Hiss & Weber Family Adventure V2

Day 1 - Thursday 17^th April - Welcome to Scotland

On arrival at the airport you will be met by private drivers who will transfer you to your city centre hotel to drop your bags. At 2pm your private guide hosts will meet you and you can chat about the upcoming Scottish adventures before they take you out to start exploring this unique city. Starting in style with a delectable afternoon tea aboard the opulent Fingal, sister ship to the Royal Yacht Britannia. Afterwards your guides take you back to your hotel for a free evening.

Note: An early to mid-morning arrival flight would be required to allow for a relaxed Afternoon Tea experience today. A later flight would require a revised itinerary.

Overnight: Edinburgh | Gleneagles Townhouse
Room Type: 1 x House Double Room & 1 x interconnecting House Twin Room for each family (4 rooms in total)
Meals Included: None

Day 2 - Friday 18^th April - Exploring Edinburgh

This morning immerse yourselves in the winding cobbled streets of historic Old Town Edinburgh as you enjoy a private walking tour with an expert city guide. Discover the highlights of this unique capital city from the ‘Royal Mile’ and its winding ‘closes’, to the mighty ancient fortress which is Edinburgh Castle itself. Walk the ramparts atop castle rock and hear the tales of the One O’Clock gun and the stories of locals of times past.

After lunch you head out of the city with your guides to the enigma that is Rosslyn Chapel, made famous by The Da Vinci Code. Dan Brown called this chapel “the most mysterious and magical chapel on earth” and there are certainly lots of unanswered questions about this unique building. Originally founded in 1446, the chapel features intricate carvings and decorations which have prompted many different theories connected with the Knights Templar and the Freemasons amongst others.

Overnight: Edinburgh | Gleneagles Townhouse
Room Type: 1 x House Double Room & 1 x interconnecting House Twin Room for each family (4 rooms in total)
Meals Included: Breakfast and Lunch

Day 3 - Saturday 19^th April - Transfer to Gleneagles via Stirling Castle & Distillery Visit

Head North to the iconic Gleneagles Hotel with your guides today.  On the way you will stop at Stirling Castle, one of the grandest Castles in Scotland with an imposing location and incredible history.  Hear about how the castle has served as a royal residence, military fortress, and was the site of numerous battles.

As you continue your journey, enjoy a visit to Deanston Distillery and discover the fascinating distilling process. This building started life as a cotton mill in 1785 but is now a flourishing whisky distillery and more recently become known as a filming location for the hit TV series Outlander. Adults get to enjoy a wee tasting too.

Arriving at Gleneagles, your guides will depart, leaving you to enjoy your time here at your own pace. So you can choose to rest and relax, or perhaps head out to explore the lovely grounds.

Overnight: Auchterarder | Gleneagles Hotel
Room Type: 1 x Manor House Double interconnected with 1 x Manor House Twin for each family (4 rooms in total)
Meals Included: Breakfast and Lunch

Day 4 - Sunday 20^th April - Land Rover Easter Picnic

Enjoy a free morning at leisure to make the most of Gleneagles’ wide range of facilities. Then head out for a unique Easter Picnic as Gleneagles staff whisk you away to a scenic open air picnic spot in the surrounding rolling countryside. Here you will discover a wonderfully presented sumptuous picnic buffet to enjoy. The perfect way to create family memories together on your last day in Scotland.

Overnight: Auchterarder | Gleneagles Hotel
Room Type: 1 x Manor House Double interconnected with 1 x Manor House Twin for each family (4 rooms in total)
Meals Included: Breakfast and Lunch

Day 5 - Monday 21^st April - Transfer to Ireland

A private transfer will collect you from your accommodation and take you to the airport to make your onward connections to beautiful Ireland. Waving farewell to Scotland for now but taking with you special memories and wonderful stories of your explorations.

Arriving in Dublin this afternoon, your private guide will meet you at arrivals and after some short introductions you will make your way west towards the wilds of Connemara. If you wish, take the time to walk along the banks of the River Shannon, a waterway that divides the East from the West and eventually empties into the Atlantic Ocean. Hear about the drowned goddess who gave the river its name, visit a monastic monument, and learn about Viking raids. This evening, check into Ballynahinch Castle Hotel, once owned by an Indian Raj, this traditional hunting lodge has seen presidents and dignitaries grace its halls and rooms for generations. Today, surrounded by thousands of acres of estate land and forests, Ballynahinch boasts fine dining, a traditional pub, on-site fly fishing and a remote escape in the wilds of Connemara.

Overnight: Connemmara | Ballynahinch Castle Hotel
Room Type: x4 classic rooms
Meals Included: Breakfast and Lunch

Day 6 - Tuesday 22^nd April - Exploring Connemara

Together with your guide today, you will delve into the heart of Connemara. Described by Oscar Wilde as a “savage beauty” as you travel, the landscape opens up to wild mountainscapes and heather-clad valleys. You will enjoy a hike along the shores of Killary Fjord to the remains of an abandoned famine-era village. As you walk you will hear about the impact of this era in history on this region. Later, visit a family-run shellfish farm where you can head out onto the fjord, lift a string of mussels for hauling and harvesting, and understand the lifecycle of these wonderful shellfish. Enjoy a deliciously fresh shellfish lunch and the opportunity to gain some insight into life on Ireland’s west coast.

Overnight: Connemmara | Ballynahinch Castle Hotel
Room Type: x4 classic rooms
Meals Included: Breakfast and Lunch

Day 7 - Wednesday 23^rd April - Fly Fishing at Ballynahinch Castle & Heading South

Renowned as one of the finest fisheries in Ireland, the Ballynahinch Catchment drains an area of 68 square miles and is a diverse system of interconnected loughs and rivers, drained by the Ballynahinch River and offering the very best of fly fishing in Ireland. This majestic river, with fishing rights owned exclusively by the Ballynahinch Estate, winds its way underneath the Castle for three kilometres until it reaches the wild Atlantic Ocean. Later, you’ll make your way south to enter Co Clare, home to the UNESCO World Heritage site of The Burren. Before doing so, you’ll stop in Galway City, a charming Medieval-era city with a thriving arts scene, for a browse. Continue to your home for the next two nights, Gregan’s Castle, a former retreat for poets and authors such as J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. You’ll be back in time for a cool pint of Guinness by the fire before dinner at its award-winning restaurant.

Overnight: Ballyvaughan | Gregans Castle
Room Type: x2 Superior Doubles, x2 Classic Twins
Meals Included: Breakfast and Lunch

Day 8 - Thursday 24^th April - Hiking The Cliffs of Moher

This morning transfer around 30 minutes to the Cliffs of Moher, one of Ireland’s most impressive natural sites. Today’s walk follows a coastal route along the cliffs, passing through a dramatic hinterland with inspiring views offshore to the Aran Islands. The area is teeming with wildlife and 20 different species of birds, including puffins, make this area their home. You’ll finish in the village of Doolin, famous for its traditional music scene. Stop for a fish n’ chips lunch in a historic stone cottage and a chance to browse the quaint shops, before returning to Gregans’ Castle via Black Head, a mesmerizing stretch of the Wild Atlantic Way. There will be plenty of opportunities to stop for photos en route. Later, head into the village of Ballyvaughan to a great little restaurant on the pier for a farewell dinner with your guide.

Overnight: Ballyvaughan | Gregans Castle
Room Type: x2 Superior Doubles, x2 Classic Twins
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 9 - Friday 25^th April - Ireland's Fair City

This morning, your guide will drop you off at your centrally located hotel in Dublin City and you will say farewell. Dublin has been described as a ‘city with a village feel’; as you explore its cobbled streets and historical monuments, it will be easy to see why. Check-in before heading out to enjoy a walking tour with a local private guide through this vibrant capital city, with its mix of 1,000 years of architecture from the mediaeval to Georgian to modern. See the Georgian-style Merrion Square, lush St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin Castle and O’Connell Street, the site of the ‘1916 Uprising’ that led to Ireland’s independence in 1922. Your guide is also a historian who will bring the city to life with colourful tales of life in the city in times gone by.

Overnight: Dublin | The Westbury Hotel
Room Type: x2 Westbury Kings, x2 Classic Twins
Meals Included: Breakfast

Day 10 - Saturday 26^th April - Depart

This morning, a private transfer will meet you in the lobby of your hotel and transfer you to Dublin Airport in time for your flight home. We hope your time in Ireland & Scotland has been memorable and we look forward to welcoming you to our shores once again.

Meals Included: Breakfast