Exploring our Celtic Spirituality

A Pilgrimage to Scotland and Northern England

Led by:

The Rev. Kathryn Schillreff
St. Monica’s Episcopal Church
Naples, FL

June 14 – 23, 2016

DAY 1: Tuesday, June 14, 2016 - We depart from Fort Myers, FL for our United Airlines flight to Newark, NJ where we transfer to our United Airlines flight into Glasgow, Scotland. M

DAY 2: Wednesday, June 15, 2016 - We arrive in Glasgow in the morning and are met by our driver and guide and board our motor coach for a scenic ride across some of the most beautiful countryside of Scotland—heading north along the shore of Loch Lomond.  Once we arrive at Oban, we will take the ferry to the Isle of Mull.  We drive across Mull to our second ferry and our short sail to the enchanting Island of Iona.  We join the Iona Community tonight for evening prayer and have dinner and overnight on Iona. D

DAY 3: Thursday, June 16, 2016 - After breakfast we make our way to the Abbey for Morning Prayer and then adjourn to St. Oran’s Chapel for singing.  Iona is a small island off the west coast of Scotland where, in 563, Columba founded a Celtic monastery that was very influential in its own times.  According to one legend Columba was condemned by a Synod in 561, possibly due to his part in a dispute over the ownership of a copy of a Gospel which resulted in the deaths of many in the battle of Cooldrevne.  Possibly because of the difficulties of separating his family political interests and his religious calling or possibly as a penance, he left his beloved Ireland with a group of twelve for exile on Iona, in 563, where he established a monastic community and become the first Abbot of Iona.  In the middle ages it was the site of a Benedictine abbey and over the centuries has attracted many thousands of people on their own pilgrim journeys.  Free time to walk and pray is built into the schedule—a must on the Isle of Iona.  At noon, we will join in front of St. Martin’s Cross and begin a hike around the island with a guide from the Abbey.  We will see ruins of the original abbey and the adjacent cemetery where 48 Scottish Kings are said to be buried.  We share in storytelling, debriefing our experiences, and browsing in the quaint shops.  After dinner we again join evening prayer in the Abbey.  Dinner and overnight on Iona. BD

DAY 4: Friday, June 17, 2016 - After Morning prayer in the Abbey, we again pause in the acoustically lively little Chapel of St. Oran for some group singing.  Weather permitting, we carry box lunches to the North End beach where we will picnic and enjoy some time for meditation, journaling, or just enjoying the beauty of this rugged island.  The area of the North End is seldom visited by pilgrims and offers the perfect place for reflection.  In the afternoon, we sail (weather permitting) to the island of Staffa for a visit to the natural basalt beauty of Fingal’s Cave and to see the many varieties of sea birds living here.  Evening prayer in the Abbey and dinner and overnight on Iona. BLD

DAY 5: Saturday, June 18, 2016 - We say “goodbye” to Iona as we board the ferry and return to the mainland.  We travel through the Valley of Glencoe, famous for its scenic beauty and known as the “Valley of Tears” after the massacre that took place here in 1692.  We continue on to Callander where we will see the peak of Ben Ledi (2,882 ft.)  looming at the end of the main street.  Our journey continues to Edinburgh where we will enjoy Evensong at St. Mary’s.  Overnight Edinburgh Area. BD

DAY 6: Sunday, June 19, 2016 - This morning we worship at Old St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, one of the original Episcopalian churches in the city of Edinburgh, formed when the Bishop and his congregation were forced to leave St. Giles Cathedral at the time of the Presbyterian establishment of the Church of Scotland in 1689.  After worship we explore Edinburgh.  We visit St. Giles Cathedral, the historic City Church of Edinburgh which is located on the Royal Mile between Edinburgh Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse, home to the royal family when they are in Edinburgh.  We explore Edinburgh Castle where the views from the Battlement are breathtaking.  We will see St. Margaret’s Chapel, Queen Mary’s Apartments and the Crown Room.  Dinner and overnight in Edinburgh. BD

DAY 7: Monday, June 20, 2016 - We leave Edinburgh bound for the rolling hills of Northumberland.  Our journey takes us into Sir Walter Scott Country.  We visit the abbeys at Jedburgh and MelroseJedburgh Abbey is the most intact of all of the Borders Abbeys.  We will also visit Melrose where the Cistercian Abbey was one of the most famous of all of the Borders Abbeys.  Sir Walter Scott supervised the partial reconstruction of the abbey, considered to be one of the most beautiful ruins in Great Britain.  We continue on to Lindisfarne, also known as Holy Island.  The island has been inhabited since the Iron Age and Christianity was brought to the island by St. Aidan when he established a monastery here in AD 635.  St. Aidan came from Iona where he was a monk in the monastery founded there by St. Columba.  St. Aidan was not the first person on Lindisfarne, but his is the first known name mentioned in relation to the island.  Under its greatest Abbot, Cuthbert, Lindisfarne became one of the greatest centers of learning in Christendom.  Dinner and overnight Lindisfarne. BD

Note that access to and from the island is via a causeway and therefore governed by low tides.

DAY 8: Tuesday, June 21, 2016 - Today we meet with a member of the Community of Aidan and Hilda who will discuss various aspects of the history of the island and the northern saints and then will lead the group across the sands and mud flats, walking the ancient route via the pilgrim posts from the mainland back to Lindisfarne.  We visit Lindisfarne Priory, Lindisfarne Castle and have time for reflection and prayer in this quiet, holy place.  Dinner and overnight Lindisfarne. BD

DAY 9: Wednesday, June 22, 2016 - This morning we visit the charming environs of Durham, exploring the shops and touring the magnificent Durham Cathedral, wherein the graves of St. Cuthbert and the English historian, the Venerable Bede, are found.  Hear the stories of Cuthbert before traveling to Whitby, a seaside town and site of the famous Synod of Whitby.  Hear the stories of St. Hilda and St. Wilfrid before continuing on to Manchester for dinner and overnight. BD

DAY 10: Thursday, June 23, 2016 - This morning we depart for the Manchester Airport where we board our United Airlines flight to Newark, there we transfer to United Airlines flight back to the Fort Myers Airport. BM

Price: $3,269.00.  Price based on multi share occupancy and excludes airline taxes and fuel surcharges.  Roundtrip air from Ft. Myers Airport.  Air transportation available from other cities.  Single supplement is: $389.00.

*Pricing does not include airline taxes and fuel surcharges currently at $673.90 per pilgrim and subject to change until the tickets are issued.  The price is not guaranteed and may change due to the fluctuation of the British Pound and the US dollar.  We make every effort to avoid any increase and will only do so if the value of the dollar falls against the British Pound.  Your pricing was based on the exchange rate of $1.50 to the British Pound.

Final Payment due March 15, 2016

Price includes Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance only for services purchased through and provided by Worldwide Pilgrimage Ministries.

Terms and Conditions:
◊ 1. PRICES ARE CASH.  AMERICAN EXPRESS ACCEPTED FOR FINAL PAYMENT ONLY ADD'L 3.5%.
◊ 2. Names as on passport.  If name is incorrect and tickets reissued, $50 fee plus change fees from airline.
◊ 3. $100 deviation fee plus any additional airfare, hotel, tour or admission charges.

Worldwide Pilgrimage Ministries provides the following basic travel insurance for you at no additional cost:
◊ Accident and Sickness Medical Expense    $50,000
◊ Common Carrier A D & D                              $25,000
◊ Trip Delay, Missed Connection                       $1,000
◊ Medical Evacuation/Repatriation                $250,000
◊ Baggage/Baggage Delay                        $1,500/$250
◊ Emergency Assistance

Cancellation Penalties
◊ Until March 14, 2016:  $200.00 plus any unrecoverable fees.
◊ March 15 - April 29, 2016:  $300.00 plus any unrecoverable fees.
◊ After April 30, 2016:  NO REFUND

If pilgrim is under 18 traveling with only one parent or someone who is not a parent or legal guardian, you will need a notarized letter for medical care and permission to take the child out of the country.  Please see Children - Child traveling with one parent or someone who is not a parent or legal guardian or a group for more information.

$400.00 per person deposit due with registration and copy of passport.

Meals: B Breakfast, L Lunch, D Dinner, M Meals on Aircraft

The itinerary is subject to change due to local conditions or at the discretion and direction of the leader or guide.