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Taste of Scotland
& Ireland
Superior First
Class Hotels: 10 or 11 Day Coach
Tour
Tour
Highlights:
Scottish Pub Evening & Ghost Tour
Taylor’s
Three Rock Evening with Traditional Music
Bunratty Castle
Medieval Banquet
Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness
Edinburgh
Ghost Tour
Bonnie Prince Charlie’s Defeat at
Culloden
Kiss the Blarney
Stone
Cliffs of Moher
Day
1: Glasgow
Highlights
Land in Glasgow Airport
where you’ll meet your CIE Tours driver/guide or representative.
Take a group transfer to your hotel, departing at 8:00 am, 10:00 am or
12:00 noon. If you arrive later than noon, you must transfer to the
hotel at your own expense. At 3:00 pm set out on a coach tour to
discover the main attractions of Glasgow,
a city that flourished in Victorian times due to the shipbuilding
industry on the River Clyde. Drive around George Square with its ornate
City Chambers and nearby Glasgow Cathedral. Visit extensive collections
in Kelvinqrove Art Gallery and Museum,
originally opened in 1901 and recently refurbished. Back at your hotel,
join your fellow travellers for a welcome drink before dinner. (D)
Day
2: Loch Lomond &
Urquhart Castle
Depart Glasgow
and travel alongside the famous Loch Lomond,
renowned in song and also for unsurpassed beauty of the lake and
mountains. Travel across the haunting Rannoch Moor and through the deep
valley of Glencoe, notorious for the Campbell massacre of the Clan
Macdonald in 1692. Continue through Fort
William and stop in Fort Augustus, located at the southern
tip of Loch Ness. Drive beside Loch Ness to enjoy delightful scenery
and keep an eye out for “Nessie”.
Visit Urquhart Castle to see the ruins of what
was once the largest castle in Scotland. Enjoy views of
the scenic promontory where the castle is located. Continue to Nairn where your hotel was a favourite
summer residence of Charlie Chaplin. Experience Scottish culture in
your hotel this evening when a Scottish piper and step-dancer
perform for you. (B,D)
Day
3: Culloden Battlefield & Edinburgh
Ghost Tour
Visit the Culloden Visitor
Centre to learn about the Battle of Culloden where Bonnie
Prince Charlie was defeated by the British army in 1746 in a fierce
combat that lasted just one hour. The Scottish defeat changed the
traditional way of Highland clan life
forever. Drive south through the majestic peaks of the Grampian
Mountains to visit Edradour Distillery,
Scotland’s smallest, to see how whisky is distilled and sample
some. Continue south to Edinburgh
and check in to your hotel, located on a golf course a few miles from
the city centre. In the evening head to the cosy
Beehive
Inn for an informal pub dinner and then join a local
guide for a fun walking tour to discover the haunts of
Edinburgh’s many colourful characters.
(B,D)
Day
4: Edinburgh
Castle & City
Tour
This morning an Edinburgh city
guide will point out the principal sights of this interesting capital
city. Drive along the bustling Princes Street and through the
gracious, wide streets of the 200-year-old Georgian New Town. See the
compact medieval section along the Royal Mile where some houses reach
11 stories tall. Visit
Edinburgh Castle,
which dominates the city centre and contains the Scottish Crown Jewels
and the Stone of Scone. The balance of the day is free for further
sightseeing, shopping and dining. On August 03, 08, 15, 17 and 22
departures enjoy the Military Tattoo at Edinburgh Castle.
(B)
Day
5: Larne Ferry & Drive to Dublin
Depart Edinburgh early this morning and
drive south through part of the Southern Uplands and along the
coastline. At Cairnryan take a ferry ride
across the narrow channel between Scotland
and Ireland to
Larne, just outside Belfast.
Drive south to Dublin
and check in to your hotel, located in the Georgian section of the
city, where the evening is at leisure for independent dining. (B)
Day
6: Viking Dublin & Taylor’s Three Rock Pub
This morning join your
fellow travellers for a tour of central Dublin in the
company of a local guide. Pass
Trinity College,
where the Book of Kells is housed; Dail Eireann, where the
government meets; and rows of Georgian houses with gaily-collared
doorways. Stop at Dublin Castle for a
guided tour through the elegant State Apartments, which are filled with
elaborate Waterford Crystal chandeliers and furnishings. Enjoy the
afternoon at leisure or use your open-top bus and
Guinness or Jameson vouchers to explore the city on your own. In the
evening drive to Taylor’s Three Rock Pub for a great dinner
of Irish specialties, which is followed by a lively show of traditional
Irish songs and intricate step-dancing. (B,D)
Day
7: Blarney Castle & Killarney
Depart Dublin
and travel through the centre of Ireland, stopping to view
the stately church ruins atop the Rock of Cashel.
Continue your drive south to visit Blarney Castle and kiss
the famous “Stone of Eloquence.” Also visit the Blarney Woollen Mills where you can find
quality Irish-made goods. Drive into County Kerry
where the scenery becomes more mountainous to Killarney, picturesquely
set beside lakes and mountains. Check in to your downtown hotel and
relax before dinner. Afterwards you may like to head to a
“singing pub.” (B,D)
Day
8: Ring of Kerry & Skellig Experience
Today embark on the Ring
of Kerry drive – a winding route with breathtaking sights of
mountains and coastal views. Stop near the Gap of Dunloe
to see Essence
of Kerry, an audio-visual presentation. As you travel,
there will be plenty of stops for photos. Meet a local farmer for a
taste of farm life with a sheepdog demonstration of herding flocks. Cross
to Valencia
Island by bridge
to visit the Skellig Experience
which describes the life of early monks who led austere lives on the
nearby islands. Drive through Waterville
and stop in Sneem to admire brightly-painted
houses. Pause at Moll’s Gap for stunning views and take a guided
walk around Muckross Gardens before
returning to Killarney in time to relax before dinner. (B,D)
Day
9: Cliffs of Moher & Bunratty
Castle
Drive to Tarbert for a ferry ride across the River Shannon
Estuary. Continue to the Cliffs of Moher,
a spectacular wall of limestone that reaches 700 feet above the Atlantic Ocean. Drive to Bunratty
to check into Bunratty Castle Hotel, located
very close to Bunratty
Castle and Folk Park.
If you wish, you may visit the Folk Park,
have a drink in the 200-year-old Durty
Nelly’s Pub or shop at the Bunratty
Mills. In the evening head to Bunratty Castle for a
memorable medieval-style feast. During and after the meal the lords and
ladies will serenade you with song and harp music, evocative of the
middle Ages. (B,D)
Day
10: Shannon Airport or Dublin Extension
Clients on the 10-day
tour will take a group transfer to nearby Shannon Airport
where your tour concludes at 10:30 am. Those on the 11-day tour will
drive through the outskirts of Limerick and through the midland region of
Ireland
to Kildare. Here visit the Irish National Stud and Japanese Gardens. You can
learn about horse breeding and see some of the valuable animals before
touring the lovely Japanese Gardens, considered the best in Europe. Drive to your hotel in the centre of Dublin and you are
free this evening for independent activities and dining. (B)
Day
11: Depart from Dublin
Airport
As your hotel is
convenient to Dublin
Airport, a hotel
shuttle service will transfer you to the airport terminal. After
check-in, you’ll have time to shop at the duty-free shops before
boarding your flight for the journey home. (B)
Tour runs 4 April – 14 November
Departure day Sunday only
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Tour Dates
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Prices
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4 April > 25
April
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$2250
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2 May > 23
May
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$2530
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30 May > 25
July
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$2560
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1 August > 22
August
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$2780
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* Tues 3 & 17
August
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$2780
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29 August > 26
September
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$2560
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3 October > 24
October
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$2380
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31 October > 14
November
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$2185
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Rates are in Australian dollars per person twin share basis
Single supplement $720
To extend this tour to 11 days add an additional $155 p.p. plus
single supplement of $75
YOUR TOUR INCLUDES
• Group
transfers on arrival and departure
• Ferry
from Scotland to Ireland
• Dublin open-top
bus tour
• Visit
and a drink at Guinness Storehouse or Old Jameson Distillery
•
Sightseeing by luxury coach throughout
•
Services of a professional driver/guide
•
Superior first class hotels with private bath/shower for 9 or 10 nights
• Full
Scottish & Irish breakfast daily (B) (except day 1)
• 7
dinners (D) including
- Pub dinner
at the Beehive Inn in Edinburgh
- Dinner and
traditional Irish entertainment at Taylor’s Three Rock Pub
- Medieval
banquet and entertainment in Bunratty Castle
- 4 table
d’hôte dinners
•
Welcome get-together drink
•
Display of Scottish piping and step-dancing in Nairn
•
Whisky tasting and tour of Edradour
Distillery
• Ghost
walking tour of Edinburgh
•
Reserved seats for Edinburgh Military Tattoo on August 03, 08, 15, 17
and 22 departures
• Tours
of Edinburgh and Dublin with local guides
• Ferry
ride across the River Shannon
•
Sheepdog trials on Ring of Kerry
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Visits and admissions to Kelvingrove Art
Gallery & Museum, Urquhart Castle, Culloden Battlefield Visitor
Centre, Edinburgh Castle, Dublin Castle, Blarney Castle, Blarney Woollen Mills, Essence of Kerry AV Show, Skellig Experience, Muckross
Gardens, Cliffs of Moher and Irish National
Stud & Japanese Gardens
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Deluxe flight bag, ticket wallet, luggage tags & strap
• All local taxes, hotel service charges & porterage for one suitcase per person
YOUR HOTELS
Stay
at the following (or similar):
Thistle Hotel, Glasgow (1 night)
The Newton Hotel, Nairn (1 night)
Marriott Dalmahoy Hotel, Edinburgh (2 nights)
Burlington Hotel, Dublin (2 nights)
Killarney Avenue Hotel, Killarney (2 nights)
Bunratty Castle Hotel, Bunratty (1 night)
Ashling Hotel, Dublin (1 night – 11-day tour only)
Call our office 1800 336676 for any further
assistance or advice or email info@accessukholidays.com
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