what to bring...
- outdoor footwear
- lots of thin layers (even in summer)
- a light waterproof jacket (April-October)
- deet or mosquito repellent for West Coast (June-September)
custom tour Scotland
gardens tour
This is a successful guided tour that can been adapted to your requirements:
DAY ONE leave Glasgow at 09.00 via Loch Lomond and Inveraray to Crarae Gardens and Arduaine Gardens with its spectacular rhododendrons and azaleas; continue through Oban, the Great Glen and the Road to the Isles to Arisaig and its gentle Gulf Stream-fed coastline and beaches; stay at the Old Library Lodge in Arisaig.
DAY TWO travel over to the Isle of Skye by ferry (the romantic way - like 'a bird on a wing') to Armadale Castle and Gardens; continue up Sleat and via Plockton to explore the lesser known but enchanting Attadale Gardens with beautiful ponds and japanese zen garden; experience the remoteness of the Torridon region including a fabulous drive via magical Loch Maree to Gairloch; stay at the quiet Gairloch Highland Lodge but eat at a local hostelry with fabulous food and drink:The Old Inn
DAY THREE a short hop and a skip to the world famous and world class Inverewe Gardens (with rhododendrons, azaleas, eucalyptus, incredible walled garden... - the lifetime's dream and work of Osgood MacKenzie and his daughter, Mairi Sawyer); spend the whole morning at Inverewe; head south via Inverness and the Drumochter Pass to the woods of Perthshire; stay in Pitlochry at the cosy and highly acclaimed Craigatin House (easy walk for an evening meal in Pitlochry)
DAY FOUR a short drive to Blair Castle and its reconstructed 18th century Herculean Gardens (and Diana's Grove) followed by an exploration of the Explorers - the Scottish Plant Hunters Garden at Pitlochry; rest of the afternoon free for shopping, hiking, relaxing in Pitlochry
DAY FIVE an easy day to finish: travelling via Perth and taking in the formal gardens at Kinross House in the morning and Drummond Castle in the afternoon, journey back to Glasgow for 17.00. go back