mcleanscotland work with Masonic
Lodges or Templar & Bruce enthusiasts to prepare
a stunning tour of Scottish sites relevant to
Masonic Lodges, Knight Templar's and the hero
king Robert the Bruce. Tour Rosslyn Chapel
(below),
secret locations we know where you can discover
Templar graves - well off the beaten tracks.
Bruce tours a speciality of mcleanscotland.
Simply make contact with us with all your
details on numbers and dates, we will work with
you to design a tour that will long stay in the
memory and be the best trip you have ever had.
For group tours here in Scotland we have on call
Masonic Coach drivers and Guides. MCLEANSCOTLAND
are not Members of any Scottish Lodge, but offer
Masonic tours as this is our country and we
welcome all!
NEW JERSEY
FREEMASONRY
- Grand
Master's Tour of Scotland 2007, 4 nights
in Edinburgh & 4 nights in Inverness,
includes private whisky sampling
Knights Templar in Scotland 1128 - Hugh de
Payen, a relative by marriage to the St Clairs
of Roslin, travels to Scotland where he stays
with his relatives. The Templars are granted
land – which becomes their headquarters in
Scotland at Ballontrodoch – now Temple.
1203 - The sack
of Constantinople. Important relics looted and
fall into Templar hands. The Orkney Crusade
saw Scottish Templar families, including the
Sinclairs, join the crusade.
1307 - 11
October, it is recorded in French
Masonic history that the Templar ships leave
at midnight from La Rochelle, probably heading
to Scotland.
1311 - Bishop
Lamberton of St Andrews gives the Templars his
protection.
1314 - Possibility that Knight Templars fought
at Bannockburn.
1790 - Alexander Deuchar revives the order in
Scotland in an attempt to re-start a new
chivalry. They set the
gold and silver standard for coin weight, and
introduced the "note of hand" – a
kind of 12th century credit card. Christians
at the time were not allowed to charge
interest on money, but the Templars got round
this by charging "rent". The order
quickly became the richest bankers in Europe,
lending to kings, princes and influential
people across Europe. King Philip IV of France
(1268-1314) was one monarch among many who was
heavily in debt to the Knights Templar. The
death of the Pope gave the King an opportunity
to bribe the incoming Catholic leader and
initiate enquiries against the order. They
were charged with heresy and on a Friday the
13th, in October 1307, Jacques de Molay, the
Grand Master of the Knights Templar, and 60 of
his senior knights were arrested in Paris.
Across Europe thousands of Knights Templar
were taken into custody. But when King Philip
raided the Templar treasure house he found it
empty and the fleet gone from Larochelle.
Anyone found sheltering a Templar was under
threat of excommunication. At the time
Scotland was already excommunicated for Robert
the Bruce's involvement in the murder of John
"Red" Comyn. Since Robert the Bruce
could not afford to turn away wealthy and
powerful allies in his struggle against Edward
I, it is not too fanciful to suppose that
Scotland may have welcomed the homeless
knights. French Masonic ritual seems to
indicate that Scotland was designated as the
place of refuge for the Templar treasures. It
is certainly a matter of fact that their land
in Scotland was never seized but was
transferred to the Knights of St John for
safekeeping.
THIS IS A
SAMPLE OF WHAT WE CAN OFFER FOR MASONIC LODGES
AND THOSE WITH INTEREST IN KNIGHTS TEMPLAR
SITES IN SCOTLAND. THIS CAN BE A GROUP
TOUR FOR OTHER GROUPS ALSO.
THIS IS A SAMPLE ONLY
we will cost and plan your group tour to match
your requirements. Costs will depend on
numbers travelling with the group and the time
of year. We can offer a bed and
breakfast, dinner bed and breakfast, or a mix
on this tour. Once we have your
information, we can add as many other relevant
site visits related to Masonic or Bruce
history as we need, we will work closely with
you on this feature of the tour plan. Of
course you can also make the tour as long or
as short as you wish.
Day 1 Arrive Scotland, Glasgow or Edinburgh airport, coach to
meet group and transfer to hotel in Ayr .
We will then make a visit to Rabbie Burns locations
including a visit to his cottage before returning
to the hotel for dinner.
Day
2 A day trip by coach,
after a full Scottish breakfast we will take
the tour to visit Culzean Castle and Gardens.
We will also tour other local sights in this
area. Today we would like to suggest a meeting with Kilwiney Lodge. Please advise
us on this as to what you require.
Day 3 Leave hotel for
Edinburgh . Scenic day travelling through
Scottish lowlands to our first destination,
Rosslyn Chapel. We will have an extended
visit here with appropriate guide. It
is then to our Capital City where we will hire
a guide to take you on a coach tour of the old
and new towns ending at Edinburgh Castle where
you will visit as a group. Then check in to
our hotel.
Day
4 Two choices – either
a totally free day to do as you wish exploring
Edinburgh . Or for those who wish, we will make
a half day trip to Dryburgh and Melrose Abbeys
in the Borders. For those staying in Edinburgh
we will supply many options for food, drinks,
restaurants and sightseeing all within our fully
bound tour notes.
Day 5 A whole day free
today – The Edinburgh
Festival is in full swing throughout the City
in AUGUST and there will be so much to see and do.
For tours not here in August this will be a free
day or optional tour.
Day 6 We leave the
Capital and head north via the Forth Road Bridge
, entering the Kingdom of Fife . We make
a brief visit to Perth (courtesy stop) before
we continue north, stopping to visit the Crannog
on Loch Tay. Then head on to Scotland ’s
smallest whisky distillery, Edradour in the
Victorian town of Pitlochry. After time
here to see how we make the water of life and
partake in a wee dram, we head north once again
to visit Blair Atholl Castle . Finally we stay
overnight in Inverness .
Day 7 A day touring the
local areas today, we will walk Culloden
Battlefield, scene of the tragic defeat of
Bonnie Prince Charlie and his army by the
Butcher the Duke of Cumberland in April
1746. Then we will go on a boat trip on to
Loch Ness which goes over to Urquhart Castle
where we visit then if you wish to visit
either of the Monster Museums we can stop.
Return to Inverness
Day
8 We leave Inverness
head all the way down the Ness banks until we
reach Invermoriston. We make a stop at the outstanding
scenic Loch Clunie were there are superb views.
We then take the road north to the isles.
This will bring us eventually to Loch Duich
where visit another castle, this time the world
famous Eilean Donan Castle . We make this
our final visit of the day with entry to castle
and a spot of souvenir hunting maybe?
After our castle visit we head over the Skye
Bridge and to our hotel in Portree, Skye
Day 9 A whole day
touring Skye. To include: Portree, Dunvegan
Castle, Trotternish, Cuillin Mountains and the
Museum of Island Life, a fantastic chance to
see original 18 th century crofters cottages
in a realistic setting.
Day 10 We leave Skye
via the ferry at Armadale, arriving 30 minutes
later at Mallaig, a west coast fishing town,
from here we head south through wee winding
roads to our next stop, Glenfinnan, where we
stop to view the Monument to the '45 uprising.
There is an option to climb the tower if so
desired, this is a minimal cost but only payable
on the visit. On then to Spean Bridge where
we view the glen from the Commando Monument
. A stop for lunch at the Woollen Mill
a mile down the road (at your own expense).
We continue with a drive through the most infamous
glen in Scotland : Glencoe. We will make
a stop for photographs here at one of the
viewpoints. Overnight locally.
Day 11 Today we have
an early start heading west along the banks
of Loch Linnhe into Appin. We have a short while
in Oban before moving south to Kilmartin Glen
to see the burial cairns , standing stones and
old graves in the Kirk. 5000 years of history
on show. Our next stop is Inverary where it
is possible to get a light lunch. We travel
through the mountain pass called Rest and Be
Thankful bringing us to the Bonnie Bonnie Banks
of Loch Lomond . Our day ends in Glasgow in
a city centre hotel.
Day 12 Our final full
day in Scotland . We will visit as a group
the Burrell Gallery then return to the City
Centre. The remainder of the day is free time.
We will supply many options for food, drinks,
restaurants and sightseeing all within our fully
bound tour notes.
Day 13 Transfer to the airport this morning for your
flights home.
All hotels subject to availability.
mclean scotland guided and self drive tours of Scottish castles and
palaces with mcleanscotland. Our Scottish tour guides
service offer personal driver guided tours and group tours around
Scotland. We are your best source for tours, tour packages and escorted
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WHATEVER YOU NEED FROM SCOTLAND, OUR TEAM OF SCOTS ARE HERE TO SHOW YOU
OUR COUNTRY.
MCLEAN SCOTLAND offering you escorted whisky tours, self drive whisky
tours, escorted group and motorcoach tours of Scotland, Scottish
Highlands and Lowlands tours, Scottish cities and beautiful tours of
Scotland's coasts and islands. A tour operator that shows you Scotland
like no other company! Our Scottish self drive tours are the best there
is, our guides and driver guides are excellent. We arrange all your
accommodation in Scottish bed and breakfasts, guest houses and
Scotland's hotels and castle. Aye, stay overnight in a Scottish castle.
We know all those special places. We arrange romantic breaks, get
married or re new your vows in Scotland, near a loch, in a romantic
glen, at a castle or palace. We offer golf tours of Scotland, self drive
or guided tours, golf in the highlands or at any famous course such as
Gleneagles, St Andrews, Carnoustie, Turnberry to name a few. Mclean
Scotland are your one stop shop for travel to Scotland and everything
Scots. Join the hundreds of happy people who have been before with us. A
vacation to Scotland with mcleanscotland is one to remember.
Mclean Scotland self drive tours. Mclean
Scotland guided tours. Mclean Scotland group tours. Mclean Scotland
Passport to Scotland. Mclean Scotland whisky tours. Mclean Scotland da
Vinci Code tour. Mclean Scotland garden tours of Scotland. Mclean
Scotland west coast tours. Mclean Scotland Isles tours. Mclean Scotland
Perthshire tours. Mclean Scotland also have two sister companies that
work on tours in Ireland. See our recommendations page from past
mclean scotland guests to Scotland. Here at mclean scotland we have a
unique news and views page, full of Scottish facts. Have you seen the
Robert the Bruce tour mclean scotland offer? Mclean Scotland have also
assisted many pipe bands here in Scotland. We also arrange renewall of
wedding vows here in Scotland, let Mclean help you too! For the clan
Maclean gathering mclean scotland have a variety of tour options
available to Mcleans, Macleans and McLaines who wish to attend. The Clan
Maclean gathering tours by mclean scotland are open to all, you do not
have to be a Mclean to join the fun! On a Mclean Scotland Viking tour,
you will visit Orkney and Inverness and many parts of the Scottish
Highlands. For a tour with a bit of murder and mayhem, why not look at
the Mclean Scotland Celts, Picts & Romans tour.
