Sunday 4th June Arrival at Glasgow airport
14:30. Welcome and meet up with coach, will take a first excursion to Loch Lomond, to take in some classic Scottish scenery, by the Bonnie Banks, with an opportunity to stretch our legs in Inverbeg and the quaint village of Luss. We will then head south for Glasgow and check in to our hotel, The Parklands hotel and Country Club, Newton Mearns, Glasgow.
19:30 will head for Dinner at LeChayim’s Kosher Restaurant, Fenwick road Giffnock.
Monday 5th June:
8AM Breakfast at Restaurant. 9:00AM Departure
Our day begins with visit to Stirling Castle is a great symbol of Scottish independence & a source of national pride. A place of power, beauty, and history, discover the favored residence of Scotland's Kings and Queens! The Castle's long, turbulent history is associated with great figures from Scotland’s past such as William Wallace & Mary Queen of Scots. Knights, nobles and foreign ambassadors once flocked to the Royal Court at Stirling Castle to revel in the castle's grandeur.
Take a steep 10min walk up to The National Wallace Monument In 1861 Victorian craftsmen embarked on a special assignment to build a monument that would commemorate a Scottish Hero Sir William Wallace who was no ordinary hero. Follow the story of a patriot, martyr, and Guardian of Scotland For over 140 years, this world-famous landmark has fascinated visitors with its exhibits and displays.
GLENGOYNE DISTILLERY for the “Tour and Tasting” Dating back to 1833 Glengoyne is one of Scotland's oldest distilleries. We’ll welcome you with a dram of the Glengoyne 12-Year-Old, overlooking the waterfall and the secret glen where it all began. You will follow the journey our spirit makes – through mashtuns and washbacks to the swan-necks of our copper stills. You’ll discover how we capture every ounce of flavor before we send the spirit to the cask.
We will continue to explore Glasgow Sightseeing on our Bus Tour offering the best of Glasgow sights with some free time for shopping and strolling around. At 6:00PM we complete our day with a brief stop outside the Garnethill Grand Synagogue opened in 1879. The synagogue is the finest example of high Victorian synagogue architecture Garnethill as one of the top ten historic synagogues in the UK.
19:30 Dinner at Le’Chaims Restaurant
Tuesday Edinburgh and the Lothian district.
Breakfast at 8:15; Depart hotel at 09:00
We start our day with a special Tour of GLENKINCHIE DISTILLERY. Your visit begins in our unique exhibition on the original Malting Floors, home to the renowned model distillery. You will then be met by your guide and led through the distillery production area, learning how we make our 'water of life'. To finish your tour, you are welcomed into our bar for a tasting of Glenkinchie Single Malt Whisky – also known as “the breakfast whisky”. We continue to Edinburgh the capital city which is one of the most classically beautiful cities in the world.
Edinburgh is packed full of fantastic attractions, culture hotspots and great shopping. The city’s compact nature makes it easy to fit a range of wonderful activities into one brilliant day out in Scotland’s capital. We will start with a trip to the area of Arthurs Seat, Salisbury Crags, and Carlton Hill and continue with a tour of The Scottish Parliament building. Here guides provide information on the history, work, and procedures of the Scottish Parliament and about the architecture of the award-winning Scottish Parliament building. We will stop for Lunch at The Princes Street Gardens below the magnificent castle which will provide the perfect location for a well-earned break from sightseeing. The afternoon will provide free time for retail therapy along The Royal Mile and Princess Street offering a variety of shopping from the high-end fashion retailers to the weekly stalls of the award-winning Edinburgh Farmers’ Market, the largest of its kind in Scotland. Enjoy the city sites of the best loved Edinburgh attractions including Scott Monument and Queen Mary’s Bath House, and much more.
We plan to finish the day with a quick Historical Tour of The Edinburgh Hebrew Congregation.
Depart Edinburgh to Glasgow for dinner at Le’Chaims Restaurant.
Wednesday Early Start Highland Trip
6:00A.M Depart from Hotel for a 3+hour drive up North to the Highlands to visit two famous distilleries. These distilleries are in the very heart of Speyside, halfway between Inverness and Aberdeen. Enjoy the drive through spectacular scenery with a 7.30am picnic style breakfast stop in the Blair Athol area
THE GLENFARCLAS DISTILLERY
The Glenfarclas distillery is a Speyside single malt Scotch whisky distillery, in the moors of Banffshire. It is strategically located just one mile from the river Spey and receives its water from the pure springs of Ben Rinnes mountain range. It is one of the very few family-owned distilleries in Scotland. Most of the whisky matures in sherry butts and the distillery produce a range of excellent aged single malts. Glenfarclas was one of the very first distilleries in Scotland to open a dedicated visitor’s center and have a unique ship-themed tasting room adding much character to the ambience.
Speyside Cooperage visitor Centre, Craigellachie.
We are excited to include a special tour of the Speyside cooperage – arguably one of the most important links in the chain of Scotch whisky production. The market for barrels in which the amber liquid spends so much time, is an industry all of its own. However, here in the heart of Speyside Malt whisky Trail, lies the speyside cooperage, the only working cooperage in the U.K. where you can appreciate the ancient art of coopering. Since 1947, the cooperage has produced the finest casks from American oak. Each year it produces and repairs nearly 150,000 oak casks used by the surrounding distilleries as well as whisky distilleries throughout Scotland and indeed, around the world.
On our way to Dalwhinnie, we plan a brief stop at the famous Walkers shortbread factory shop. The pure butter shortbread biscuits have long been an internationally renowned product – readily recognized in the iconic tartan packaging. For many years now, it has recognized Kashrut supervision and approval of the OU organization. Those visiting the factory shop, can usually benefit from some highly discounted prices on certain popular biscuits. Well worth the “short” detour!
DALWHINNIE DISTILLERY
The highest distillery in Scotland. It has the Monadhlaith Mountains to one side, and the Forest of Atholl, and the Cairngorms on the other. Dalwhinnie is one of the original 6 Classic Malts which were selected – among other reasons – as representatives of the 6 different Scotch Whisky regions. Despite being close to Speyside, it officially represents the Highland region. Dalwhinnie relies on the clear spring water from Lochan-Doire-Uaine, and the abundant source of peat found in the nearby bogs. The 15 year old is the distillery’s standard bottle and its iconic cream-colored label is prevalent among whisky lovers around the globe. We will head southwards to Glasgow for Dinner at Le’Chaims Restaurant
Thursday 8th June
8:30AM Breakfast. Hotel Check out 9:15 AM 09:30 Departure for Loch Katrine.
We head to The Loch Katrine National Park to get some fresh Scottish air. It is a place of contrasts from rolling lowland landscapes in the south to high mountains in the north, and has many lochs and rivers, forests and woodlands. It is also a living, working landscape which has been influenced by people for generations and is visited and enjoyed by many for its recreational value. Ride a Bike and explore the great range of cycle routes, from family friendly and wide forest tracks through the area’s stunning forests. There should be an option of boarding a short cruise around the loch – recommended for enjoying the panoramic scenery.
Following a picnic lunch by the Loch, we head for the Deanston Distillery, Doune.
Deanston’s Highland and Island Tour - 15:00* TBC
The Deanston distillery is a single malt distillery located 8 miles north of Stirling. It is a relatively “young” distillery having opened in 1966. Formerly the site was a flax mill, powered by the flow of the river Teith. Today, after its conversion to a distillery, Deanston is said to be the only Scotch whisky distillery to be self-sufficient in electricity with power supplied on-site by hydroelectricity. The combination of excellent water sourcing with the booming growth in the Scotch whisky market, led to much interest in this distillery, which in turn led to some changes in ownership. Today the distillery is owned by the Distell Group Limited and produces traditional Scotch whisky employing local craftsmen who rely on unique distilling techniques.
Leave distillery by 16:00 for Glasgow Airport, arriving circa 17:20 for homeward or onward flights
