The Treasures of Scotland’s Modern Art Scene
Exploring the modern art scene in Scotland through public and private collections
A journey through Scotland’s vibrant modern art scene, including exclusive access to private collections, tours of the finest public galleries and visits to ground breaking open-air sculpture and architecture. The tour is set in the context of some of Scotland’s most beautiful landscapes and city scapes, with time built in to enjoy the surroundings and the culture of Edinburgh and Glasgow. There are a maximum number of twelve guests, transported in comfortable people carriers.
Tour Details
The general outline of the tour is as follows...
Arrival Date
Experience teaches us that people prefer to give themselves time to recover from the journey and explore a little on their own. We are therefore including a night at a chic Bed and Breakfast close to Edinburgh city centre before the full tour begins.
A taxi from Edinburgh airport will cost about £25, and there are good bus and tram links. The station is a short walk or taxi ride.
Day 2
We meet our guide at 9.30 in the lobby for the start of the tour, and the short hop to Edinburgh’s superb National Gallery of Modern Art. Then back to the city centre for lunch and a visit to the Collective Gallery on Calton Hill in the old Observatory with its dramatic views of the city. The afternoon is open to discretion – we can visit the National Museum of Scotland to see the Fashion and Design for Living galleries, explore one of many art spaces around town depending on the exhibitions on offer, tour the Edinburgh Printmakers or Edinburgh Sculpture workshop or simply enjoy the ambience of this beautiful city. The guide is there to help and advise.
Day 3
The extraordinary new V&A Dundee is our first excursion, a couple of hours from Edinburgh via the spectacular new Forth Crossing. After lunch we visit Dundee Contemporary Arts centre and admire the public art of the city centre. There’s time to take in Frank Gehry’s beautiful Maggie’s Centre on the outskirts of Dundee before going on to Glasgow and an evening in this vibrant metropolis.
Frank Gehry’s Maggies Centre, Dundee
Day 4
Glasgow, Scotland’s biggest city, is a mecca for modern art. We visit the Hunterian Gallery (part of the University of Glasgow) and the recreated Mackintosh House in the morning, before sampling some of the treasures of Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum. The rest of the day is discretionary. Options include the Gallery of Modern Art, more Mackintosh buildings, even a street art/mural tour, or simply enjoying the cityscape with some shopping and a pub or café thrown in. The guide is there to advise and accompany you.
Day 5
Little Sparta, the sculpture gardens of Ian Hamiton Finlay are a must for connoisseurs of the modern scene, so we venture up into the Pentland Hills just outside Edinburgh for a visit to this spectacular site. Then down to the extraordinary new David Mach building on the western edge of the city before returning to Edinburgh, taking in more outdoor sculpture (Including amazing Jupiter Artland) along the way.
Jupiter Artland
Day 6
An excursion to the Borders, the lovely rural region just south of Edinburgh, which is home to some of Scotland’s most pioneering arts initiatives. We visit the house and gardens of the entrepreneur who started the Affordable Art Fair – itself home to a fascinating indoor and outdoor private collection. Then on to one of Scotland’s finest stately homes and HQ of a collector who is establishing a unique studio for manufacturing and restoring 19th and 20th century furniture and works of art. On the way home we can detour to see one of the sculpture parks or galleries that are opening up in the area.
Glasgow Gallery of Modern Art
Day 7
Fly home or onward travel.
Price, Transport, Guide, Accommodation and Shopping
As an indiaction, the cost of the tour in 2021 was £1,650, with a £150 supplement for single occupancy. Please contact us for updated prices and availability.
The tour will be for a maximum of twelve people travelling in two nine seater minibuses.
Breakfast is included throughout; lunch and dinner is not included. At the other overnight stops there is a range of bar meals and more formal options, as well as excellent eating and drinking options nearby.
Luggage- we suggest a medium sized case plus hand luggage for easy access at your seat. If you are continuing your trip please ask us about left luggage facilities in Edinburgh.
There will be plenty opportunity to buy souvenirs but this is not really a tour for serious shopping!
What's Included?
- Bed and Breakfast for six nights
- Services of lead tour guide and driver/guide for five days
- Entry to key cultural sites
- Exclusive access to private homes and collections
Not included:
- Air / train fares
- Lunches, drinks and snacks
- Dinners
- Trip insurance.
We ask for a non refundable deposit of £300 per person which represents the costs of arranging the tour.
The balance is payable thirteen weeks prior to the start of the tour.
Cancellation
We strongly recommend that you take out trip insurance in case of unforeseen circumstances. Special arrangements for Covid related cancellations on request. Clans and Castles is registered under the official 'Good to Go' scheme. For more details on our terms and conditions please click here.
Now What?
If you would like to know, more about the trip then send an email to me, Diana Gray.
OR
If you would like to go ahead and book a place, you can make your non refunable deposit of £300 below.
Note - please use Ref: 'ART'
