DAY    1            DEPARTURE FROM NORTH AMERICA
Enjoy full meal service on your wide- bodied flight to Glasgow.

DAY    2            ARRIVE GLASGOW - EDINBURGH (2 NIGHTS)
You will be met at the airport by your Casterbridge Tour Manager/Guide and transferred to your hotel in Edinburgh. Your guide will be pleased to take you on some introductory sightseeing of this historic city. Today our visits will include the National Gallery of Scotland, the Scott Monument and Princes Street. We will climb Arthur's Seat for a spectacular view over the Firth of Forth.

DAY    3            EDINBURGH
Our Walking Tour will start at Holyrood Palace before stopping for a visit to John Knox's House, whom was known as the "Father" of Protestantism. Knox used this house during the last years of his life in order to stay close to St. Giles' Cathedral, where he preached every Sunday. Then we will continue along the Royal Mile to visit St. Giles Cathedral, one of the most important architectural landmarks along the Royal Mile and the first Presbyterian Church. We will then travel the Royal Mile to Edinburgh Castle where we will take a guided tour, and see the Great Hall and St. Margaret's Chapel. The "Royal Mile" runs from the castle to the Palace of Holyroodhouse and is lined with buildings such as St. Giles' Cathedral, where Knox preached, with its distinctive crown spire, Parliament Hall with a superb hammerbeam roof and stained glass windows, and the Museum of Childhood. The rest of the afternoon is at our leisure. Why not trace your clans in a specialist Tartan factory.

DAY    4            EDINBURGH - ST. ANDREWS - ABERDEEN (2 NIGHTS)
This morning we travel to the beautiful university city of St. Andrews, over looking the North Sea. For several centuries St. Andrews was the ecclesiastical center for Scotland, and was the setting for a number of John Knox's denunciations of Roman Catholicism. We will visit Holy Trinity Church where Knox preached his first and last sermons. Then we will visit the Castle at St. Andrews, originally built to house the bishops, it is where Knox stayed for a short while during the civil war. Time permitting, we will also walk through the ruins of St. Andrews Cathedral, built in the 12th century for the Celtic Catholics. We continue on to Aberdeen, the third largest city in Scotland, which lies on the estuaries of the Rivers Dee and Don and is built almost entirely of granite, hence its nickname, the Granite City.

DAY    5            ABERDEEN & DUNNOTTAR CASTLE
Our sightseeing in Aberdeen includes St. Machar Cathedral, the Fish Market, and the Old City with its cobbled streets, quaint cottages and Duthie Park. We will also make a trip to Dunnottar Castle, an impressive ruined fortress situated 160 feet above the sea on a rocky cliff. Dunnottar was the stronghold of the Earl Marischal of Scotland from the 14th century. In 1645, the Royalist Marquis of Montrose failed to dislodge the Earl Marischal, a fierce Presbyterian Covenanter, from the castle. Scotland's Crown Jewels hidden in the castle were smuggled out by the wife of the minister of nearby Kinneff and hidden under the pulpit in the church. In 1685, 167 Covenanters were imprisoned in the dungeon. We return to Aberdeen for the evening along the beautiful coast of Scotland.

DAY    6            ABERDEEN - ELGIN - CAWDOR - INVERNESS (1 NIGHT)
Today, we travel to Inverness with a lunch stop at Elgin "the Lanthorn of the North." There we will see Scotland's most beautiful Cathedral Ruin. We then continue on to Cawdor Castle, 14th century home of the Thane of Cawdor. The castle has fascinating furnishings. Of particular interest is a portrait of the 18th century Thane or Lord. He is wearing several different patterns or tartans at once, a gesture of defiance against the Banning of Tartan by the British government at the time. We also make a brief stop at the Battlefield of Culloden. Inverness is the capital of the Highlands and our guided Walking Tour includes many sights of pertinent relevance to the Scottish reformation. The historic town center contains many lovely shops and attractive buildings, which have been carefully restored to preserve its ancient character.

DAY    7            INVERNESS - LOCH NESS - FORT WILLIAM - OBAN (2 NIGHTS)
This morning we set out in search of the Loch Ness Monster, and will begin by exploring the shores of the Loch. If we are unsuccessful in our sighting, our visit to the Loch Ness Monster Museum provides photographic evidence to challenge the skeptics. In the afternoon, we continue on to Oban. Along the way we will enjoy the magnificent Highland scenery, which ends in the shadow of Ben Nevis, the highest of Britain's mountain, at the village of Fort William.

DAY    8            ISLES OF MULL & IONA
Today we board a ferry that will take us to the Isle of Mull, where the landscape is wild and desolate with its moorlands, rocky cliffs and castles. We then continue on to quiet and peaceful Isle of Iona. 1400 years ago, St. Columba came to this remote island and established his monastery, making Iona the cradle of Christianity in Scotland. For centuries, the island was also the burial place of Scottish kings. The 13th century Abbey is the highlight of Iona, standing on the site of Columba's first church. You will have time to explore the island on your own until the cruise ship returns to Oban.

DAY    9            OBAN - TROSSACHS - STIRLING CASTLE - GLASGOW (1 NIGHT)
This morning we continue our journey, traveling through the historic Trossachs. This rugged terrain inspired Sir Walter Scott to write "The Lady of the Lake". We will visit the Battlefield of Bannockburn long associated with the fight for independence and William Wallace. We will visit Stirling Castle, the place where Mary was crowned Queen of Scots. Our day ends in Glasgow with a special farewell dinner.

DAY    10          DEPARTURE FROM GLASGOW
Your experience ends as your Casterbridge Tour Manager/Guide accompanies you to the airport for the return flight home.