Day 1 - Travel to Glasgow and the Crowne Plaza hotel, the base for this short break.
Day 2 - World Heritage Site & the ‘Falls of Clyde’
A
full days excursion which starts with a visit to the New Lanark World Heritage
Site, a beautifully restored 18th century cotton mill village in Southern Scotland,
close to the Falls of Clyde. The fascinating history of the village is brought
to life in an award-winning audio-visual theatre show called 'Annie McLeod's
Story', where the ghost of a mill-girl appears on stage. The village first
rose to fame when Robert Owen (mill manager from 1800-1825) transformed life
in New Lanark with ideas and opportunities, at least a hundred years ahead
of their time. Child labour and corporal punishment were abolished and the
villagers provided with decent homes, schools, evening classes, free health
care, and affordable food. Restaurant facilities for lunch are available at
either the Mill Pantry where they serve a selection of home cooked food or
bar lunches at the on-site New Lanark Mill Hotel.
The day also includes a ranger led walk (approx. 2 hours) in the Falls of Clyde
reserve, host to over 100 species of birds including nesting Peregrine falcons.
The reserve boasts unrivalled views of these wild birds, look out too for kingfishers
and otters and listen for owls hooting or watch for bats flying as dusk falls.
Day 3 - Pucks Glen & Benmore Botanic Gardens
A full day in the fresh air!
Your coach will take the ferry from Gourock to Dunoon and then drive on to
Pucks Glen, where you can take one of the Cowal Peninsular walks. Either the
Big Tree Walk (1 mile / 45 mins) the path climbs to a viewpoint overlooking
the Eachaig valley or the famous Puck’s Glen Walk (2.25 miles / 1 hour
30 mins), the glen gives a spectacular woodland walk right by a burn in a deep-cut
gorge beginning with a steep climb through a mature woodland of pine, larch,
cypress and big redwoods.
Day 4 - Depart hotel for the return journey home.