Orkney & Scotland (August 11-23, 2012) - 12 nights, 13 days and only 12 people
Orkney - A time capsule of the past
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| The haunting Ring of Brodgar, Orkney |
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A world apart
Our
focus on our Scottish journey is Orkney, the land of stone age villages
and standing stones, and a land ruled and dominated by the Vikings for
centuries. A land that has always been a world unto themselves.
During our three nights on Orkney we'll discover Vikings, ancient ruins
(which are visible almost every single mile), Scapa Flow, the home of
the British fleets during two World Wars and thriving
communities.
And we can't forget Highland Park Whisky
and the appropriately named 'Skull Spliter' beer.
We can try the prize winning Orkney cheeses and visit Ortak to see (& maybe buy) the distinctive jewelry that is unique only to Orkney.
As the TV commercials say: "There's more"...
We also stay in Tain, the oldest Royal Burgh in the country, in Pitlochry, at the Atholl Palace Hotel where Bev and I managed to lock ourselves in the bathroom on a memorable night.
We finish in Edinburgh - at the elegant and friendly Channings
for three nights taking in the spectacular Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo and much
more.
To put a ribbon around it, we have an early night and last night before you fly home at Glasgow airport.Scotland
makes a great visit these days as the nation debates the difficult
question of whether to stay a part of the UK or to reach out to regain
their total independence. A rich past and an exciting future. Makes for a
great visit.
More
questions? Want to talk to Andy or Bev Fraser about this trip or any small group, relaxed pace tour?
Give us a call at 1 800 773 7093 or e-mail: andy-bev@shaw.ca. Check prices on sidebar at right of page.Big booking incentives: Bring four friends (not wife, husband or significant other) and
get your tour half price.
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Itinerary Scotland & Orkney
Highlights -
Northern Highlands - Orkeny (Skara Brae, Standing Stones, Distillery,
Burial Tombs, Skapa Flow) - Central Highlands - Edinburgh Military
Tattoo - City Tour - Relaxed pace - free time.
Tour begins and ends at Glasgow Airport.
August 11- Early night -
Holiday Inn Glasgow Airport. Your tour doesn’t start till tomorrow.
Just walk across the road from the terminal and your at the hotel. Dine
on your own, put your feet up and relax.
August 12 -(2 nights Morangie House Hotel, Tain) -
Up through the west highlands, past beautiful Loch Lomond, over haunting Glencoe up
through Fort William then Fort Augustus, alongside the mysterious Loch
Ness, around Inverness to Tain, the oldest Royal Burgh in Scotland. A
lovely little town on the shores of the Dornoch Firth. (2 nights in
Tain, B&D).
August 13 - We’ll drive over the Firth to
Dornoch, have a look at the tiny Cathedral (where Madonna was married)
as well as seeing the spot where Janet Horne, the last witch to be
burned in Scotland was dispatched. A lovely town with a great golf
course. Back to the hotel in time to put feet up or write post cards before our Dinner.
August 14 - (Three nights in Kirkwall)
A marvellous drive up the east coast alongside the North Sea till we
reach Thurso then it’s over the Pentland Firth by our Northlink Ferry to
Stromness on Mainland Orkney. Stromness was the last place for the
Hudson Bay Company to load up with water before heading to their fur
trading lands. We drive across the island to Kirwall, the medieval
Viking capital for three nights. Dinner & Breakfast.
August 15 -
A day to explore Orkney including the Stone Age Village of Skara Brae,
the neolithic burial chamber at Maes Howe, the standing stones at the
Ring of Brodgar and Steness as well as the delightful rolling hills and
dairy farms on Orkney. Dinner & Breakfast.
August 16-
We’ll have a day to enjoy the famous Orkney Cheese, check out Ortak
Jewellery, try the delightful single malt at Highland Park as well as
seeing the evocative Italian Chapel. There’s also free time to explore
Kirwall and enjoy this medieval Viking town.
Dinner is on your own tonight. Breakfast in the morning.
August 17 - (2 nights Atholl Palace, Pitlochry) Back
opver to Stromness to catch our ferry back to the mainland and a drive
down the A9 and through the lovely central Highlands to Pitlochry and
the grandeur of the Atlholl Palace Hotel with its magnificent setting
high on a hill overlooking the rich lands of the Murrays. Dinner and
Breakfast
August 18 - An easy day exploring the
surrounding countryside including the charming town of Dunkeld and
Aberfeldy where the famous Black Watch were first raised. We’ll also
take in the Small Glen and the best independent small bookseller in the
UK before returning to our hotel. Dinner & Breakfast.
August 19 - (3 nights Edinburgh, Channings Hotel) -
Down the road to Dunfermline and the tomb of Robert The Bruce beneath
the high altar of Dunfermline Abbey. Later it’s over the Forth Road
Bridge alongside the famous Rail Bridge to Edinburgh, the Capital of
Scotland and to Channings. Dinner & Breakfast.
August 20
- Enjoy a city tour as well as the excitement of the City at the time
of the Edinburgh Festival, the World’s largest festival of music and
theatre in the world. After free time for your lunch, it’s back to the hotel if you wish,
for a rest before Dinner and tonight’s performance of the Royal Military
Tattoo on the Esplanade of Edinburgh Castle. Dinner & Breakfast.
August 21 -
This is a free day for you to enjoy this wonderful city at your
leisure. Perhaps you might wish to take in a festival production or
visit the Art Gallery or national Museum or stroll Princes Street and
the Gardens as well as the Royal Mile or even to take in the Edinburgh
International Book Festival at Charlotte Square. Dinner is on your own
this evening. Breakfast in the morning.
August 22 - After a
leisurely breakfast we’ll board our coach for Linlithgow, the ruins of
the castle of Mary Queen of Scots and so many other Scottish Royals.
Later we’ll carry on to Glasgow for a brief swing through the city
before winding up at our airport hotel for a last night together before
departure the following day. Dinner & Breakfast.
August 23 - Departure day. No matter how early your flight, simply cross the road and you are in the airport terminal.
Tour itinerary may be changed if events occur beyond the control of Fraser Connection Tours.
Personal Orkney Notes...
Did you know that Gaelic is not spoken, nor has it ever been spoken, in Orkney?
Norse was the working language of this Viking colony from about the 600s on until English started to take over in the 15th and 16th centiuries.
That fact was brought out very clearly a few years back when we docked in Stromness. At the foot of the gangplank there was a cute little Scots girl greeting everyone as well as making sure they didn’t lose their footing and fall into the sea.
On stepping ashore one of our guests asked if the girl spoke Gaelic.
“No sir. We do not speak that language. We are the Vikings; the rapers and the pillagers!.”
Traces of that Viking culture still exist. In fact, listen closely and you will hear the Norse lilt in the Scottish accents.
The tiny, tidy town of Kirkwall where we stay, is considered to be the best example of a Viking medieval village and St. Magnus Cathedral is a perfect example of a Viking church after the incursion of Christianity into the islands.
What is even more fascinating on Orkney is that the farther back in the time you go, the more apparent is that period.
Stone age and Iron age sites are everywhere. It is not long before you become very aware that these were the dominant periods on Orkney.
Nowhere will you ever see a better preserved ruin than the stone age village at Skara Brae. No one is sure why the residents left but the eight or nine huts are still in remarkable condition.
Stone lined bed frames, stone inset cupboards, stone shelving and dressing tables, indoor toilets, a workshop and underground sewage system - all combine to hit you over the head with the realization that these people were not the grunting, knuckle dragging savages so often depicted.
These are people with whom we can identify.
A replica of one of the cottages has been built complete with roofs, cooking utensils and all the bits and pieces of a home of that period. Walking through the home you realize that seven to 10,000 years ago, people lived, hoped and dreamed much as we do today.
Burial chambers and tombs show a faith, a belief in something more than the immediacy of life and death.
Then there are the Stones. Huge massive things standing in their great circles, some surrounded by a ditch, some with higher stones on one side than the other, some highlighting a solstice sunbeam into the heart of a tomb, but all leaving you feeling pretty tiny in the great scheme of things.
And if you want to bend your head out of shape, try to figure out how living amidst these ruins, these tombs and these giant brooding sentinels must affect life and how you look at it.
There are mysteries here with answers that will remain forever hidden.
But what magic to see them and to wonder.
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Pricing
Prices: $4,295 Cdn or US per person sharing. Single Supplement: $825
To
book a $500 non-refundable deposit is required at time of booking with
the balance due 60 days prior to the departure of the tour (June 5).
Don't worry, we'll invoice you and let you when that day is getting
close.
Payment by cheque, MasterCard or Visa.
Please
read our details and fine print page regarding cancellation penalties
which apply. We strongly suggest you protect your investment and take
out insurance at the time of booking.
Hotels in Scotland
Early night & last night Holiday Inn Airport Hotel, Glasgow
Tain (2 nights), Kirwall-Orkney (3 nights), Pitlochry (2 nights), Edinburgh (3 nights) and last night Glasgow Airport hotel.
Morangie House Hotel, Tain (2 nights) An
elegant Victorian mansion of only 26 rooms, Morangie is named after the
famous Glen which produces one of Scotland's best known whiskies -
Glenmorangie. www.morangiehotel.com
West End Hotel, Kirwall (3 nights)
- This was a real 'find' for us in many ways. Many years ago we ran
into a gentleman running a B&B whom everyone fell in love with.
Today, along with a partner, 'Giffie' owns the West End Hotel which has
been voted top hotel in Kirkwall. www.westendhotel.co.uk
Atholl Palace Hotel, Pitlochry (2 nights)
- It's another
Victorian gem with all the grandeur and elegance one would expect in
something that looks like this. It's an old favorite of ours and if it
sounds familiar, yes, it's the one where we locked ourselves in the
bathroom a couple of years back. www.athollpalace.com
Channings Hotel, Edinburgh (3 nights)
This will be 16 years of our using this wonderful little prize winner
in the West End of the new town yet still within walking distance of the
heart of Edinburgh. www.theedinburghcollection.com/channings
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What's included
Price includes all
transportation on the tour, full breakfasts throughout, all dinners
mentioned, all sightseeing and entertainments, tickets to the Military
Tattoo, baggage handing (one suitcase), service charges and tipping at
each hotel.
Not included
Price does not include transportation to the tour
starting point and return, lunches and any meals not mentioned,
insurance, personal spending, alcoholic beverages.
Should you wish to arrive early or stay on, Fraser Connection Tours can help with your arrangements
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Fraser Connection Tours is located in British Columbia,
Canada and is licenced by Consumer Protection BC, registration # 1772. Fraser
Connection Tours, 2207-8485 Young Road, Chilliwack, BC, V2P 7Y7.
Telephone 1 800 773 7093, email andy-bev@shaw.ca.
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