Additional Information & FAQs
What is included in the tours?
- Overnight accommodation in 4 star accommodation that have been carefully selected for high standards of comfort and beautiful locations. Fees are based on double occupancy, single occupancy at extra charge.
- Intimate tour group 12 people maximum
- Hearty Scottish or Welsh breakfasts
- Admissions to all attractions listed on the tour itinerary
- All transportation and all ferry fares between the islands
- Personal full-time tour guides with expert local knowledge
- Dinners, lunches, teas and tastings as noted on each tour
What is not included?
- Airfare (we can offer guidance on best ways to book)
- Expenses before and after the tours
- Teas, lunches and dinners (except where specified on the itinerary)
- Any side trips or excursions guest do outside of the set itinerary
- Gifts, souvenirs, laundry, cleaning, telephone calls, telexes, faxes, cables, wines, liquors, beer, mineral water, soft drinks and incidental expenditures
- Porterage – we carry our own bags, always
- Tips for tour guides, hotel staff
What is the Activity Level of the tours?
These are active tours with walking, standing and outdoor exploring. Guests should be in good health and able to…
- Walk on uneven pavement and open fields at least 2 miles
- Carry your own luggage
- Ride comfortably in a minibus for several hours at a stretch
Weather
Scotland is a land of sunshine, mists, wind, rain and anything else it feels like doing. Conditions can change quickly but tours will not be cancelled due to poor weather. There might be slightly altered itineraries but tours will still go ahead. The most important thing is to be prepared for all weather conditions to ensure you are comfortable. Some of the most amazing photos can be taken just before or after storms the light can be incredibly intense and certainly brings you closer to nature! Highland locals would say it is possible to experience all four seasons in one day and if you don’t like the weather – just wait 20 minutes! The weather of Wales is more predictable, tour itineraries might be slightly altered due to the weather conditions, but again tours will still go ahead.
What is the Mabinogion?
The Mabinogion is s set of eleven Welsh tales first passed down orally over countless generations then written down in the fourteenth century in Welsh. The first four stories are called the branches and tell the lives of early Welsh kings and mythical creatures. Although they are mythic tales they are set in places that exist today in Wales, mainly Gwynedd and Dyfed, namely Caernarvonshire and Pembrokeshire. The majority of the other stories are about King Arthur and his knights in a similar land of enchantment, filled with giants and fabulous beasts. One tales an example of how the tales relate to today is about a Roman Emperor and his chair on the Preseli Hills, which we visit and his wife Helen, a Welsh princess who gave her name to an important early highway that we travel along, it is great way of linking into the past and all its myths.
What to bring
- Waterproof jacket and trousers
- Walking pole (if required)
- Sturdy shoes or walking boots
- Rucksack
- Diary and paints if you like to record your trip
- Swimming Costume/Trunks – yes people do swim in Scotland! Also on some of our tours, we have access to a fully heated indoor swimming pool and a hot tub on Iona.
Smoking Policy
Please note all properties we stay in, follow a strict no smoking policy, no smoking is allowed on or near the properties or whilst in transit from site to site. Scotland has strict no smoking laws. It is now illegal to smoke in and around accommodation and public interiors. To make it comfortable for all on our tours no smoking is allowed at the tours sites either.
Travel Insurance
We recommend you take out travel insurance.