Textile Tour of Scotland

Make your own way to Jury’s Inn, Glasgow and join Pat Archibald, your Arena Travel Tour Manager and fellow guests for dinner. A perfect opportunity to get to know each other!

Just as Barcelona has Gaudi, Glasgow has the Art Nouveau magic of Charles Rennie Mackintosh . Mackintosh (1868-1928) was a pioneering Glaswegian architect, designer and artist known as one of the most creative figures of the 20th century. Glasgow is the only city in the world where you can view a concentration of his renowned work. We’ll take a walking tour of the famous Mackintosh sites in the city with a local guide and conclude the tour at the excellent Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.

The atmospheric cottage and hands-on museum at the National Trust for Scotland’s Weaver’s Cottage brings to life the living conditions and work of a traditional weaver. We’ll be transported back to a time when hand-woven textiles were the pride of Scotland’s weaving industry, before the industrial revolution. The property also has an attractive garden, where traditional dye plants are grown.

Half day hand-sewing workshop at the hotel with Pat Archibald.

On route to Edinburgh, we’ll make a stop at New Lanark Mill, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. New Lanark is a former 18^th century cotton spinning mill village located on the banks of the picturesque river Clyde. Founded in 1785 with a focus on philanthropy, education and the welfare of the mill workers, New Lanark became a model for industrial communities that was to spread across the world in the 19th and 20th centuries. It was under the management of Robert Owen that New Lanark became famous. We'll learn how villagers lived, learned and worked with a visit to Robert Owen’s School for Children, millworkers’ housing and Robert Owen’s own house. We’ll also see historic working textile machinery and take a specialist tour and talk on textile production.

Lunch is included today.

Dovecot Studios is a landmark centre for contemporary art, craft and design built around a leading tapestry studio. We’ll take a tour of the building and the exhibitions within it before continuing to our hotel.

Our visit to the National Museum of Scotland will focus on art and design, revealing a treasure trove of beautiful works and exploring the influence of design on everyday life. Through the 2000 Years of Textiles tour we'll discover various textile making techniques used through the ages from thousands of years ago to modern times.

Traquair House is Scotland’s oldest inhabited home. Visited by 27 Scottish Kings and Queens Traquair dates back to 1107 and has been lived in by the Stuart family since 1491. Traquair is renowned for its embroideries and textiles and our themed tour will focus on these. The collection includes petit point embroidery from the 1600’s, colifichet work, quilting and the Mary Queen of Scots bed as well as a large collection of priests’ vestments. 

As the capital of Scotland and the seat of the Scottish Government, Scottish Parliament and the supreme courts of Scotland there is plenty to see on your free day in Edinburgh. The Scottish National Gallery, Edinburgh Castle, the Palace of Holyrood House and Edinburgh’s old and new towns are just some of the things that may be on your ‘must see’ list. Pat Archibald and your Arena Travel Tour Manager will be on hand to help you plan the perfect day.

On route to Perth, we’ll visit Wemyss School of Needlework. The school was founded in 1877 by Dora Wemyss, who was inspired by the Royal School of Needlework in London. The Royal School was set up to ‘revive a beautiful art’ while providing employment to ‘educated women’ who might otherwise struggle financially. The Wemyss School sought to teach a skill to local girls from which they would be able to earn a living. The school now houses an important and unique collection of designs and textiles dating from the 17th century to contemporary pieces collected and donated by the Wemyss family, past pupils and their families and friends of the school.

Dinner is included this evening.

Glamis Castle has been the ancestral seat to the Earls of Strathmore and Kinghorne since 1372, inspiration for Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the childhood home of HM Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, and birthplace of HRH The Princess Margaret. Our guided tour will take us through several rooms in the castle, each filled with legendary tales and stories of the evolution of the castle.

Half day hand-sewing workshop at the hotel with Pat Archibald.

Blair Castle is the ancient seat of the Dukes and Earls of Atholl and holds an important place in Scotland's history. Strategically located in the Strath of Garry, whoever held Blair Castle was gatekeeper to the Grampians and the most direct route north to Inverness. It was twice besieged, first by Cromwell's army in 1652 and then by the Jacobites in 1746, just before their final defeat at Culloden. It has also been much visited by royalty.

Blair Castle opened its doors to the public in 1936, one of the first great houses in Britain to do so. With a break during wartime, it has continued to do so ever since, and today it welcomes more visitors than any other private house in Scotland. We'll explore 30 of its superbly furnished rooms and enjoy a talk on Lady Evelyn’s lace collection. Created by the daughter of the 7th Duke during her stay on mainland Europe, the collection includes items of exceptional quality both worked on and collected by Lady Evelyn

Half day hand-sewing workshop at the hotel with Pat Archibald.

Tour ends after breakfast.