THE BEST OF SCOTLAND & WALES in 11 days
This tour begins with visiting my favorite destinations in Scotland. Enjoy the grandeur of Edinburgh, its cliff-hanging castle, St. Andrews (the home of golf), and the vast, rugged beauty of the Scottish Highlands. We’ll wrap up our tour on the west coast in the fishing village of Oban and the remote Hebrides Islands.
In England, relax in the serenity and beauty of the Lake District. Then enjoy three days in North Wales, experiencing medieval castles, quaint villages, beautiful gardens, and steam locomotives.
Your Adventure Starts Here!
| PRICE FROM | DATES | |
|---|---|---|
| $4125 + air | May 11-21, 2025 |  |
| $4125 + air | Jun 18-28, 2025 | |
| $4299 + air | Jul 16-26, 2025 | |
| $4125 + air | Aug 27-Sep 6, 2025 | |
| $4299 + air | Sep 24-Oct 4, 2025 | |
| $4299 + air | Oct 22-Nov 1, 2025 | |
Edinburgh – 2 nights
Highlands – 2 nights in two locations
Oban – 2 nights
England Lake District – 1 night
North Wales – 3 nights
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Single Room Additional Cost ~$1050
ITINERARY
DAY 1: Welcome to Edinburgh – Let’s plan to meet at 2:00 p.m. in our hotel lobby for introductions and a warm welcome. Then, enjoy an orientation walk around the famous Royal Mile. You will receive a Hop-On-Hop-Off Edinburgh Bus Pass, providing transportation and a comprehensive open-top bus tour of Edinburgh. Later, we will meet for a group dinner to get to know one another. Walking: moderate. Sleep for 2 nights in Edinburgh. Dinner.
DAY 2: Edinburgh –Today, we will see the best of Edinburgh on foot by strolling the Royal Mile, featuring its historic buildings, narrow alleys, and hidden courtyards. Then, let’s visit the historic Edinburgh Castle, the “birthplace” of the city, which affords spectacular views and vistas. The remainder of the day is totally yours to explore more of Edinburgh on your own. Perhaps you’ll want to visit the National Museum of Scotland, visit Holyrood Palace, hike up Carlton Hill or Arthur’s Seat, enjoy “high tea” in a cafe or do some shopping on the Royal Mile or in the new town. The possibilities are endless. Walking: moderate.
DAY 3: Culross, St. Andrews, and the Countryside —Today, cross the famous Firth of Forth and visit the tiny burg of Culross. Enjoy poking around the burg’s gardens, shops, and a small “palace” manor house. Later, we’ll travel through the Kingdom of Fife to St. Andrews, the home of golf and the famous Old Course. St. Andrews is equally important for its medieval town and cathedral. After lunch, enjoy a ride across some of the most scenic mountains in Scotland on our way to the Highlands. We’ll set up for the evening in a little village where you can enjoy dinner and lots of peace and quiet. Driving: 4 hours. Walking: moderate. Sleep 1 night in the Scottish Highlands. Dinner.
DAY 4: The Highlands – We will begin with a tour of the haunting Culloden Battlefield, where in 1746, Bonnie Prince Charlie and his Jacobite supporters were wiped out, ending years of rebellion against the British. Driving: 5 hours. Walking: moderate. Sleep 1 night in or near Inverness.
DAY 5: The Highlands and Oban –Experience the wild, rugged beauty of Loch Ness on a panoramic boat cruise followed by a visit to Urquhart Castle. Later, we will head to the western coastal town of Oban. After a short walk around town, enjoy an event-free evening and a chance to kick up your heels at a local pub Driving: 5 hours. Walking: Light. Sleep for 2 nights in Oban.
DAY 6: The Hebrides Isles —Today, we will board the ferry to the Isle of Mull and eventually Iona, the birthplace of Christianity in Scotland. Here, you will have several hours to experience the 800-year-old abbey where the Book of Kells was written and fabricated by the local monks. Enjoy some time on your own to experience the island. Finally, return to Oban for a group dinner featuring fresh-caught seafood and a quiet evening in town. Boat: 3 hours. Driving: 2 hours. Dinner. Walking: Moderate to Light.
DAY 7: Loch Lomond and England —Following breakfast, we will take ta drive down to Lake District National Park in England. Here, enjoy a short orientation of our peaceful little village and plenty of time to wander, take a walk or relax. Sleep for 1 night in the Lake District. Driving: 5 hours. Walking: Light.
DAY 8: Northern Wales – After breakfast, we will drive into Northern Wales and set up in our home village. Enjoy an orientation walking tour and a visit to the local castle. We will meet later for dinner at a favorite restaurant. Driving: 4 hours. Walking: Light. Sleep for 3 nights in North Wales. Dinner.
DAY 9: Sights and Attractions to the south of Conwy – We will begin by visiting the colorful Bodnant Gardens (weather permitting) where you can spend several hours enjoying flora and fauna, walking the miles of trails, and relaxing. Next, we will visit a working woolen mill in the village of Trefriw, where you’ll learn how raw wool is transformed into fabric. We will end our day in the delightful village of Betws-y-Coed, a picture-perfect setting with lots of shops, waterfalls, wooded paths, and cafes. Then, it is back to our home base for a free evening. Driving: 4 hours. Walking: moderate.
DAY 10: Trains, Slate Mines, and Castles – This morning, we will hop on an old-fashioned train powered by a steam locomotive to explore Snowdonia National Park. We will finish up our sightseeing with a visit to a slate mine near the village of Blaenau Ffestiniog. After a busy day, you’ll enjoy our grand farewell dinner to cap off your Celtic tour experience. Train: 2.5 hours. Driving:2 hours. Walking: Moderate. Dinner.
DAY 11: Heading Home – After breakfast, we will get you to the local train station or Manchester airport.
Itinerary specifics are subject to change.
INCLUSIONS
Transportation is provided by minibus or motorcoach from your first hotel in Edinburgh to either the local train station or airport in North Wales.
Hand-picked accommodations in centrally located hotels, guesthouses, and B&B’s. All meeting David’s highest standards of quality. All rooms have private en-suite bathes.
All tips and gratuities to guides, drivers, restaurant, and hotel staff.
Guaranteed Small Group consisting of 6-18 travelers.
All breakfasts and five dinners as noted in the itinerary.
Traditional dining experiences at some of David’s personal favorite restaurants. Eating well is a priority and you’ll enjoy fine regional fare featuring the best the locale has to offer.
Water is included with all meals. You are responsible for the cost of any additional drinks at all group dinners and while dining on your own.
Tours and admissions to the following attractions, experiences, and sights: Edinburgh walking tour; Edinburgh Castle entry; Edinburgh Hop-On-Hop-Off Bus tour; Culross tour and manor house entrance; orientation walk at St. Andrews; Culloden Battlefield museum and audio-guided tour; Loch Ness panoramic cruise; Oban orientation stroll; Isle of Mull and Iona cruise and coach/walking tour; North Wales village walking tour; North Wales castle entrance; Bodnant Gardens (weather permitting); Trefriw Woolen Mills; Blaenau Ffestiniog Slate Mine (weather permitting); scenic steam train ride in Northern Wales; and much more.
A full-time Exploring Europe guide and local experts dedicated to bringing to life the art, history, and culture of the tour destinations.
David’s tour handouts are delivered electronically and detail each day’s historical and cultural experiences.
Free luggage tags and David’s custom-designed drawstring backpacks.
Our Unconditional Tour Price Guarantee, once locked in, will never change.
$50 Tour Alumni discount for each David McGuffin tour you’ve taken prior to this travel year.
EXCLUSIONS
Comprehensive Trip insurance. We strongly recommend comprehensive insurance for tour.
Fee for passports.
Beer, wine, spirits, and soda during the tour.
Laundry, phone, internet, and personal items
Extras and optional activities.
Anything not mentioned in the itinerary.
TERMS & CONDITIONS
CANCELLATION POLICY
CANCELLATIONS AND REFUNDS:
Deposits- Deposits for tours are fully refundable for 30 days from your initial application and deposit date, unless otherwise noted. If you book a tour less than 90 days before its departure date, full payment is due immediately, and the entire tour cost becomes non-refundable after seven days. After these dates, deposits are not refundable and will be forfeited if you cancel your tour reservation.
Payments- Tour payments are due in full 90 days before your tour departure date. If you find you must cancel between 90-0 days before your tour departure, please contact us immediately. We will work with you to transfer your payments to another tour departing within 18 months. We strongly recommend that everyone purchase comprehensive travel insurance that covers tour cancellations, emergency medical, and other unexpected events.
Cancellations will be effective when the written notification is received at David McGuffin›s Exploring Europe by mail, e-mail, or fax.
SIGN UP BY EMAIL OR POST
If you do not want to sign up online:
You may download a tour application and send it to us with payment.
-OR-
You may return it by:
- FAX 1-800-570-1351
- Email – info@davidmcguffin.com
- email – take a photo of the form with your smartphone and attach it to an email
- TXT – take a photo with your smartphone and TXT to 904-612-8149
KEY TO WALKING & ACTIVITY
Walking and Physical Activity: We have planned this trip to provide maximum tour experiences. The basic nature of Europe does require some degree of physical activity to get out and see the sights, especially in the big cities. To help you plan, we’ve included a daily projection of physical activity. Here is the key for our walking activity ratings:
Light – Walking done on level surfaces with some hills and elevation gains. Two miles or less of required walking during the day.
Moderate – Walking done on paved and gravel paths and cobbled city sidewalks. To enjoy the full tour experience, some uphill and downhill walking is expected, as is standing while viewing sights or museums. Four to six miles of walking per day.
Strenuous – Walking done on rugged and rocky paths and city-cobbled sidewalks. There will be steps and stairs. Up to three hours standing in museums or experience sites. Up to eight miles of walking per day.
Your Choice – No matter what your walking ability, we will help you find alternative ways to enjoy and experience all Europe has to offer. To get the most out of our tours, you should be able to operate at the light level every day with spurts of moderate and strenuous.
PRE-TOUR RESOURCES
Now that you’ve decided to join this tour, we are sure you’ll have some questions. Don’t worry. We are here to help you through each aspect of your tour from start to finish.
DAVID’S 60 SECONDS DESTINATION VIDEOS
Join David as he shares impromptu moments from his travels in the United Kingdom. Watching these short 60-second segments are a great way to experience David’s travel style and adventures. Watch David’s Explore the United Kingdom and Explore Ireland and Scotland.
DAVID’S TRAVEL TALK TUESDAY ALMOST-WEEKLY BROADCAST AND VIDEO SERIES BLOG.
Every week, when David is not traveling in Europe, he presents a LIVE broadcast on Zoom and Facebook. Check it out on Tuesdays at 7:30 PM Eastern Time.
Each Travel Talk Tuesday session is recorded. Watch them here.
DAVID’S BLOG ARTICLES
David and his team have answered many travel-related questions, and they are all tucked away on his blog. But, no need to go there. Just type in a keyword in the search box at the top or bottom of this page (it’s the gray rectangle with a small magnifying glass icon), and you will get results for your query.
PLEASE SEND US AN EMAIL OR GIVE US A CALL.
We are happy to answer your travel questions and give advice and suggestions. tours@davidmcguffin.com or 800-570-1351.
Testimonials & Reviews of our UNITED KINGDOM Tours
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Castles, Trefriw mill, slate mine, ferries, trains, wine & cheese bar Scotland & Wales had it all and did not disappoint, plus we made a friend - Shout out to Evelyn. We had David all to ourselves for this trip, lucky us! Lets start.......
Edinburgh is a city but small and quite in the area we stayed in, loved the atmosphere of the restaurants and shops plus how many people can say the have been to a still lived in Royal Castle - Holyrood Palace.
Seeing my husbands face as he gazed upon St Andrews golf course in all it's beauty made me so happy for him, along with the cathedral to visit St Andrews is a quaint little town with very friendly people.
This tour is not only fun and entertaining but also a history lesson for all.
The little town of Pitlochery was one of my favorites, so clean, friendly, great shopping! Culloden Battlefield is historically haunting as you walk the grounds and visit the museum you get a true sense of how loyal the Jacobites were to their cause.
I never thought a giant catapult (Urquhart Castle) would hold my attention for so long but the thought of how genius it was to have built such a massive structure the way they did back in the day truly had me in awe, not to mention the castle is still so intact for the time period.
We unfortunately didn't see Nessie while on Loch Ness either but we ate and drank some fabulous seafood.
How many people can say they have walked in an 800 yr old Abbey, as a Christian I felt honored to see where the Book of Kells was written and speak with a nun who still lives in Iona. Iona was breath taking it it's self, I could have easily retreated to this island for a couple of weeks, I feel like to have to have visited here to know what that means. So remote and removed from today's world.
Our last few nights we stayed at Groes Inn in Northern Wales, while remote it doesn't disappoint in any way. Great wine selection and beautiful rooms help make this small inn fell homey and welcoming.
My husband and I both were extremely fascinated with visiting the Trefriw woolen mill seeing how they step by step make blankets, pillow covers etc....I truly appreciate the hard work that goes into making these now.
We got to travel on a steam engine train, first time for both of us and visit a slate mine. When you think your job is hard just research working in a slate mine and you will understand the hard dangerous work men put into their jobs trying to support their families.
Our last night with David we ate at an old church that had been renovated into a restuarant but they had left the pipe organs hanging, so beautiful and the food was great too. I could continue and go on and on about more but really you need to book this trip for yourself to see exactly what Scotland and Wales have to offer you. Stop hesitating and do it.
I've gone on quite a few trips with David overseas and he never disappoints. David does an excellent job of balancing the "must see's" with giving the individual traveler ample time to go and explore the destination they are visiting on their own. When I returned home from this trip, my friends asked me what my favorite stop was and I couldn't give an answer because every place we visited with this itinerary was simply amazing! I HIGHLY recommend traveling with David and look forward to another adventure down the road!
Our overall experience was everything I hoped for. The specific attractions on the itinerary were very effective in making me feel I had experienced Scotland and Wales. Our traveling companions were delightful, and we had just the right mix of planned events, free time, togetherness, and independence. Our new friends and we added two tours - the underground vaults in Edinburgh, and the distillery in Oban. Both were great, and I recommend them. Of the planned excursions, I was most intrigued with the slate mine (I know that’s a surprise, given my focus on textiles; I thought the woolen mill was great, too). The drives through the Highlands and Wales were unforgettable, and the stay at Groes Inn was the best way to wrap up the tour. I will recommend this tour!
BEST OF SCOTLAND, WALES AND IRELAND - Our tour guide was always willing to answer questions, had excellent navigation and driving skills and was always accommodating. Our favorite part of the tour was seeing Edinburgh Castle.
SCOTLAND, August 2017 - This was a very well thought out and directed tour. It met all of our expectations. My favorite moment was seeing the lights at night on Edinburgh Castle. I can't imagine a tour being any better.
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