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

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 your overnight stay.

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.

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 your overnight stay.

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 your overnight stay.

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 your overnight stay.

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 your overnight stay.

Edinburgh replaced Scone as the capital of Scotland in 1437. The site of Edinburgh Castle has held a fort since Celtic times and 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 Holyrood Palace, an official residence of the British Crown whose grounds date back to an Augustinian Monastery. Return to your hotel for dinner and your overnight stay.

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 your overnight stay.

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