The Riches of ScotlandWith Dr. James Bruhn
August 5 - 20, 2010
Scotland contains some of the last great open space of Europe, famed for its moody highland mountains, mist shrouded glens, dazzling lochs, wild coastlines, and lush, verdant forests. It is a nation of astounding contrasts. The sweeping landscapes possess a dreamlike quality, whether seen cloaked in mist or rising regally above the mirror of a lake. And scattered throughout this spectacular scenery are romantic castles, magnificent country manor houses, engaging fishing ports, and quaint characteristic villages.
Join only seven others and a medievalist scholar for a 16-day journey of Scotland. Travel from the southern border with England to the far north and see historic and archaeological sites that few visitors manage to find. View prehistoric stone circles and chambered tombs, glorious abbeys and cathedrals, and savor the view from battlements of medieval castles in remote, beautiful areas of the country. A highlight will be three days spent on the remote Orkney Islands, containing the densest concentration of archaeological sites in Britain and testifying to their long history of settlement. We have carefully chosen a route that travels on minor roads and country lanes through some of the most picturesque rural countryside in the British Isles.
(B) breakfast, (L) lunch, (D) dinner
Day 1: Depart the USA for the flight to Scotland.
Day 2: Arrive into Glasgow and drive to Edinburgh to spend the morning in the city’s castle dominating the city’s skyline from its perch on the precipitous crag of Castle Rock. During its stormy history of sieges and wars it has evolved from its earliest beginnings in the 11th century to the present-day national monument. Transfer to Dirleton and overnight for three nights in the Open Arms Hotel, located on the village green at Dirleton and overlooking Dirleton Castle. Gather this evening for our welcome dinner party. (D)
Day 3: Today’s drive takes us to two spectacular sites. Begin at Rosslyn Chapel, a tiny 15th century church with architectural treasures hidden within. Every conceivable roof rib, capital, boss, arch and corbel is encrusted with human and animal figures, moldings and foliage, and the exquisite work of the mason is enhanced by the plainness and severity of the late mediaeval Scottish architecture. Situated amidst beautiful scenery close by the River Tweed, Traquair is the oldest inhabited housein Scotland, visited by 27 kings. Originally a Royal Hunting Lodge, it was owned by the Scottish Crown until 1478 when it passed to a branch of the Royal Stuart 
family whose descendants still live in 
the house today. Tonight’s dinner party will beheld in Borthwick Castle. This stunning, privately owned castle stands on the summit of a knoll on the periphery o fthe Borders immortalized by Sir Walter Scott. It was built in 1430, was once the refuge of Mary Queen of Scots and the Earl of Borthwell, and was besieged by Oliver Cromwell in 1650. The atmosphere and grandeur of its romantic past has been lovingly cherished and maintained. Dinner in the main banquet hall will be one of the trip’s highlights. (B/D)
Day 4: Three intriguing sites will be seen today. Few better spots than Cairnapple Hill could have been chosen in Central Scotland for rituals, burials or ceremonies of the highest order; it has been the focus of attention of prehistoric peoples, on and off, for nearly 3,000 years. The function of the site has clearly changed over its five main phases of use, with a henge, cairn and burial pits still visible today. We continue to the royal palace of Linlithgow, the birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots. Rebuilt by James V in a vast and ornate style, the building contains a Great Hall that is 94 feet long. Built on an extinct volcano outcrop making it almost impregnable, Stirling Castle dominated Scottish history for centuries and is one of the finest examples of Renaissance architecture in Scotland. It has been occupied since prehistoric times and played an important role in the country’s military history. (B/D)
Day 5: Start the day at Melrose Abbey, site of the first Cistercian settlement in Scotland. The church represents the high point in 15th century Scottish decorated architecture and is lavishly ornamented with carvings of lush fruit, flowers and foliage. Humorous additions to the masonry include human figurines around the exterior walls - the cook with his ladle, the mason with his mallet, the fat monk, and, flying high on a gargoyle - a bagpipe-playing pig! Then it’s on to the fairy-tale Caerlaverock Castle, the finest example of a medieval castle in southwestern Scotland. A residence as well as a stronghold, its three-sided shape is unique in Britain, and the double-towered gatehouse and triangular layout surrounded by a water-filled moat and earthen rampart reflect some of the changes in design it has undergone in its turbulent history. Time permitting, finish the day at Sweetheart Abbey, founded in 1273. The foundress, Dervorgilla, was laid to rest here, along with the casket containing the embalmed heart of her beloved husband. Overnight at a traditional coaching inn in town of Moffat. (B/D)
Day 6: Today we move into the Highlands by way of Glasgow, Scotland’s largest city. Glasgow was founded as a monastery in the 6th century by Saint Kentigern, or Mungo as he is known in Gaelic, a bishop of the British kingdom of Strathclyde. For most of its history, Glasgow maintained a strong connection with the Catholic Church with the Bishops of Glasgow playing key parts in the medieval history of Scotland. Very little of Glagow’s medieval architecture remains, though we will view two of its ancient buildings; the magnificent Norman cathedral and Glasgow’s oldest house, the 15th century Provand’s Lordship. Travel on to the Clyde coast and Dumbarton Rock, a plug of volcanic rock jutting into the estuary. As early as the 5th century AD, the rock had become a fortress of the British kings of Stratchlyde who used Alcluith (Clyde Rock in old Welsh) to raid the coasts of western Scotland and Ireland. Saint Patrick himself wrote a letter to King Cerdic of Strathclyde beseeching him to stop taking Irish Christians as slaves. Tonight, we will stay in the Georgian planned town of Inverary. (B/D)
Day 7: The valley of Kilmartin has one of the highest concentrations of prehistoric sites in Scotland. Visit Nether Largie South Chambered Cairn dating to the 3rd and 2nd millennia BC and the contemporary Temple Wood Stone Circles. See the displays in Kilmartin House Museum. Explore Dunadd Fort high located on an isolated rocky cliff and considered one of the main centers of the Scots in the kingdom of Dalriada. The outline of a footprint and a hollowed-out basin in the rock has been interpreted as being part of the royal inaugurations of the kings of Dalriada. Continue to Falkland, one of Scotland’s most picturesque villages and the stunning 16th century palace erected as a royal hunting lodge for the Stuart kings. The courtyard facades with their buttresses modeled as classical columns incorporate medallion busts, the work of two French stone masons. The ‘Catchpole’, or Royal Tennis Court, is the oldest in Britain. Stop for tea in Kind Kyttock’s Kitchen, a traditional Scottish tearoom with home baked goods, homemade preserves and other Scottish delicacies and housed in a charming 17th-century terraced cottage overlooking the cobbled square. Overnight at the Atholl Palace Hotel, the epitome of Scottish Baronial splendor located in the charming historic town of Pitlochry. (B/D)
Day 8: Begin the day at Scottish Crannog Centre, the first crannog built for probably 2,000 years. A crannog is a defensive homestead built in the water of a loch from as early as 5,000 years ago. This reconstruction is based on the results of excavations from the 2,500-year-old Oakbank Crannog. Ancient structural timbers, food, plant and insect remains, utensils and even clothing have been remarkably well preserved and many are on display in the Crannog Centre’s shore-based exhibition. St. Mary’s Church in Grandtully first appears to be a slightly crooked 18th century farmstead - a simple building with lime-washed rubble walls and a blue slate roof. Upon entry we are provided with the breathtaking sight of a rectangular shell possessing a beautiful 17th century painted timber vault. Nearby Dunnottar Castle is set on sheer cliffs that offer a natural defense. The Honours of Scotland were saved from Cromwell’s grasp in 1652 by lowering them over the rock face and hiding them in Kinneff Kirk. Overnight for two nights in the 18th century Gordon Arms Hotel sited on the historic square in Huntly. (B/D)
Day 9: In contrast to other castles we have visited, Cragievar Castle dates from a time of relative peace and stability. It has survived largely unaltered since 1626, so this truly becomes a journey back to the 17th century. The ancient building is the product of a new kind of laird - the cultured Scot - who in this case was successful in the contemporary Baltic trade. After lunch, we stop at the Glenfiddich Distillery where a guided tour will lead us through the process of making single malt Scottish whisky. Besides history and golf, Scotland is known for its single malt and blended Scottish whiskeys. The word whisky itself derives from the Scottish Gaelic uisge beitha, or ‘water of life.’ (B/D)
Day 10: Begin today in Dunrobin Castle, a large Victorian fairytale-like mansion built around a 14th-century tower. The museum contains many Pictish stones with carvings and other archaeological finds and fascinating memorabilia accrued by the incumbent family over the years. Camster Chambered Cairns date from the 4th and 3rd millennia BC and are two of the best preserved Neolithic cairns in Britain. Overnight at the Pentland Hotel in Thurso. (B/D)
Day 11: An early morning crossing by ferry takes us from Stromness to the Orkney Islands. Only a short drive from the pier is Skara Brae, Orkney’s most extraordinary prehistoric sight. This Neolithic village, buried for millennia in the sand until unearthed by a freak storm in 1850, is semi-subterranean and is completely preserved, including furniture and drainage system. Continue to the Great Cairn of Maes Howe where the size and elaborate construction suggests that it was the burial place of an important, and probably ruling, family group. The tomb was broken into countless times in the past including by the Norse who carved their graffiti on the walls, leaving us the finest collection of runic inscriptions in Britain. Orkney’s capital of Kirkwall has been in existence since the eleventh century and this afternoon we will visit the 12th century red sandstone St. Magnus Cathedral, the ruins of the magnificent Renaissance Earl’s Palace with its enormous fireplaces and huge oriel windows, the Bishop’s Palace, and the Tankerness House Museum with its presentation of 5,000 years of Orkney life. Overnight for the next two nights in Kirkwall. (B/D)
Day 12: This morning, take the ferry across to the Isle of Rousay, containing an astonishing array of ancient monuments. Five thousand year old Midhowe Chambered Cairn is one of the largest Neolithic monuments in Orkney. Nearby is one of the best brochs in the Orkneys. This style of fortress is unique to Scotland, and is a tall circular tower with no windows and double walls to allow galleries and stairways to run between the inner and outer skins. In the afternoon, visit Isbister Chambered Cairn, a Neolithic chambered cairn popularly known as the Tomb of the Eagles. Located on a private farm and family-run, a tour of the tomb takes us back on a most entrancing journey into the past. Time permitting, visit the Italian Chapel, a tiny church built in the Mediterranean style by Italian POWs during World War II. (B/D)
Day 13: Drive to the southern end of Loch Stenness to explore several extraordinary prehistoric remains. The Stenness Stones and the Ring of Brodgar are splendid henge monuments. There are four stones still standing at Stenness while at Brodgar 27 monoliths of the original sixty are still standing. Unstan Cairn is a long central burial chamber that was in active use for burials as early as 3400 BC. In the late morning return to the mainland by ferry. Overnight for two nights in a late Georgian residence in Inverness. (B/D)
Day 14: Visit Cawdor Castle, an outstanding example of a 15th century fortified house that has evolved over many centuries. The central five-story tower is considered to be one of the finest of Scotland’s medieval buildings. Continue to Clava Cairns, Bronze Age ritual and funerary monuments. Although they are now open to the skies, their size and the huge number of stones used to build them show what impressive structures they were in the second millennium BC. Standing stones and barren moorland ring the monuments. Our gala final banquet will be held in the Culloden House, a Palladian grand country house that was home castle of the famous Forbes of Culloden. (B/D)
Day 15: Today's drive south from Inverness to Glasgow takes us through some of the most spectacular scenery in Scotland - the renowned and rugged Highlands. First travel through Great Glen, with Loch Ness by far the most famous. It is said to be home to Nessie, a monstrous creature first sighted by St. Columba in the 6th century. The fortified castles we will pass attest to the area being fought over for centuries. Overnight in Glasgow at an airport hotel. Gather this evening for our final dinner together. (B/D)
Day 16: Transfer to the airport for the flight back to the USA. (B)
James Bruhn received his BA in anthropology and history from the University of Colorado (Magna Cum Laude), and his MA and PhD in British Roman Archaeology from the University of Durham. Originally from the Northeast of Scotland, he is a specialist on Roman Frontiers in Northern Britain and a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland and Newcastle upon Tyne. Dr. Bruhn has spoken at numerous academic conferences in North America and Europe, has authored a scholarly book on Roman Archaeology and has written book chapters in several scholarly publications including the Seventy Great Inventions of the Ancient World by Brian Fagan. He has excavated along the Antonine Wall and has tutored small groups on his specialty. Additionally, Dr. Bruhn has organized and been the speaker in several conferences about Roman Britain. His knowledge, enthusiasm and passion about the history and archaeology of Great Britain is contagious.
August 5 - 20, 2010
$8,495.00 (per person, double occupancy) includes all hotels, all breakfasts and dinners, entry fees, and all ground transportation. Price is based upon the British pound at 1.75. If a fluctuation raises the pound, the final price may go up.
Single Supplement: $895.00. Should a roommate be requested and one not be available, the single supplement will be charged.
Cost Does Not Include: Roundtrip international flights; a donation as outlined below; all lunches; dinners as noted; all beverages; food not on regular menus; passport fees; airport departure taxes; laundry; tips and gratuities; excess baggage charges and other items of a personal nature.
Fuel Surcharges: Far Horizons must pass on price increases when additional fuel charges are levied.
Donation Checks: As a tour company that benefits from the cultural and natural riches of our destinations, we have a policy of donating to the scientific and cultural projects and museums we visit. This has created a bond between Far Horizons and the academic and local communities that has helped us establish an extensive list of lecturers and contacts in each of our destinations. We ask that each participant write a check to the noteworthy project we designate. The donation amount is $150.00 per person and is made by check directly to the donation project. Note that the donation is required as part of your registration for the trip and that it is non-refundable. We will be designating a donation project for this trip shortly.
A deposit of $500.00 and the separate donation check for $150.00 (made out to the designated project) are required along with your registration form. Final payment is due 75 days before departure. Upon receipt of your deposit and completed registration form, you will be sent a reading list and a tour bulletin containing travel information. Prior to the trip, we will send links to various websites of pertinent interest to the trip.Click here to download our Registration Form.
Cancellations received in writing at least 75 days before departure will result in an administrative fee of $250.00 per person. Cancellations received less than 75 days before departure will not receive a refund. If for any reason you are unable to complete the tour, we will not reimburse any fees. Registrants are strongly advised to buy travel insurance that includes trip cancellation.
Note About Itinerary Changes Changes in our itinerary, accommodations, and transportation schedules may occur. A good book to read as well as a flexible attitude and a sense of humor are essential.
Nights will be spent in traditional coaching inns and elegant centuries-old country homes. Dining will be a special pleasure as we sample regional delicacies and share pub lunches with villagers. Hotels and pubs listed in the brochure might change; the ambiance will not.
The private tours of archaeological sites and talks by specialists are scheduled in advance and include a donation to each. Specialists working at these sites are excited about showing their work to interested enthusiasts. However, please be aware that there may be times when the director or a member of the staff may not be onsite when our groups arrive due to other commitments.
Limited to 8 Participants