Opposite the small, scattered village of Sandwick is the Isle of Mousa, an RSPB reserve. The impressive double-walled Mousa Broch (13m) stands on the island - this well-preserved broch was built from local sandstone between 100 BC and AD 100 and features in two Viking...
Photogenically sited at the entrance to Loch Duich, near Dornie village, Eilean Danan Castle is one of Scotland’s most evocative castles, and must be represented in millions of photo albums. It’s on an offshore islet, magically linked to the mainland by an elegant, stone-arched bridge....
This former monastery is one of Ireland’s best-known and oldest religious sites, with the ruins of two churches, a Round Tower, a pre-Gothic sundial, a decorated grave slab and three High Crosses all packed into a cemetery. Founded in the 6th century by St Buite,...
Highland folklore is filled with tales of strange creatures living in lochs and rivers, notably the kelpie (water horse) that lures unwary travellers to their doom. The use of the term 'monster', however, is a relatively recent phenomenon whose origins lie in an article published...
A step through a gateway at the southern end of this straggling town takes visitors back 800 years in an instant, into the stillness of a 13th-century Franciscan friary, which was plundered by Robert Bruce in 1317. Later, in 1541, the friary was suppressed, Only...
Tiny, charming Melrose is a polished village. This little enclave is a complete contrast with overbearing Galashiels, whose urban sprawl laps at its western edges. Sitting at the feet of the three heather-covered Eildon Hills, Melrose has a classic market square and its most famous...
My husband and I have just returned from the most wonderful tour of Ireland ! Ireland Luxury Tours planned a trip for our anniversary and it was magical. We stayed at castles , we saw stunning coastline and scenery , and we ate like kings. They could not...
My family and I planned our tour of Ireland through Ireland Luxury Tours this year. I didnt want to drive and we wanted somebody to take us to the "real Ireland" rather than the tourist hot spots. Maurice and his team created the most wonderful trip taking...
Edinburgh owes its existence to the Castle Rock, the glacier-worn stump of a long-extinct volcano that provided a near-perfect defensive position guarding the coastal route from North East England into central Scotland. Back in the 7th century the Castle Rock was called Dun Eiden (meaning ‘Fort...
From May 12-24th, 2014 my husband and I (from Chicago) along with my sister and her husband (from Philadelphia) took a two week tour of Ireland with Ireland luxury tours. There's so much good to say it is hard know where to start. If you are busy...