 |
Home |
|
 |
||
| Contact Us | |||||
| Mailing List | |||||
| Tell a Friend |
Scotland Castle Tour
Every tour is unique and starts from a blank page which we will help you fill in. Here are some examples to help you choose a vacation for you and your family. Please Note, due to the variable weather conditions in scotland the itinerary may be adjusted to suit. Below is an example of a tour.
Here are some of scotlands Castles and Abbeys.
Edinburgh Castle.
dominates the city of Edinburgh like no other castle in Scotland, or for that matter the whole of the British Isles. Over one thousand years of history sit on top of the famous Edinburgh rock and it is easy to see why over a million visitors a year visit Edinburgh Castle.Dunfermline Abbey.
can trace its roots back to 1070. That was when King Malcolm III married Queen Margaret in a ceremony in a church at Dunfermline. She liked the place so much she decided to set up a religious community here, bringing in Benedictine monks from Canterbury to form its core.Dunkeld Cathedral.
The church in Dunkeld has been around a long time - over 1400 years - dating from the time when Celtic monks set up a base for mission where the River Braan joins the River Tay. Since then it has seen many changes and turbulent times, eventually becoming the beautiful, peaceful place of worship it is today. While the long and distinguished history is impressive and interesting, (longer than the nation of Scotland has existed) it is still a living, worshipping church and the Parish Church of Dunkeld - a congregation of the Church of Scotland. We who worship here are very aware of our heritage, but are more concerned about continuing that worship and witness in the 21st. century.St. Andrews.
Sitting at the eastern end of St Andrews' two main streets is the imposing, if slightly confusing, collection of ruins that together make up St Andrews Cathedral and a number of associated religious buildings.There had probably been a religious community located on this site since around 732AD, when relics of St Andrew were brought to what was then known as Kilrimont by Bishop Acca of Hexam. There is an alternative and probably more fanciful story, that Saint Rule brought five of St Andrew's bones here by boat in the years after 300AD, having sailed from from Patras in Greece and eventually surviving a shipwreck near the site of today's harbour.
Loch Leven - Castle Stalker
in the Gaelic, Stalcaire, meaning Hunter or Falconer - is believed originally to have been the site of a Fortalice (a small fortified building) belonging to the MacDougalls when they were Lords of Lorn, and built around 1320. The MacDougalls lost their title after their defeat by King Bruce at Brander Pass in 1308 but regained it for a period after 1328. In about 1388 the Lordship of Lorn passed to the Stewarts, the lands including Castle Stalker.
Lindores Abbey
To Friar John Cor,by order of the King, to make aquavitae, VIII bols of malt.
This is the earliest ever record of whisky production in Scotland, and is to be found in the exchequer roll of 1494. The King was James IV and it was whilst staying at Falkand palace,his hunting lodge that he commissioned Friar John Cor of the Tironensian order of nearby Lindores Abbey to make aquavitae (meaning water of life). Eight bols of malt amounts to 1,120 lbs (580kgs) and this quantity of malt would make over 400 bottles of todays whisky, it also confirms that distilling was already firmly established at Lindores By this time.
Balmerino Abbey
Ruins of a Cistercian monastery, founded in 1229. Visitors may not enter the buildings, which are undergoing stabilisation work, but can view them from the grounds, which contain an ancient Spanish chestnut tree, one of the oldest in the country.
Falkland Palace
The Royal Palace of Falkland was the country residence of Stuart kings and queens when they hunted deer and wild boar in the Fife forest. Mary, Queen of Scots spent some of the happiest days of her tragic life here, playing the country girl in the woods and parks. The Palace was built between 1501 and 1541 by James IV and James V, replacing earlier castle and palace buildings dating from the 12th century, traces of which can still be seen in the grounds. The roofed South Range contains the Chapel Royal, and the East Range the King's Bedchamber and the Queen's Room, both restored by the Trust. The Keeper's Apartments in the Gatehouse are now also on display. The palace contains fine portraits of the Stuart monarchs and two sets of 17th-century tapestry hangings.
Picturesque Crail - Kellie Castle -
Dating from the 14th Century, this National Trust of Scotland castle is a fine example of domestic architecture of its time. Restored in the 19th century by the Lorimar family is contains magnificent plaster ceilings and painted panelling as well as fine furntirue designed by Lorimar himself.
Elcho Castle
This castle belongs to the Earls of Wemyss. It has always been in their family. The castle was built in the later part of the 1500's. It is a Z-plan tower house with some remains of a barmkin. The land was confirmed to Sir John Wemyss of Wemyss in 1468.
Scone Palace
Scone is a place that breathes history like nowhere else in Scotland. Today, in the 21st century, it is the home of the Earls of Mansfield, and a major attraction to visitors from all over the world. Fifteen hundred years ago, it was the capital of the Pictish kingdom and the centre of the ancient Celtic church. In the intervening centuries, it has been the seat of parliaments and the crowning place of Kings. It has housed the Stone of Destiny and been immortalised in Shakespeare's Macbeth.
Branklyn Gardens
This attractive little garden, a haven of peace within walking distance of Perth, was once described as "the finest two acres of private garden in the country". It contains an outstanding collection of plants, particularly rhododendrons, alpines, herbaceous and peat-garden plants, which attracts gardeners and botanists from all over the world. One of the most breathtaking of the unusual plants here is the vivid blue Meconopsis (Himalayan poppy).
It was bequeathed to the Trust in 1967 by John T Renton, CBE who, with his wife, began the garden planting in 1922, on the site of a former orchard.
Loch Ness
The picturesque ruins of Urquhart Castle are situated 2 miles from Drumnadrochit on a rocky peninsula on the banks of Loch Ness. After a chequered history, the building was blown up in 1692 to prevent it becoming a Jacobite stronghold.
Isle Of Skye
Dunvegan Castle, Armadale Castle Garden & Museum. More >>
Eilean Donan Castle
The most photographed castle in the world? Certainly Eilean Donan is Scotland's most romantic and recognizable, but it is not entirely what it seems. Although the island of Eilean Donan has been a fortified site for at least eight hundred years, the present building dates largely from the early 20th century. Today's castle, which rose from the ruins of it's predecessor, was rebuilt between 1912 and 1932 by Lieutenant Colonel John MacRae-Gilstrap.
Eilean Donan is quite unique, the product of an incredible feat of determination and devotion to restore the Castle for the MacRae family. It is hard to believe that the present castle has yet to celebrate its 100 birthday, but easy to be absorbed by the atmosphere of a place which has stood witness to so much history. More on Eilean Donan Castle >>
On your tour of Scotland you may experiance some Scottish Food.