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Overview
This is a fairly comprehensive tour of four of Scotland's main groupings of ancient sacred and spiritual sites, ending with attendance at the Samhuinn Fire Festival in Edinburgh. It could be replicated to fit with the Beltane Fire Festival, but with differing dates, of course!
Scotland is a wee country, but getting places can take a while, so this trip has three or four days with a good deal of travelling. There is no way around it, unfortunately, without making the tour longer than most guests would prefer. For that reason the tour will be restricted to six guests maximum. Still, there is a huge amount to see and do, and all of it quite amazing. To adapt, it may be possible for guests to join or leave the tour at Skye, Ullapool, or Inverness, should they wish to cut it down a little. But you'd be missing some awesome stuff!! Please email me for information on costings and accommodation. 
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Starting at your preferred pick up point, we will head up Loch Lomond then across the Arrochar Alps, through historic Inveraray then on to Kilmartin. We will stop around Loch Lomond to allow those straight off a plane to recover a bit. Then we will stop in Inveraray for some lunch. Inveraray Castle does not open at that time of the year. Then on to Kilmartin. We can then drop off at accommodation and head out afterwards, or; the other way around, according to how you all feel!
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Our day starts at Dunadd Hill Fort, Scotland’s birthplace, and a great to view the moine mhòr nature reserve, and Kilmartin Glen. Then on to Kilmartin Museum for an overview of this amazing place. After lunch we will potter around the glen, visiting the Nether Largie and Baile Meadhanach stone arrays, and Temple Wood. Should anybody wish to, a trip to Kilmory Knap Chapel and its carved graveslabs is possible. The evening is available for a contemplation of the Kilmartin sites in dusk or dark.
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We hit the road again and head to the head of Loch Awe with a short detour to St. Conan’s Kirk. Then we take a back road through the enchantment of Glen Orchy. At the top of the glen we head up the Black Mount, across Rannoch Moor, and into the dramatic pass of Glen Coe. Overnighting in Fort William, we will be in the shadow of Glencoe and have an opportunity to eat in one of the best fish restaurants on the west coast.
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Today is a long travel day with a couple of options. You can opt to take the awesome Jacobite steam train service west to Mallaig.* It passes lochs Linnhe, Eil, Eilt, and nan Uamh, as well as across the Glenfinnan Viaduct, made famous by the iconic Harry Potter films. Or guests can travel virtually the same route with me, but with the stopportunities along the way We recombine in Mallaig, take a ferry to Skye, then to Uig via the amazing Trotternish Peninsula.
*optional, not included in tour costs, and pre-booking is virtually vital. |
Another ferry, today from Uig on Skye to the island of Harris. We will take some detours in order to visit Luskentyre beach and other places as we head towards our accommodation. In the evening we will head back out to Calanais, to get a sense of the place by dusk or dark.
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We will visit some of the other monuments on the island which form part of the Calanais group. Cnoc Filibhir Beag, Gearraidh na h-Aibhne, Ceann Hulabhaig, Cnoc Ceann a’ Ghearraidh are all within easy reach of the main site. Also of interest is the Gearranan Blackhouse site, and Dun Carloway, an ancient hilltop broch. Today is very much about sating the interest in whichever ways suit the group members - stand still or move around sites.
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Today is an early start, again with a fair bit of travel involved, as is tomorrow. Taking an early ferry from Stornoway to Ullapool, we will head towards Kylsesku for our overnight accommodation. On the way we have the chance to take a couple of amazing back roads, including the Summer Isles and Achmelvich, or a hill walk to Inchnadamph Bone Caves. We can decide on this at the time according to weather conditions.
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Another long distance day with an earlyish start, taking us up to the north coast, and pretty much to the other side for our Orkney ferry. Sutherland is open and dramatic with huge, imposing rock edifices surging from the landscape. Of particular note will be a visit to the enigmatic Smoo Cave. This sea cave lies at the bottom of a deep ravine / sea inlet at Durness. Thereafter we will make a dash for the Orkney ferry at Gills Bay. When we land on Orkney, we head straight for our accommodation crossing the Churchill Barriers and a stop at the Italian Chapel.
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Today we concentrate on two amazing Orcadian sites: the Ring of Brodgar and Skara Brae. Brodgar, Stenness, and Maeshowe are close together, but Brodgar is the biggest of the three sites. A ring of tall standing stones with a deep henge, and the Comet Stone below, it stands between the lochs of Stenness and Harray. Part of a national nature reserve, the call of the Curlew denotes a certain solitude to the site. Skara Brae, on the other hand, is a proper little village, albeit buried beneath eons of sand. It is a simply fasciniating view into the lives humans in ancient history.
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Right! Off again, on an early ferry. From the north coast we will head to a quite remote stone circle at Achavanich, notable for its unusual arrangement. Then we depart the Neolithic and head into Pictish country. At the breathtaking Dunrobin Castle we visit the museum in the grounds. Here are many examples of stone carving and Pictish knotwork. On our way towards Inverness, do we want a distillery? There’s no shortage - Clynelish, Balblair, Glenmorangie, Dalmore, Ord etc. The day ends at historic Culloden Battlefield and Clava Cairns.
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A gentler day starts at the Black Isle’s Clootie Well, a local spiritual landmark. Near Rosemarkie is the Fairy Glen, a short walk to a pair of waterfalls. This walk is relatively easy, but can be tricky., especially with mobility issues. After a short ferry trip past the Sutors (giant shoemakers!), we visit a trio of fascinating carved stones through the Seaboard villages, ending with the nationally important Cadboll Stone. Weather permitting, we can beach walk from Shandwick to Milton, before going on to Portmahomack and Tarbat Ness Discovery Centre and Tarbat Ness Lighthouse.
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A road day again, we travel to Pitlochry before detouring along Loch Tummel and down into Fortingall with its stone features and the 5000yo Fortingall Yew. From there it’s down Loch Tay to the replica Crannog centre, before heading for Stirling. We have a number of options in Stirling, so depending on fatigue levels we can amble around the famous Bannockburn site, hit the castle, or the Wallace Monument.
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Today we first head a bit south of Edinburgh to Roslyn Chapel, famed from its appearance in the Da Vinci Code film, but which also has some pagan iconography Then we make our way back to Stirling, via the Forth Bridges and the evocative otherworldly Kelpies. Our afternoon is once again a choice of Stirling activities.
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Our final day! We will go to Edinburgh, and time is yours to spend as you please. Edinburgh has endless history, galleries, museums, and shopping. We will gather late afternoon for a final dinner, then join the Samhuinn fire festival on Calton Hill, above the city. When the fire festival is over we will return to Stirling, or I can drop you off at an airport hotel as suits yourself and the needs of other guests.
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Bon Voyage!
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