The Senior Family from Philadelphia ventured to Scotland this summer to celebrate a high school graduation (mom and daughter, age 17).  They let us know they had a wonderful time making many memories along the way on their 10-day custom tour.  Their trip began in Glasgow with a stay at the Sherbrooke Castle Hotel where they wandered this modern and vibrant city on their own. The following day the duo embarked on the country’s most scenic rail journeys from Glasgow through the West Highlands to Fort William and then onto Mallaig the next day while crossing the stunning Glenfinnan Viaduct.  The highlight of this rail journey is riding the famous Jacobite train on the return to Fort William; otherwise known as the Harry Potter train!  A two-night stay in Fort William was at the Cruachan Hotel.  They continued their tour with a private driver/guide as they made their way to the Isle of Skye passing through the picturesque fishing village of Plockton and with a visit to Eilean Donan Castle.  On Skye, their touring included the quaint port town of Portree, the Trotternish Peninsula and Dunvegan Castle.  Their overnight accommodations were at the Duisdale House which they described as lovely, remote and therefore thankfully with excellent dining.  They departed the island via ferry going back to Mallaig where they then drove part of the renowned “Road to the Isles” enjoying lunch in Glencoe.  The trip proceeded onto Oban and then a ferry to the Isle of Mull.  They spent the night at the Tobermory Hotel which they noted was both super cute and had excellent food.  On Mull, they experienced wild landscapes from the fishing village of Tobermory to Duart Castle to the most southernly tip of the island at Fionnphort where they crossed to the tiny Isle of Iona and visited the spiritual Iona Abbey.  That evening they took another ferry back to Oban with an overnight at the Knipoch Hotel.  In Oban they explored the pretty harbor town before embarking on a day of outstanding natural beauty as they traveled south through the heart of the country and onto Edinburgh.  Here they visited the Edinburgh Castle.  They were glad that they had the chance to visit other castles during this trip that were less crowded.   Their final day was a full day MacBeth Tour which started at the Loch Leven Castle which they reached via boat.  They also learned more about the MacBeth story in the ancient capital of Perth before a visit to Scone Palace to see and experience the inauguration site of Scottish kings. Other places they visited during this tour included Dunkeld Cathedral, Dunsinnane Hill and Glamis Castle to discover how Shakespeare wrongly placed the story in Inverness.  Their two-night stay in Edinburgh was at The Principal Hotel; their favorite hotel of the trip.   A highlight of this trip was having a private driver/guide to provide the local perspective (and they really enjoy his local accent!).  The mother/duo explained that the tour overall left them with a lovely image of a mostly rural Scotland with its friendly people and pastoral landscapes.