scotland, a highland fling

TENTATIVE ITINERARY	NIGHTSTOP
DAY ONE
You will land at Glasgow Airport where you will be met by your Back-Roads representative and transferred to our local base. The afternoon and evening are free for you to explore this interesting city with its famed art galleries and parks. Dinner is not included tonight.	Glasgow
DAY TWO
Departing from our Glasgow hotel, we head to the royal city of Stirling. From the esplanade of Stirling Castle we can admire the surrounding countryside. For centuries this has been the gateway to the Highlands. No wonder numerous battles have been fought in this area, not least the great victory at Bannockburn, where the Scots trounced the English. We then continue our journey north into 'Braveheart' country passing through the picturesque market town of Crieff, long the site of one of Scotland great cattle 'Trysts'. We then head into the heart of the Trossachs and Rob Roy country around Callander.	Aberfoyle
DAY THREE
Grab your binoculars and telephoto lenses because today's the day we go monster hunting! Not just any monster either but the most famous wee beastie in the whole world! Loch Ness is a long, deep, dark and mysterious body of water. On our way there, we'll encounter the Caledonian Canal again. It is at Fort Augustus that the Canal enters Loch Ness via six locks. On Loch Ness itself is Urquhart Castle, a ruin that has become a favourite place for Nessie spotting - some folk believe she lives underneath the structure itself. In Drumnadrochit there's a chance to take in the documented evidence of one of the Loch Ness monster exhibitions. Maybe after this the doubters will be more convinced! Onward to Inverness, the busy 'capital' of the Highlands and our base for the next two nights.	Inverness
DAY FOUR
The day begins at Clava Cairns burial site. Lying close to Inverness, these circles of stones from the dawn of human civilisation sit in a quiet sheltered spot of the Scottish countryside. Close by is Culloden Moor, site of the great battle of 1746 when the forces of King George II defeated the Jacobite rebels of Bonnie Prince Charlie. There is a fine exhibition and a stroll around the battlefield, with its memorial stones, provides a lasting memory. Heading north from Inverness to the Falls of Rogie, we are assured of fine pine forests, rushing rivers and, if our timing is right, the sight of the Atlantic salmon jumping impossible waterfalls. On our way home, we ponder the question of the siting of Macbeth's castle. Was it in the modern town of Inverness or perhaps nearby at Cawdor?	Inverness
DAY FIVE
As we start our journey south, we pick up the famous whisky trail. You can be sure of a visit to one of the many distilleries that can be found in the area. We'll pass through Grantown-on-Spey, a popular ski resort on our way to Braemar, scene of that most famous of Highland games attended by the Royals. If we have time, we'll visit Braemar Castle, built in 1628 and largely rebuilt as a residence in the 18th century. The Scottish home of the royal family can be found at nearby Balmoral. There's a chance to view the grounds and exhibition for departures in May, June or July. Finally, we wind our way to one of the attractive towns of Ballater or Banchory, our base for the night.	Banchory or Ballater
DAY SIX
This morning we pick up the coastal route south. We visit Dunnottar Castle ruins, said to be in the most romantic setting in Scotland. Cromwell's troops captured this Royalist stronghold after months of siege in 1652. As we continue south, we pass through the fishing town of Arbroath, home of the 'smokie' (a tasty smoked fish) and the site of an outstandingly beautiful 12th century abbey ruin. Dundee is our next port of call. Here we'll find Scott's 'Discovery' and the frigate 'Unicorn', the oldest British-built ship still afloat, now a museum for the Royal Navy. Rounding off our visit will be St Andrews. No time for a round of golf, we're sorry to say! (But at least we'll save you some golf balls!). At the end of a full day, we cross the Firth of Tay to the Kingdom of Fife and our nightstop.	Fife
DAY SEVEN
A relaxing day as we explore the charming coastline of the Kingdom of Fife. Anstruther itself is still a working fishing port and many of its neighbours continue to ply a similar trade. Winding our way up the coast we examine in detail the timeless beauty of Crail, another fishing village, once the centre of a major trading partnership with continental Europe. Next, the Royal Stewart Castle at Falkland before making our way to the fascinating town of Culross. This is the most complete example of a Scottish burgh of the 16th and 17th centuries. We'll take time to explore the visitor centre before driving through Dunfermline and south over the Firth of Forth to Edinburgh. NOTE: dinner is not included tonight to give more flexibility to explore Edinburgh. Visit www.edinburgh.org	Edinburgh
DAY EIGHT
You have a number of options from today. You can elect to extend your stay and spend some time in this 'Athens of the North' (perhaps coming over to Glasgow on the Saturday afternoon to join our Western Isles tour which departs Glasgow on the following Sunday morning). You can fly home. Please note, if not joining the regular morning transfer from Edinburgh to Glasgow airport (which is timed to reach Glasgow airport for 10.00) private transfers at other times attract a cost supplement of £35 per person. A less expensive, but totally reliable way, is to take the public coach of which there are regular departures.
NOTE: Many of the sites we visit are administered by Historic Scotland organisation. Why not visit their site to see some of the delights we have in store for you? www.historic-scotland.gov.uk