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Island Hopping Golf Tour Scotland |
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| De Luxe Itinerary | East Coast & North Scotland | Gleneagles & East Coast Tour | East & West Coast Tour | Island tour | Garden Tour | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Island Hopping Golf Tour ScotlandThis
tour is ideal for those who expect just a little more from their golfing
holiday. In addition to golf, Scotland is an ancient land steeped in history
and ripe for exploration.
On arrival in Scotland a warm welcome awaits you from your Drumgolf representative. You travel to East Lothian either by executive mini-coach or hire vehicle. Your first 2 nights are spent at The Open Arms, Dirleton which is a charming family-run hotel situated close to some of the finest golf courses Scotland has to offer. Situated in a lovely conservation village opposite a ruined medieval castle Your first round of golf is on Gullane No.1. This
course has never suffered from an inferiority complex being neighboured
next to Muirfield as it is one of Scotland's finest links challenges.
Play North Berwick, with panoramic views of the imposing Bass Rock on the Firth of Forth this is a truly memorable course. Many of it's holes have been impersonated worldwide and the 15th 'Redan' has been rated by Golf Digest as one of the best holes in the world. After golf you have the opportunity for some exploration
in Scotland's capital city. The Royal Mile is the medieval main thoroughfare
of Edinburgh following the trail from the volcanic crag of Castle Rock
and connects the Castle to Holyrood Palace. Very busy during the festival
but on a winters night with frost settling on the cobbles and there's
no-one around, it's magical. Always interesting with it's wynds and
closes and abundance of tartan shops.
Travel to St. Andrews and check-in to Rusacks Hotel which is ideally situated overlooking the 18th at St. Andrews. Although it retains it's traditional grandeur, it has recently been enhanced by a major refurbishment. It's enviable location also means that you will be able to walk as opposed to drive to most places while in St. Andrews. Your round today is on the New Course which runs
adjacent to the Old Course. This is a British Amateur Championship venue
and many consider a more challenging proposition to the Old Course.
A day you are unlikely to forget, as you play the Old Course (contrary to what you may have heard about access to tee-times we can source advance guaranteed times). On completion of your round, you may wish to explore Fife and the delightful nearby fishing villages such as Crail or Pittenweem and enjoy a meal by a picturesque harbour. DAY 5
Play Kingsbarns, near St. Andrews - It has already received exceptional praise from all the major US publications, Kingsbarn is only 6 miles from St. Andrews. With it's true links turf, contoured rolling fairways and majestic vistas of the sea this course is destined to be a classic. The sea plays a integral role in the course design and the sandy dunes also feature prominently in enhancing the course landscape. As Sir Michael Bonallack (recently retired Secretary of the R&A) remarks - "Kingsbarns might well be one of the last true seaside links sites capable of development in Scotland. It is an extraordinary setting". In the afternoon visit Falkland Palace situated in the middle of agricultural Fife. It is the hunting palace of the Stewart dynasty. Despite it's recreational rather than political role, it's one of the landmark buildings in Scottish history and in the 16th century was the finest renaissance building in Britain. DAY 6
Travel to Skye by way of some of the most breathtaking scenic routes that Scotland has to offer. Suggested stops on your journey to the Isles include the House of Bruar, which is a roadside emporium and shopaholic honeypot on the A9 north of Blair Atholl. From here you travel through Glen More, Glen Garry and Glen Shiel before reaching Eilean Donan - a castle that is as much a trademark of Scotland as the Forth Rail Bridge. Next continue on the A87 into Skye and to Flodigarry. DAY 7
Shake off the winter blues and immerse yourself in the beauty of Skye as it awakens in the sun. Flodigarry enjoys one of the finest situations of any country house hotel near the top of the Trotternish Peninsula of northeast Skye. With a backcloth of the Quiraing mountains and a view across Staffin Bay to the Torridon Mountains where the Golden Eagle is a frequent visitor and otters inhabit the shoreline. Dunvegan Castle offers romantic history history and setting, though more baronial than castellate, the result of a mid 19th century restoration that incorporated the disparate parts. Take a walk down through the gardens to the loch where you can take a boat 'to see the seals'. Afterwards visit the Talisker Distillery near Carbost,
where since 1830 they have been making this classic after dinner malt
from barley and the burn that runs off the Hawkhill behind.
Travelling down to the south of the Isle of Skye you have the magnificent Cuillin mountain range and waterfalls which offer much scrambling and, if you want it, serious climbing over these famously unforgiving peaks. On arriving at the south of south of the Isle a short ferry (Armadale to Mallaig) crossing takes you briefly back to the mainland for a scenic coastal drive to Lochaline. Here another ferry takes you to Fishnish. From here you drive to Tobermoray and The Western Isles Hotel where a number of restaurant options and the conservatory bar await your arrival. The hotel is situated at the very top of village with spectacular view overlooking the bay and beyond. DAY 9
From the south of Mull you can take daily boat trips to isles of Iona, which was the birth place of Christianity in Great Britain, and Staffa, famed for Fingal's cave. The unique sounds of the waves in the cave, were the inspiration for a concerto by Mendleson. Iona Abbey, is a hugely significant place of pilgrimage for new age and old age pilgrims and tourists alike. Here, in 563BC, St. Columba began his mission for a Celtic Church that changed the face of Europe. See also Cloisters, graveyard of Scottish Kings. This is the ultimate choice in tours for those interested
in ornithology and the natural history of these beautiful unspoiled
islands. It provides a chance to view seals and occasionally dolphins,
porpoises and whales in their natural marine habitat. Ashore, puffins,
guillemots and razor-bills are the most prominent among the many species
of seabirds nesting on these uninhabited islands.
Depart from Mull at Craignure by ferry landing at Oban. The route to Glasgow is adorned with some spectacular scenery as you pass through Glen Lochy and then travel the length of Loch Lomond. Stop at the Loch Lomond Park Centre and see 'the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond' first hand. With your tour now almost complete Glasgow offers
many museums, galleries and excellent shopping for your last few hours.
Your accommodation for the night is the convenient Holiday Inn at Glasgow
Airport.
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