Celtic Christianity Tour

Breakfast. Option to attend a morning service at the Cathedral. Rest of day in Canterbury. Dinner on own. Overnight.

Breakfast. Visit to the beautiful village of Chilham with a stop and visit at the church famous for the last known resting place of the shrine of St Augustine. Continue through the Kent countryside near Ramsgate to see the stone cross commemorating St Augustine’s landing in 597AD. Visit Minster Abbey, a small but active Benedictine nunnery, occupying one of England’s oldest continually inhabited buildings. Drive past St Augustine’s Roman Catholic Church, Ramsgate. Return to hotel for dinner and overnight.

Breakfast. Drive from Canterbury to Winchester. Visit Winchester Cathedral, once the seat of Anglo-Saxon and Norman royal power and situated on the site of an early Christian church. Jane Austen is buried here and you will see the memorial that marks the spot of St Swithun’s shrine, the patron saint of the cathedral. Free time for lunch. Afternoon continue to Wales for dinner and overnight.

Breakfast. Full day in St David's. Guided tour of the Cathedral, which stands on the site of the monastery which St David founded in the Glyn Rhosyn valley of Pembrokeshire, and includes the site of the original St David’s Shrine which was destroyed during the reformation. Free time with the opportunity to walk to visit the site believed to be the place of St David’s birth, and marked by the ruins of a tiny chapel close to a holy well – St Non’s Retreat. Rest of day and evening at leisure. 

Breakfast. Early departure from St David's to Holyhead. Ferry crossing from Holywell to Dublin. Transfer from Dublin ferry terminal to Dublin hotel. Dinner at hotel 

Breakfast. Full day in Dublin. Visit to Trinity College and Book of Kells Experience - a multi sensory journey, combining a visit to the historic Old Library with an immersive digital exhibition housed in a temporary pavilion. The tour featuers The Old Library, The Book of Kells 360, The Long Room Reimagined and The Secret Life of the Collections. Visit to St Patrick’s Cathedral - a magnificent cathedral that houses Jonathan Swift's remains (he wrote Gulliver's Travels). It is the only remaining cathedral in Ireland with daily sung services. Rest of day at leisure - you may wish to return later the attend evensong at the cathedral. Dinner and evening at leisure. 

Breakfast. Visit St Brigid's Cathedral  - the cathedral stands on the site where Saint Brigid founded a nunnery in the 5th century. The County Kildare cathedral was rebuilt in the 19th century and houses many fascinating religious artefacts. The present cathedral, which was restored in the 19th century, contains many links to the past, including a 16th century vault, early Christian and Norman carvings and a High Cross. Free time in Kildare before returning to Dublin. Dinner and evening at leisure.

Breakfast. Depart Dublin for for Downpatric. The only permanent exhibition in the world about Ireland's Patron Saint. The History of Ireland starts here in Patrick's words, which guide you through a multimedia exhibition. Visit St Patrick’s Cathedral, Visitor Centre and Saul Church. Transfer to Belfast. Dinner and overnight Belfast.

Breakfast. Meet with a local guide and depart by coach for a morning tour of Belfast with special emphasis on Peace and Reconciliation. Visit St Anne's Cathedral. Rest of afternoon at lesiure. Dinner and overnight. 

Breakfast. Free day to enjoy Belfast at leisure. Option to visit Titanic Belfast (at additoinal cost). The iconic building features the self-guided Titanic Experience which tells the story of RMS Titanic, from her conception in Belfast in the early 1900s, through her construction and launch, to her famous maiden voyage and tragic end. The self-guided experience extends over nine inrerpretive and interactive galleries, which explore the sights, sounds, smells and stories of RMS Titanic, as well as the city and people who made her. Dinner at leisure. 

Breakfast. Ferry from Belfast to Cairnryan, Scotland. Brief stop in Glasgow for panoramic tour and free time for lunch. Afternoon journey to Oban. Dinner and overnight.  

Breakfast. Coach transfer from hotel to Oban ferry terminal. Feryr crossing from Oban to Isle of Mull. Local coach transfer to Fionnphort terminal for your next ferry crossing to Isle of Iona. Check into hotel. Dinner and overnight 

Breakfast. Day in Iona. A small and peaceful isle of the Inner Hebrides, Iona was to become the heart of Celtic Christianity in Scotland when St Columba landed in AD563 and founded a new monastic community. Trace the story of Celtic Christianity here, which prospered until relentless Viking raids forced many monks to flee the island. The Roman Church would later return in force with a new Benedictine Abbey in the 12th century. Eucharist at the Abbey shortly after arrival. Visit the Abbey where numerous Scottish Kings were believed to be buried, including the infamous Macbeth. Three original Celtic High Crosses can also be viewed. You will also see the nunnery ruins, and the Iona Parish Church with its Macleans Cross outside. Dinner and overnight.

Breakfast. Full day in Iona - planned by the group leaders. Dinner at hotel. Overnight. 

Breakfast. Transfer to Edinburgh via Loch Lomond, with a stop en route at Luss Church. Continue to Edinburgh. Check into hotel. Dinner and overnight. 

Breakfast. Full day pilgrimage to the Holy Island of Lindisfarne. St Aidan came here from Iona at the request of King Oswald in AD635 and built his monastery, a place also prominent in the life of St Cuthbert. Take a guided tour and explore the priory and Lindisfarne Centre, (which includes a leather-bound facsimile of the Lindisfarne Gospels in the atmospheric scriptorium). Rest of afternoon at leisure. Cross to hotel on the mainland for dinner and overnight. 

Breakfast. Return to Lindisfarne for the morining. Afternoon journey to Durham for dinner and overnight. 

Breakfast. Morning visit to Whitby Abbey. The ruins of St Hilda’s Abbey dominate the town’s skyline. Oswiu, King of Northumbria after Oswald, called the Synod of Whitby in 664AD in order to bring to a head the conflict between the traditions of the Ionian church and Roman Church. Return to Durham. Dinner and overnight.

Breakfast. Visit Durham Cathedrlal, the anglican cathedral of the Diocese of Durham. It is the Shrine of St Cuthbert and the Venerable Bede, the Seat of the Bishop of Durham and a focus of pilgrimage and spirituality in North-East England. It is here where monks from Lindisfarne brought St Cuthbert’s body; his tomb is still here (buried with King Oswald’s head), and at the other end of the cathedral are the remains of St Bede enshrined in the Galilee Chapel. Attend one of the daily services at Durham Cathedral (either morning or midday). Rest of day and dinner at leisure. Dinner and overnight.

Breakfast. Check out of hotel. Return to Cathedral with time in the Chapel of the Holy Cross.