5 Day East Coast Discovery Tour

Day 1 Pick Up from Hotel and tour north, stopping at South 
Queensferry village to walk the cobbled street with fine 
views of the famous bridges. We move on to Falkland village 
for a visit to the Royal Palace. This fine Renaissance palace 
with an extensive formal garden was inspired by the grand 
châteaux of France and is now one of the finest surviving 
examples of Renaissance architecture in Scotland. Later, we 
tour along the coast to visit the charming East Neuk fishing 
villages of St Monans and Pittemweem, nestling amongst 
the natural harbours of the coastline. Overnight Anstruther.

Day 2 This morning, explore the historic town of St. 
Andrews. The centre of town consists of narrow alleys and 
cobbled streets. See the ruined Cathedral and walk around 
the University. Later, we cross the Firth of Tay to the former 
fishing village of Broughty Ferry for a walk out to 15th 
century Castle that offers stunning views of the award
winning sandy beach to appreciate the scenery around the 
mouth of the Tay Estuary. We explore Dundee with visits to 
the V&A Design Museum and Royal Research Ship 
Discovery. Overnight Dundee. 

Day 3 We tour up the east coast to the coastal town of 
Arbroath, famous for its smoked fish. Here we visit the ruins 
of Arbroath Abbey founded in 1178 that played a role in the 
1320 Declaration of Arbroath. After visiting Montrose 
Harbour, we visit Dunnottar Castle. Once seen never 
forgotten, Dunnottar Castle perches atop a 160-foot rock 
and surrounded on three sides by the North Sea, these 
dramatic and evocative cliff-top ruins were once an 
impregnable fortress. Later, we visit Stonehaven harbour 
before we head for Aberdeen. Overnight Aberdeenshire. 

Day 4 After breakfast, we tour into majestic Royal Deeside. 
For the most part, the road sticks closely to the River Dee as 
it winds its way from Aberdeen to the picturesque Victorian 
village of Ballater. Surrounded by glorious countryside, it is 
easy to see why Queen Victoria fell in love with the place 
when she visited this region in 1848. We stop to visit Crathes 
Castle standing against a backdrop of rolling hills and set 
within its own glorious gardens. We end the day touring the 
scenic Glenshee route with fine vistas of the Cairngorms 
National Park. Overnight Blairgowrie.  

Day 5 We leave the Highlands and drop into the Lowlands to 
explore the traditional village of Culross. Explore the cobbled 
streets, have lunch and then visit furnished Culross Palace, 
an exceptional example of a merchant’s home from the early 
17th century. Next, we visit The Falkirk Wheel to marvel at 
the engineering of the world's one and only rotating boat lift. 
We visit the famous ‘Kelpies’, a tribute to the horse power 
heritage that was vital to the early industries of central 
Scotland, admiring them before returning to Edinburgh.