Sightseeing for Golfers & Non-Golfers
Scotland is not only the home of golf. It has a colourful and varied history, incredibly beautiful scenery, unique traditions and industries, high quality shopping, museums & art galleries, food experiences and of course the innumerable pubs and hostelries that delight international visitors. The OCE team will assist in making plans to take in some of the very best non-golf activities.
Edinburgh Shopping Trips
No trip away can be complete without buying gifts for the family back home, or treating yourself to something very special that will remind you of your time with us in Scotland. A trip to the capital city to shop in every type of store to the tiny specialist to luxury designer can be fitted in to a day in Edinburgh. Our car and driver will drop you in George Street, The Royal Mile or The Grassmarket. The day can be enhanced with the addition of a Blue Badge Guide to talk you through the history of the Old Town.
Edinburgh City Tours
The Castle is the iconic image of Edinburgh known throughout the world but there is much more to the city than that. Hidden subterranean streets, royal palaces, murder plots and body snatchers. If you visit in August there is the Edinburgh Military Tattoo which we can source tickets for. There is the New Town which was all laid out during The Enlightenment when the great minds of Georgian Scotland civilised the world. Great pubs and restaurants will nourish the body whilst the art galleries, museums and architecture nourish the soul.
Distillery Tours
The whisky industry in this small country of ours contributes one fifth of the wealth. Scotch is one of the unique products that brings a smile of recognition from travellers around the globe. We offer half day tours of a variety of distilleries, depending on your location. Glenturret (The Famous Grouse Experience) is the closest to us and a fine example of the whisky making process. We can customise the tour to suit the basic knowledge all the way up to a Connoisseurs Nosing & Blending tour.
Castles & Palaces
Scotland - a magical place of myths and mysteries, the romantic setting for many novels and stories stretching back into the mists of time, and a location that encourages the imagination. Castle ruins litter the landscape here in Scotland and each one carries its own history. Highest on the list of “must see’s” are Edinburgh Castle& Stirling Castle, both built on volcanic rocks giving views across the low lying surrounding land. Glamis Castle, the turreted home of the late Queen Mother and Scone Palace, the ancient crowning place of Scottish Kings.
Culzean Castle
This 18th century grand Scottish Castle is a fine example of Robert Adam architecture, and a veritable treasure house of art and artefacts. With its turrets and battlements, a cliff top setting overlooking the restless ocean and the beautiful formal gardens and woodland walks, it has everything the casual visitor could wish for.
There is also a well known connection with General Eisenhower, who stayed at Culzean during WWII. Only a 10 minute drive from Turnberry it’s a wonderful way to spend a few hours.
Robert Burns Country
Born in 1759 in a humble cottage, which is preserved as the Burns Museum, his life and accomplishments are chronicled in a setting that brings colour and reality to the themes that run through his work. His fondness of the ladies, his social conscience and his sense of humour that is evident in the many poems and songs. Many of our overseas visitors are surprised by how much of his work they are familiar with. The tour includes a visit to the Museum and a tour of the surrounding countryside stopping at Souter Jonny’s cottage. BurnsCottage by Bryanmesser - Own work. Licensed under CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Shopping Trip
This is a day trip to Scotland’s largest city; Glasgow is a real shop till you drop experience. The enormous Silverburn Mall provides a huge variety of stores, and for those looking for something a little more exclusive then Princes Square in the centre of the city is the place to be. Street entertainers, fantastic coffee shops, pubs and restaurants make this more of a shopping adventure than anything else. We can add in the services of a blue badge guide for those who also want a flavour of Glasgow’s past. (looking down) Buchannan Street, Glasgow by user:kilnburn. Licensed under Attribution via Wikimedia Commons
Museums and Art Galleries
Glasgow also has fascinating and wonderful collections of paintings and objet d’art housed in The Burrell Collection, The Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery, The Riverside Museum, and The Scotland Street School of Art. Just making your way around those venues is a full day tour. Riverside Museum rear view by Bjmullan - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Transfers
- Daily transfers to and from the golf courses.
- All transfers between hotels.
- Airport transfers to and from Edinburgh airport.
Room Upgrades