Arcadia Scotland

This Spring 2017, Arcadia Scotland will be hosting the UK & Ireland Regional Event. This tradition began in Ireland in 2016 to commemorate the centenary of the Easter Rising, where students studying in Scotland, Ireland and England had the opportunity to visit Dublin. Our event will encompass the history of Scotland as we tour the Highlands and Islands, looking at broader connections to the North Atlantic archipelago.   

Our three-day weekend excursion to explore the beautiful and fascinating history of the Highlands and Skye with one night in Broadford and another in Inverness with archaeologist and historical expert Dr Natasha Ferguson. 

We will travel through the spectacular Trossachs National Park and desolate Rannoch Moor to enter the Scottish Highlands, visiting the Falls of Dochart a delightful view point, heading on to Glencoe – the site of the massacre of the Jacobite Macdonalds for not accepting the rule of William and Mary promptly enough. The same William that absorbed Ireland into English rule in 1690 at the Battle of the Boyne.

On Skye, we will explore the ancient iron-age Dun Beag Broch to get a sense of the early peoples of England Scotland and Ireland. We will visit the 13th-century Dunvegan Castle and explore its ties to the Viking invasions that impacted on the islands of Britain and Ireland as well as a visit to the geological wonders of Mealt Falls and Kilt Rock.

On the last day of the trip, we will visit the ruins of Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness with a long history of warfare thanks to its strategic relevance. We will then visit the Battlefield of Culloden where the last of the Jacobite risings in 1746 was finally defeated by government forces. Any fans of outlander will be very familiar with the importance of this battle and the consequences to Scottish culture and identity.

We will celebrate the end of our history by touring the Blair Athol Whisky Distillery (far better than Irish Whisky!) and return to Edinburgh.