Tours

Celtic Christianity in Scotland with Guest Speaker Laceye Warner | Sept 13, 2023

10 days
Scotland
Starting from $3998* Taxes & Fees Apply

Join Guest Speaker Laceye Warner for Celtic Christianity in Scotland on September 13, 2023, starting at $3,998 from New York, NY. You will see Lismore, Mull, Iona, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Whithorn, Dunfermline, and more!

What’s Included

  • All Inclusive Pricing
  • Deluxe A/C Motor Coaches
  • Entrance and Program Fees
  • First Class Hotels
  • Fuel Surcharges and Gov't Taxes
  • Guided Tours
  • Hotel Gratuities
  • International Airfare from NY
  • Overseas Airport Transfers
  • Meals as listed on itinerary
  • Administrative fees

^ Additional Baggage & Optional fees may apply.

† If air purchased through EO.

Daily Itinerary

Day 1 Sept. 13 – Depart the USA

Depart the USA on your international overnight flight.

Day 2 Sept. 14 - Welcome to Scotland

Our representatives will meet you at Glasgow airport and escort you to your bus. Pass the “bonny, bonny banks” of Loch Lomond as we make our way north to Celtic Scotland. From here, we will follow the coast to Oban, where we will check into our hotel for dinner and overnight.

Day 3 Sept. 15 – Lismore

Take the ferry today to Lismore. Saint Moluag founded a monastery on Lismore in the 6th century AD. The island was a center of Celtic Christianity and later the seat of the medieval bishopric of Argyll. There are also two ruins of 13th-century castles on the island – Coeffin and Achanduin. Return to Oban for dinner and overnight.

Note - The Isle of Lismore involves over 7 miles of walking. Those not willing or able to walk the distance are offered the option to stay in Oban for the day and enjoy the various sites, shops and restaurants in the town.

Day 4 Sept. 16 – Mull & Iona

Iona is the internationally renowned place of Celtic Christianity. In 563, Columba was exiled from Ireland and founded the monastery here in 564 AD. From one of the best-preserved abbeys to St. Martin’s Cross, the island is a place of pilgrimage and reflection for Christians from around the world. The ancient burial ground contains the graves of many of the early Scottish Kings. You will take the ferry back, returning to Oban for dinner and overnight.

Day 5 Sept 17 – Oban to Glasgow

Depart Oban and head south for your city tour of Glasgow. Drive to George Square at the heart of the city. See the Clyde Arc or “Squinty Bridge” as locals refer to it. On the south side is the Pacific Quay and several parks to enjoy. Visit Glasgow Cathedral, also known as the Church of St. Mungo. Raised by St. Serf while ministering to the Picts (local Scots), he became a missionary to the people along the Clyde River, now Glasgow. His tomb is in the lower crypt. Check into your Ayr hotel for dinner and overnight.

Day 6 Sept. 18 – Whithorn

Journey south to the coastal town of Whithorn. Here, Candida Casa, or “White House,” was built by St. Ninian around 397 AD. A monastery was founded around the site and became a place of pilgrimage for centuries. The late medieval priory is ruinous, with only a portion of the nave still visible. The museum in town contains the Latinus Stone, a 5th-century Christian memorial, as well as other finds from the site. See St. Ninian’s Cave along the shore. See the Torhouse Stone Circle, considered a Druid site, and be reminded of the local traditions that Celtic Christians faced in Scotland. Return to Ayr for dinner and overnight.

Day 7 Sept. 19 – Glasgow to Edinburgh

Today, you’ll cross Scotland and stop in Stirling. Visit the Church of the Holy Rude, built over the original structure in the 1400’s. See the Battlefield at Stirling Bridge and continue to Edinburgh for dinner and overnight.

Day 8 Sept. 20 – Edinburgh

Edinburgh replaced Scone as the capital of Scotland in 1437. The site of Edinburgh Castle has held a fort since Celtic times. St. Margaret’s Chapel dates to the 12th century. The present-day fortress continues to serve as a military post as well as a museum. Tour St. Giles Cathedral. It is dedicated to the patron saint of Edinburgh, which oldest portions date to 1124. See also Holyrood Palace, an official residence of the British Crown whose grounds date back to an Augustinian Monastery. Return to your hotel for dinner and overnight.

Day 9 Sept. 21 – Dunfermline & St. Andrews

Cross the Firth of Forth to Fife. Stop at Dunfermline Abbey, where St. Margaret and Robert the Bruce are buried. Continue past picturesque fishing villages to St. Andrews, the ancient ecclesiastical capital of Scotland. Visit the ruins of St. Andrews Cathedral and the nearby castle with its notorious “Bottle Dungeon.” Take a look at the “Old Course” at St. Andrews, renowned as the home of golf! Return to Edinburgh for dinner and overnight.

Day 10 Sept. 22 – Farewell or enjoy an extension

Return home from Edinburgh with memories of the people and places of Celtic Christianity in Scotland or continue on to the Celtic Ireland extension.

Enhance Your Journey

Celtic Ireland extension Starting from $1898

Sept. 22 - 26, 2023 • $1898*

Sept. 22 – Cliffs of Moher and Galway
Transfer to the airport for your flight to Shannon. Travel through the Burren Region, and arrive at the Cliffs of Moher. With sheer cliffs dropping 600 feet to the water below, it is one of the most impressive stretches of shoreline on the west coast of Ireland. The eroded limestone rock through the Burrens has flowers popping up through the crevices. We’ll continue on to the ancient port city of Galway, where we will enjoy a walking tour of Galway. You will see Lynch Castle, home to the mayors of Galway and Saint Nicholas Church founded in the 13th century, and the famous Spanish Arch. Check into your hotel for dinner and overnight.

Sept. 23 – Clonmacnoise and Bunratty Castle
Today, we visit Clonmacnoise, an important monastic site and the burial place of kings. Among these fascinating ruins are the famous thousand-year-old cross and the most important collection of tombstones in the country. Explore the cathedral or some of the eight churches. There are two round towers to capture your imagination. Three High Crosses, two hundred graves and the ruins of a 13th-century ringfort also remain. But it is the 10-foot South Cross with its passion carvings that testifies to the high level of artistic excellence of that day. We will travel through the enchanting Irish countryside, an ever-changing patchwork of green and dotted with ruins, to Bunratty Castle, near the town of Limerick. Bunratty is Ireland’s most complete and authentic, elaborately furnished medieval castle. Check in for dinner and overnight in Limerick.

Sept. 24 – Rock of Cashel and Glendalough
You’ll see the Rock of Cashel, the traditional seat of Irish kings. Here, St. Patrick is thought to have converted the King of Munster. The present ruins are from structures built in the 12th and 13th centuries during the Norman era. From here, you will make your way to Glendalough, one of the most beautiful spots in all of Ireland. Here, St. Kevin founded a monastery in 498. See Celtic High Crosses and a stone-roofed church as well as the wonderful hiking trails around the two lakes. Check into your Dublin hotel for dinner and overnight.

Sept. 25 – Dublin
We will start our day in Dublin with a walking tour of Trinity College. Founded by Queen Elizabeth I in 1592, it is the oldest college in Ireland. We’ll visit the Old Library here and see the Book of Kells, an ornately illustrated Bible produced by Celtic Monks around 800 AD. Continue on to St. Patrick’s Cathedral. The church was transitioned from a Catholic church to the Church of Ireland over the centuries. Jonathan Swift, the author of Gulliver’s Travels and a critic of British rule, was a pastor here. Enjoy a driving tour of the city before returning to the hotel for dinner and overnight.

Sept. 26 – Return to the USA
Return home with memories of the people and places of your Celtic Christian heritage.

*A 3.5% surcharge will be added to all credit card transactions.

Guests taking an extension may be on a different flight than their group and/or traveling companion.

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