Come join District 4 4-H Members as we travel to Scotland and Ireland for 10 days. We will be traveling to Dublin, Belfast, Edinburgh, and extending to the Highlands!
These lands were once home to ancient Celtic and Gaelic tribes; today their histories blend comfortably into the modern day. Step into the Middle Ages on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile and under the towering spire of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin. In Belfast, old conflicts have given way to an influx of restored 19th-century architecture and a thriving arts scene.
Day 1: Fly overnight to Ireland
Day 2: Dublin
- Meet your Tour Director at the airport in Dublin, Ireland’s capital city scenically situated between Dun Laughair (“Dun Leery”) and Howth Head’s rock peaks. Literary history greets you at every turn, from Trinity College, where playwright Samuel Beckett and satirist Jonathan Swift studied, to the Long Room of the Old Library, where you’ll see the Book of Kells. Irish monks created this calligraphic manuscript over 1,000 years ago. Admire St. Patrick’s Cathedral, whose presence honors the patron saint of Ireland, and when you ride through Dublin’s elegant Georgian squares, be sure to ask your guide about the colorful doors.
- Take a walking tour of Dublin
Day 3: Dublin
- Take an expertly guided tour of Dublin: Georgian squares; O’Connell Street; St. Stephen’s Green
- See the Book of Kells at Trinity College
- Visit St. Patrick’s Cathedral
Day 3: Dublin – Belfast
- Travel to Belfast, a city in transition, and learn how it’s redefining itself after famously undergoing a period of religious strife in the 1970’s and 1980’s. Yet, testaments to the city’s past still exist: Along Catholic Falls Road and Protestant Shankill Road, witness giant political murals that help tell the history of Northern Ireland. In the Old Town you’ll see Victorian architectural gems such as the City Hall and the Albert Memorial Clock, Belfast’s very own leaning tower. You’ll also pass the shipbuilding docks where the legendary steamship Titanic was constructed.
- Take an expertly guided tour of Belfast: Lower Falls; Shankill Road; Murals
- Visit Titanic Belfast
Day 5: Belfast – Edinburgh
- Travel by ferry to Stanraer
- Travel to Alloway
- Visit Robert Burns Birthplace Museum
- Continue to Edinburgh, where Edinburgh Castle is the enduring symbol of Scotland’s capital and site of many of the nation’s storied events. Ownership of the fortress, perched atop an extinct volcano, changed hands many times over the centuries, from Scottish to English and back again. Mary, Queen of Scots, gave birth here to James VI of Scotland, who would later rule England as James I. In addition to the castle, you’ll see the homes of Alexander Graham Bell and Robert Louis Stevenson. For a sense of what it was like to live in Edinburgh in centuries past, stroll down the Royal Mile through the Old Town, a romantic jumble of medieval buildings.
Day 6: Edinburgh
- Take an expertly guided tour of Edinburg
- Visit Edinburgh Castle
- Take a walking tour of Edinburgh
Day 7: Edinburgh
- Take an excursion to Stirling and the Trossachs: William Wallace Monument; Sheep-dog demonstration (April – September); Loch Katrine
- Visit Stirling Castle
Day 8: Depart for Home
As you can see, your EF tour includes visits to the places you’ve learned about in school. That’s a given. But it’s so much more than that. Immersing yourself in new cultures – surrounded by the people, the language, the food, the way of life – creates inspirational moments that can’t be listed in an itinerary. They can only be experience.
And the experience begins long before you get your passport stamped and meet your Tour Director in your arrival city. It begins the moment you decide to go!
When your group arrives abroad, everything is taken care of so you can relax and enjoy the experience. Your full-time Tour Director is with you group around the clock, handling local transportation, hotels and meals while also providing their own insight into the local history and culture. Expert local guides will lead your group on sightseeing tours, providing detailed views of history, art, architecture or anything you may have a question about.
When your journey is over and you’re unpacking your suitcase at home, you’ll realize the benefits of your life-changing experience do not end. They have just begun!
The total price is just $3,960 and you can make small payments of $352 per month! This includes:
- Round-trip airfare
- Tour transportation
- Hotels with private bathrooms
- Breakfasts and dinners
- Full-time Tour Director
- Daily activities, tours and entrances to attractions
- 2-day extension in the Highlands