GREAT SCOTTISH CASTLES

Duration: 10-12 hours in full, approx. 300 miles. Cost exclusive of castle entry.

Itinerary Summary

Our first stop is Loch Leven and the medieval Lochleven Castle, site of the imprisonment of Mary Queen of Scots on the island stronghold and eventual escape. We continue on to Falkland village, the site of the ancient Falkland Palace (paid entry, Mar-Oct), once upon a time a favourite palace to the Stewart royals and with exquisitely kept gardens. We stop briefly at St Andrews and admire the ancient ruined St Andrews Cathederal and Castle, which tell a quite a story in religious history of Scotland and we see the architectural beauty of St Andrews University, one of Britain’s oldest and most prestigious universities. We then continue our journey northwards to Glamis Castle, The family home of the Earls of Strathmore and Kinghorne, Glamis Castle is the legendary setting for Shakespeare's Macbeth, the childhood home of HM Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother and the birthplace of Princess Margaret. Alternatively, we could visit the House of Dun, a perfect example of a Georgian mansion and baroque extravagance, every bit the perfect 18th-century laird’s home. We continue northwards into Aberdeenshire and visit the dramatic and evocative ruined cliff top fortress of Dunnottar Castle, former home of the Earls Marischal, once one of the most powerful families in Scotland and where the Scottish crown jewels were hidden from Oliver Cromwell’s army. We return home and break up the journey at the town of Perth for a quaint riverside stop on the River Tay.