Depart on a cultural tour of Scotland that begins at the historic Caerlaverock Castle in the south and journeys to the ancient sites of the Orkney Islands in the north. Marvel at the 15th-century Rosslyn Chapel, visit the Culloden battlefield and explore Linlithgow Palace, once a residence of the Stewart Kings. Enhance your experience with fine whisky and immerse yourself in the festivities at the Tomintoul Highland Games.
With such a rich, often dense history, an educational tour of Scotland is one of the best ways to unlock the best this ancient country has to offer. Scotland is renowned for its vast, unspoiled landscapes, characterized by dramatic highland mountains, mysterious mist-covered glens, expansive lochs, rugged coastlines, and lush agricultural land. Dotting these dramatic landscapes are captivating historical remnants of Scotland’s rich past.
The Scots, known for their bravery, pride, and strong sense of independence, have long defended their freedom. From resisting Roman occupation to challenging English annexation attempts, Scotland’s history is filled with tales of the struggle for sovereignty, culminating in a Scottish king ascending the English throne.
Today, Scotland is celebrated for its iconic bagpipes, traditional tartan and tweed, distinctive cuisine (like haggis, made from spiced sheep’s innards and oatmeal), and world-renowned malt whisky.
Join a small group of only six people for a 15-day archaeological and educational journey through Scotland. Travel from the southern border with England to the farthest reaches of the north, discovering historical and archaeological sites often missed by other travelers. Experience Scotland’s prehistoric stone circles and tombs, magnificent abbeys and cathedrals, and enjoy the views from medieval castle battlements in remote, picturesque locations.
Participate in the oldest Highland Games in Scotland at Tomintoul and take a ferry to the Orkney Islands, home to the densest collection of Stone Age archaeological sites in Britain. Our meticulously planned route takes you through some of the most scenic rural countryside in the British Isles, ensuring you experience the very best of Scotland’s culture and heritage.
Want to explore other epic historical adventures? Browse our full Calendar of International Archaeology Tours.
Depart on a flight bound for Glasgow, Scotland.
Arrive early this morning in Glasgow. Scotland’s largest city was founded as a monastery in the 6th century by Saint Kentigern, or Mungo as he is known in Gaelic, a bishop of the British kingdom of Strathclyde. For most of its history, the city maintained a strong connection with the Catholic Church, with the Bishops of Glasgow playing key parts in the medieval history of Scotland.
Only four medieval buildings have survived in Glasgow, and we will view three. The magnificent Cathedral of St. Kentigern was thought to have been built on the site of the saint’s tomb. The Govan Old Church contains a unique collection of early medieval stones dating from the 9th through 11th centuries, including the elaborately decorated Govan Sarcophagus carved from solid stone in the Viking age. Our final stop will be at the Hunterian Museum, housed within the University of Glasgow and the oldest museum in Scotland. We will see a collection of impressive Roman artifacts from excavations along the line of the Antonine Wall.
Depart Glasgow and drive south to Eaglesham, declared Scotland’s first Conservation Village in the 1960s. The town was designed and constructed in 1769 by Alexander Montgomerie, the 10th Earl of Eglinton, in the shape of an A, the first initial of his name. We will take a short walk through this historic town and its green. Our home for the next three nights is the Best Western Glasgow South Eglinton Arms Hotel in Eaglesham. It was originally built as a coaching inn during the late 19th century, but its Old World charm remains. (D)
Built two thousand years ago in the reign of the Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius, the Antonine Wall ran coast-to-coast across Scotland from the Clyde to the Firth of Forth and is the most magnificent Roman military monument left in Scotland today. Known to the Romans as Vallum Antonini, this UNESCO World Heritage Site was comprised of a bank of turf almost nine feet tall, topped with an imposing wooden palisade.
After viewing the impressive remains, continue to New Lanark, another UNESCO World Heritage Site. Founded in 1786 by the philanthropist and Utopian idealist Robert Owen, this small 18th-century industrial community with its imposing cotton mill buildings, spacious and well-designed workers’ housing, and the dignified educational institute and school still testify to Owen’s humanism. (B/D)
Our morning drive takes us to the fairy-tale Caerlaverock Castle, the finest representation of a medieval castle in southwestern Scotland. A residence as well as a stronghold, its three-sided shape is unique in Britain, and the double-towered gatehouse and triangular layout surrounded by a water-filled moat and earthen rampart reflect some of the changes in design it has undergone in its turbulent history.
Continue to Sweetheart Abbey, founded in 1273, and the last Cistercian institution in Scotland. The founder, Dervorgilla, was laid to rest here, along with the casket containing the embalmed heart of her beloved husband, John de Balliol. (B/D)
Start the day at Traquair House, the oldest inhabited house in Scotland, situated amid beautiful scenery close to the River Tweed. Originally a Royal Hunting Lodge, it was owned by the Scottish Crown until 1478, when it passed to a branch of the Royal Stuart family whose descendants still live in the house today. The main structure contains early 16th-century carved oak paneling, a beautifully painted ceiling, and murals. As the religious orientation of the house’s occupants changed, the building played host to secret masses. A hidden stairway leading to the Priest’s Room attests to the problems faced by Catholic families. Traquair House Brewery lies directly underneath the Chapel (the smell of fermentation permeates the room, which may have made the services pass quickly!). It dates back to the early 1700s and originally served the house and the estate. The Stuart laird rediscovered the brewery in the early 1960s and began brewing again using all the original equipment, including the original oak tuns, some of which were over 200 years old. Enjoy a taste!
Next, see Melrose Abbey, lavishly ornamented with carvings of lush fruit, flowers, and foliage. Humorous additions to the masonry include human figurines around the exterior walls – the cook with his ladle, the mason with his mallet, the fat monk, and, flying high on a gargoyle, a bagpipe-playing pig.
Nearby, Dryburgh Abbey presents an interesting contrast. Founded in the 12th century, the complex was burned and restored twice but eventually went on to flourish in the 15th century. The great Sir Walter Scott is buried on the grounds.
Transfer to Dirleton and overnight for two nights at the charming Open Arms Hotel, overlooking the village green and the 12th-century Dirleton Castle beyond. (B/D)
Located on the Firth of Forth’s southern shore, Edinburgh is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Scotland’s capital. With its medieval Old Town, elegant gardens, and Neo-Classical buildings in the Georgian New Town, this is a gorgeous city. Towering over the city is Edinburgh Castle, home to Scotland’s crown jewels, and the Stone of Destiny, an ancient symbol of Scotland’s monarchy. There has been a royal castle on the site since the 12th century.
Nearby Holyrood Palace has served as the principal residence of the Kings and Queens of Scots since the 16th century and was Queen Elizabeth II’s home when in Edinburgh.
Enjoy an afternoon walking tour of historic Edinburgh before returning to Dirleton. (B/D)
Our day is filled with captivating sites. Rosslyn Chapel is a tiny 15th-century church with extraordinary treasures secreted within. Every conceivable roof rib, capital, boss, arch, and corbel is encrusted with human and animal figures, moldings, and foliage.
Magnificent Linlithgow Palace was one of the principal residences of the Scottish monarchs in the 15th and 16th centuries. Without defensive walls or a well-fortified position, Linlithgow was an exquisite pleasure retreat. With four wings arranged around a central courtyard and one of the finest medieval interiors in Scotland, including a massive Great Hall, it embodied imperial splendor and power. Several noble family members were born in this royal manor, including James V and his daughter, Mary Queen of Scots.
Next, view the Forth Bridge, crossing the Forth estuary near Edinburgh and designated a UNESCO World Heritage property. It remains one of the greatest cantilever-trussed bridges and continues to carry passengers and freight today.
After seeing Stirling Castle, one of the finest examples of Renaissance architecture in Scotland, continue to the 18th-century country town of Dunkeld. Time permitting, stop by Dunkeld Cathedral, built in stages between 1260 and 1501. It became an important religious site for the early Celtic Church when the relics of the Irish saint, Columba, were moved here from Iona, Scotland’s remote western island and important medieval monastic center.
Overnight in the Dunkeld House Hotel in Dunkeld, a graceful country house hotel overlooking the River Tay. (B/D)
Our first stop today is Blair Castle, the home of the Atholl family for over seven centuries. The castle has had a diverse history, witnessing both turbulent and peaceful times, enlarged and adapted over 750 years. Home to politicians, soldiers, agriculturalists, and entrepreneurs, the family history is brought to life against a backdrop of fine 18th-century interiors and Scots Baronial architecture in 30 rooms.
Scotland is known for its single-malt Scottish whisky. The word whisky itself derives from the Scottish Gaelic uisge beitha, or ‘water of life.’ After lunch, we will stop at a distillery for a tour and tasting.
Transfer to Aberlour and overnight for two nights at the Dowans Hotel, a grand Victorian mansion converted into a hotel. (B/D)
Today will be a highlight of the trip as we join the festivities at the Tomintoul Highland Games, one of Scotland’s longest running. The exciting events include highland dancing, piping competitions, and tossing of the caber, where men heave a telephone pole-like beam so that it turns over in the air and falls on the ground directly opposite the man who threw it…a feat of strength and skill.
Tonight’s elegant dinner will include a specially arranged whisky tasting. (B/D)
This morning’s walk through the battlefields of Culloden will help us understand the last Jacobite Rising. In April l746, after decades of attempts to install the descendants of the Catholic House of Stuarts on the British throne, this bloody battle was won by the Protestant troops of the House of Hanover and ended the Highland clan culture of Scotland.
As we drive north, we will stop at Dunrobin Castle, a large Victorian fairytale-like mansion built around a 14th-century tower. The museum contains many Pictish stones with carvings and other archaeological finds and fascinating memorabilia accrued by the incumbent family over the years.
Overnight at the Forss House Hotel in Thurso. (B/D)
An early morning crossing by ferry takes us from Thurso to Stromness in the Orkney Islands. The UNESCO World Heritage Heart of Neolithic Orkney consists of a group of Stone Age monuments. The first we will see is Skara Brae, Orkney’s most extraordinary prehistoric site. This Neolithic village, buried for millennia in the sand until unearthed by a freak storm in 1850, is completely preserved, including furniture and an astonishing drainage system. Brochs are Iron Age dry-stone towers found only in Scotland. Many stood alone, but on Orkney, they were generally surrounded by sizable settlements. The Broch of Gurness, spectacularly located overlooking the sea, is an outstanding surviving example. The origins of Orkney’s capital Kirkwall, our home base for the next two days, can be traced back to Norse times in the 11th century when it was called Kirkjuvagr – the church of the bay. We will walk the stone streets of this medieval town to see St. Magnus Cathedral, founded in 1137 by the Viking, Earl Rognvald, in honor of his uncle St. Magnus. We will also visit the ruins of the magnificent Renaissance Earl’s Palace with its enormous fireplaces and huge oriel windows, and the Bishop’s Palace.
Overnight for the next two nights in the Ayre Hotel overlooking the port of Kirkwall. (B/D)
Head out for Unstan Cairn, a Neolithic chambered cairn constructed sometime between 3400 and 2800 BC. Then, we continue our explorations of UNESCO’s Heart of Neolithic Orkney at the Great Cairn of Maeshowe. The size and elaborate construction suggest that it was the burial place of an important, and probably ruling, family group. The tomb was broken into countless times in the past, including by the Norse, who carved their graffiti on the walls, leaving us the finest collection of runic inscriptions in Britain.
Drive to the southern end of Loch Stenness to explore The Stenness Stones and the Ring of Brodgar. There are four stones still standing at Stenness, while at Brodgar, twenty-seven of the original sixty monoliths are still standing. (B/D)
Stop to see the Italian Chapel, a tiny church built in the Mediterranean style by Italian POWs during World War II, before boarding the ferry to return to the Scottish mainland.
Upon arrival, drive to the Tarbat Discovery Centre, dedicated to displaying and preserving the heritage of the Tarbat Peninsula. Housed in the Old Parish Church are artifacts from the only Pictish monastic settlement excavated in Scotland.
Driving south along the peninsula, we will stop to view three stunning carved Pictish stones. In a lonely flower-filled pasture stands a full-scale reproduction of the Hilton of Cadboll Pictish Cross Slab, one of the most magnificent of the carved Pictish stones in Scotland. Further down the road is the Clach a’ Charridh, or Shandwick Stone, standing more than ten feet tall. Intricately displayed on the six carved panels are the Pictish double-disc, a hunting scene, along with warriors and animals. Displayed within the Old Church, the 8th-century Nigg Cross is one of Scotland’s greatest treasures. The Pictish symbols and Christian imagery bring to mind an illuminated manuscript page.
Continue to Inverness, where we spend one night at the Strathness House. (B/D)
Our long drive will take us through some of the most spectacular scenery in Scotland – the renowned and rugged Highlands. Travel through Great Glen with Loch Ness, by far the most famous of its lakes. It is said to be home to Nessie, a monstrous creature first sighted by St. Columba in the 6th century. The commanding fortifications along the way attest to the region being fought over for centuries.
Overlooking Loch Ness stands Urquhart Castle, once one of Scotland’s largest medieval battlements. Control of the castle passed back and forth between the Scots and the English during the Wars of Independence, and the last of the government troops garrisoned here during the Jacobite Risings blew up the castle when they left.
Continuing towards Glasgow, stop in Ft. Williams to learn the story of the mountainous West Highlands of Scotland and its people at the West Highlands Museum.
Overnight in a Glasgow airport hotel. (B/D)
Transfer to the airport for our flights back home. (B)
