Discover Scotland, explore Northern Ireland, and round out the trip in Dublin. Add an optional extension to London and you get, "A Little Br'it of Sc'Irish."
September 4-14, 2022
Scotland and Northern Ireland with an optional extension to London
SAVE THE DATE | LIMITED SEATS AVAILABLE
Contact your Trusted Travel Advisor at Demo Travel Group, or the tour hosts, to save your seats on this tour.
On this hosted tour, you'll explore Scotland and Northern Ireland, and have the option to add on to the tour with a visit to London. We will start in the capital city of Edinburgh with its rich architectural heritage, tour through one of the most beautiful areas of this magnificent country - the Scottish Highlands - where we'll visit villages, lochs, and rolling hills. And, of course, we'll have a wee dram. After a visit to the cultural centre of Glasgow we'll head across the pond. We'll visit the bustling city of Belfast and the Causeway Coast in Northern Ireland, which were recently listed as Lonely Planet's number one region in the world to visit.
This tour will be hosted by Stewart Travel Group's own Trusted Travel Advisors, Frances Gertsch and Kelvin Jones who get rave reviews for their hospitality, attention to detail, and fun spirit on tour. They have a knack for making everyone in the group feel welcome and ensuring everyone is comfortable, safe, and happy throughout the journey.
DAY 1 | Group flights and lounge arrangements where required will ensure you have a relaxing flight from Canada to Scotland. |
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DAY 2 | At the airport, our group will be greeted and welcomed to Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland. Our private group transfer will take us to the city's centre. If flight times allow, we will get our first taste of this captivating city on a panoramic tour. This will help us get oriented to the maze of alleys in Old Town, the city's architecturally rich heritage, and its cultural vigor. Following our tour, we will arrive and check-in to our hotel. Dinner at the hotel is provided. |
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| DAY 3 04 September | Start your day with a Scottish breakfast at the hotel before venturing out to the National Museum of Scotland with our tour group. Spend the rest of the day at leisure exploring the alleyways of Edinburgh. Visit Edinburgh Castle ($), Palace of Holyroodhouse ($), Princes Street Gardens, and more during your time in this charming city. |
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| DAY 4 05 September | After breakfast at the hotel, depart for the Inverness and Aviemore region. We will head straight for the highlands, getting views of the Stirling Castle, which is a symbol of Scottish Independence. We'll stop for lunch and continue towards Cairngorm National Park, the largest national park in Britain, which has more mountains, forest paths, rivers, lochs, wildlife hotspots, friendly villages, and distilleries than you can possibly imagine. Our next stop will be the charming resort town of Pitlochry, which is nestled in as the gateway to the Scottish Highlands. We will have dinner at our hotel in the Inverness / Aviemore region. |
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| DAY 5 06 September | Fill up on your Scottish breakfast before we embark for a short 30-minute cruise on the famous Loch Ness. This 38.5 km long lake connects Inverness and Fort William and contains the largest volume of fresh water in the British Isles. Will you be the one to spot Nessie? After our cruise and lunch, we will visit the ruins of Urquhart Castle before stopping at the staircase of Neptune, eight stepped staircase locks that require 90 minutes to cross by boat. We will settle at the hotel in the Fort William region for dinner. |
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| DAY 6 07 September | With full bellies from breakfast, we'll travel through Glencoe, one of the most famous valleys of the Scottish Highlands. Our journey will take us to the 39 kilometre-long Loch Lomond, the largest lake in Great Britain and the inspiration for Sir Walter Scott's The Lady of the Lake, a written work that first inspired tourists to venture into the Highlands. We will continue on to Glasgow on the River Clyde. Our panoramic tour will orient us to Scotland's largest city. We'll visit St. Mungo Cathedral before settling at the hotel. You are free to explore Glasgow for supper tonight. |
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| DAY 7 08 September | This morning we'll have our last Scottish breakfast before heading towards Cairnryan from where we will take the ferry to Belfast, Northern Ireland. Dinner will be available on board. Upon arrival, we will settle into our hotel. |
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| DAY 8 09 September | This morning we'll fill our bellies with our first Irish breakfast before taking a panoramic tour of Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland. Once we have our bearings, we'll have a free afternoon and evening in Belfast to explore Queen's University, the Botanical Gardens, Town Hall, the Belfast Eye, and more. |
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| DAY 9 10 September | We'll depart after breakfast for County Antrim, following a magnificent coastal road that crosses varied landscapes, passes steep cliffs, and provides views of beautiful green glens and valleys punctuated by forest plantations. We will arrive at the Giant's Causeway: an incredible UNESCO World Heritage Site of 40,000 polygonal basalt columns formed 60 million years ago after a volcanic eruption, where we will take a self-guided tour of the visitor centre. We'll continue on to Guildhall, a former guild house dedicated to art and music, which is located in the heart of Derry, the second largest city in Northern Ireland. This full day will end with dinner at the hotel. |
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| DAY 10 11 September | After breakfast at the hotel, we will depart to discover Donegal, a secret and wild destination that is considered by many to be the most beautiful county in Ireland because of it's great diversity of landscapes. Today we'll visit Glenveagh National Park, including its castle and gardens, and it's visitor centre where we can have lunch. We'll make a photo stop at the entrance to the Inishowen Peninsula to discover the circular Grianan of Aileach stone fort. Dinner is provided at the hotel in Derry. |
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| DAY 11 12 September | Our Irish breakfast will fuel our trip to County Tyrone where we will visit the Ulster American Folk Park near the town of Omagh where we will see reconstructions of thatched cottages and other buildings typical of the area in the 18th and 19th centuries. We'll continue our tour towards the Dublin, in the Republic of Ireland, which is our final destination. Upon arrival, we'll take a panoramic tour of the city, which will allow us to see Trinity College, St. Patrick and Christchurch Cathedrals, Dublin Castle, and more. Find a typical Irish pub for dinner tonight. |
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| DAY 12 13 September | After breakfast, we have a free day to explore Dublin. Visit The Long Room of the Old Library at Trinity College and see The Book of Kells Exhibition. Get yourself to the Guinness Storehouse and learn how to pour a pint properly. Have dinner and drinks at The Temple Bar. And don't forget to pack. Tonight is our last night on tour. |
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| DAY 13 14 September | Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to the airport to head back to Canada or onto London (optional extension). Tentative. London Extension: You will be greeted at the airport and transferred to your hotel. |
London Extension (optional):
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| DAY 14 15 September | Tentative. London Extension: City tour of London. Optional excursions available. | London Extension (optional):
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| DAY 15 16 September | Tentative. London Extension: Optional excursions available. | London Extension (optional):
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| DAY 16 17 September | Tentative. Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to the airport to head back to Canada. | London Extension (optional):
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