DAY 2 TUE JUL 10 - We arrive in Glasgow in the morning and are met by our coach driver for a scenic ride across some of the most beautiful countryside of Scotland—heading North along the shore of Loch Lomond. We stop for a bite of lunch in Inverary, arriving at Oban. We check into our hotel and celebrate evening prayer together in the Celtic tradition.

DAY 3 WED JUL 11 - In the morning we take the ferry to the Isle of Mull. A drive across the enchanted Isle of Mull on a single track, floating road will bring us to the short-hop ferry to Iona, where St. Columba established a community of prayer in 563. We spend the day on Iona, visiting the Abbey , making music and hearing some stories in the acoustic marvel of the ancient to St. Oran’s Chapel. Weather permitting, we may make our own Iona pilgrimage walk. Others may wish to have free time for individual prayer and exploration of the Isle of Iona and visiting its quaint shops. After dinner we again we celebrate evening prayer.

DAY 4 THU JUL 12 -This morning we depart for Kilmartin, where we will visit the Kilmartin House Museum and surrounding prehistoric stones, which antedate Stonehenge. Then we continue on to Edinburgh, Scotland’s second largest city, enjoying some traditional Scottish music at Sandy Bell’s Pub or taking part in a traditional Ceilidh (storytelling/music-sharing party) if available.

DAY 5 FRI JUL 13 - We begin our day with a visit to the John Knox House on the Royal Mile. The rest of the day we spend in St. Andrews, stopping en route if time permits to visit one of Scotland’s famous scotch distilleries. St Andrews, the ancient Ecclesiastical Capital of Scotland, is famous not only for it’s unsurpassed golfing links, but also for Scotland’s oldest university. We see the ruins of the 12th century cathedral, once the largest cathedral in Scotland, the castle (with is notorious "Bottle Dungeon: where Knox and other reformers were held prisoner, and St. Mary’s College. St. Andrew’s University is where John Knox became the disciple of reformist George Wishart, who was arrested and burned on the orders of Cardinal David Beaton. The evening finds us back in Edinburgh for a free night on the town.

DAY 6 SAT JUL 14 - We visit Edinburgh Castle where Mary, Queen of Scots’ supporters were besieged by those of James VI in 1563. In 1560, Scotland formally ratified the Reformed religion; Knox was appointed minister of the Church of St. Giles. A guided tour of the city brings its amazing story to life.

DAY 7 SUN JUL 15 - After early morning worship at St. Giles Cathedral, we leave Edinburgh bound for the rolling hills of Northumberland, where we will meet storyteller, Simon Airey, an Anglican priest/storyteller and member of the Northumbria Community, a contemporary Christian community in the tradition of the Celtcs, and we hear stories of Aidan and Cuthbert. On Holy Island we take time to explore the ruined priory, the castle, St. Mary’s Church, Cuthbert's Isle, the shops, and perhaps a traditional pub. We visit Bamburgh, passing its impressive castle on the shore of the North Sea and visiting the Church of St. Aidan for more stories. In the evening, we are off to Durham, stopping for dinner at an English pub. This evening we share evening prayer together from the Northumbria Community’s Celtic Prayer Book.

DAY 8 MON JUL 16 - 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. Hild and St. Wilfrid before returning to Durham.

DAY 9 TUE JUL 17 - We leave Durham and travel back through the Border Country into Scotland toward Glasgow, passing close to the site of the Old Yeavering and the mass conversions in response to the preaching of Paulinus. Then on to Melrose for lunch and the stories of Cuthbert and Boisel. We leave arrive in Glasgow, in time for a tour of the city and a visit to the cathedral and the St. Mungo Museum of Religion. Opened in 1993, St. Mungo's is named after Glasgow's patron saint and was the first museum in the world to be dedicated solely to the study of religion. Attractions include Salvador Dali's world-renowned painting Christ of St John of the Cross.

DAY 10 WED JUL 18 - We breakfast in Glasgow, Scotland’s “Second City,” and then make our way to the airport. Those who are not taking the London tour extension will return home from Glasgow this day with wonderful memories of our experience of the Presbyterian Heritage/Celtic Spirit. Those opting for the extension will fly to London to begin an exciting tour—a guided tour of the famous sites of this great city.

Telephone: 315-797-1163   e-mail: ssjourneys@yahoo.com * Based on written evalutions in which passengers are asked to rate their experience on scale of 1 to 10, the average responses for Sacred Story Journeys have ranged from 9.3 to 9.9.