox’s church in the reformation. At the bottom of the street is the Palace of Holyroodhouse – the Queen’s official residence in Scotland. It is probably best known as the home of Mary Queen of Scots and the setting for the most dramatic parts of her reign.	Holyrood House
DAY THREE LINLITHGOW PALACE > STIRLING CASTLE > OLD TOWN > ARGYLL’S LODGING To the east of Edinburgh is the ancient burgh of Linlithgow. Just off the town square is Linlithgow Palace – the birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots. Originally built in the C15th the palace is perfectly positioned besides the loch. Now a ruin, there are many tales to discover. Then, travelling north to Stirling – named Scotland’s newest city in 2002. Stirling Castle was once the residence of the Scottish Kings and it perches onto of an extinct volcano. It is here that some of the country’s most famous warriors lived and fought including William Wallace and Robert the Bruce. The exquisite architecture and cobbled streets of the Old Town are testament to Scotland’s troubled past. Within the old town is Argyll’s Lodging – the most complete surviving example of a C17th town house in Scotland. From here we will travel the few miles to your hotel.	Sterling Castle
DAY FOUR SCONE PALACE > DUNKELD > BLAIR CASTLE This morning we will drive to the east. Once the crowning palace of the kings of the Scots, Scone Palace occupies a unique position in the country’s history. A breathtakingly beautiful place of power and mystery it is the rightful home of the Stone of Scone – also known as the Stone of Destiny. Today, it is a superb estate with outstanding grounds and landscapes. From here, we track back to Dunkeld. This little town was the original seat of the kingdom of the Picts and the Scotland’s first king, Kenneth McAlpin, built a stone church here. This later became the centre of Christianity. Lastly today, we will visit Blair Castle, a classic castle and a major stately home. The seat of the Murray family, the castle has vast collections of weapons, paintings and furniture. Your overnight stop can either be in the town of Pitlochry or on one of the many estates nearby.	Blair Castle
DAY FIVE CAIRNGORMS > ELGIN CATHEDRAL > CAWDOR CASTLE > WHISKY TOUR You are now in the Scottish Highland and this morning we will travel through the Cairngorm National Park. This range of mountains is the largest area of arctic landscape in the UK and is home to 25% of Britain’s flora and fauna. This area also has the World’s highest concentration of whisky distilleries including famous names like Glenlivet and Glenfiddich. Discovering the process is very interesting and we can take a whisky distillery tour at lunchtime or later in the day. To the north, is Elgin. Elgin Cathedral has many ancient and unusual Pictish decorated stones. Cawdor Castle is magical place. Made famous by Shakespeare as the home of MacBeth, it is a fairly tale castle over 600 years old. Today, it is a family home with three gardens and even a golf course. Your hotel choices include a castle or a boutique hotel in the heart of whisky country.	Cairngorms
DAY SIX CULLODEN > LOCH NESS > URQUHART CASTLE > EILEAN DONAN The Battle of Culloden is arguably the most important battle in Scotland’s history. In 1745, Jacobites – mainly highland Scots rose up against the British government in support of Bonnie Prince Charlie’s claim to the throne. After a series of conflicts the final battle took place at Culloden where the Jacobites were defeated by the government and severe penalties were imposed. We will explore the sites to see the brutal battle took place. From here, we will take the road past Inverness then down the west side of Loch Ness. From one of the many viewpoints, there are many boats to seek out the monster. At the southern end of the Loch is Urquhart Castle a romantic ruin and probably a very ancient site. The castle probably dates from the C13th. The overnight stay is on Skye and the road to the new bridge is probably the most scenic in Britain. On the way is Eilean Donan – the most photographed castle on the planet and an icon of Scotland.	Urquhart Castle
DAY SEVEN ISLE OF SKYE > FERRY > JACOBITE STEAM RAILWAY > GLEN COE The Isle of Skye is the most breathtaking of the Scottish Islands. The jagged ridge of the Cuillin Hills, dominate the western part of the island but there are many tiny villages, bays and inlets to explore towards the east. Skye is also a haven for local crafts with many specialist artisans. The Ferry to the mainland inspired the Skye Boat Song. This is a traditional folk song recalling Bonnie Prince Charlie’s escape from Culloden. The ferry arrives at Mallaig and during the summer months, the Jacobite Steam Railway runs from here to Fort William. This is one of the great railway journeys of the world and has come to recent prominence as the Hogwarts Express in the Harry Potter Movies. From here we will drive south through Glen Coe – hearing the stories behind the conflict between the Campbells and the MacDonalds, before arriving at your overnight accommodation, close to Loch Lomond.	Isle of Skye
DAY EIGHT LOCH LOMOND > LUSS > GLASGOW > GLASGOW CATHEDRAL AND NECROPOLIS On our way to Glasgow, we will see Loch Lomond. Now a National Park, the loch is the largest expanse of fresh water in Britain. It is a focal point for wildlife and water sports. Close to the loch is Luss. Made famous in the TV soap, “Take the High Road” it is a conservation village originally built for workers in the local cotton mill. Glasgow has many elegant streets with outstanding Victorian architecture. It was known as the second city of the British Empire with many wealthy traders and merchants. The city has many famous sons including Charles Rennie Mackintosh who founded the famous Glasgow School of Art. At the east end of the new city is the Cathedral – a wonderful example of gothic architecture. Overlooking the Cathedral is Glasgow Necropolis which is essentially a graveyard to the rich and famous of Victorian Scotland.	Glasgow

Please contact us – Call Toll Free: 1866 464 7389

Accommodation and Tour Prices
All Classic Scotland tours include:
• Airport transfers
• All accommodation and breakfasts at exclusive locations (7 nights)
• Private guided tour in luxury vehicles (8 days)
• Qualified BLUE BADGE GUIDE – a driver and guide
• All local taxes
• Great British Heritage Passes – most entrances
• Departure on any day.

TOUR PRICES 2009
LAND ONLY PRICES

Accommodation category

PRICE PER PERSON IN US $ DOLLARS

	2 people	3 people	4 people	5 people	6 people	8 people
Boutique	3420	2710	2160	1910	1680	1390
Gold	3690	2820	2270	2040	1785	1550
Platinum	4290	3560	2820	2720	2400	2145

ACCOMMODATION BANDS

Location	Boutique	Gold	Platinum
Edinburgh: 2 nights	Windmill House	The Holyrood Hotel	The Balmoral
Stirling: 1 night	Ballochneck	Queen’s Hotel	Cromlix House
Pitlochry: 1 night	Dunmurray	Kinloch House	Kinnaird Estate
Speyside / Inverness: 1 night	Archiestown Hotel	Archiestown Hotel	Castle Stuart
Skye: 1 night	Viewfield House	Greshornish House	Three Chimneys
Glasgow / Loch Lomond: 1 night	Cardross House	Forest Hills Hotel	Cameron House Hotel

Boutique Hotels
These hotels are renowned for their quality and service. They are generally small, comfortable and in stunning locations. Many of these have and fine restaurants and are hand-picked by Classic Scotland because of their consistent high standards.

Gold Hotels
Our gold band hotels are 4 and 5 star properties and usually larger hotels. Most are very well located, some in the finest scenery in the world. They vary in style from grand manor houses with rich histories to contemporary hotels with all modern facilities such as spas and treatment rooms.

Platinum Hotels
These hotels are the finest hotels in Scotland. You will be able to mix with the rich and famous in these historic castles, hunting lodges and deluxe retreats. All are chosen for their outstanding locations and facilities.
Please contact us – Call Toll Free: 1866 464 7389

Extensions

We personally plan all our tours and use the tour detailed above as a sample. You can adapt this to include many other places and attractions. These can include:

Tour Extensions and Activities

Each of our tours is personally planned to take account of your interests. Here is just a sample of the wide range of activities that we can add to enhance your tour.

• ST ANDREWS CITY AND GOLF COURSE
• BALMORAL CASTLE
• ABERDEEN
• ROBERT BURNS
• ORKNEY, SHETLAND, ISLAY AND ANY OF THE SCOTTISH ISLANDS
• HADRIAN’S WALL
• A WHISKY TRAIL BASED TOUR
• CLAN HISTORY AND FAMILY HISTORY
LET US KNOW WHERE YOU WANT TO GO AND WE CAN OFFER YOU A TOUR PLAN WITHIN 24 HOURS

Fishing

From craggy beaches and forest lochs to deep rivers and estuaries, the Southern Uplands offer an extremely wide variety of sports fishing opportunities. The water is amongst the cleanest in Europe, and therefore rich in natural fish stock including pike, carp, perch and roach as well as the salmon and trout for which Scotland is world famous. Famous rivers such as the Spey, Tay, Tweed, Helmsdale and Nith offer outstanding Atlantic Salmon fishing. Fly fishing excursions, with or without boats can be organized, with lessons for the novice, if required. Take your catch back to the hotel and have it served for dinner.

Hunting

The dramatic natural environment of Scotland offers some of the World's finest hunting, with a wide variety of game including grouse, pheasant, partridge, snipe, woodcock and woodpigeon. Wildfowling is available on the coastal marshes and goose shooting is popular in the Orkneys, where the skies are filled with thousands of geese every morning and evening.
Scotland is also famous for deer stalking. Stalking red or roe deer is a fascinating way to discover Scotland's landscape and culture. You will spend time walking through beautiful landscapes - mountains, glens and forests - as you go in search of the deer.

Festivals

Scotland has a wealth of festivals and special events including the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, the Speyside and Islay malt whisky festivals, the Highland games, the Loch Shiel Festival (classical music), the Tarbert Seafood Festival and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, to name but a few. Your vacation can be timed to coincide with any of these and we can arrange tables at prestigious Gala dinners for you.

Trekking, Horse Riding and Wildlife trips

Scotland stunning and dramatic scenery offer a wealth of opportunities for hill walking, horse riding and wildlife trips. Whether it's enjoying a gentle country stroll or a breezy coastal walk, trekking long distance routes or scrambling amidst the majestic mountains, Scotland's breathtaking landscape and overwhelming spirit-of-place will refresh and enliven your senses. On many of the islands, trips can be taken to see the dolphins, basking sharks and whales that frequent their waters and the sea eagles which feast on the fish-rich waters.

Malt Whisky Tours

Your tour of Scotland is not complete without experiencing Scotland’s most famous export – malt whisky. With a huge number of distilleries to choose from, set in beautiful locations alongside rivers and lochs. Experience the whole process from malting to bottling and even blend your own malt. Visit Speyside, the capital of whisky production or travel to the western isles and Islay, where the finest peaty malts are crafted.

Local Cookery

Enjoy a day learning the secrets and tricks of the trade from one of the country’s top rated chefs.Learn how to cook with fine Scottish ingredients and you will be brushing up your kitchen prowess in one of the most magical settings, in the discreet luxury of this superb hideaway. As part of a whisky tour, many of our guests visit Dufftown, the centre of the Speyside malt whisky region and attend dinners where each course reflects the subtle flavours of the different malts served with them.

Golf

Golf, it is believed, was first played in its modern form in Scotland about 300 years ago and every golfer should play here. The “Home of Golf” and the most famous course in the World is St Andrews and tee times can be arranged for you. There are courses throughout the country to suit all levels. Don’t worry about equipment as we can hire clubs; arrange the tee time and anything else to make your experience memorable.