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BritishIrish Touring Pricing & Information |
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Highlands & Orkneys
Right at the tip of the British Isles, off the northern-most point of Scotland,
lies the stupendous Orkney Isles. This is a destination that must rank
high on all travellers' lists - if not, then it should do! Undoubtedly one
of
the most interesting places on earth, Orkney offers a mix of outstandingly
rugged coastal scenery (teeming with bird and sea-life), the greatest
single collection of pre-historic remains in the World, 'contemporary' sites
dating
from the two great World Wars of
the 20th century, castles, interesting harbours, and a complete range of
'folk' sites. Our tour departs from and returns to Inverness and we make
the most of the sightseeing opportunities en route to the island through
Europe's last great wilderness region. The tour departs at a time that enables
participants to connect with early trains to and from Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Itinerary:
Day 1 (Sat) Glasgow - Orkney Kirkwall or Stromness
Our tour departs from Inverness at 11.00, allowing
joining participants to travel up on either the day prior or on the
morning train from Glasgow/Edinburgh. The train journey is itself
a somewhat spectacular ride through the Highlands. We'll then enjoy a journey through Europe's last great wilderness and the stark beauty of it all is quite simply astounding. Highlights include Cromarty Firth, where we may see seals and the Dornoch Firth. You'll see prehistoric sites such as the Grey Cairns or Camster, Golspie's astonishing, 90' high statue of the First Duke of Sutherland, notorious for the Clearances in the Highlands in the 19th century and some of the small, settlements of this remote region. We'll arrive at Scotland's northern most tip, to catch our ferry to the Orkney Islands at 19.00, arriving on the island at 20.30. The ferry ride across is naturally stunning in the context of the late evening setting sun. Day 2 (Sun) Orkney Kirkwall or Stromness
We have two full days to explore the delights
of these islands - and there's something here for everybody.
Kirkwall is a beautiful old town with many interesting historical sights including St Magnus Cathedral, Earl's Palace and Bishop's Palace, Tankerness House, the Wireless Museum with its huge unique collection of wartime communications equipment, wireless sets, headphones, old magazines, ancient valves and lots of other displays. Out of town there's Grain with an Iron Age souterrain, with stairs leading underground. It is perhaps for its astounding archaelogical sites that mainland Orkney is most renowned. We'll visit the most important places with Skara Brae being top of our list. Built before the Pyramids, Stonehenge and the Great Wall of China, the ten houses that can be seen today were occupied from about 3100 to 2500 BC. Historians believe that the site was gradually abandoned as the island's community developed and people's needs changed. Over the centuries it was covered with sand and remained untouched until a winter storm blew up in 1850, thus bringing the Stone Age into the modern era. Other sites we can potentially visit, according to group interest, can include a selection form the stone circle of the Ring of Brodgar, the Stones of Stenness, Maes Howe, Brough of Birsay, Broch of Gurness, the Rennibister Earth House and Onstan Cairn. Day 3 (Mon) Ferry Orkneys
Continuing our explorations today, we will see Scarpa Flow, a huge
natural harbour. As well as being the resting-place of HMS Royal
Oak, whose wreck is marked by a single buoy, it is also the graveyard
of the German High Seas Fleet. Then there's the Italian Chapel,
originally a couple of old Nissen huts, decorated in imaginative
style by Italian Prisoners of War. The chapel stands as a reminder
of the unfailing faith of the Italians and their ingenious use
of scavenged material.
Of course, we must make time for the rugged natural beauty of the island. Marwick Head and its 200-foot drop straight down into the foaming sea. Many birds nest in the nooks and crannies of the cliffs. Yarnsby Cliffs, formed by layer upon layer of the Middle Old Red Sandstone that makes up most of Orkney, these cliffs are a warm, ochre colour with fossil "horse-tooth" stromatolites, blue-green algae that grew in the lake that covered Orkney 350 million years ago. On the nearby moorlands, you may see some tiny mauve flowers with yellow centres, rare Scottish primroses found only in Orkney, Shetland and Caithness. If you look south, you might just see the outline of The Old Man of Hoy, the much-photographed sea stack off the Orkney coast. We board our ferry after dinner, sleeping aboard in comfort. The ferry doesn't actually leave until the following morning but boarding now helps maximise your sightseeing time. Day 4 (Tue) Glasgow
Our ferry departs at 06.30 AM allowing early
risers a wonderful prospect of enjoying a 90-minute coastal 'cruise'
watching for birds and sea life in early morning sun. There are not
too many places in the World that one can honestly write are unspoilt,
or undiscovered, but Caithness is surely one of them. This is true
Back-Roads Touring country and we promise you some more amazing sights
and unforgettable experiences!
Here, precariously hugging wind-swept cliffs are literally hundreds of castle ruins, connected in many cases to the warrior clans Sinclair and Gunn. In the northerly town of Wick we'll visit the Heritage Centre and learn how people have survived in this incredible terrain of peat bog and over the centuries. Then there's Dunnet Head. This most northerly point on mainland Britain rises some 100 metres above sea level. The Dunnet Head lighthouse was built in 1831 by Robert Stevenson, grandfather of the author Robert Louis Stevenson. It was automated in 1989. On a clear day the view point allows the visitor to see as far as Cape Wrath to the west and enjoy a stunning panoramic view across to John O'Groats and Duncansby Head, while to the south lies Morven, the highest mountain in Caithness. Between John O'Groats and Wick we'll enjoy time stop at one of the remarkable and spectacular cliff such as the famed Stacks of Duncansby. It's a dream for bird watchers as we invariably find puffin. We'll be returning to Inverness by late afternoon, allowing for evening connections (16.55) back to Glasgow or Edinburgh. Perhaps you'd like to stay-a-while and enjoy time in this Highland capital, and take various day tours offered to Skye and Aberdeenshire.
Tour Include:
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