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Itinerary
Day 1
We meet at our designated pick up points and en route to our hotel we visit Dumfries House for a guided tour, followed by included tea or coffee and shortbread. Designed 250 years ago by renowned 18th century architect brothers John, Robert and James Adam, Dumfries House is an imposing Palladian mansion nestled within 2,000 acres of scenic countryside in Ayrshire in south-west Scotland. Today the house is widely acknowledged as one of the most architecturally significant stately homes within the United Kingdom. We continue to the 4* Glyn Hill Hotel in Renfrew near Glasgow for a four night stay on half board basis.
Day 2
Our Blue Badge guide meets us at our hotel this morning and accompanies us throughout the day. This morning we enjoy a guided tour at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Scotland’s most visited museum and home to one of Europe’s greatest civic art collections. We continue to the unique House for an Art Lover, which opened to the public in 1996 and was inspired from Mackintosh’s competition entry of 1901. The attraction incorporates a permanent exhibition of decoratively furnished rooms, realised by contemporary artists and crafts people, which allow visitors the opportunity to compare the original drawings against each completed room.
Day 3
Today we visit Edinburgh for a guided tour of the National Gallery of Scotland. Including paintings by renowned artists such as Van Dyck and Tiepolo, the Gallery is home to Scotland’s greatest collection of European paintings and sculpture from the Renaissance to Post Impressionist eras. With our Blue Badge guide we visit the Royal Yacht Britannia this afternoon. Serving the Royal Family for over forty years, the Royal Yacht played a leading role in some of the defining moments of recent history. The audio tour takes in the State Dining Room, the Bridge and the Queen’s Sitting Room.
Day 4
We firstly visit the village of Tarbet, a picturesque village once described by Queen Victoria as being blessed with ‘splendid passes, richly wooded with the highest mountains behind’, where there is an included cruise on beautiful Loch Lomond. We continue with our Blue Badge guide to Helensburgh to visit Hill House. Sitting high above the Clyde, Hill House is considered one of Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s finest domestic creations. The feel of the house, which was decorated with the help of Mackintosh’s wife, is of restrained elegance combined with dazzling architecture. Our final visit today is to St Mungo’s Cathedral. Consecrated in 1197, the medieval cathedral is home to one of the finest post War collections of stained glass windows in Britain.
Day 5
After checking out of our hotel we visit Mackintosh House, which is a reconstruction of the principal interiors from the original Glasgow home of the architect. Rooms on display include the hall, dining room, studio drawing room and main bedroom where Mackintosh’s distinctive and contemporary style is evident. We continue to the Hunterian Gallery, safeguarding the Mackintosh Collection, and comprising of 800 drawings, designs and watercolours, as well as a small but important archive of correspondence, photographs and periodicals.
NB: Please note we reserve the right to alter the above itinerary if required for operational reasons. Given the historic nature of the places visited, a certain degree of walking will be involved, and this holiday may not be suitable for those with mobility problems. Price based on twin share. Minimum numbers required. Normal booking conditions apply.
Featuring
4* hotel
Half board accommodation
All excursions & guided tours included
Entrance fees to Dumfries House & Royal Yacht Britannia included
Blue Badge guide on Days 2 to 4
Executive coach throughout
Included Loch Lomond Cruise on Day 4
Dumfries House – guided tour & tea or coffee & shortbread included (entrance fee included)
Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum – guided tour
House for an Art Lover
National Gallery of Scotland – guided tour
Royal Yacht Britannia – audio tour (entrance fee included)
Tarbet
Cruise on Loch Lomond
Hill House
St Mungo’s Cathedral
Mackintosh House
Hunterian Gallery
Hotel
We stay four nights on half board basis at the 4* Glyn Hill Hotel (www.glynhill.com) in Renfrew near Glasgow. Facilities at the hotel include a restaurant, bar, indoor swimming pool & spa complex. All rooms are en suite and feature television and tea & coffee making facilities.
Extras
Insurance £20
Single room supplement £99
Entrance fees to places visited as part of the itinerary, excluding Dumfries House & Royal Yacht Britannia which are included
Gratuities
Optional Excursions
All excursions & guided tours included
