A sample of some of our tours

The Treasure Houses of the Scottish Lowlands

This six-day tour takes you to some of the gems of Scottish Architecture including Charles Rennie Mackintosh's Hill House & Glasgow School of Art, Sir Robert Lorimer's buildings, Ardkinglas on the shore of Loch Fyne, Hill of Tarvit in Fife, the Thistle Chapel in St.Giles Cathedral and the Scottish National War Memorial in Edinburgh Castle.

You will stay in central Edinburgh for the week at the Howard Hotel and will dine in private homes in and around Edinburgh. You will also visit Gothick Revival Castles, and meet a variety of local people. This tour is restricted to six people & is led by John Batty, a former Curator with The National Trust for Scotland.

William Beckford

Beckford was the most noticeably eccentric man in 18th Century England who built Fonthill Abbey in Wiltshire with the deliberate design that its tower should be taller than the spire of Salisbury Cathederal. Born in 1760 and rapidly inheriting a fortune, he spent most of his long life collecting works of art: some of these are now to be found in many of the world's most famous museum collections. On his death, the bulk of his remaining collection was inherited by his daughter Susan, Duchess of Hamilton, and it can now be seen at Brodick Castle on the Isle of Arran, off the west coast of Scotland.

This journey will start in Wiltshire and will visit the ruins of Fonthill Abbey and the remaining American Plantation, together with the parkland and site of Fonthill Splendens, a fine classical house demolished by William Beckford.

We will visit Bath and view his houses at Lansdown Crescent and his eccentric Lansdown Tower. We will visit Charlcote Park ,Warwickshire, a 16th century house where we will view furniture from the contents of Fonthill Abbey, including the ebony state bed and the table from the King Edward Gallery. We will stay over night near Stratford-on-Avon

Following this, we will then travel to Scotland and stay at the Scottish Castle close to the Ferry terminal for Arran and view with horror the ruined park of the demolished Hamilton Palace, home of the 10th Duke of Hamilton, son in law of William Beckford. We will also view the restored William Adam Hunting Lodge of Chatelherault, built for the 5th Duke of Hamilton. Susan Euphemia Beckford, married the 10th Duke of Hamilton. We also visit Lennoxlove home of the present Duke of Hamilton near Edinburgh.

Following our overnight stay, we will journey by ferry to The Isle of Arran and to then to Brodick Castle, where some of William Beckford's finest treasures remain. A private evening reception will be held amongst his collection. We will stay in five star Country House Hotels and, like Beckford, only sample the highest standards of food and accommodation.

The tour will be led by John Batty, a retired Curator from The National Trust for Scotland with a specialised knowledge of the Beckford collection at Brodick Castle. Suggested reading: James Lees-Milne, "William Beckford"

Scottish Highlands Scenic and Historical Study Tour

Based on a top class Highland hotel the tour is exclusive and limited to a maximum of 6 people. This enables a small bus to go to areas that the large tours avoid. The study tour is designed to show the skill and variety of Scottish architecture and to view the collecting tastes of some Scottish noble families.

Sunday
Collected Inverness Airport

Monday
Introduction to the tour with a talk on the places we will visit and the people we will meet.
Depart for Duff House, Banff. A fine classical house of the early eighteenth century built for the Duke of Fife.
Lunch at Auchintoul House, an early Scottish house, restored from a ruin by the present owners. Tour of the house and grounds.
Evening reception talk by John Batty, tour manager, at Culloden battlefield. This crucial battle, the last to be fought on British soil, destroyed the Highland way of life in under an hour in April 1746. The battle had a profound effect on the Highlands and many who survived crossed the Atlantic to colonise and prosper on the eastern seaboard of North America.

Tuesday
Shopping day
Depart for Speyside and to Ballindalloch Castle, a splendid Scottish house on the banks of the River Spey and family home of the Macpherson-Grants. Gen. Grant was Governor of Florida in the mid-18th century and fought in many American battles.
Then we will go to Baxters of Speyside, giving you a chance to visit a famous Scottish food producer.
And then to Johnstons of Elgin, a famous cashmere shop.
Evening talk on The Treasures Of Scotland by John Batty.

Wednesday
The day comprises a scenic drive along the shore of Loch Ness to Fort Augustus and to Beaufort Castle, formerly the ancestral home of Simon Fraser, Lord Lovat. A private evening reception will be hosted by the owners at Eskadale House during which Ian Marr, a specialist in antique silver, will talk on his subject.

Thursday
We will visit Darnaway Castle, the private home of the Earl of Moray and Brodie Castle, home of the late 25th Brodie of Brodie. Finally, we will visit Fort George, built after 1746 on the edge of the Moray Firth to quell further rebellion from the Highland clans as well as to defend the Scottish coast at that point.

Friday
We will visit Dunrobin Castle, ancestral home of the Dukes of Sutherland. Dunrobin is a 13th century castle with many later additions. From thence to Novar, a mid-18th century house, the family home of the Munro-Ferguson family.

Saturday
Our final day will be spent visiting Blair Castle, home of the Dukes of Atholl, with its collection of Scottish weapons and related objects together with fine furniture. Blair is also the home of the Atholl Highlanders, the Duke's private army.
Then we will visit the local beauty spot, Bruar Falls, and from thence to Cawdor Castle, which dates from the 14th century, when it was built for the Thanes of Cawdor, and is now the family home of the Earl of Cawdor.
Evening reception at Brodie Castle.

Sunday
Depart

Click here to go back to the previous page