Description
Join us and make wonderful memories as we head north to Scotland for our Magical Hebridean Odyssey tour. This Ava Travel customer favourite is the ultimate island-hopping experience covering the islands of Lewis, Harris, Benbecula, North Uist, South Uist, Barra and the added bonus island of Vetersay if time allows. Discover the Outer Hebrides, Scotland’s wild Atlantic islands, travel through areas of unspoilt, natural beauty offering spectacular scenery, impressive mountain ranges and miles of golden, sandy beaches, filled with Gaelic culture, renowned Hebridean hospitality and wonderful wildlife. This tour is very popular and won’t be available for long so book now, don’t miss out, discover your own slice of heaven in the Outer Hebrides.
Itinerary
Friday
Depart Leyland at 08.00am for our journey north to Scotland, first stop is our overnight hotel in Inverness with a suitable lunch stop en-route, where we will rest before beginning our Hebridean adventure.
Saturday
Check out of our overnight hotel following breakfast. Today's island hopping begins with our crossing from Ullapool to Lewis, the most northerly island of the Outer Hebrides, check in at the Cabarfeidh Hotel in Stornoway, our home for the next two nights.
Sunday
Following breakfast we join our local coach and tour driver for an excursion of the island with a packed lunch provided by the hotel. Lewis has a history that dates back thousands of years and ancient stone circles and standing stone can be found everywhere. On the west coast of the Isle of Lewis at Callanish stands a magnificent collection of stone circles and rows of standing stones called the 'Hebrides' Stonehenge. Other sights you will see on your excursion of the island include the moorland interior, where peat is still cut for fuel, traditional croft dwellings and Carloway Broch, one of Scotland's best preserved defence structures dating back 2,000 years.
Monday
Check out of our Isle of Lewis hotel to journey through the dramatic landscape of Harris to Leverburgh, board our ferry to Bernaray, North Uist, a relatively flat island covered with peat bogs, low hills and lochans, travel via the Benbecula Causeway to the small island of Benbecula to check in at the Dark Island Hotel our home for the next two nights with tea/coffee on arrival. A packed lunch will be provided by the Cabarfeidh Hotel to enjoy on our journey today.
Tuesday
Following breakfast we take the causeway to South Uist where the West Coast is a continuous sandy beach while the east is dominated by mountainous peaks, continue on via a further causeway to Eriskay, South Uist, famous for the real 'Whisky Galore' island and Eriskay ponies. It was just off Eriskay between Great Todday and Little Todday that the SS Politician ran aground in 1941 with 50,000 cases of Whisky on board. The locals managed to save several hundred cases before the ship sank, providing them with a good supply of their 'Water of Life'. From here enjoy the short ferry crossing to the Isle of Barra, considered by many to be the most beautiful, little island in Britain. It's tranquil beaches, distinctive culture, where Gaelic is widely spoken, and an ancient history makes a visit to Bara a memorable one. Time allowing travel across the causeway to stunning Vatersay, the most southerly inhabited island on the Hebrides, return to Barra to board the ferry back to Eriskay and return to the hotel.
Wednesday
Check out of our The Dark Island Hotel following breakfast as we head to South Uist to Lochboisedale to board our ferry to Mallaig on the Scottish mainland continuing our journey to our overnight hotel, the Winnock Hotel in Drymen.
Thursday
Check out of our overnight hotel following breakfast to continue our journey home and bid farewell to 'Bonnie Scotland', with a suitable lunch stop en-route.
Venue Information
The Priory Hotel, Beauly, Inverness- 1 night
Cabarfeidh Hotel, Stornoway, Isle of Lewis- 2 nights
The Dark Island Hotel, Benbecula- 2 nights
The Winnock Hotel, Drymen – 1 night