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Scottish Literary Trail
Includes Inverness Book Festival, Edinburgh International Book Festival & Edinburgh Book Fringe
Links with Northern England tour and/or The Lake District.
Scotland is a land rich in its distinctive national literature. There are innumerable places to visit associated with great authors and their works - writers’ homes, birthplaces, graves, locations vividly described in novels and poems. Scotland’s landscapes and seascapes described in literature bring the reality of where and how people live into a vibrant presence. Many memorable characters in fiction and poems were based on real people, the local people and the stunning landscapes that inspired great works of literature are all here, waiting for you to discover for yourself.
Our tour is a sampling of the best of what this wonderful country has to offer, from the far Northern Highlands, south to Dumfries & Galloway and the Borders, visiting iconic places of interest, oft overlooked gems off the beaten track, using the rich literary heritage as our guide. All of this PLUS the special events of Inverness Literary Festival, Edinburgh Literary Festival and Edinburgh Book Fringe.
Tour Dates: 9 – 18 August, 2012
What your tour price includes: Your accommodation for 10 nights while on the tour including both full breakfasts and 7 dinners, as listed. Your price also includes entrance fees to listed attractions (Inverewe, Culloden, Cawdor Castle, Stirling Castle, Abbotsford Gardens, Rosslyn Chapel,) transportation, services of driver/guide-companion and all taxes and tips other than those you may wish to give your guide.
This tour begins in Inverness and finishes in Edinburgh.
TENTATIVE ITINERARY
DAY 1 TH 9 August, 2012
Arrival Inverness, your guide will be on hand for an orientation tour and you’ll have free time in town to enjoy the events of the Inverness Book Festival. Dinner is not included tonight for the opportunity to relax or attend festival events as you wish.
Inverness is serviced by an airport, local non-stop services from London and Manchester, and the train from Edinburgh and Glasgow.
NIGHTSTOP: Inverness
DAY 2 FR 10 August
Our first day out will hopefully be one of great inspiration! We will explore the stunning Northern Highlands scenery and have our first glimpse of Scotland’s literary heritage. This is Europe’s last wilderness, the landscape shaped by the passing of many ice ages. We will travel through straths and glens, around scenic lochs across to the Wester Ross coast, which offers spectacular coastal views.
During our day, we’ll watch the roaring waters of Corrieshalloch Gorge plunge 200 feet below us as we walk across a small suspension bridge. The subject of Norman MacCaig’s poem ‘Falls of Measach,’ this wondrous site provides us the opportunity to explore the relation between setting and inspiration.
The sumptuous walled Gardens of Inverewe is another destination, featuring plants from around the globe. The unique climate of the gulf streams along this coast allows many ‘unusual’ plants to flourish. While there isn’t a direct literary connection, this lovely work of art should provide us our own ample inspiration. It is perhaps the most picturesque walled garden in the country, considered one of the best in all of Europe.
Dependent upon time, we may have a visit to Hugh Miller’s birthplace in Cromarty en-route back to Inverness. Miller was a world renowned geologist and writer who rose from humble beginnings. Another local writer is Neil Gunn. His novel ‘The Silver Darlings’ is a vivid picture of the bygone local fishing villages.
NIGHTSTOP: Inverness
DAY 3 SA ND 11 August
A full day to enjoy the special events of the Inverness Book Festival and the local attractions in Inverness, the ‘Capitol of the Highlands.’ The relatively modern small city offers a Heritage Museum, Art Gallery and Inverness Castle, a gothic style building dating from 1830 featuring the Garrison Encounter, a re-enactment of life as an 18th Century soldier. There’s the Victorian Arcade and high street shopping opportunities, lovely riverside walking and The Floral Hall, with its wonderful glass house gardens. For the evening, there is a lively local pub scene and Scottish Showtime, a traditional music and dance show.
Optional day trip to Orkney is another possibility (supplemental fee will apply.) Although this is a very long day with a 06.00 start and approximate 21.00 finish, it is a fantastic opportunity to see the special prehistoric sites on Orkney. During the ferry ride, perhaps you’ll catch a glimpse of Dunnet Head, the most northerly point on mainland Britain. The Lighthouse was built by Robert Stevenson, grandfather to Robert Louis Stevenson.
All of this in addition to the Book Festival events, spoilt for choice! Dinner is not included tonight for flexibility’s sake.
NIGHTSTOP: Inverness
DAY 4 SU 12 August
As we’re near, the day can begin at Clava Cairns. These circles of stones from the dawn of human civilization sit in a quiet sheltered spot of the Scottish countryside. We’ll spend ample time at Culloden, site of the great Jacobite battle of 1746 led by Bonnie Prince Charlie. There is a fine exhibition and the poignant battlefield with Clan memorial stones where we can pay tribute to the brave fallen. A turning point in Scottish history, the events of Culloden have been featured in numerous literary works, both literally (such as Iain Crichton Smith’s poem ‘Culloden and After’) and figuratively (‘Waverley’ by Sir Walter Scott.)
Cawdor Castle, a late 14th Century ‘fairy tale’ castle built by the Thanes of Cawdor around a legendary holly-tree, offers a rich history and voluptuous gardens. Cawdor will forever be known as the setting for Shakespeare’s ‘Scottish Play’ but the real Macbeth lived and died a few centuries before it was built. We can explore the facts, fiction and legendry tales of Thanes and Weird Sisters traveling through “Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill.” Recently Liza Campbell, sister to the current Thane, wrote a novel about her experiences growing up in Cawdor Castle, perhaps a ‘must read’ prior to our visit? (‘A Charmed Life.’)
A scenic drive through the lower Highlands scenery will bring us to Fortingall. The Yew tree here is believed to be between 2000 and 5000 years old, perhaps the oldest living thing on earth! In his ‘Sonnets from Scotland’ collection, Edwin Morgan’s poem ‘Pilate at Fortingall’ surmises on the local legend that Pontius Pilate was born to a Roman centurion in Fortingall. It was also in the town here, in 1512, that the local vicar compiled early Gaelic songs, poems and stories so we know of many ancient Celtic heroes such as Finn MacCool today.
We will spend our evening either in this picturesque village of thatched cottages or nearby on the banks of Loch Tay.
NIGHTSTOP: Aberfeldy area
DAY 5 MO 13 August
Today is simply bursting with places of historical significance and literary connections! Passing through Perthshire, the county where JM Barrie was born, where Beatrix Potter spent her childhood holidays, where Naomi Mitchison set ‘The Bull Calves’ and where modern novelists including Rosamunde Pilcher set their stories, we’ll explore part of what’s known as ‘Rob Roy Country.’
We will pay our respects at Rob Roy Macgregor’s grave, perhaps enjoy a short visit to the Rob Roy Visitor Centre in Callender and we’ll see Stirling Castle. This is a classical route, one portrayed in Dorothy Wordsworth’s 1803 diary ‘Recollections of a Tour Made in Scotland,’ about her own literary pilgrimage with her brother William and friend Samuel Coleridge.
The royal city of Stirling and Stirling Castle is on every visitor to Scotland’s ‘must see’ list! From the esplanade of the castle we can admire the surrounding countryside. Numerous battles have been fought in this area, not least the great victory at Bannockburn, where the Scots trounced the English. This place has been the subject of many writings and the list of famous literary visitors almost endless.
The rest of our day will be spent exploring the scenic countryside of The Trossachs. This area of lower mountains and lakes is a holiday spot for locals and visitors alike. Sir Walter Scott’s popular poem ‘The Lady of the Lake’ was set here, perhaps sparking the very first example of literary tourism. Works by several others, including Wordsworth and Jules Verne, are also set in this amazing terrain.
NIGHTSTOP: Loch Lomond area
DAY 6 TU 14 August
This morning, we can linger a bit in the lovely Trossachs countryside if we wish but another exciting day awaits!
We’ll take ‘The Rabbie Burns Trail,’ exploring the area most associated with this literary great, the county of Ayrshire. We’ll visit his birthplace museum cottage, some settings and other real life sites connected with the 18th century poetic genius.
NIGHTSTOP: Cumnock area, Ayrshire
DAY 7 WE 15 August
Today we continue on the ‘Rabbie Burns Trail’ to Dumfries & Galloway, giving us the excuse to explore a bit of this wonderful corner of Scotland. As far south as the country extends, there is a wide variety of natural wonders, boasting over 200 miles of coastline, amazing gardens and wildlife viewing opportunities. Yet another chance to see how landscape influences art! Scotland's National Bard spent several years in this area, where he passed away at just 37, so is remembered fondly throughout.
Our day will include time in the town of Dumfries, where Rabbie Burns chose to settle. This is a charming old country town on the banks of the River Nith.
We’ll also visit Wigtown, ‘Scotland’s National Book Town,’ a lovely place full of bookshops of all types, sizes and themes so a must for our literary theme. Hopefully there’s some room left in the luggage!
NIGHTSTOP: Cumnock area, Ayrshire
DAY 8 TH 16 August
The astounding Borders scenery is today’s agenda, another gem area! The number of fortified houses in the region bear testament to the wild history - wars, local feuding and cattle rustling were daily events. We recommend reading the novel 'The Candlemass Road' by George MacDonald Frazer for a superb introduction to the area.
Sir Walter Scott chose to make his home in this Borders scenery. His romantic historical novels such as 'Rob Roy' and 'Ivanhoe' were sufficiently popular in his lifetime to enable him to maintain a magnificent property called Abbotsford. While the home itself is undergoing refurbishment through 2013, we can have a look around the gardens and grounds. We should have time for a short visit to nearby Melrose Abbey too, reputedly the burial place for Robert the Bruce’s heart.
Our final stop of the day is Rosslyn Chapel. This fantastic church has achieved renewed prominence through Dan Brown 'Da Vinci Code' but whether you’re a fan or not, its architecture and links to the Knights Templar should interest everyone.
NIGHTSTOP: Edinburgh
DAY 9 FR 17 August
Edinburgh, Literary Highlights – ‘The Athens of the North’ has much to offer visitors! We will begin our day with a guided walking tour of old Edinburgh with a particular focus on the city’s literary monuments, museums and inspirations. You’ll see where Robert Louis Stevenson lived, a few places of inspiration for his novels, where Boswell first met Dr Johnson and perhaps discover a few contemporary writers through local points of interest. There are sites of Rabbie Burns, Sir Walter Scott and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Along the way, ‘Harry Potter’ fans may find a particular café of interest too!
The rest of the day is free to explore the local highlights at your leisure and, of course, the special events of the Book Festivals and Fringe. Explore Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood Palace, the Royal Mile, Prince's Street and New Town, all under the shadow of Arthur's Seat. There’s a vibrant nightlife full of theatres and pubs to enjoy and optional tickets to the famed Military Tattoo, subject to availability. Dinner is not included for flexibility’s sake.
SGT is happy to facilitate tickets to attractions and the events of your choice, subject to availability, and your guide is on hand throughout your tour as needed for advice, suggestions and assistance. What you do tonight and tomorrow is totally up to you!
NIGHTSTOP: Edinburgh
DAY 10 SA 18 August ND
Full day to enjoy the special events of the Edinburgh International Book Festival & Book Fringe. Dinner is not included for flexibility’s sake.
This is the final day of our tour but the Edinburgh Festivals continue through the end of August. If you have the time, why not extend your stay in this wonderful city?
NIGHTSTOP: Edinburgh
Why Not ‘Link It’? If you have the time, there’s other choices to extend your literary adventure – connect to either Northern England tour or The Lake District.
Please note: All attraction opening times are correct at time of printing this website. While we will do our utmost to include all of the properties mentioned as central visits, we reserve the right to change an attraction should it become impossible to deliver a planned visit due to changes in opening days or times that we could not have been aware of at the time of loading this tour to our website.
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