Full Itinerary ESSENTIAL SCOTLAND

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1 Call: Full Itinerary ESSENTIAL SCOTLAND JOURNEY SNAPSHOT ACTIVITY LEVEL: Level 2 DESTINATION: Scotland DURATION: 8 days, 7 nights FLIGHT INFORMATION: Please arrange your flights into Edinburgh Airport [EDI] to arrive before 12pm on Day 1. Please arrange your flights home from Edinburgh airport on Day 8. PICKUP LOCATION: Edinburgh Airport OVERVIEW Touring Scotland and experiencing its dramatic beauty Touring Scotland and experiencing its dramatic beauty Enjoy an exciting and educational week as you uncover a wide area of Scotland with this specially tailored 8 day Scottish tour. From the bustling City of Edinburgh, to the quaint and remote Loch Lomond, and from the legendary tales of Loch Ness, to the Grand Castles and Palaces of Perthshire, this tour ensures that you will learn a wealth of knowledge about Scotland s History, marvel at the beautiful scenery, and get a real feel of the culture - all whilst having fun!

2 ITINERARY SUMMARY PRE JOURNEY- Please arrange your travel to arrive into Edinburgh on Day 1 before 12pm so you can join the Edinburgh city tour in the afternoon. Day 1 - Welcome to Edinburgh with afternoon city tour. Day 2 - Royal Tour of Edinburgh Day 3 - Explore Stirling at leisure. Day 4 - Scone Palace and Famous Grouse Distillery. Day 5 - Loch Lomond Cruise, Inveraray and travel to Fort William. Day 6 - Jacobite Steam Train & Bogbain Farm Dinner. Day 7 - Inverness, Cairngorms National Park & travel back to Edinburgh. Day 8 - Farewell from Edinburgh. FULL ITINERARY DAY 1: WELCOME TO EDINBURGH Welcome to Edinburgh! We will meet up in the afternoon to spend some time familiarising ourselves with Edinburgh with a local guide. Afterwards, spend the evening relaxing in the hotel or take a wonder around Edinburgh City, and select to dine in one of the many restaurants that the City has to offer. Included Meals: None Accommodation: 4* Apex Waterloo Place, Edinburgh Activities: Arrive into Edinburgh DAY 2: ROYAL TOUR OF EDINBURGH After breakfast, we ll continue our tour of Royal Edinburgh. Escorted by a local guide, your first stop will be at Edinburgh Castle, perched on an extinct volcano, and the scene of some of Scotland's most intriguing history, and home to The Honours of Scotland, the nation's crown jewels. You will then head down the Royal Mile to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Queens official residence in Scotland that sits against the spectacular backdrop to Arthurs Seat and was once the home to Mary Queens of Scots. It s then down to the Port of Leith, just a few miles from the city centre to the Royal Yacht Britannia; here you will be able to gain an insight into the lives of the Royal family. Depart Edinburgh late afternoon and travel North to Stirling. Check in to your hotel where you will spend the next 3 nights. Dinner will be served at the hotel. Accommodation: 4* Stirling Highland Hotel Activities: Royal Yacht Britannia. Edinburgh Castle, Palace of Holyroodhouse, check into Stirling hotel DAY 3: EXPLORE STIRLING After breakfast, you have free time to explore Stirling. Just 10 minutes from your hotel, you can visit the majestic Stirling Castle (entrance included). Stirling Castle was the centre of art, culture and celebrity in the 16th Century. Join in and experience the drama! A new exhibition focuses on some of the Castle s fascinating archaeology. Spend time relaxing or browsing the quaint coffee shops and gift stores in Stirling for most of the day before returning to our hotel late afternoon. Dinner will be served in the hotel this evening.

3 Accommodation: Stirling Highland Hotel Activities: Stirling Castle. Day at leisure. DAY 4: SCONE PALACE & THE FAMOUS GROUSE EXPERIENCE After breakfast, we ll travel to Perthshire and visit Scone Palace, the crowning place of the Scottish Kings. Perth is on the banks of the River Tay, and a former capital of Scotland. After a lunch stop you will enjoy a tour at the Famous Grouse Experience. After discovering how the Glenturret Highland single malt is produced and tasting a wee dram, you will return to your hotel for your final night in Stirling. Dinner will be served at the hotel. Accommodation: Stirling Highland Hotel Activities: Scone Palace & Famous Grouse Experience DAY 5: LOCH LOMOND CRUISE & INVERARAY After breakfast, meet your guide and head west to the banks of Loch Lomond. You will arrive at Tarbet where you will enjoy a one hour circular cruise on the Loch. Live and informative commentary will be given to you and tea & coffee will be served during the cruise. Afterwards your guide will suggest some local places for lunch before travelling to Inveraray to visit Inveraray Castle and Inveraray Jail. Travel onwards to Fort William to your hotel and check in to enjoy your three course dinner. Accommodation: Isles of Glencoe Hotel, Fort William Activities: Loch Lomond. DAY 6: FORT WILLIAM, JACOBITE STEAM TRAIN & BOGBAIN FARM After breakfast, and a short time to explore the town of Fort William, we ll head towards the west coast of Scotland and the small town of Mallaig. Following lunch, we board the Jacobite Steam Train which has been made famous by the Harry Potter films. Described as one of the great railway journeys of the world, the trip takes you past a list of impressive extremes. Crossing deep lochs, rivers and viaducts, you ll also enjoy views of Britain s highest mountain, Ben Nevis. Onwards, we travel to Inverness where you will check into your hotel. Freshen up before an evening at Bogbain farm. Enjoy a Scottish themed menu with Scottish entertainment before returning to your hotel with great memories of a thoroughly traditional Scottish day! Accommodation: Kingsmills Hotel, Inverness Activities: Jacobite Steam Train, Bogbain Farm Dinner DAY 7: INVERNESS, CAIRNGORMS NATIONAL PARK & RETURN TO EDINBURGH After breakfast enjoy a stroll around the town of Inverness or a morning relaxing at the hotel. Depart Inverness late morning to commence your journey South. En route back to Edinburgh you will stop off at the quaint village of Pitlochry, situated in the most southern part of the Cairngorms National Park. Here you can enjoy stunning scenery and gift shops. In the late afternoon, check into your Edinburgh hotel

4 where there will be opportunity to freshen up before your group farewell dinner in the hotel. Accommodation: 61 Grassmarket, Edinburgh Activities: Cairngorms National Park scenic drive, travel to Edinburgh, Farewell Dinner DAY 8: FAREWELL FROM EDINBURGH Today after breakfast we'll say farewell to our fellow travellers as we say goodbye to Scotland. Included Meals: Breakfast Accommodation: None Activities: Check out and departure

5 WHAT'S INCLUDED Transport in an air-conditioned deluxe vehicle. Loch Lomond Cruise. Jacobite Steam Train Journey. High quality accommodation as detailed in the itinerary. Meals as detailed in the itinerary. English speaking tour guides. All activities, visits and excursions as detailed in the itinerary. WHAT'S NOT INCLUDED Transport to and from Edinburgh before or after the tour (unless on Member Event where transport from Pine Lake Resort is included). Drinks Gratuities to drivers, guides or rangers etc. All entrance fees to non-stipulated attractions Visas, travel or medical insurance Any personal items and anything not mentioned under included in price above. Any meals not mentioned in itinerary. Any optional activities offered

6 IMPORTANT INFORMATION Please let The Big Journey Company know prior to travelling if you have any medical needs or take any medication that we need to be made aware of to ensure that you have a safe and pleasant tour. Check in is after 2-3pm and check out is before 10am unless otherwise specified in the itinerary. Cancellation 90 0 days prior to departure cancellation fee is 100%. It is your responsibility to ensure the correct travel insurance in place to protect you against the need to cancel your holiday. Deposits are non-refundable. Further terms and conditions apply and will be provided upon request or at the time of booking. The Big Journey Company reserves the right to withdraw any offer prior to accepting a reservation request. This does not affect your statutory rights. This offer is subject to availability and space is limited. Please consult your doctor for advice on vaccinations and innoculations before travel. We can provide you with a list of recommended tipping scales if you wish, or suggest an all-inclusive tips package that we will distribute fairly to ensure the best possible service.

7 BOOK YOUR JOURNEY Choose from the list of dates below Call to Book Monday to Friday 09:00-18:00 GMT