Travel with us to Scotland!
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**Tour information only, sign up will be on Friday August 30th**
Imagine immersing yourself in the breathtaking landscapes of Scotland while indulging in your passion for knitting. Join us on a once-in-a-lifetime adventure as we journey through the heart of Scotland, discovering its rich history, vibrant culture, and, of course, its world-renowned wool and yarn traditions. Whether you're a seasoned knitter or just beginning, this trip offers the perfect blend of inspiration, relaxation, and creativity. Pack your needles and get ready for an unforgettable experience knitting through the stunning Scottish Highlands and beyond!
Tour Date: 01 – 09 October 2025
Included in This Tour.
Private or coach transfers on arrival and departure (arrive no later than 11:00 am on tour Star date).
Sightseeing as per itinerary in a luxury coach with an experienced driver and accredited guide.
Accommodation in 4 Star Hotels for 9 nights.
Scottish breakfast daily.
4 hotel table d’hote dinners.
4 lunches.
Farewell Dinner at Amber Restaurant (or similar)
Edinburgh Red Bus Bistro Afternoon Tea ExperienceEdinburgh Vaults Guided tour
Visit to Knockando Woolmill.
Scottish Textiles Experience.
Loch Ness Cruise.
Bowbridge Alpacas Visit.
Waulking with Wool performance at Auchindrain.
The Scotch Whiskey Experience.
Entrance to the following attractions:
Glencoe Visitor Centre, Culloden Battlefield, Scottish Kiltmaker Visitor Centre (Highlands House of Fraser), Iain Burnett Highland Chocolatier, V&A Design Gallery, Stirling Castle.
Knitting and Craft Activities Included in This Tour
Lace Stitch Pattern Workshop with lace designer Karie Westernmann.
For the Love of Yarn shop visit and dyeing demonstration.
Moebius Cowl Knitting class with Deborah Gray.
Gansey Knitting Workshop with Di Gilpin. Radical Weavers Weaving and Loom workshop in Stirling.
(Wool and patterns are included in all workshops, just bring your own needles and sizes will be advised).
Not Included in this Tour
Travel to and from Scotland.
Items of a personal nature such as wines, drinks, phone calls, etc.
Meals not specified on the itinerary.
Any pre or post tour arrangements.
Tips & Gratuities.
Overnights for this Tour
Apex Grassmarket Hotel, Edinburgh (2 nights).
Oban Bay Hotel, Oban (2 nights).
Kingsmills Hotel, Inverness (2 nights).
Apex City Quay Hotel, Dundee (1 night).
Apex Grassmarket Hotel, Edinburgh (2 nights).
Itinerary
Important Note: Attractions, Workshops and Demonstrations May Change According to Availability and Ferry Scheduling.
Day 1 – Wednesday, 01 October 2025
Arrive at Edinburgh Airport (prior to 10:00 am) and transfer to your city centre hotel to meet the rest of the group before discovering spectacular Edinburgh city aboard a unique vintage Red Bus Bistro while enjoying gourmet Afternoon Tea & Fizz. What a better way to eat and drink at your pleasure and have a birds eye view of the city’s famous landmarks and pretty terraces from the top deck of this iconic red bus! Next, take a mysterious walking guided tour of the infamous Edinburgh Vaults hidden under the South Bridge in Edinburgh's Old Town that date back to the 1700's. Finish the day with a visit to Scottish Textile Showcase, specialising in Scottish provenance and craftsmanship. Do not forget to select yarn (purchased for you by us!) for your knitting classes.
Overnight Edinburgh, Afternoon Tea Included.
Day 2 – Thursday, 02 October 2025
After breakfast, meet with experienced lace designer Karie Westermann where you will learn to de-mystify how lace works and design your own project in just a few hours! Together you will look at lace stitch patterns and learn how to incorporate a lace stitch pattern into a design of your own. You will learn how to draw lace charts and how to calculate projects. Karie will guide you through your own design process whether you wish to design a scarf or a shawl and give you hands-on advice about designing repeats and motifs that really work. After your class, remainder of the day is at leisure for sightseeing and shopping. This evening enjoy dinner at the hotel with your fellow travel companions.
Overnight Edinburgh, Bed & Breakfast and Dinner Included.
Day 3 – Friday, 03 October 2025
Today we make our way to Auchindrain along the shores of Loch Lomond, stopping along the way to admire the views and take some photographs of the stunning scenery. We will also stop in the lively city of Glasgow to visit for The Love of Yarn for some more shopping and dyeing demonstration. Enjoy lunch (included) before you reach the Auchindrain Township, which gives a taste of what life was once like in the Scottish highlands. Discover the byres, stables and fields to understand how groups of families would have once worked the
common lands. At Auchindrain, we will also meet the group locally known as ‘Sgioba Luaidh Inbhirchluaidh’,
which translates to the ‘Inverclyde Waulking Group’. Waulking is a method of finishing newly woven tweed by soaking and thumping it steadily to shrink and soften it. The group sings Waulking Songs as they work! Continue to the coastal resort town of Oban and check into your hotel for the night and dinner.
Overnight Oban, Bed & Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Included.
Day 4 – Saturday, 04 October 2025
This morning we take part in a Moebius Cowl Knitting Class with a sought after knitting instructor and textile artist Deborah Gray. She has taught hand spinning, natural dyeing and knitting techniques for over 40 years, including at Edinburgh Yarn Festival, Loch Ness Knit, the Icelandic Knitting Festival, South Iceland Wool Week and Shetland Wool Week. As Deborah says, she lives and breathes fibres, yarns, and textiles. After the class, remainder of the day is free to explore the picturesque seaside Oban town and taste the local food.
Overnight Oban, Bed & Breakfast Included.
Day 5 – Sunday, 05 October 2025
Today enjoy rare beauty landscape of Loch Linnhe Sea and dramatic mountains of Glencoe on the way to Inverness, the heart of the Scottish Highlands. Visit Glencoe National Nature Reserve Centre, nestled in a woodland glade, and uncover a long-lost way of life in a 300-year-old turf and creel house or follow the footsteps of the Clan MacDonald and the tragic Massacre of 1692. You can also check out the ‘Pioneers of the Peaks’ exhibition, dedicated to the men and women, as well as volunteer rescuers, who have pushed the limits of climbing in Glencoe’s mountains for over a century. After lunch (included), we travel to Fort Augustus to join a cruise of breath-taking mysterious Loch Ness. Find out the mysteries of Nessie and maybe, just maybe, you will spot her yourself! Finally continue to your hotel in Invernesss in time for dinner.
Overnight Inverness, Bed & Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Included.
Day 6 – Monday, 06 October 2025
Our day begins with a visit to Knockando Woolmill, which has been producing traditional tweed and classic woollen blankets for over 230 years! See how contemporary designs are made using the same Victorian machinery! Next to Culloden Battlefiel, featured in famous Outlander series, discover the true story of the Jacobite Rising, and how a bloody fight, that lasted only an hour, changed life in the Highlands forever. Return to Inverness where, after a visit to the Highlands House of Fraser for the kilt making demonstration, evening is free to enjoy dinner at a local restaurant or bar.
Overnight Inverness, Bed & Breakfast and Lunch Included.
Day 7 – Tuesday, 07 October 2025
Today, journey to the coastal city of Dundee. Firstly, we will stop at Iain Burnett Highland Chocolatier who is a twice winner of the World Gold at the International Chocolate Awards for his unique velvet truffles! Whilst here, sample the unique range yourself while Iain himself introduces you to the unique flavour combinations and incredible textures. Next to is the V&A Design Gallery – Scotland’s first dedicated design museum. This design gallery, situated at Dundee waterfront, features exhibits from various collections across Scotland as well as pieces brought north from the V&A in London.
Overnight Dundee, Bed & Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Included.
Day 8 – Wednesday, 08 October 2025
Our day begins with a Gansey knitting workshop instructed by Di Gilpin. Di starts her workshop with a brief presentation on the history of Gansey knitting in Scotland, supported by samples of traditional pieces as well as some contemporary designs from the studio. Her workshop explores different gansey patterns in either blanket squares or a long sampler. We then travel to St. Andrews in time for lunch (included) before visiting the lovely fluffy Alpacas at Bowbridge Alpacas Farm! Continue on to Edinburgh where evening is free for sightseeing, shopping or just relaxing and knitting.
Overnight Edinburgh, Bed & Breakfast and Lunch Included.
Day 9 – Thursday, 09 October 2025
After breakfast, take a short journey to Stirling to join Radical Weavers workshop. Awaken your inner artisan as you join your Radical Weavers instructors for a creative and intricate weaving workshop on the loom! You choose your yarns and colours and create a piece that is all you under their expert tuition. Next, we visit the medieval Stirling Castle, one of the largest and most historically and architecturally important castles in Scotland, childhood home of Mary, Queen of Scots. Finish your Scotland tour with the Scotch Whiskey Experience and a farewell dinner in Amber Restaurant in the shadow of Edinburgh Castle.
Overnight Edinburgh, Bed & Breakfast and Farewell Dinner Included.
Day 10 – Friday, 10 October 2025
Transfer to Edinburgh Airport for your return flight.
Prices
20% deposit due at registration. Balance due 60 days prior to tour departure.
GBP 4,650.00 per person sharing in a Twin/ double room. GBP 1,499.00 additional supplement if a single room is required.
All pricing is in GBP - passengers may choose to be charged in GBP or their own local currency.
If you have friends or family that want to join you but do not knit, we offer a special non-knitter discount of GBP 200.
Pre Tour Arrangements (Optional)
1 x Pre-Night (30 September 2025) at Apex Grassmarket Hotel (subject to availability) Arrival transfer
GBP 168.00 per person sharing in a Twin/ Double room.
GBP 150.00 supplement if Single room is required.
Booking Requirements & Cancellation Information
Cancellation Penalties
Cancellation 90 days or more prior to itinerary start date – Full deposit is forfeit.
Cancellation 89 days to 31 days prior to itinerary start date – 50% of total paid is forfeit.
Cancellation 30 days or less prior to itinerary start date – 100% of total paid is forfeit.
Travel Insurance
We urge you to purchase cancellation insurance & supplemental medical coverage (which covers pre-existing conditions). This is a smart way to safeguard against life’s surprises.
*Also, it is important to note that a certain amount of walking is encouraged on our tours. All tour members must be able to mount steps into the coach and walk unaided at a reasonable pace from coach to hotel and coach to visitor attractions/events on possibly uneven ground. Passengers must be able to handle their own luggage. Coach driver’s and guides that are employed by The Irish Tourism Group cannot provide individualized help for walking, getting on and off motor coaches, ferries or other personal needs.
Additional Information
Baggage
When porterage of baggage is included in a programme, it is based upon a maximum of 1 piece of standard airline baggage per person. Passengers bringing baggage in excess of this amount may incur a surcharge. For the sake of passenger comfort, it is recommended that passengers limit baggage to 1 suitcase per person plus 1 carry on.
Items Not Included
Our tours do not include items of a personal nature such as laundry, room service, telephone charges or other hotel extras. All passengers are responsible for settling any such costs incurred before checking out of each hotel.
Gratuities
Gratuities are not included to the coach driver and tour guide. These are at the participant’s discretion.
Safety
It is the responsibility of each individual client to ensure that they do not behave in such a way as to cause offence or danger to themselves or others, or which risks damage to property. Each client shall be responsible for any injury or damage caused by their failure to behave in a safe and proper manner.
Imagine immersing yourself in the breathtaking landscapes of Scotland while indulging in your passion for knitting. Join us on a once-in-a-lifetime adventure as we journey through the heart of Scotland, discovering its rich history, vibrant culture, and, of course, its world-renowned wool and yarn traditions. Whether you're a seasoned knitter or just beginning, this trip offers the perfect blend of inspiration, relaxation, and creativity. Pack your needles and get ready for an unforgettable experience knitting through the stunning Scottish Highlands and beyond!
Tour Date: 01 – 09 October 2025
Included in This Tour.
Private or coach transfers on arrival and departure (arrive no later than 11:00 am on tour Star date).
Sightseeing as per itinerary in a luxury coach with an experienced driver and accredited guide.
Accommodation in 4 Star Hotels for 9 nights.
Scottish breakfast daily.
4 hotel table d’hote dinners.
4 lunches.
Farewell Dinner at Amber Restaurant (or similar)
Edinburgh Red Bus Bistro Afternoon Tea ExperienceEdinburgh Vaults Guided tour
Visit to Knockando Woolmill.
Scottish Textiles Experience.
Loch Ness Cruise.
Bowbridge Alpacas Visit.
Waulking with Wool performance at Auchindrain.
The Scotch Whiskey Experience.
Entrance to the following attractions:
Glencoe Visitor Centre, Culloden Battlefield, Scottish Kiltmaker Visitor Centre (Highlands House of Fraser), Iain Burnett Highland Chocolatier, V&A Design Gallery, Stirling Castle.
Knitting and Craft Activities Included in This Tour
Lace Stitch Pattern Workshop with lace designer Karie Westernmann.
For the Love of Yarn shop visit and dyeing demonstration.
Moebius Cowl Knitting class with Deborah Gray.
Gansey Knitting Workshop with Di Gilpin. Radical Weavers Weaving and Loom workshop in Stirling.
(Wool and patterns are included in all workshops, just bring your own needles and sizes will be advised).
Not Included in this Tour
Travel to and from Scotland.
Items of a personal nature such as wines, drinks, phone calls, etc.
Meals not specified on the itinerary.
Any pre or post tour arrangements.
Tips & Gratuities.
Overnights for this Tour
Apex Grassmarket Hotel, Edinburgh (2 nights).
Oban Bay Hotel, Oban (2 nights).
Kingsmills Hotel, Inverness (2 nights).
Apex City Quay Hotel, Dundee (1 night).
Apex Grassmarket Hotel, Edinburgh (2 nights).
Itinerary
Important Note: Attractions, Workshops and Demonstrations May Change According to Availability and Ferry Scheduling.
Day 1 – Wednesday, 01 October 2025
Arrive at Edinburgh Airport (prior to 10:00 am) and transfer to your city centre hotel to meet the rest of the group before discovering spectacular Edinburgh city aboard a unique vintage Red Bus Bistro while enjoying gourmet Afternoon Tea & Fizz. What a better way to eat and drink at your pleasure and have a birds eye view of the city’s famous landmarks and pretty terraces from the top deck of this iconic red bus! Next, take a mysterious walking guided tour of the infamous Edinburgh Vaults hidden under the South Bridge in Edinburgh's Old Town that date back to the 1700's. Finish the day with a visit to Scottish Textile Showcase, specialising in Scottish provenance and craftsmanship. Do not forget to select yarn (purchased for you by us!) for your knitting classes.
Overnight Edinburgh, Afternoon Tea Included.
Day 2 – Thursday, 02 October 2025
After breakfast, meet with experienced lace designer Karie Westermann where you will learn to de-mystify how lace works and design your own project in just a few hours! Together you will look at lace stitch patterns and learn how to incorporate a lace stitch pattern into a design of your own. You will learn how to draw lace charts and how to calculate projects. Karie will guide you through your own design process whether you wish to design a scarf or a shawl and give you hands-on advice about designing repeats and motifs that really work. After your class, remainder of the day is at leisure for sightseeing and shopping. This evening enjoy dinner at the hotel with your fellow travel companions.
Overnight Edinburgh, Bed & Breakfast and Dinner Included.
Day 3 – Friday, 03 October 2025
Today we make our way to Auchindrain along the shores of Loch Lomond, stopping along the way to admire the views and take some photographs of the stunning scenery. We will also stop in the lively city of Glasgow to visit for The Love of Yarn for some more shopping and dyeing demonstration. Enjoy lunch (included) before you reach the Auchindrain Township, which gives a taste of what life was once like in the Scottish highlands. Discover the byres, stables and fields to understand how groups of families would have once worked the
common lands. At Auchindrain, we will also meet the group locally known as ‘Sgioba Luaidh Inbhirchluaidh’,
which translates to the ‘Inverclyde Waulking Group’. Waulking is a method of finishing newly woven tweed by soaking and thumping it steadily to shrink and soften it. The group sings Waulking Songs as they work! Continue to the coastal resort town of Oban and check into your hotel for the night and dinner.
Overnight Oban, Bed & Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Included.
Day 4 – Saturday, 04 October 2025
This morning we take part in a Moebius Cowl Knitting Class with a sought after knitting instructor and textile artist Deborah Gray. She has taught hand spinning, natural dyeing and knitting techniques for over 40 years, including at Edinburgh Yarn Festival, Loch Ness Knit, the Icelandic Knitting Festival, South Iceland Wool Week and Shetland Wool Week. As Deborah says, she lives and breathes fibres, yarns, and textiles. After the class, remainder of the day is free to explore the picturesque seaside Oban town and taste the local food.
Overnight Oban, Bed & Breakfast Included.
Day 5 – Sunday, 05 October 2025
Today enjoy rare beauty landscape of Loch Linnhe Sea and dramatic mountains of Glencoe on the way to Inverness, the heart of the Scottish Highlands. Visit Glencoe National Nature Reserve Centre, nestled in a woodland glade, and uncover a long-lost way of life in a 300-year-old turf and creel house or follow the footsteps of the Clan MacDonald and the tragic Massacre of 1692. You can also check out the ‘Pioneers of the Peaks’ exhibition, dedicated to the men and women, as well as volunteer rescuers, who have pushed the limits of climbing in Glencoe’s mountains for over a century. After lunch (included), we travel to Fort Augustus to join a cruise of breath-taking mysterious Loch Ness. Find out the mysteries of Nessie and maybe, just maybe, you will spot her yourself! Finally continue to your hotel in Invernesss in time for dinner.
Overnight Inverness, Bed & Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Included.
Day 6 – Monday, 06 October 2025
Our day begins with a visit to Knockando Woolmill, which has been producing traditional tweed and classic woollen blankets for over 230 years! See how contemporary designs are made using the same Victorian machinery! Next to Culloden Battlefiel, featured in famous Outlander series, discover the true story of the Jacobite Rising, and how a bloody fight, that lasted only an hour, changed life in the Highlands forever. Return to Inverness where, after a visit to the Highlands House of Fraser for the kilt making demonstration, evening is free to enjoy dinner at a local restaurant or bar.
Overnight Inverness, Bed & Breakfast and Lunch Included.
Day 7 – Tuesday, 07 October 2025
Today, journey to the coastal city of Dundee. Firstly, we will stop at Iain Burnett Highland Chocolatier who is a twice winner of the World Gold at the International Chocolate Awards for his unique velvet truffles! Whilst here, sample the unique range yourself while Iain himself introduces you to the unique flavour combinations and incredible textures. Next to is the V&A Design Gallery – Scotland’s first dedicated design museum. This design gallery, situated at Dundee waterfront, features exhibits from various collections across Scotland as well as pieces brought north from the V&A in London.
Overnight Dundee, Bed & Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Included.
Day 8 – Wednesday, 08 October 2025
Our day begins with a Gansey knitting workshop instructed by Di Gilpin. Di starts her workshop with a brief presentation on the history of Gansey knitting in Scotland, supported by samples of traditional pieces as well as some contemporary designs from the studio. Her workshop explores different gansey patterns in either blanket squares or a long sampler. We then travel to St. Andrews in time for lunch (included) before visiting the lovely fluffy Alpacas at Bowbridge Alpacas Farm! Continue on to Edinburgh where evening is free for sightseeing, shopping or just relaxing and knitting.
Overnight Edinburgh, Bed & Breakfast and Lunch Included.
Day 9 – Thursday, 09 October 2025
After breakfast, take a short journey to Stirling to join Radical Weavers workshop. Awaken your inner artisan as you join your Radical Weavers instructors for a creative and intricate weaving workshop on the loom! You choose your yarns and colours and create a piece that is all you under their expert tuition. Next, we visit the medieval Stirling Castle, one of the largest and most historically and architecturally important castles in Scotland, childhood home of Mary, Queen of Scots. Finish your Scotland tour with the Scotch Whiskey Experience and a farewell dinner in Amber Restaurant in the shadow of Edinburgh Castle.
Overnight Edinburgh, Bed & Breakfast and Farewell Dinner Included.
Day 10 – Friday, 10 October 2025
Transfer to Edinburgh Airport for your return flight.
Prices
20% deposit due at registration. Balance due 60 days prior to tour departure.
GBP 4,650.00 per person sharing in a Twin/ double room. GBP 1,499.00 additional supplement if a single room is required.
All pricing is in GBP - passengers may choose to be charged in GBP or their own local currency.
If you have friends or family that want to join you but do not knit, we offer a special non-knitter discount of GBP 200.
Pre Tour Arrangements (Optional)
1 x Pre-Night (30 September 2025) at Apex Grassmarket Hotel (subject to availability) Arrival transfer
GBP 168.00 per person sharing in a Twin/ Double room.
GBP 150.00 supplement if Single room is required.
Booking Requirements & Cancellation Information
Cancellation Penalties
Cancellation 90 days or more prior to itinerary start date – Full deposit is forfeit.
Cancellation 89 days to 31 days prior to itinerary start date – 50% of total paid is forfeit.
Cancellation 30 days or less prior to itinerary start date – 100% of total paid is forfeit.
Travel Insurance
We urge you to purchase cancellation insurance & supplemental medical coverage (which covers pre-existing conditions). This is a smart way to safeguard against life’s surprises.
*Also, it is important to note that a certain amount of walking is encouraged on our tours. All tour members must be able to mount steps into the coach and walk unaided at a reasonable pace from coach to hotel and coach to visitor attractions/events on possibly uneven ground. Passengers must be able to handle their own luggage. Coach driver’s and guides that are employed by The Irish Tourism Group cannot provide individualized help for walking, getting on and off motor coaches, ferries or other personal needs.
Additional Information
Baggage
When porterage of baggage is included in a programme, it is based upon a maximum of 1 piece of standard airline baggage per person. Passengers bringing baggage in excess of this amount may incur a surcharge. For the sake of passenger comfort, it is recommended that passengers limit baggage to 1 suitcase per person plus 1 carry on.
Items Not Included
Our tours do not include items of a personal nature such as laundry, room service, telephone charges or other hotel extras. All passengers are responsible for settling any such costs incurred before checking out of each hotel.
Gratuities
Gratuities are not included to the coach driver and tour guide. These are at the participant’s discretion.
Safety
It is the responsibility of each individual client to ensure that they do not behave in such a way as to cause offence or danger to themselves or others, or which risks damage to property. Each client shall be responsible for any injury or damage caused by their failure to behave in a safe and proper manner.