Join us as we wend our way up Scotland's bonny east coast through the Kingdom of Fife and beyond, seeking out wool and the water of life* as we go.

Arriving in Edinburgh, we'll keep to the local lowland landscape for our first wool and whisky encounters, but soon our journey north will lead us to the coast - full of pretty villages, busy harbors and wonderful wooly treats. As we travel, our days will be rich with experiences from new tastes to new yarns, and ancient history to contemporary design. We’ll meet textile makers and sheep farmers, explore castles and visit distilleries. There are beaches to comb, animals to smooch, and cozy corners to coorie in** with a dram in hand and knitting in progress. It's a treat for all the senses too. Those heady aromas at the distillery, the ever-changing landscape, the softest of fibers and yarns, whisky on the tongue, birdsong in the air. All this in one wee country! Come soak up the splendor of Scotland with us!

*in Scottish Gaelic it's Uisge Beatha - the water of life, from which the word whisky is derived

**Scots for snuggle or huddle up

This trip needs at least 12 participants in order to proceed (i.e. the trip is "guaranteed"). We strongly advise you to wait to purchase your flights until the trip is guaranteed by us to go forward. Unless otherwise stated, our regular Terms and Conditions apply to this trip and for any cancellations.

Please Note

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.

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 3️⃣+.

Expect some walks over uneven terrain, including fields; two of the hotels do not have elevators and only very limited ground floor rooms; historic properties often have steep narrow stairs.

Rowan Tree Travel highly recommends purchasing travel insurance. You may purchase through our preferred partner Arch RoamRight 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.

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/or missed tour activities. For this reason, we greatly appreciate your cooperation in booking travel that accommodates our specifications. 

This tour will start and end in Edinburgh. Flight details will be provided upon registration and confirmed once the tour has been declared a go.

Please do not purchase airfare until the tour is guaranteed by RTTF to go forward.

Welcome to Edinburgh and the beginning of our whisky-infused, wooly Scottish adventure!

Leaving our luggage in the careful care of our city center hotel, we’re off to enjoy a light lunch and an introductory whisky talk (and tasting, of course) in a rather arty setting. Replete and possibly in need of rest, we'll wander back to settle into our hotel rooms. The rest of the afternoon and evening will be yours - to explore, find a little dinner or simply sleep, perchance to dream of Scottish sheep and yarn!

A journey out of the city will bring us through rich lowland farmland to meet local yarn dyer Suzie in her rustic dye room in the grounds of a castle. Picture a small old stone stable block with minimal modern accoutrements! We’ll soon have our hands on wooly yarns from her own Shetland flock. Gentle natural shades or enticing dyed skeins, which will call to you? 

From there it’s a short hop to an elegant nearby distillery where we’ll learn how the aromatic amber liquid is made, and do a little sampling in their airy, modern tasting room. We'll stay a little longer and enjoy a savory afternoon tea-with-a-garden-view too.

We’ll head north today, over the Firth of Forth and into the Kingdom of Fife to visit another inspiring dyer. Veronica grows her dye plants, keeps a small flock of sheep and generously invites us into her home. You will love the palette of soft shades she creates on yarn, with those same sheep’s fleeces, as well as her handwoven tapestries gracing the walls. 

Next we’re off to the pretty harbor village of Pittenweem. Climbing one of the steep, narrow alleys up from the waterfront will lead us to a few choice stores - the chocolate makers (excellent lunch stop), galleries and a favorite yarn store.

On the way to our seaside hotel, there's a handsome castle with an Arts & Crafts style garden and a plethora of interesting artwork and textiles to check out.

Start the day right with breakfast and a North Sea view before we board the coach. Enjoy quality knitting and landscape gazing on our way to meet another capable and inspiring woman! Rachel’s organic farm by the River Tay is home to sheep bred for hardiness combined with luxurious fine wool. We’ll hear how the land has been enriched through plant diversity to provide nutrients for the flock, and handle for ourselves their resultant soft yarns. 

Afterwards, we’ll visit the spiritual home of Scotch whisky, to learn how monks first started to distill botanical spirits there in the 15th century. Think ancient ivy-clad ruins, elegant modern distillery, and a future medicinal garden.

The coastal city of Dundee was the global center of the jute industry, earning the nickname Juteopolis in the 19th century. It had a thriving linen trade and, as a major port, was already well placed to process this 'new' fiber. At the height of the jute trade, mills employed around 50,000 workers, mostly women. Verdant Works, a working jute museum, is the perfect place to learn about the tough Indian fiber and to picture mill life in days gone by.

From the mill, we’ll continue to the waterfront where the architect-designed V&A design museum (opened in 2018) awaits us. If historic explorations appeal, you could visit the RRS Discovery in which Captain Scott sailed to explore the Antarctic (in 1901) - it is moored alongside.

We’ll finish this day of time-travel in style, arriving at our quirky hotel to check in before dinner and a first perusal of their formidable whisky bar.

Fancy a refreshing, early morning swim in the hotel’s pool to start your day?

After breakfast, we will venture into the county of Aberdeenshire, to meet more talented women. Our destination is a renovated stone courtyard, home to several small businesses and a great brasserie. We’ll enjoy a stitching-with-wool workshop with Suzie, using threads dyed by Louise. This yarn dyer and stitching maven have been friends since schooldays: we guarantee the morning will be both colorful and entertaining.

There will be time to explore the venue further after lunch, and then we'll pop over the road to visit the lovely 16th century Crathes Castle. Turrets, towers, gargoyles, painted ceilings, walled gardens - it checks all the boxes.

A beachside setting, a little ruined castle, and more cashmere goats than you can count - all in one place! 

We’ll take a short drive from our hotel to the coast and Scotland’s only regenerative cashmere farm. Jillian and her team are warm, welcoming and wonderfully knowledgeable. Prepare for an immersive experience: we’ll learn about the practices the farm has introduced to ensure the healthiest sustainable environment possible for the animals in their care and watch the preparation and hand spinning of the fiber. Of course there will be ample opportunity to get up close and personal with the goats too. A delicious farm-to-table lunch will be served to keep our strength up.

Waving farewell to our comfortable lodgings, we'll visit Arbroath Abbey. It's a huge, handsome ruin dating from 1178 and steeped in history. Learn about The Declaration of Arbroath and its link with a certain other declaration of independence.

We'll then meander south with a tasty stop on the way. Fruit farms on Scotland’s east coast are renowned for the quality of their berries and there’s a quirky little winery on our route which uses a wide variety of them, as well as wild fruits, flowers and leaves in its drinks. We’ll call in for a tour, tastings, and lunch.

Late afternoon will find us back at our welcoming Edinburgh hotel for two nights.

"As long as a hundred of us remain alive, never will we on any conditions be subjected to the lordship of the English. It is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself".

- extract from The Declaration of Arbroath, 6 April 1320

On this last day of the tour, you'll be free all day to explore to your heart's content. We have lots of ideas for you.

In the morning, we have an optional walk to the Dovecot tapestry weaving studio and on to one of Edinburgh's newest yarn stores.

Early evening we'll gather at our favorite restaurant close to the hotel for the final dinner of this fiber-rich, whisky-scented Scottish tour.

We'll help you with your preferred transport to the airport in good time for your flight. We wish you a safe journey and lots of fun unpacking your luggage when you arrive home. What colorful treasures and memories you will uncover!

Lindsay Roberts

Fiber Ambassador, Scotland

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 world 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.  

Jennifer Hendricks

Fiber Ambassador

Jennifer was a college administrator for decades, focusing on access and integration for first-generation students, English language learners and study abroad explorers. She believes that knowledge equals power – and we should soak up as much as possible! Her passion for fiber and textile arts centers on investigating the similarities and differences within techniques and cultures, and the avenues for creative expression. She is rarely without a drop spindle, knitting project or embroidery hoop… and sometimes all three are stuffed into one bag simultaneously!