The Scottish Highlands & Inner Hebrides: Castles, Gardens & Archaeology 2026

Day 1: Tuesday 26 May, Arrive Glasgow

• Tour commences at 1pm in the foyer of The Grand Central Hotel, Glasgow
• Welcome Meeting at the hotel
• Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum
• Introductory lecture by Peter Yeoman
• Welcome Dinner at ‘Mackintosh at the Willow’

Meeting Point: The tour commences at 1.00pm in the foyer of the Grand Central Hotel located in central Glasgow, Scotland’s most populous city, located on the banks of the Clyde. Following a brief welcome meeting we will visit the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum for an introduction of Scottish history and to the 19^th century school of artists, known as The Glasgow Boys, whose work represents the beginnings of modernism is Scottish painting.

On our return to the hotel Peter will present an introductory lecture that outlines the wonderful places to be visited over the coming weeks, before we walk to restored Willow Tea Rooms on Sauchiehall Street, now called ‘Mackintosh at the Willow’. They are the only surviving tea rooms designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh and were created for local entrepreneur and patron Miss Kate Cranston. There will be time to view the permanent Mackintosh Collection housed at the Willow and before we enjoy a private dining experience in the beautiful restaurant. (Overnight Glasgow) D

Day 2: Wednesday 27 May, Glasgow – Cumnock – Glasgow

• Dumfries House Estate (subject to confirmation)
• The Burrell Collection 

Located 60km south of Glasgow, Dumfries House is a Palladian country house built in the 1750s for the 5th Earl of Dumfries by John Adam and Robert Adam. It is noted for having retained much of its original 18th century furniture, including fine examples of the work of Thomas Chippendale. This stunning house was saved by the intervention of King Charles (while Prince of Wales and Duke of Rothesay) and the house and garden have been restored using traditional methods and craftsmanship.

We start our day with a private tour of the house to view its remarkable collection. Our tour will follow the theme of life within a Georgian country house. We’ll learn about the family members and how the house would have operated for them. Our tour will conclude with a private lunch in the Library before we step out to explore the large Queen Elizabeth Walled Garden.

On our return to Glasgow we visit the city’s famous Burrell Collection, which reopened in the Spring of 2022 after a major refurbishment. The collection, which played a key role in Glasgow’s 1970s ‘Renaissance’, was amassed by shipping magnate Sir William Burrell (1861–1958) and given to the City of Glasgow in 1944. It is displayed in an award-winning building located in a beautiful woodland setting, including reconstructions of rooms from Sir William’s former home. The collection, which focuses on late medieval and early Renaissance Europe, includes a Bellini Madonna and Child and a Rembrandt self-portrait. It also contains important examples of Chinese and Islamic art, ancient artefacts, and Scottish, French and Dutch late 19th-century art, especially the works of artists Manet, Degas and Rodin. (Overnight Glasgow) BL

Day 3: Thursday 28 May, Glasgow – Helensburgh – Loch Lomond – Inveraray

• The Hill House, Helensburgh – a domestic masterpiece by Charles Rennie Mackintosh
• Inveraray Castle & Gardens

Today we drive from Glasgow to Inveraray via The Hill House and Loch. The Hill House (1902–1904), Helensburgh, designed for Walter Blackie of the publishers Blackie and Son, is one of Charles and Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh’s most famous works, probably second only to their Glasgow School of Art. Mackintosh also designed most of the house’s interior, furniture and fittings. His attention to detail extended to prescribing the colour of cut flowers that the Blackies might place on a table in the living room! As part of the 10-year conservation program, Carmody Groarke have designed ‘The Box’, a steel frame structure covered in chainmail mesh which encloses the house and protects it from the weather. There are elevated walkways looping around and over the top of the house that affords us with unique perspectives of the house and surrounding countryside. Following a private tour of the house, there will be time to explore The Box and the lovely gardens.

In the afternoon we drive along the shores of Loch Lomond and on to Inveraray Castle (1743), one of the UK’s earliest Gothic Revival buildings, contemporary with Horace Walpole’s Strawberry Hill. William Adam and Roger Morris designed the house, which originally had flat roofs and crenelated façades. A third floor with a pitched roof and dormer windows was added on all four wings and its four round corner towers topped with steep conical roofs. The castle’s 16-acre garden includes around two acres of formal lawns and flowerbeds which feature a stunning collection of rhododendrons and azaleas which flower from April to June. Tonight we will dine at our hotel. (Overnight Inveraray) BD

Day 4: Friday 29 May, Inveraray – Oban – Mull – Iona

• Ferry Oban to Craignure, Isle of Mull
• Drive across Mull with lunch at a local café
• Ferry Fionnphort, Isle of Mull to Iona
• Introductory Iona Walk
• Evening Talk at the Hotel

Today we drive to Oban and take the car ferry to Craignure on the Isle of Mull. We then drive the length of the island to Fionnphort, enjoying a light lunch in a local café enroute. From here we travel across to Iona, an island seeped in history lying 2km from Mull. There are few cars on Iona, with residents requiring a special permit, so our exploration of the island will be by foot. It is a tiny island, measuring just 5km in length and 2.5km in width, and the permanent population is just 170 people.

Iona has a long history of habitation, with an Iron Age fort dating from 100BC – 200AD positioned on its highest point. St Columba came to the island from Ireland with twelve companions around 563 and established the Abbey, and the island became an important centre for Gaelic monasticism and learning during the early Middle Ages. Although weakened by Viking raids and the upheavals of the period of Norse domination of the west coast of Scotland, Iona remained a sacred place. This afternoon we take a short walk to get our bearings and then return to the hotel for a pre-dinner talk by Peter to introduce us to the history of the island. (Overnight Iona) BLD

Note: The main suitcases will be left at the hotel in Oban before we board the ferry to Craignure, and only a smaller overnight/cabin bag should be brought to Iona as the passenger ferry is small and we will be walking from the Iona pier to the hotel.

Day 5: Saturday 30 May, Iona

• Iona Abbey
• Medieval Nunnery
• Reilig Odhrain

Today we explore the main heritage monuments of Iona. Little remains of the Abbey founded by St Columba, and the monastery we see today was founded in 1208 Reginald, son of Somerled, the self-styled ‘king of the Isles’ and was an important religious centre until the Reformation, with monastic life coming to an end in 1560. The building was restored in the 20^th century and is now an ecumenical church. In front of the Abbey is the beautifully preserved St Martin’s Cross.

The medieval Nunnery was founded in 1203 and its first prioress was Beathag, the sister of Reginald. Although a ruin, it is still one of the best preserved medieval nunneries in Britain and retains many finely carved stone details. After the Reformation, it was primarily used as a burial place for women.

Reilig Odhrain is the ancient cemetery on the island and contains many medieval grave monuments. Although no longer identifiable, it is believed that this was the burial site for many early Scottish kings, as well as several kings from Ireland and Norway. (Overnight Iona) BLD

Day 6: Sunday 31 May, Iona – Mull – Oban

• Ferry Iona to Fionnphort
• Duart Castle
• Lochbuie Standing Stone Circle
• Moy Castle ruins (time permitting)
• Ferry Craignure to Oban

This morning we return to the Isle of Mull on the early passenger ferry and meet our coach. We drive back across the length of the island to Duart Castle, the seat of the Clan MacLean that dates to the 13^th century and sits on a promontory overlooking the Sound of Mull. The original castle had fallen into a state of disrepair and was thorough restored and refurbished in 1911. We shall explore the great hall and state rooms, before having lunch in the tearoom.

We then drive south to the Lochbuie Stone Circle, a small and well-preserved late Neolithic monument set against the beautiful backdrop of Ben Bule. Nine stones of local granite form a ring 12.30 meters in diameter (at some stage one stone was replaced with a stone boulder) and positioned so that the flattest side faced the centre. If time permits we will also view the ruins of Moy Castle, a 15^th century MacLean stronghold.

We then return to Craignure to take the ferry back to the mainland; dinner will be at the hotel. (Overnight Oban) BLD

Day 7: Monday 1 June, Oban – Kilmartin Glen – Oban

• Nether Largie Cairn
• Temple Wood Stone Circles
• Ballymeanoch Standing Stones
• Achnabreac Rock Art

Today we explore the Kilmartin Glen where we fine one of Britain’s best-preserved prehistoric landscapes. Accompanied by a local archaeologist we encounter extraordinary burial mounds from the Neolithic and Bronze Age, along with standing stone and examples of carved rock art. From the remains it is evidence that this was an important ritual centre in a landscape that bears the mark of continuous human occupation for over 5000 years. Our day excursion will include a light lunch at the museum café. (Overnight Oban) BL

Day 8: Tuesday 2 June, Oban – Glencoe – Loch Ness – Inverness

• Glencoe & the Lochan Trail
• Loch Ness (scenic drive)

This morning we visit Glencoe, infamous for the Glencoe Massacre (13 February 1692), following the Jacobite uprising of 1689. Thirty-eight men from Clan MacDonald of Glencoe were killed by government forces because they had not been prompt in pledging allegiance to the new monarchs, William and Mary. Dramatic Glencoe, that takes its name from the River Coe, is U-shaped, formed by an Ice Age glacier. It is the remains of an ancient super volcano that erupted 420 million years ago. We shall visit the visitor centre and then take a guided walk of Glencoe village and the beautiful Lochan Trail. There will also be an option for a longer guided walk for group members wishing to explore more of this beautiful valley.

We then take a scenic drive through Fort William and Fort Augustus, and then along the shores of Loch Ness to Inverness. (Overnight Inverness) B

Day 9: Wednesday 3 June, Inverness – Inverewe – Little Loch Broom – Inverness

• Inverewe House & Garden
• Private gardens of 2 Durnamuck and Dundonnell House Garden (by special appointment)

Today we visit three beautiful gardens. We begin with a visit to Inverewe Garden, a botanical garden created on barren land in 1862 by Osgood Mackenzie on an 850-hectare estate. The garden is noted for the extraordinary variety of its plants, containing nearly 6,000, made possible by the warming effects of the Gulf Stream. It has a noteworthy rhododendron collection in flower throughout the year and a large collection of Erythroniums that flower in Spring. In summer, the sloping walled gardens with views of the sea, display many exotic plants from all over the world.

After lunch at leisure, we drive to 2 Durnamuck, a coastal plantsman’s garden situated on the edge of Little Loch Broom. It constitutes a rich mix of herbaceous borders, trees and shrubs, vegetables, drystone wall planting, South African plants, Mediterranean plants and a wild meadow. Plants here have been collected from all over the world. The gardens were featured on Gardeners’ World in 2016 and in Garden Magazine and Country Life in 2017. We conclude with a visit to nearby Dundonnell House Garden. Once home to the Mackenzies of Dundonnell, the estate was in the 1940s and the laird of the time emigrated to Australia. Prior to that time the large square garden would have been devoted primarily to the growing of fresh produce for the house. The framework which forms the basis for the current garden was laid out after the war and divides the garden into a series of ‘rooms’.

On our return to Inverness, the evening will be at leisure. (Overnight Inverness) B

Day 10: Thursday 4 June, Inverness – Balmoral – Ballater – Crathes – Aberdeen

• Balmoral Castle Gardens (to be confirmed in 2026)
• Ballater Village
• Crathes Castle

This morning we shall drive to Balmoral Castle. Balmoral Castle has been one of the residences of the British royal family since 1852, when the estate and its original castle were purchased privately by Prince Albert. It remains private property of the royal family and is not part of the Crown Estate. Albert found the existing house to be too small and commissioned William Smith of Aberdeen to design the current Scottish Baronial style house; Prince Albert amended Smith’s original designs. The new castle was completed in 1856 and the old castle demolished shortly thereafter. The gardens surrounding the granite castle have been extended over time and now include formal gardens, Victorian glasshouses, conservatory, water garden, front lawn, a charming garden created by Queen Mary between 1923 and 1925, as well as a large kitchen garden designed by the late Duke of Edinburgh.

The Balmoral Estate, lying within the Cairngorms National Park, has been added to by successive members of the royal family, and now covers an area of approximately 20,000 hectares. It is a working estate, including grouse moors, forestry, and farmland, as well as managed herds of 2,000 – 2,500 deer, Highland cattle, and ponies. Approximately 8,000 acres of the estate are covered by trees. Ballochbuie Forest is one of the largest remaining areas of old Caledonian pine growth in Scotland.

After time at leisure in the nearby village of Ballater, we drive to Crathes Castle, whose powerful tower was begun in 1553 and completed in 1596; an additional wing was added in the 18th century. King Robert the Bruce granted the lands of Leys to the Burnett family in 1323: the ancient Horn of Leys, which can be seen today in the Great Hall, marks his gift. We shall tour the castle, which has many important portraits as well as very distinctive Scottish painted ceilings. The castle is surrounded by 530 acres of woodlands and fields and includes a 4-acre walled garden which is considered one of the finest in Scotland. Developed over 300 years, and influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement, the garden is full of colour in summer with beautiful borders. Ancient topiary hedges of Irish yew dating from 1702 separate the gardens into eight themed rooms including a double herbaceous border, the Red Garden, the June Borders and the Golden Garden. After our visit we continue on to Aberdeen where we will be based for two nights. (Overnight Aberdeen) B

Day 11: Friday 5 June, Aberdeen – Fochabers – Methlink – Aberdeen

• Gordon Castle Garden
• Haddo House

This morning we visit Gordon Castle, the spiritual home of the Gordon Clan since the time of King Robert the Bruce in the 14^th Century. Here we will see one of the oldest and largest walled kitchen gardens in Britain. It dates from the 17^th century but fell into disuse after the second world war when it was used for commercial raspberry growing. Using the well-preserved garden plans from the 18^th and 19^th centuries, the garden has been restored by designer Arne Maynard and in 2021 was named The Historic House’s Garden of the Year.

The seasonal produce of the walled garden forms the focus of the menu in the Gordon Castle café where we enjoy a light lunch, before travelling on to Haddo House in Methlink, another home belonging to the Gordons. This stately home was designed in the Palladian style by William Adam in 1732, and its interior remodelled in the 1880s. Now managed by the National Trust for Scotland, the house includes a large art collection with an early work by Claude Lorrain and a Madonna believed to be by Raphael. (Overnight Aberdeen) BL

Day 12: Saturday 6 June, Aberdeen – Glamis – Kinclaven

• Glamis Castle & Gardens

Grand Glamis Castle has been owned by the Lyon family since the 14th century; it was the childhood home of Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother (Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon). Glamis is situated in the centre of the Vale of Strathmore, in a picturesque and well-wooded part of Forfarshire. The pink-grey castle’s original 14th-century central tower was altered to an L-plan in the 16th century and had a large round stair-tower attached to it (1605); the spiral staircase within, possibly designed by Inigo Jones, is magnificent. The walls of the oldest parts of the tower are up to 5 metres thick, allowing for hidden passages within them. During the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, the building has been extended and features like bartizans and dormers have been added. The park was landscaped in 1790s in the style of ‘Capability’ Brown, and an Italianate Garden hedged by yew trees was laid out in 1910 by The Queen Mother’s mother, Countess Cecilia to designs by Arthur Castings. It includes a raised terrace between two small gazebos, two long bowers of pleached beech, and borders of alliums, roses, Iris sibirica, nepeta and geraniums, punctuated by obelisks bearing honeysuckles, golden hops or roses. Wildlife such as butterflies, bees, pheasants and squirrels can also be spotted in this garden. The Walled Garden was redeveloped in 2015 by the 18th Earl and Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne as it has fallen into disuse. It now beholds new flower beds, fruit trees and vegetables, and water features including a Monet-style bridge over an ornamental pond. The Nature Trail meanders through woodlands and pastures surrounding the Castle. Eastwards along the trail is the Pinetum that comprises a variety of exotic trees planted by the 13th Earl in c.1870. As Glamis Castle is famous for being the setting of Shakespeare’s play Macbeth (1603-09), a series of seven sculptures have been commissioned to capture the essence of the play. They are located within the Pinetum and are carved by collaborative artists from Neith Art and Sculpture from Oak, Douglas Fir and Noble Fir grown on the Estate.

After lunch at Glamis Castle, we continue on to Ballathie House Hotel in Kinclaven, a charming country house hotel where we will be based for two nights.  (Overnight Kinclaven) BLD

Day 13: Sunday 7 June, Kinclaven – Isle of May – Kinclaven

• Boat excursion to the Isle of May

This morning we transfer to Anstruther from where take the ‘May Princess’ boat out into the Firth of Forth to the Isle of May, an important National Nature Reserve, where large colonies of kittiwakes, guillemot, razorbills, puffins and fulmars nest in the cliffs. There will be 2.5 hours on the island to have a picnic lunch and walk the cliff paths to view the nesting birds, and NatureScot rangers will be at hand to provide information about the wildlife. If the weather permits, the boat will also sail the circumference of the island so the scenery and wildlife can be enjoyed from the sea.  (Overnight Kinclaven) BLD

Day 14: Monday 8 June, Kinclaven – Muthill – Stirling – Edinburgh

• Drummond Castle (to be confirmed in 2026)
• Stirling Castle

Drummond Castle, the property of Drummond family from the 14th century, occupies a prominent spine of rock known as the Gask Ridge in Perthshire. The castle is especially famous for its gardens, which Historic Environment Scotland describes as ‘the best example of formal terraced gardens in Scotland’. The gardens date to the 1630s, when the 2nd Earl of Perth laid out the first terraced garden around the castle. The gardens were restructured in the 19th century and renewed again in the 20th century. A dominant feature of the garden is the parterre designed in a St Andrew’s Cross with a multiplex 17th century sundial at its centre. Both French and Italian influence can be seen throughout the garden. The castle comprises an original tower house, built by John Drummond, 1st Lord Drummond of Cargill (c. 1490). Appended to the tower is a 17th-century mansion. Both the tower and mansion were rebuilt in the 19th century.

We continue to Stirling Castle, one of the largest and most important castles in Scotland. The first record of Stirling Castle is from 1110AD, with the founding of a chapel by King Alexander I. From then on it became an important royal stronghold, a setting for many of the politics, intrigues and power-struggles of the following 500 years. The buildings we see today primarily date between 1490 and 1600 during the reign of the Stuart kings. Having written the official Stirling Castle guide book, Peter will lead us through the castle to share his wealth of information about this extraordinary building and the fascinating histories of its past inhabitants.

We then proceed to Edinburgh for the final leg of our tour. (Overnight Edinburgh) B

Day 15: Tuesday 9 June, Edinburgh

• National Museum of Scotland, Curator-led tour
• Edinburgh Castle
• Farewell Dinner at a Local Restaurant

This morning we visit the National Museum of Scotland where a curator will give us a special tour of the collections that draws together all the fascinating history and sites that we have encountered on our journey through the Scottish Highlands and Islands.

We then conclude our program with a visit to Edinburgh Castle, a symbol of the city and another extraordinary and evocative site for which Peter wrote the official guidebook. Castle Rock, at the head of the Royal Mile, has been occupied since the Iron Age, a strategically defensive sites with steep cliff-faces on three sides. There has been a royal castle here since at least 1093, when Malcolm III ruled. The castle and grounds have evolved through the ages, and Peter will take us on a tour of the castle and grounds explaining the defences and towers, wards and military buildings, the Great Hall and the Royal Palace.

This evening we shall enjoy a farewell dinner at a local Restaurant. (Overnight Edinburgh) BD

Day 16: Wednesday 10 June, Depart Edinburgh

• Tour concludes in the morning
• At leisure/Check out

Our tour ends in Edinburgh after breakfast. In the morning you will be required to check out of the hotel. Please contact ASA if you require assistance with a transfer to the airport. B