Lowlands & Borders Tours

There’s still time to discover in 2026. Selected departures are still available – simply call 1-800-759-7715 to find out more. Reopened in 2022 following an ambitious refurbishment, Glasgow’s Burrell Collection offers a world-class journey through art and history, with treasures spanning 5,000-year-old Chinese porcelain, French masterpieces by artists including Manet, Cézanne and Degas, and medieval artefacts such as stained glass, armour and tapestries. This break also reveals Glasgow’s wider artistic heritage, from the renowned collections of Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum and Scotland’s oldest public museum, the Hunterian, to the Gallery of Modern Art. Discover the architectural elegance of Holmwood House, one of Alexander ‘Greek’ Thomson’s finest creations, and conclude with a visit to House for an Art Lover, inspired by an original 1901 design by Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

Join us on this special tour, which strings together some of the best gardens in one of the most beautiful and scenic parts of the country. An undoubted highlight of our tour is our visit to Attadale Gardens, a true gem of a garden which was voted RHS Partner Garden of the Year for Scotland in 2023. Here we have an exclusive private visit and enjoy a light lunch in the dining room of the main house, which is not normally open to the public. Other visits include a three-acre private garden on the outskirts of Inverness, a trip to Skye, where we enjoy the award-winning formal garden of Dunvegan Castle, and Inverewe, unquestionably one of the most outstanding gardens in the country. This tour is a real treasure trove of treats for anyone who enjoys beautiful gardens and wonderful scenery.

From the far north to the wild west, the softer landscapes of the Borders and the elegance of Edinburgh, Scotland’s gardens reveal an extraordinary variety of places, plants and growing conditions. Begin in Perthshire at Branklyn and Cluny Gardens before travelling north to Inverness and beyond, where Dunrobin Castle, the Castle of Mey, Dundonnell and Inverewe showcase very different approaches to garden design. In the West Highlands, the mild climate creates ideal conditions for lush planting at Ardchattan, Arduaine and An Cala, while Dumfries and Galloway is home to gardens filled with exotic species from around the world. Returning through the Borders, visit two more remarkable gardens before concluding at Edinburgh’s Royal Botanic Gardens. Across the country, this grand tour brings together spectacular landscapes, remarkable plant collections and gardens shaped by Scotland’s distinctive climate and character.

Some of Scotland’s most attractive gardens and artistic treasures await. Dumfries House in Ayrshire, saved with the support of King Charles, shines with superb Adam interiors, a unique Chippendale collection and an outstanding walled garden. At Broughton House, we enjoy EA Hornel’s Japanese-influenced artist’s garden, while Drumlanrig Castle impresses, with its extensive grounds, fine art and Renaissance grandeur.

Charles Rennie Mackintosh is Scotland’s most celebrated architect and designer of the 20th century, whose distinctive style helped shape European design movements including Art Nouveau and Secessionism. Living most of his life in Glasgow, his influence can still be seen across the city, from the Glasgow School of Art and Queens Cross Church to the Daily Record Building. Later in life, Mackintosh turned his attention to watercolour, creating beautiful landscapes and flower studies. Charles Rennie Mackintosh is Scotland’s most celebrated architect and designer of the 20th century, whose distinctive style helped shape European design movements including Art Nouveau and Secessionism. Living most of his life in Glasgow, his influence can still be seen across the city, from the Glasgow School of Art and Queens Cross Church to the Daily Record Building. Later in life, Mackintosh turned his attention to watercolour, creating beautiful landscapes and flower studies.