DAY 1
Wednesday, October 1st.
FAILTE - WELCOME TO SCOTLAND
- Arrival - Transfer from Glasgow International Airport to your hotel (You must arrive no later than 9.30am).
- Meet your tour guide in the hotel lobby for a brief introduction to your tour activities.
- Visit Glasgow Cathedral, the oldest medieval cathedral in mainland Scotland.
- Lunch at The Willow Tea Rooms (A must do for any Mackintosh enthusiasts), followed by time to browse the Mackintosh gift shop.
- Enjoy a shopping experience and yarn dyeing demonstration at the funky and colourful yarn store For the Love of Yarn. You will get to select yarn here (purchased for you by us!) for your class with Karie Westermann.
- Welcome dinner and drink at the hotel with your fellow craft adventurers.
Overnight 4 star Apex City of Glasgow Hotel - Lunch, Welcome dinner and drink included.
DAY 2
Thursday, October 2nd.
SANQUHAR KNITTING AND NEW LANARK MILL
- Breakfast
- Travel to the market town of Sanquhar, surrounded by beautiful scenery, and learn about the Sanquhar style of knitting, unique to the town.
- Lunch (and if time permits, a quick visit next door to the Tolbooth Museum which features a collection of knitting).
- Travel to New Lanark, a unique 18th century mill and UNESCO heritage site.
- Return to your hotel in Glasgow and you're welcome to join James for an informal knitting circle.
Overnight 4 Star Apex City of Glasgow Hotel - Breakfast and Lunch included.
DAY 3
Friday, October 3rd.
BLACKNESS CASTLE, V&A GALLERY DUNDEE, AND FERRY FROM ABERDEEN TO SHETLAND
- Breakfast
- Check out of the hotel and travel towards Aberdeen for your ferry to the Shetland Islands. Along the way you'll visit Blackness Castle (used as Fort William in Outlander) and stop in at Dundee to visit the V&A Design Gallery. From there we continue our journey to Aberdeen where we board the overnight ferry to Shetland.
- Join the overnight ferry to Lerwick. On board you will find comfortable cabin accommodation as well as a bar, lounge, restaurant, cinema and gift shop.
Overnight Northlink Ferries - Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner included.
DAY 4
Saturday, October 4th.
SHETLAND TEXTILE MUSEUM AND SHETLAND MUSEUM & ARCHIVES
- Breakfast on the ferry before disembarking at Lerwick.
- Visit Shetland Textile Museum, which is run by the community. It is the only one of its kind completely dedicated to the heritage of Shetland textiles and knitting. It features examples from the historic to the contemporary, all embracing Shetland skills.
- Take a tour of the Shetland Museum and Archives, displaying Shetland community heritage and culture. The galleries contain wonderful examples of delicate Shetland lace and Fair isle knitting. Your guided tour will focus on knitting related history and its importance to Shetland.
- The rest of the afternoon is at leisure to join Shetland Wool Week activities* and/or enjoy a spot of shopping along Commercial Street.
- Dinner will be served at your hotel.
* You will arrive in Lerwick on the final day of Shetland Wool Week. It is not yet known what activities will be happening on this date as the Wool Week programme has not been published yet. However, the Shetland Museum and Archives provides the 'Hub' for Wool Week and traditionally there is a trader's market in Lerwick on the final day of Wool Week.
Overnight 3 Star Shetland Hotel, Lerwick - Breakfast and Dinner included.
DAY 5
Sunday, October 5th.
FAIR ISLE KNITTING WORKSHOP, SILLY SHEEP FIBRE COMPANY AND SHETLAND JEWELLERY STUDIO
- Breakfast
- Join Linda Shearer, a former patron of Shetland Wool Week, for a Fair Isle knitting workshop. Explore colour and technique as you go on to knit your own gorgeous Fair Isle headband.
- After class and lunch, visit the Silly Sheep Fibre Company who create beautiful fibre and knitting yarns from their own flock and those of their friends and neighbours.
- Travel to Shetland Jewellery studio, where they make stunning Shetland, Nordic and Celtic influenced jewellery by hand, with the most amazing view!
- Return to your hotel in time for dinner.
Overnight 3 Star Shetland Hotel, Lerwick – Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner included.
DAY 6
Monday, October 6th
DAY TRIP TO BRESSAY ISLAND AND GARTH'S CROFT
- Breakfast.
- Take a ferry to Bressay Island.
- Enjoy a full day island tour with a local guide and the owner of Garths Croft, Chris Dyer, who also knits! After welcome refreshments, enjoy a tour from Chris of native Shetland sheep, ewes and lambs bred for colour and fibre, view shearing shed, examples of knitwear made with own yarn, horticulture, drystone, woodland, sheepdog demonstration.
- Leave Garths Croft for tour of nineteenth century Bressay Lighthouse complex and dramatic seabird cliffs at the southern point of the island.
- After lunch at a local café, explore Noss Sound and Culliesbrough.
- Return ferry to Lerwick.
- Relax and knit while enjoying dinner at your hotel.
Overnight 3 Star Shetland Hotel, Lerwick - Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner included.
DAY 7
Tuesday, October 7th
SHETLAND KNITTING BELT WORKSHOP, BURRA BEARS AND FERRY TO ABERDEEN
- Breakfast.
- Shetland Knitting Belt workshop with Janette Budge.
- Visit Burra Bears, nestled in a tranquil landscape where each individual Burra Bear is created using a specially designed Fair Isle fabric, knitted locally using 100% Shetland wool and filled with re-cycled wool scraps. Every bear is given his or her very own unique name!
- Return to Lerwick for some shopping at Jamieson’s of Shetland.
- Board your ferry to the mainland and have dinner on-board before setting sail.
Overnight Northlink Ferries - Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner included.
DAY 8
Wednesday, October 8th.
LUNAN BAY CASHMERE GOAT FARM, EDINBURGH CASTLE, AND SCOTCH WHISKY EXPERIENCE
- Enjoy breakfast on your ferry before disembarking at Aberdeen.
- Hands-on tour of Lunan Bay Farm, the UK’s only Cashmere Goat Farm, nestled along the beautiful coast of Lunan Bay. Farmer Jillian and her team are pioneering Scottish regenerative cashmere production from goat to coat. After interacting with the adorable cashmere goats, join fibre spinning demonstration. Do not forget to visit the cashmere gift shop!
- Comfort stop and lunch (not included).
- Visit Edinburgh Castle, resplendent over the Royal Mile and with magnificent views of the Old and New Towns of the capital city.
- Finish the day with the Scotch Whisky Experience.
Overnight 4 star Dalmahoy Hotel & Country Club, County Edinburgh - Breakfast included.
DAY 9
Thursday, October 9th.
LACE KNITTING WORKSHOP, KATHY'S KNITS & LUCY HAGUE, FAREWELL DINNER
- Breakfast at your hotel
- Lace Knitting Workshop with lace designer Karie Westermann.
- Visit Kathy’s Knits, a small independent yarn and knitting store, where we meet with Lucy Hague. Lucy is a well-known pattern designer and author of Celtic Cable Shawls and Illuminated Knits. Take some time to browse through an array of yarns, patterns and accessories in stock at Kathy’s Knits.
- Enjoy some free time to explore Edinburgh before returning to the hotel for a Farewell Dinner and drink with your fellow travellers.
Overnight 4 star Dalmahoy Hotel & Country Club, County Edinburgh - Breakfast and Farewell Dinner included.
DAY 10
Friday, October 10th
MAR SIN LEAT - FAREWELL SCOTLAND!
After breakfast, transfer to Edinburgh airport in plenty of time to check in and some last-minute duty-free shopping.