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Scotland And Ireland Tour

15 Days Glasgow/Dublin
From $2,775 (Land Only)

A fascinating journey through the natural wonder of two splendid countries.

Departure Dates Available in 2009:

April 18, 25
May 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
June 6, 13, 20, 27
July 4, 11, 18, 25
August 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
September 5, 12, 19, 26
October 3, 10, 17

To check space availability or to register, contact SMA Tours at (800) 239-7444.

Tour Includes

• Airport Transfers
• Twin-bedded rooms in hotels listed below or similar; all hotel taxes, service charges, and tips for baggage handling
• 13 breakfasts, 1 morning coffee, and 8 three-course dinners as outlined in itinerary
• Private luxury air-conditioned motorcoach transportation
• Ferry Stranraer / Belfast
• Complete sightseeing as detailed in the itinerary, including Cawdor Castle; Glen Ord Whisky Distillery; Edinburgh Castle; Moffat Tartan Mills; Belfast; Giant’s Causeway; Kylemore Abbey; Rathbaun Farm; Cliffs of Moher; Ring of Kerry; Blarney Castle; St. Patrick’s Cathedral; Trinity College Library
• Inside visits and special features as show in tour descriptions, including admission charges if applicable
• Tickets to the Military Tattoo also included on departures August 8-22

Itinerary

Day 1 - BOARD YOUR OVERNIGHT TRANSATLANTIC FLIGHT

Day 2 - ARRIVE IN GLASGOW, SCOTLAND

Welcome to Glasgow! At 2:30, meet your Tour Director for an orientation drive around Glasgow. Tonight, enjoy a delicious Welcome Din­ner with your traveling companions. (Dinner included)

Day 3 - GLASGOW / AVIEMORE

Today is dedicated to the rugged beauty of Scotland’s glens, lochs and isles as you make your way to Aviemore. En route from Glasgow, stop at Loch Lomond and enjoy a cruise on this “bonnie” loch. Take an opportunity to view Loch Ness, the home of the mysterious monster “Nessie,” as you continue to Aviemore, deep in the Cairngorm mountains. (Breakfast and Dinner included)

Day 4 - HIGHLANDS EXCURSION

Visit Cawdor Castle this ­morning, famous for its associations with Shake­speare’s Macbeth who was promised the Thanedom of Cawdor by the witches. Then on to the battlefields of Culloden, where in 1746 the Jacobite cause, with Bonnie Prince Charlie’s leadership, perished. Visit Glen Ord Whisky Distillery, then enjoy some free time
in Inverness, the Highland capital. (Breakfast and Dinner included)

Day 5 - AVIEMORE / EDINBURGH

Drive through Royal Deeside and pass Balmoral estate, the Queen’s private Highland ­residence. There is time for photos at Craithie Church, which the Royal Family attends when they are in Scotland. Stop in the ­village of Braemar, then on to St. Andrew’s, whose Royal & Ancient Golf Club has given us the rules of golfing. Con­tinue to Edinburgh. Why not attend an optional Scottish evening in­clud­ing dinner, Highland dancers, bagpipers and the Ceremony of the Haggis? (Breakfast Included)

Day 6 - MAJESTIC EDINBURGH

With your local guide, tour through the regal city from Edinburgh Castle to the Royal Mile, to the fairy-tale Holyrood Palace. Your afternoon and evening are free. (Breakfast Included)

Note:  Tickets to the Military Tattoo are included on departures August 8-22.

Day 7 - EDINBURGH / ­BELFAST, IRELAND

Motor south through the Scottish countryside, stopping at Moffat Tartan Mills, before arriving in Stranraer. Enjoy the ferry crossing of the North Channel to Ireland. (Breakfast and Dinner Included)

Day 8 - BELFAST / NORTH ANTRIM / LETTERKENNY

The Titanic’s sad story begins in Belfast, where she was designed and built. This morning, visit the Thompson Dock & Pump House, where the Titanic had its last fit out, for an interactive experience. Then, on a city tour, your guide takes you through the landmarks that have played their part in Belfast’s historic development. Next explore the white cliffs and wide bays of North Antrim, some of the sheltered Nine Glens and the incredible Giant's Causeway. Continue to your hotel in the town of Letterkenny. (Breakfast and Dinner Included)

Day 9 - DERRY / CONNEMARA

Join your local guide on a walking tour of the city walls. Then travel south, crossing the famous River Shannon at Carrick-on-Shannon. Continue on to Galway, the “City of Tribes.” Your orientation tour here includes stately Galway Cathedral. After, head to the coast and your hotel, beautifully situated overlooking Galway Bay. (Breakfast and Dinner Included)

Day 10 - CONNEMARA EXCURSION

Today you tour Connemara, a wild land of rocky mountains, sparkling brooks, and rivers. Stop at lakeside Kylemore Abbey, a castellated neo-Gothic mansion, occupied today by the Irish Benedictine community of nuns who came from Ypres after World War I. Then on to Clifden, one of the prettiest towns in Connemara. Travel through bogland and villages to the Connemara Marble Factory and learn of the origin and uses of the area’s splendid marble. Return to hotel for dinner. (Breakfast and Dinner Included)

Day 11 - CONNEMARA / CLIFFS OF MOHER / KILLARNEY

Drop in for coffee at Rathbaun Farm. Meet an Irish farming family as they carry out their everyday chores. Continue west across the Burren, a stark and barren land­scape, to see the Cliffs of Moher, rising approximately 700 feet above the Atlantic. Later, take the Tarbert ferry across the Shannon estuary and continue your journey to Killarney. (Breakfast, Morning Coffee, and Dinner Included)

Day 12 - DINGLE PENINSULA EXCURSION

Head out today to the beautiful Dingle Peninsula. Here, majestic hills soar green and purple over unspoiled valleys, glittering mountain streams tumble down to lakes and golden beaches stretch for miles. This peninsula is a Gaeltacht, an area where the Irish language is preserved. Learn about the Blasket Islands at the Blasket Centre. There is time to explore the town of Dingle, a colorful fishing port. You will also find a hidden treasure. Return to Killarney where the rest of the day is free. (Breakfast Included)

Day 13 - KILLARNEY / BLARNEY / DUBLIN

Your first visit today is Blarney Castle with its magical stone which gives the gift of eloquence for a kiss. There’s time for a stop at the Blarney Woollen Mills to shop for Waterford Crystal and fine Irish handicrafts. On to Cashel to view the Rock of Cashel. The dramatic limestone rock crowned with secular and ­religious building dominates the flat countryside for miles around. Continue to Dublin. (Breakfast Included)

Day 14 - TOUR HISTORIC DUBLIN

During your morning city tour, visit St. Patrick’s Cathedral, see Dublin’s Georgian squares, and walk the cobbled courtyards of Trinity College to its famed library and the 8th century Book of Kells. Your afternoon is at leisure to continue exploring on your own. (B)

Day 15 - DEPART DUBLIN

Your homebound flight arrives the same day. (Breakfast Included)

 

Pricing

• All quoted rates above are based on double occupancy
• Single Room Supplement: $800
• Triple Room Reduction per person:  $110

Hotels

Jurys Inn, Glasgow

Macdonalds Highland Resort, Aviemore

Jurys Inn, Edinburgh

Europa, Belfast

Radisson SAS, Letterkenny

Connemara Coast, Connemara

Killarney Towers, Killarney

Ballsbridge Towers, Dublin