We’ve been to Scotland before. We played the Edinburgh Fringe, we met the sheepdogs, and we’ve been talking about going back ever since. So we’re going back, and we’re bringing you. Castles, Highlands, a haunted inn, a loch with a monster problem, a distillery, and three gigs along the way.
First, a Word About the Bus
If you’ve traveled with us before, you already know. The bus is where the trip really happens. There will be whiskey. There will be singing, usually before anyone asks for it. There will be reminiscing about past trips, some of which will even be true. And there will be movie quotes, lots of them, delivered with varying accents and questionable accuracy.
The bus runs on stops and starts. A castle here, a photo stop there, a pub that looked too good to drive past. Somewhere between all of it, a group of people who met at a gig in Florida turns into a crew. We call it voyaging.
One thing to know about Scotland: the tour guide is the tour guide. Guiding is a protected profession here, so the driver drives and the guide does the explaining. That rule applies to the band too. John will be tempted. Beau will be tempted. Resist us.
What happens on the bus stays on the bus.
The cost for the tour is $3,960. The single supplement is $1,285. A $250 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your spot. Reservations are made through a travel company called Rising Road Journeys LLC. The tour dates are June 30 – July 7.
Day 1: Edinburgh
The tour kicks off at 10 AM at Edinburgh Airport. Shortly afterwards, our guide Cameron Goodall, in full kilt, takes us around one of the best-looking cities in Europe by bus and on foot. After that, the evening is yours. Grab dinner wherever you like and take it easy at the hotel. Your internal clock is still somewhere over the Atlantic, and we need you in shape for the rest of the week. First night in Edinburgh – ibis Styles Edinburgh St Andrew Square.
Day 2: The Kelpies and Stirling Castle
We roll out of Edinburgh in the morning and stop at the Kelpies, two giant steel horse heads that you have to see in person to believe. Then it’s on to Stirling Castle, where a good chunk of Scotland’s messier history played out. We’ll break for lunch there before heading to Glasgow for the night. Spend the night in Glasgow – Moxy Glasgow SEC.
Day 3: Glasgow
Morning bus tour of Glasgow, four hours max. This city built ships for half the world, and you can still read that history in the street names and the architecture. That night, Clover’s Revenge plays our first gig of the trip. Come thirsty. Another evening in Glasgow – Moxy Glasgow SEC.
Day 4: The Drover’s Inn and Loch Ness
Lunch at the Drovers Inn, a 300-plus-year-old spot with a reputation for guests who never checked out. Then we head up the west side of Loch Ness, keep an eye out for Nessie, and hop on a boat for a closer look. The long haul up to Inverness is the big bus day, which means bus-ready tunes and a little poetry. You can’t cross the Highlands without some Robbie Burns, so expect a reading or two and at least one attempt at the accent. Finish the night in Inverness – Palace Hotel & Spa.
Day 5: Sheepdogs and Culloden
Leault Farm was a crowd favorite last time we were in Scotland, and the sheepdogs remain better at their jobs than most of us are at ours. We’ll drive through Cairngorms National Park and stop at Culloden Battlefield, which is a quiet and moving place. Back to Inverness that evening for gig number two. One more night in Inverness – Palace Hotel & Spa.
Day 6: Blair Athol and Back to Edinburgh
We head south to Pitlochry for a tour of Blair Athol Distillery, one of the few 18th-century distilleries still running, with lunch nearby. Then back to Edinburgh for the band dinner party. What happens at the dinner stays at the dinner. We stay at the Market Street Hotel.
Day 7: Edinburgh Castle and the Royal Mile
Guided tour of Edinburgh Castle in the morning, then lunch. The afternoon is for wandering the Royal Mile at your own pace. That night, we play the big one: our last gig of the trip, back in Edinburgh where it all started. Last night in Scotland at the Market Street Hotel.
Day 8: Home
We say goodbye to Scotland, and to each other, with a lot of stories we probably can’t tell on the website.
When we started taking fans overseas in 2019, we figured it would be a fun week of music and pints. It turned into something bigger. People come back year after year. Friendships that started on the bus now have group chats. We’ve heard “best trip I’ve ever been on” more than once, and “life changing” more often than a band that sings about drinking should probably hear it. We don’t take that lightly.
Accommodations List:
- June 30 – Edinburgh – ibis Styles Edinburgh St Andrew Square
- July 1 – Glasgow – Moxy Glasgow SEC
- July 2 – Glasgow – Moxy Glasgow SEC
- July 3 – Inverness – Palace Hotel & Spa
- July 4 – Inverness – Palace Hotel & Spa
- July 5 – Edinburgh – Market Street Hotel
- July 6 – Edinburgh – Market Street Hotel
About Those Seats
We’ll be honest. This one will absolutely sell out. Fans have been asking about Scotland since the day we got home, and there are only so many seats on the bus.
The price is $3,960. The single supplement is $1,285. The tour dates are June 30 – July 7. Reservations are made through a travel company called Rising Road Journeys LLC.