We start with a local departure for our journey north and travel to Scotland. Accommodation has been reserved for 4 nights on a dinner, bed and breakfast basis in the Largs or Glasgow area.
Day 2 – after your included breakfast we travel to Wemyss Bay and take the ferry to the Isle of Bute. This little island is tucked away in spectacular sea lochs of southern Argyll and offers a peaceful retreat from the mainland. Entrance is included to Mount Stuart – an outstanding neo-Gothic mansion and a feat of Victorian engineering. Highlights include the marble hall, the purple library and the magnificent marble chapel. There is also time to explore the labyrinth of gardens which are spread across 300 acres. Later in the day we take the ferry back to the mainland and return to our hotel in time for dinner.
Day 3 – after breakfast we take the short ferry crossing to Gourock to the Cowal peninsular where we visit Benmore Botanic Gardens. Don’t miss the avenue of giant redwoods which stand over 50 metres high and create one of the finest entrances to a botanic garden anywhere in the world. In the afternoon we visit Dunoon, the main resort on the peninsular.
Day 4 – after breakfast we travel to Ardrossan for the ferry across to the Isle of Arran. At 20 miles long and 10 miles wide it is one of the largest islands in Scotland and boasts outstanding wildlife, geology, archaeology and history. We visit Brodick castle and gardens. Inside the castle is furnished much as it was when the Duke and Duchess of Montrose lived here in the early 1900s. Outside the gardens contain 3 National Collections of rhododendrons that flower in almost every month of the year. There is also a Victorian garden and a little further out you will find marked trails, waterfalls, ponds and woodland. Later in the day we return to our hotel.
Day 5 – after breakfast we return home.