This is an exclusive bespoke Scottish holiday pilgrimage to be led by Pastor Carolyn Leah of Plum Creek Presbyterian Church, Pittsburgh, Pennslyvania, USA.and Pastor Ken White, with Stephen Carpenter as organiser and guide.
Our Scotland experience will begin in Edinburgh followed by visits to Glasgow, Oban, the magical islands of Mull, Iona and Staffa, and end with three nights at the Dunkeld House Hotel by the River Tay in the heart of Perthshire. We will go to several religious and spiritual locations including St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh, Culross Abbey, Dunfermline Abbey where we will join a local Church Group in their mid-week gathering with supper, Lindores Abbey and Distillery, St Andrews, Glasgow Cathedral, Rosslyn Chapel (the setting for the closing pages of Dan Brown's novel, The Da Vinci Code), and the Abbey on the remote Island of Iona in the Inner Hebrides. Several stops will be sacred sites along the Fife Pilgrim Way. There will also be an excursion into the north of England when we will spend a day on Holy Island, also known as Lindisfarne, with its Castle and Priory.
Along the way there will be many other Scottish experiences including viewing the extraordinary murals painted by Phoebe Anna Traquair (1852-1936) at the church of Mansfield Traquair which has been described as Edinburgh's Sistine Chapel; a visit to Edinburgh's Holyrood Palace and Botanic Gardens; the Kelpies near Falkirk; ancient standing stones in Perthshire; the wonderful Queen's View at Loch Tummel; and a drive through the dramatic Glencoe, location of the massacre of the MacDonald clan by the Campbells in 1692.
In Glasgow there will be a service at Glasgow Cathedral, a visit to St Mungo's Museum of Religious Art, and lunch at the Charles Rennie Mackintosh-inspired Willow Tea Rooms. And we will have the chance to take part in that most quintessential Scottish entertainments: a ceilidh (pronounced "caylee"). No dancing experience is necessary! All the dances will be "called" by the leader of the band and you can either take part in every dance or simply watch from the comfort of your chair at the side of the dance floor!
We will be staying in five different hotels but will have at least two nights in each hotel to minimise the need to pack and unpack. There will be three nights on the remote island of Iona where St Columba landed in 563 AD and began his mission to spread Christianity throughout the country. Iona is known as "The Cradle of Christianity" in Scotland and a "thin place" where it is said the veil between the earthly and spiritual worlds is thin. It is an important destination for many people each year who seek the time and space for reflection and inspiration, and an escape from the hurly-burly of modern life. From Iona, weather permitting, we will take the half-hour boat trip to the Isle of Staffa with its famous Fingal's Cave which inspired the 19th-century German composer, Felix Mendelssohn, to write his Hebrides Overture when he visited in 1829.
Pastor Carolyn Leah will be bringing us an awareness and wonder of nature and the voice of God to us through the beauty of Creation. She will help us to reflect on our journey along the way with some interactive experiences and nature walks. Rev Ken White believes that in the beauty of the land, the language, and the stories of the Celtic saints, we can be renewed and equipped for life in our lands in our times. From the holy islands of Iona and Lindisfarne, we will have the opportunity to hear the stories of the Celtic saints and the witness of faith communities. Patrick, Columba, Aiden, and Cuthbert will become our guides and friends.
If you would like to join this tour of Scotland in the fall of 2026, see details of how "To Book" below.
Itinerary
This is a draft itinerary and may change in some details, but the broad plans will remain the same:
Monday 28 September 2026 – Edinburgh. Independent arrival and check-in at the Edinburgh Holyrood Hotel from 3.00pm. Afternoon walk to Holyrood Park and St Margaret's Loch. Welcome dinner at the Hotel in the evening.
Tuesday 29 September – Mansfield Traquair, Botanic Gardens and St Giles Cathedral. In the morning we will visit the extraordinary Mansfield Traquair where we can admire the grand neo-Romanesque architecture, and the exquisite murals of Phoebe Anna Traquair that adorn the interior walls. After Mansfield Traquair we will go to Edinburgh's Royal Botanic Gardens for lunch under your own arrangements in the cafe and a walk in the Gardens to see the many attractions including the land art installations of Andy Goldsworthy. From the Botanic Gardens, we go to St Giles Cathedral at the top of the Royal Mile in Edinburugh. Dinner will be under your own arrangements in Edinburgh - a list of recommended restaurants will be provided.
Wednesday 30 September – Culross (pronounced "Koo-riss"), Dunfermline and the Kelpies. A trip away from Edinburgh will take us first to Culross (a filming site, too, for all the Outlander fans!) where we will visit the Abbey, the Kirk and the late-16th-century Palace built as a "Great Lodging" for the local laird, Sir George Bruce. Lunch will be at the Red Lion Inn in Culross. In the afternoon, we visit Dunfermline where we will see the Abbey and Palace where Charles I was born (the last British Monarch to be born in Scotland), and optional visits to the Andrew Carnegie Birthplace Museum, or Pittencrieff Park (donated to the town by Andrew Carnegie of Pittsburgh steel fame) before joining the Dunfermline Liberty Church group for supper and worship at Gathering with God. We head back to Edinburgh via the Kelpies - the enormous horse-head sculptures depicting the shape-shifting water spirits from Scottish folklore, often appearing as horses near rivers and lochs.
Thursday 1 October – Falkland Palace, Lindores Abbey Distillery, and St Andrews. A day in the "Kingdon of Fife", stopping first at Falkland Palace, a Royal Hunting Lodge, used and beloved by Mary, Queen of Scots. Then we move on to Lindores Abbey Distillery where we will have lunch together and a tour of the Distillery with a unique historic connection to the adjacent Abbey. The late afternoon will see us in St Andrews, the spiritual home of golf, with its Royal and Ancient Clubhouse being familiar to anyone who has seen the televised coverage of the many British Open Golf tournaments that have taken place there over the years. After walking around the town of St Andrews and its sites, we will head for a traditional Scottish "Fish and Chips" supper at the award-winning Anstruther Fish Bar, before we return to Edinburgh.
Friday 2 October – Holyrood Palace and a free day to explore Edinburgh. In the morning we will visit Holyrood Palace, the King's official residence in Edinburgh and the home of Scottish royal history. The rest of the day will be free for you to explore Edinburgh, perhaps taking an open-top bus tour, visiting the Castle or National Museum or National Gallery of Scotland, or making the short journey down to the Port of Leith to see the Royal Yacht Britannia. In the evening we will say farewell to Edinburgh with a dinner together followed by our "ceilidh" - a musical entertainment (including the opportunity to try some Scottish dancing) led by the traditional Scottish ensemble, Flytt.
Saturday 3 October – Holy Island, Rosslyn Chapel and on to Glasgow. Checking out and departing from the Edinburgh hotel in the morning, we take the 90-minute journey to Holy Island (Lindisfarne), crossing over the tidal causeway and walking to the Castle followed by a visit to the Priory, and lunch together at the Manor House Hotel. In the afternoon, we go to Rosslyn Chapel made famous by Dan Brown in his novel, The Da Vinci Code. We then travel on to Glasgow where we check into the AC Marriott Hotel in the centre of the city.
Sunday 4 October – Glasgow. Our day begins with a service at Glasgow Cathedral followed by St Mungo's Museum of Religious Art and lunch at the Willow Tea Rooms. In the afternoon there will be free time in Glasgow to visit one of the many museums in the city (Kelvingrove, House for an Art Lover, Burrell Collection) or take in the city's famous painted murals, before a dinner under your own arrangements in the city.
Monday 5 October – Into the Highlands! Loch Lomond, St Conan's Kirk, Glencoe and Oban. Departing from Glasgow in the morning we head north, stopping en route first at the Bonny Bonny Banks of Loch Lomond, and then at St Conan's Kirk on the shores of Loch Awe. Lunch will be at the Kinghouse Hotel on Rannoch Moor before we descend through the spectacular Pass of Glencoe, arriving in Oban in the late afternoon to check in to our hotel for two nights. Dinner together at the hotel.
Tuesday 6 October – Dunadd Fort, Kilmartin Church and Musuem, and Arduaine Garden. An exploration of the Argyll Peninsula, starting at Dunadd Fort, renowned as a royal power centre of the Gaelic kings from AD 500 to 800. We then stop at Kilmartin Church and Museum before lunch together at the Loch Melfort Hotel and a visit to Arduaine Garden with its array of flowers from across the world and wonderful coastal views. Returning to Oban by the late afternoon, there will be some free time to explore the town before dinner together at the Ee-Usk Restaurant.
Wednesday 7 October – Oban to Iona. A one-hour ferry journey will take us from Oban across to Craignure on the Isle of Mull. From Craignure we travel by coach to Fionnphort (pronounced "Finnafort") on the western tip of Mull where we take the 10-minute ferry across to Iona and check-in for three nights at the St Columba Hotel.
Thursday 8 and Friday 9 October – The small island of Iona, just 3 miles long and 1.5 miles wide, has been a vibrant centre of Christian worship ever since St Columba arrived in AD 563. During our two full days on Iona we will visit the Abbey with its architecture spanning the 13th to 16th centuries, now restored as an active place of worship. There will be walks to St Columba's Bay at the southern tip of the island where St Columba is reputed to have landed after his journey by boat from Ireland; the White Strand of the Monks, the scene of a Viking massacre of the Iona Monks, at the north end; and a walk up to "Dun I", the highest point in the centre of the island which is the location of St Brigid's Well, also known as the Well of Eternal Youth. A half-hour boat trip from Iona will take us to the tiny island of Staffa with its monumental Fingal's Cave. If the weather is favourable, we may land on Staffa for an hour to explore the cave and climb up to the plateau of the island.
Saturday 10 October – Iona to Dunkeld. Our journey from Iona to Dunkeld will take us back across Mull and by ferry to Oban from where we will head east through the central Highlands past Loch Tay, with stops at Kenmore, the Croft Moraig Stone Circle, Aberfeldy and the Falls of Moness (where Robert Burns was inspired to write his poem, The Birks of Aberfeldy). We check in to the Dunkeld House Hotel for three nights, with dinner together at the hotel.
Sunday 11 October – Dunkeld and the Hermitage. We will attend the morning service at the historic Dunkeld Cathedral before lunch under your own arrangements at one of the many cafes in the town. In the afternoon, we will take the short walk up to the Hermitage and the Falls of Braan which were sketched by Felix Mendelssohn in 1829 and are unchanged in nearly 200 years. We then continue a little further up the valley to Ossian’s Cave, the supposed dwelling place of the fictitious 3rd century Scottish bard. Back to Dunkeld for some free time before dinner together at the hotel.
Monday 12 October – Blair Castle, Bruar Falls, Killliecrankie and the Queen's View. In the morning we visit Blair Castle which has been has been the home of the Atholl family for over seven centuries. After exploring the Castle and Gardens, we go to the House of Bruar Visitor Centre where you can find lunch under your own arrangements, and spend some time (and maybe some money!) in one of the many shops selling clothing, tartan, and a myriad of Scottish produce. There will be an optional short walk up to the Bruar Falls before our journey back to Dunkeld via the Pass of Killiecrankie and the spectacular Queen's View at Loch Tummel. Our final dinner together will be back at the Dunkeld House Hotel.
Tuesday 13 October – Departure. Our coach will depart at 8.00am from the Dunkeld House Hotel for the 90-minute journey to Edinburgh Airport, arriving at 9.30am where the holiday arrangements end.
Travel Information
Whether you are coming from the USA, or elsewhere, you will need to make your own travel arrangements to and from Edinburgh.
USA Citizens will need to apply for an Electronic Travel Autuhorisation (ETA) to enter the UK. This is a simple task and usually takes just a few days to be confirmed, so it can be done much nearer the time of travel. ETA applications can be made online from this link (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-an-electronic-travel-authorisation...).
You will need to arrange your own travel insurance. It is recommended that you obtain insurance that will cover you in the event of illness or accident before the holiday preventing you from being able to travel, as well as the more usual medical cover whilst you are actually on the trip. It is also a requirement of joining the Scotland holiday that all travellers sign a liability waiver confirming that Carpenter Holidays and the Presbyterian Church of Plum Creek shall not be held liable for theft, loss, injury, illness, or damage to person or property during the holiday. A copy of the liability waiver can be downloaded from the "Document(s)" section at the bottom of this page.
If you are based in or near Pittsburgh, you are advised to fly from PIttsburgh via Boston to Edinburgh. Flight times for 2026 are not yet confirmed, but participants will be informed of the optimum flights as soon as the timetables are published. Once the arrival time is confirmed, we will send details of recommended flight times and arrange for a coach to meet the flight at Edinburgh airport.
If you are making your own way to Edinburgh, or arriving at a different time at the airport, a taxi journey from the airport to the hotel will cost around £60, or the airport shuttle bus to Waverley Station costs £5.50 one way, or the tram from the airport to St Andrew's Square is £6. From Waverley Station or St Andrew's Square, you can hail a taxi which will take you to the hotel in 5 minutes and cost around £10. In booking your train journey or flight, please bear in mind that there will be a welcome dinner in the hotel at 7.00pm on Monday 28 September.
Nearer the time of the holiday, you may wish to add a day or days at the beginning or end of the trip. If you decide to do this, contact Stephen Carpenter, who will be able to book additional nights at the Edinburgh Holyrood Hotel.
Level of Fitness
This holiday requires a good level of fitness with a lot of walking in city centres, and standing in many venues that we will be visiting (cathedrals, churches, museums). All walks are optional but some are more strenuous than others, particularly the walks up to Dunadd Fort, and to St Columba's Bay and Dun I on Iona which are over rough terrain with short uneven sections. Therefore, you should be comfortable with two to three hours of walking per day and enjoy reasonably regular walks at home.
Packing List
This will be provided nearer the time, giving you a list of suggested items to bring with you to Scotland, and advice about currency (Scotland uses GP £sterling).
Price per person
Early Bird Tour price applicable up to July 31, 2025: £4,750 (approximately $6,400 at current exchange rate) per person based on sharing a double or twin room
Single supplement: £1,350 ($1,825)
Tour price will rise by £100 from August 1, 2025.
Early Bird Payment schedule:
£500 non-returnable deposit due on booking
£2,500 in January 2026
£1,750 (plus single supplement if applicable) in June 2026.
Tour price includes: Accommodation; breakfast daily; 13 dinners; six lunches; entrance fees to Mansfield Traquair, Culross Abbey, Falkland Palace, Lindores Abbey and Distillery, Holyrood Palace, Lindisfarne Castle and Priory, Rosslyn Chapel, Inveraray Castle, St Conan's Church and Iona Abbey; coach transportation throughout; ferry crossings to the Isles of Mull and Iona, and boat trip to Staffa and Fingal's Cave; all tips for guides and coach driver; the services of Carolyn Leah and Ken White as leaders, and Stephen Carpenter as tour manager.
Excluded is your travel to and from Edinburgh, two dinners, and seven lunches when you are free to make your own arrangements at the carefully selected stopping points. Drinks with meals. Also excluded is travel insurance which travellers will need to organise themselves.
Cancellation Policy:
Cancellation costs up to 100 days before departure of the trip: deposit
Cancellation costs between 100 days up to 50 days before departure of the trip: 50% of the total invoice
Cancellation costs from 50 days up to the day of departure before departure of the trip: costs of the total invoice
In the event of the trip being cancelled by us, all payments (including the deposit) will be refunded.
To Book
Complete the Booking form and Liability Waiver form which you can download from the "Document(s)" section below. Once completed, email it to stephen [at] carpenterholidays.com with a copy to cleah63 [at] gmail.com
Once you have submitted the booking and waiver forms, we will ask you to make the first payment of the non-returnable deposit of £500 to secure your place on the tour.
Payment should be made to Carpenter Holidays. Stephen will send you the details of the £sterling account for payment. Most US banks will be able to make a transfer from your account to this £sterling account, for a small fee. Alternatively, payment can be made via PayPal on the link below, but a 5% increase is added to cover the PayPal commission.
If you have any questions about the Scotland holiday, please do not hesitate to contact Carolyn Leah on the email above, or phone her on +1 412 215 0481, or Stephen on the email above, or phone him on +44 7730 817891.
