Join us as we explore the west coast of Scotland and its islands with wool and whisky in mind. From bustling Glasgow we'll wend our way by land and sea to quieter country. There are hills and sea lochs to please the eye, hotels perched by the shore, and renowned gardens along the way. This coast is warmed by the Gulf Stream and palm trees are not unusual. We’ll meet textile makers, participate in an intriguing knitting workshop, examine heritage costume, visit a distillery and have ample opportunity to enjoy drams in our well-stocked hotels. Our days will be rich with experiences from new tastes to new yarns, ancient history to contemporary design. We’d love to introduce you to it all!

This tour has been announced a"Go!" Unless otherwise stated, our regular Terms and Conditions apply to this trip and for any cancellations (click here to see our Terms and Conditions).

While our Tour Activity Level describes what to expect on a tour, our Mobility Comfort Level is personal to each traveler. We would describe this trip as a Woolly Wander with a mobility comfort level of 3+. This tour includes:

• Some short walks with uneven terrain throughout the tour;

• Limited ground floor rooms at all properties;

• Not all properties have elevators;

• One activity involves boarding a boat.
  

Travel Insurance Rowan Tree Travel highly recommends purchasing travel insurance. You may purchase through our preferred partner Arch RoamRight by clicking here or through your own provider.  (*Arch RoamRight is an affiliate of RTTF and we will receive a small commission for policies bought through the provided link.)

Arranging Your Flights In order to gather easily for the tour, we provide an arrival and departure "window" at a major transportation hub - typically an international airport at your destination country. Flights scheduled outside the provided windows may result in additional transportation costs and missed tour activities. For this reason, we greatly appreciate your cooperation in booking travel that accommodates our specifications. 

Please Note the Following Rowan Tree Travel reserves the right to alter any part of this itinerary in order to address weather conditions, unforeseen circumstances or to improve the participant experience.

GLASGOW - EARLY ARRIVAL OPTION

If you prefer to arrive in Glasgow a day ahead of the tour start, we’re happy to arrange a night’s stay, including breakfast, at our accommodation in the center of the city.

GLASGOW

Welcome to Scotland!  We will meet in the hotel foyer and stroll out to take afternoon tea and introduce ourselves over the refreshments. Thereafter you’ll be free to explore the city center, make a beeline for a traditional bar, consider dinner opportunities or perhaps just curl up and rest in the comfort of your room.

CULTURE & CRINAN

We’ll have a relaxed start to our Sunday with a visit to an art museum in a country park in the city. It’s full of stained glass and tapestries, paintings by Cezanne and Degas, Chinese art and much more, all gifted to Glasgow by a shipping magnate. Then we’ll drive to the coast to catch a ferry across the Firth of Clyde, stretch our legs along the way and reach a dramatic stop at the wonderfully located and undeniably quirky Crinan Hotel. Anyone fancy knitting with a sea view this evening?

KILMARTIN & COAST

Wake to glorious views, ready for a day of contrasts!

A morning visit to Kilmartin Glen, the richest archaeological area in mainland Scotland. We’ll gain insight into the lives of our ancestors inhabiting the area over the last 12,000 years, and then take a walk to see remarkable ancient rock art. 

In the afternoon we're headed out to sea! We'll venture out in a pair of smart modern vessels to admire the dramatic west coast shoreline and spot wildlife at sea level. Perhaps not an ideal time for complex knitting, however...

MULL

We’ll ease into the day and soon be sailing across to the Isle of Mull. Will we be lucky and spot minke whales on the way? Duart Castle, ancient home of the Clan Maclean, has stood proud for over 700 years, dominating the sea route between Mull and mainland Scotland. Explore the castle, seek sustenance in the cafe and walk at leisure down by the shore. Later, a few minutes’ drive will bring us to our hotel where a wee island-distilled dram is perhaps in order...

TOBERMORY

Today we will head north to the island's main (ok, only!) town of Tobermory through the ever varied island landscape.

We are off to our first fun workshop where we will be getting creative weaving willow.

Later a whisky tour and tastings at the town’s distillery await and there's time to explore the colorful harbor town before we seek out dinner at that bright yellow hotel you can see.

IONA

The wee island of Iona is regarded by many as the birthplace of Celtic Christianity in Scotland. A drive along the Ross of Mull peninsula will bring us to the little passenger ferry and, a ten-minute crossing later, to this peaceful isle. Explore at leisure: admire the Abbey, linger in the wild gardens of the Nunnery ruins, succumb to Iona Wool, walk to the Bay at the Back of the Ocean, and enjoy our lunch at the St Columba Hotel.

Back on Mull we’ve a date at Ardalanish with Isle of Mull Weavers. Expect Hebridean sheep, richly shaded fleeces, busy looms and naturally dyed wools. You may not want to leave.

OBAN

We’ll board the ferry to Oban this morning with time to explore the town on arrival. Close by on a headland stand the ruins of Dunollie Castle. At the adjacent museum we'll enjoy a private viewing of their rich archive collection of historic textiles and meet with one of the expert conservators. So many seldom seen treasures, uncovered from trunks and boxes stored away by generations of the MacDougalls of Dunollie.

OBAN

Our accommodation is another gem, situated by the shore. Throw back the curtains, soak up the view, breakfast royally and we’ll head off to meet Deborah Gray. This skilled knitter, spinner and dyer is delivering a rather intriguing knitting workshop for us and we’ll hear about the project she is leading which focuses on nature-based materials and natural dyeing. Be sure to check out Deborah's own natural dyed yarns.

Later we'll pop into to meet Mary-Jane, a small scale farmer - with angora goats, of course. Farmer and flock - every one a character!

GLASGOW

After a last breakfast-with-a-sea-view it is time to return south. On the way we’ll visit a traditional Scottish township, preserved to provide an authentic glimpse into rural Highland life as it was lived for centuries. Our scenic journey continues, by hill and glen and the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond, bringing us safely back to our start point in the city of Glasgow.

TRAVELING ON

Departure day dawns.

We wish you phones full of images, cases packed with wooly treasure, new friends made and happy memories of your wee west coast adventure!

Lindsay, aka  “The Border Tart”, is a stitcher, a printer, a maker and a lover of words. Inspired by color and pattern and passionate about Indian artisans and textiles, she values most highly all things made by hand. She’s a proponent of mindful stitching and hand work of all kinds. In her words, “Making with your own hands brings pleasure, calms the heart rate and imbues each piece with love.” You’ll find her images, thoughts and adventures on Instagram at @bordertart. We’re so pleased to collaborate with this wonderful Scottish artisan and teacher.

Helen’s love of fiber started early, back when her grandfather taught her to make tiny woolen dolls complete with miniature sweaters knitted on toothpicks. It’s fair to say she’s been wool-obsessed ever since, and life on a croft in the Shetland Islands has only encouraged the habit. With a flock of native Shetland sheep in every natural color imaginable, she’s never short of inspiration… or fleece.

On any given day you might catch Helen spinning, knitting, weaving, felting, crocheting - or occasionally all of the above when she’s meant to be doing something sensible. She’s equally passionate about the Viking period and ancient textile skills, especially nalbinding, which she teaches at Shetland Wool Week. When she’s not tending sheep or playing with wool, you’ll find her out on foot, roaming Shetland’s rugged moorland and wild coastal paths: the remote landscape that inspires her craft and that she loves to share with visitors.

If you’d like to discover more out more about Helen’s life amongst the peat smoke, sea winds, and sublime beauty of the Shetland landscape, you can find her on Facebook and Instagram as Hart of Shetland.