Depart the USA on your international overnight flight.

Our representatives will meet you at the Edinburgh 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. (D)

Iona is internationally renowned as a center of Celtic Christianity. In 563, Columba was exiled from Ireland, and the following year he founded the monastery here. 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. (B, D)

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. (B, D)

Journey south to the coastal town of Whithorn. Here, Candida Casa —“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 town’s museum houses 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 an overnight. (B, D)

Today you will cross Scotland and stop in Stirling. Visit the Church of the Holy Rood, built over the original structure in the 1400’s. See the Battlefield at Stirling Bridge and continue to Edinburgh for dinner and an overnight. (B, D)

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. Andrew’s, the ancient ecclesiastical capital of Scotland. Visit the ruins of St. Andrew’s Cathedral and the nearby castle with its notorious “Bottle Dungeon”. Wander through the “Old Course” at St. Andrew’s, renowned as the home of golf! Return to Edinburgh for dinner and an overnight. (B, D)

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 both a military post and a museum. Tour St. Giles Cathedral, which is dedicated to the patron saint of Edinburgh; its oldest portions date to 1124. See also Holyrood Castle, an official residence of the British Crown, whose grounds date back to an Augustinian Monastery. Return to your hotel for dinner and an overnight. (B, D)

Return home from Edinburgh with memories of the people and places of Celtic Christianity in Scotland. (B)