Day 1: Travel to Scotland with a stop at the Famous Blacksmiths Shop Museum, situated at the heart of Gretna Green village. It is the world-famous, historic home of the anvil wedding and has been at the centre of runaway love, since the Marriage Act of 1754. Inside the museum, you can contemplate marriage certificates that date back to 1754, the original wedding room that has the traditional and popular anvil, old carriages, and replicas of wedding dresses (admission extra). Afterwards, we complete the journey to the Winnock Hotel in Drymen for a 4-night stay.
Day 2: Maid of the Forth River Cruise, Incholm Island & Bo'ness & Kinneil Railway
This morning, we make the journey to South Queensferry and board the Maid of the Forth for a 3-hour sightseeing boat trip along the Firth of Forth. Departing South Queensferry we journey under the famous Forth Bridges to lovely Incholm Island, the “Iona of the East”. The open top deck allows for magnificent views of the bridges, castles, island fortresses and wartime ruins in addition to the rich sea-life of the Forth. Full commentary covers all the interesting landmarks. We leave the boat at Incholm where there will 90 minutes to explore the magnificent Incholm Abbey and Island before boarding the boat again and returning to South Queensferry.
Afterwards, we take a return journey on the Bo'ness & Kinneil Railway, enjoy a scenic ten-mile return train journey to Manuel along the Forth Estuary, through woodlands, past waterfalls and over the Avon Viaduct.
Day 3: Morning at leisure, Edinburgh & Tattoo
Spend a leisurely morning, then enjoy lunch at the hotel before we depart for our journey to Edinburgh.
Arriving in the afternoon, there will be some free time to explore – why not enjoy the atmosphere of the Royal Mile, hit the shops on popular Princes Street or see the sights in the delightful Old Town. There are plenty of dining options through the city as well as cosy pubs and charming cafés to enjoy.
Later in the evening we take our seats for The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. Drawing together a host of creative talent from across four continents, the innovative production features heart-stopping sounds, imaginative graphics, state-of-the-art lighting, specially commissioned fireworks and almost 1,000 performers! After the show we’ll make our way back to the hotel.
Day 4: Loch Lomond Cruise, Luss & Inveraray
Our first stop today is Loch Lomond shores, where we take a relaxing one-hour scenic cruise on Loch Lomond. Afterwards, we travel to the pretty conservation village of Luss, situated on the western shore of Loch Lomond. The village was used for the TV series ‘Take the High Road’ which cemented its popularity in the 80’s and 90’s. Enjoy some free time to wander around the village and to walk down to the Loch, no visit to Luss is complete without taking in the view from the end of the pier with Ben Lomond standing proudly over Loch Lomond.
We then take the journey along the ‘Rest and Be Thankful’ Pass, through Arrochar and along picturesque Loch Fyne to Inveraray, delightful, planned town and the traditional county town of Argyll. Enjoy some time at leisure in the town which is dominated by the imposing Inveraray Castle. A must-see attraction is Inveraray Jail, one of the finest and best-preserved jail and courtroom complexes in the world.
Day 5: Depart our hotel after breakfast and make the return journey home to North Wales. Enroute we will visit the historic market town of Penrith, located in Cumbria’s Eden Valley close to the Scottish Borders.