5 DAY TOUR OF SCOTLAND BY BOAT, TRAIN, WHEEL, CASTLE AND COACH
Staying at THE 4* DOUBLETREE BY HILTON WESTERWOOD HOTEL
Sunday, 27 August – Thursday, 31 August, 2023.
DOUBLETREE BY HILTON WESTERWOOD HOTEL is a 4 Star Hotel set in the glorious Scottish countryside overlooking the beautiful Kilysth & Campsie Hills and a warm welcome and comfy beds await you. The Hotel has a large heated indoor pool and a golf course designed by Seve Ballesteros. We are booked in for full Scottish Breakfast and Evening Dinner which offers 3 choices of starters, main and dessert followed by Tea or Coffee. The hotel has ground floor rooms and a lift to all floors and we are booked in Twin, Double and Single Rooms but Single Rooms carry a supplement and a Twin or Double Room will be used for Sole Use. All bedrooms have walk-in shower or shower cubicle, and the Hotel has free Wifi.
SUNDAY - We travel via the motorway and a comfort stop will be made at Tebay Services for
45 minutes, driving regulations, where you can have a leg stretch with a walk around the lake. We continue our journey to the Westerwood Hotel and on arrival meal times will be confirmed. Evening Dinner in the Hotel, and we all sit as a group.
MONDAY - Scottish Breakfast in the restaurant, and after breakfast we meet the coach for our day excursion, first calling at STIRLING CASTLE, set high on a hill in Stirling. Once the coach has dropped you at the Castle you can explore, places to see are: The Great Hall built for James IV, The Royal Palace allows visitors to step into the astonishing richness of royal life, The Chapel Royal this elegant chapel was the last building to be built in the Castle, The Great Kitchens, Queen Anne Gardens, pretty and peaceful on the south side of the Castle, The Palace Vaults, The Castle Exhibition and the Regimental Museum. If you want something to eat try the Unicorn Café, and you can visit the Palace Shop and Courtyard Shop.
From here we travel the short distance to CALLANDER which is a bustling town situated on the River Teith and is often called the Gateway to the Highlands, set dramatically beneath high wooded crags the colourful town is a place to explore. There are plenty of cafes and restaurants for you to get a bite to eat.
Evening Dinner in the Hotel.
TUESDAY - We meet the coach, after breakfast for our day excursion and our first stop will be at BO’NESS & KINNEIL RAILWAY for our steam train ride. We depart from Bo’ness and travel through the beautiful Scottish countryside to Manuel. Friendly staff welcome visitors aboard their comfortable historic carriages on a beautiful steam train or heritage diesel from days of old. The train stops at Manuel for 15 minutes then we return to Bo’ness.
Our coach will be waiting for us and we travel the short distance to the KELPIES, the Kelpies is a
98 foot horse-head sculptures and the world’s largest pair of equine sculptures, standing next to the Forth & Clyde canal in the Helix a new parkland project. Enjoy a cuppa in the café, before we traveL
the short distance to the famous FALKIRK WHEEL, which is a rotating boat lift connecting the Forth & Clyde Canal with the Union Canal, your boat will enter the gondola and then rotate up to the aqueduct which leads to the canal, you then sail along the cancel, through a tunnel before returning back to the Wheel and back down. Visit the shop and they also have a nice café.
Evening Dinner in the Hotel.
WEDNESDAY - We meet the coach, after breakfast for our day excursion, first we go to Port Edgar Marina, South Queensferry to meet the Forth Boat Tours for our cruise on the FIRTH OF FORTH ON THE THREE BRIDGES CRUISE. The cruise takes about 1 ½ hours, then our coach meets us and will transfer us to EDINBURGH, we will drop you in the centre and the rest of the day is free for you to explore. Take a ride on one of the Tour Buses, your ticket will last all day and is hop on, hop off. Saves a lot on walking. We meet the coach late afternoon for our return journey back to our Hotel.
Evening Dinner in the Hotel.
THURSDAY - We meet our coach, after breakfast and with our luggage to depart on our journey home, making a stop at MOFFAT, which is a beautiful Scottish village set amongst the hills.
From here we continue on our journey home making a further stop when the driver will give arrival home times, for those people who wish to be met.
PRICE PER PERSON SHARING A TWIN OR DOUBLE ROOM: £560.00.
SINGLE ROOM: £670.00
Bookings can be made over the telephone when a deposit of £50.00 per person must be paid to secure the booking. Payment can be by Bank Transfer or Cheque. Full payment is required 6 weeks prior to departure date.
INSURANCE: it is advisable to take out your own insurance to cover for cancellation due to illness.
PICKUP POINTS
Opposite Town Hall, Greenfield Street, Hyde at 7.35 a.m.
Opposite Town Hall, King Street, Dukinfield at 7.45 a.m.
Prince of Orange Pub, Wellington Road North, Ashton-u-Lyne at 7.50 a.m.
Front of Queen Elizabeth Hall, Rochdale Road, Oldham at 8.10 a.m.
Library, corner of Westway and Farrow Street, Shaw at 8.30 a.m.
Bus Station, STAND “A”, Rochdale at 8.50 a.m.
The Art Picture House Pub, Opposite Bus Station, Bury at 9.10 a.m.