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In the Footsteps of the Picts
From £645
Summary
Living beyond the northern frontier of the Roman Empire, the people of northern Scotland in the Dark Ages were known as the Picts – a name given by the Romans meaning the ‘painted - tattooed ones'. They were renowned as one of the most warlike of the Celtic barbarian tribes of Europe, successfully attacking the Roman army, and yet few of their homes or forts have ever been found. They did however leave behind some of the finest carved stones and jewellery from anywhere in early medieval Europe, before their culture disappeared around 900AD.
During this tour we will travel through the heartland of the southern Picts in Perthshire and Angus, tracking down these elusive people and coming face-to-face with them through the clues of their everyday life as seen in the incredible artistry of their monumental stone sculpture. We’ll explore a newly excavated fortress of the Pictish kings, and view their exquisite jewellery and symbols of power in important museum collections in Edinburgh and Perth – with unique access to new discoveries.
Departure Routes
Please note that all timings are approximate and subject to change. Final timings and pick-up points will be confirmed with your joining instructions approximately 10 days prior to departure.
Your itinerary
Day 1 -
We depart from our pick-up points in Glasgow and Edinburgh and transfer to our first visit, the National Museum of Scotland in Chambers Street, Edinburgh (where you may also join the tour). Here we we enjoy a visit to their collection of the Pictish jewellery and sculpture held here, which includes the St Ninian’s Isle Treasure, which was discovered in Shetland in 1958 and is the only Scottish hoard of fine metalwork of this date to survive in its entirety.
| Hotel | Links Hotel, Montrose |
|---|---|
| Meals included | Dinner |
Day 2 -
After breakfast we enjoy a visit to nearby Aberlemno, with its four magnificent Pictish stones. Arranged along the roadside are two pre-Christian pillar stones inscribed with mysterious Pictish symbols, along with a magnificent cross-slab carved with a hunting scene and book-wielding angels. In the churchyard is one of the finest of all Pictish cross-slabs with its famous depiction of a battle, thought by some to depict the Pictish defeat of the mighty Anglo-Saxon army at Nechtanesmere in 685 AD. We then visit a professional stone-carver, David McGovern who will give us an exclusive Pictish Stone carving demonstration.
From here we travel the short distance to St Vigeans Museum of Pictish Sculpture, which houses one of the most important collections of early medieval sculpture in Western Europe, comprising 26 stone sculptures of the 8th-10th centuries, including cross slabs, recumbent gravestones, a ‘hogback’ stone and rare architectural fragments. We then go next door to visit the old parish church, on the site of a royal Pictish monastery – a close examination of the church walls will reward us with the discovery of fragments of other stones still held fast within the medieval mortar.
| Hotel | Links Hotel, Montrose |
|---|---|
| Meals included | Breakfast, Dinner |
Day 3 -
Today begins with a visit to the symbol-inscribed cross-slab depicting angels and a striding cloaked figure at Eassie. From here we continue to Perth Museum with its fine display of Pictish sculpture, and Dundee’s McManus Museum to meet a digital reconstruction of a Pictish woman.
| Hotel | Links Hotel, Montrose |
|---|---|
| Meals included | Breakfast, Dinner |
Day 4 -
Following breakfast we check out of the hotel and drive to St Andrews, where we see the decorated stone sarcophagus of a great Pictish king, featuring biblical royal imagery along with artistic influences showing their European connections.
Our final visit is the East Lomond Hillfort, for a specially-arranged tour led by the leader of the current archaeological investigations. We return to our original departure points.
| Meals included | Breakfast |
|---|
Tour dates & prices
Included in your cost:
- Accommodation
- Services of a professional tour manager
- Comfortable coach travel throughout
- Meals - as per the itinerary
| Tour Departure | Tour ID | Departure date | Return Date | Guided by | Price | Deposit | Single supplement | Offer | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 August 2023 | BPIC230804 | 4 August 2023 (Friday) | 7 August 2023 (Monday) | £645 (ex. flights) |
£125 | £0 | Book your trip | ||
| 1 September 2023 | BPIC230901 | 1 September 2023 (Friday) | 4 September 2023 (Monday) | Peter Yeoman | £645 (ex. flights) |
£125 | £0 |
£595 save £50 |
Book your trip |
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