Day 1 of Scotland and Ireland 2026 started off with a...very calm time. We were in Victoria for about 2.5 hours before boarding our slightly delayed flight. Upon boarding our flight to Vancouver the baggage tetris began. We managed to not get anything checked with the help of the lovely Air Canada agents. One of them determined we had too many layovers to even try checking. 

Vancouver was smooth, everybody grabbed their last bites at places like A&W, subway, and the sushi spot in the International terminal. The lovely Lufthansa agents brought us to weigh our bags. Note for all future travel, Lufthansa has a 8kg max or it gets checked! Luckily we all passed!! Boarding was easier on the large flight and once in the air, we all turned to entertainment systems, phones, and sleep. 9.5 hours to Frankfurt was long but much preferred over stopping in Toronto or Montreal. Some managed a bit of sleep and unfortunately some managed none. 

Frankfurt was a fast one. 1 hour and we had a slightly delayed flight. We kicked it into gear, taking 1 bus from plane to terminal and another bus from terminal to terminal. Chaperone Groups checks were abundant and the travellers did a fantastic job being efficient and focused. We made it as boarding was still underway! Our flight to Dublin contained more bag tetris with some of us storing our main suitcase under the seat and doubling backpacks up with a friend. There was no in flight entertainment on this 1.5 hour flight so many slept, or watched a phone show. 

Finally we arrived at 11:09 on the ground in Dublin and went on to start "Day 2" instantly!! 

Day 2, or day 1? or something in between. We arrived to the airport and met with our wonderful, magical, fantastic Tour Director Patty! With no major rushes to get on the road we took 30 minutes to refresh and grab a snack. 

We then met our Irish bus driver Michael and he brought us safely into the heart of Dublin. The city is bustling with St. Patrick's Day spirit. As we entered the city Patty relayed safety instructions followed by historical and architectural facts about Dublin. We got off the bus in the Docklands area to walk into the city centre.There were fair rides along the river and music blasted. Some students were interested in riding the giant slingshot ride and that was shut down but we love the bravery. When we arrived in the city the parade was in full force. We stood for 20-30 minutes waiting to cross the road into the Temple Bar District. Eventually when we got let across it was a bit chaotic and 3 chaperones and 6 kids had to wait again. Thankfully the parade and music were there to give some fun. Although they largely put covers on the fences so watching through gaps and phones on selfie sticks were the best moves. 

The rest of the group, and eventually us "stragglers", had free time in the Temple Bar district to get lunch, find souvenirs, and generally take in the atmosphere. Every one was hitting a wall of energy by the time we got to this point in our afternoon but still managed to push through and enjoy the experience! 

After our free time we met to walk to our lovely restaurant. The restaurant was back out of the main core and over in the docklands area where we were dropped off. The restaurant was established in 1817! Students were naturally so tired and wiped that some fell asleep at the table while waiting for dinner. The food was scrumptious; for the main most people had beef and Guinness pie with mashed potatoes and carrots. Dessert was a cheesecake slice with mango compote. 

The first day is the hardest for us all, sleep deprived, busy. loud, thirsty, hungry, and maybe even a bit homesick. The students were absolute troopers. They will get some well deserved sleep tonight. 

We all slept! Hurrah! There were some funny roommate stories from music or alarms going off but everybody got the sleep they needed to have. Breakfast was a delight. We get to order hot food from the menu and access to cold foods, baked goods (GF included yay!), and fruit. Our hotel is across from Trim castle and some of these lucky kiddos have a view from their rooms! We might need to do a morning jaunt to go see it tomorrow before we head out. 

At 8:30 we began our bus ride into the city. As we left all the Irish students were walking to school. Patty, our ever giving tour director gave some history on the isle of Ireland, it's struggles with England and the importance of learning language. Michael, our driver, is a native Irish speaker so he can teach us some important phrases over our next 2 days. The drive had us yelling “cows! horses! sheep!” as you do whenever passing animals in a field haha. We also listened to some Hozier, a famous Irish singer. Truly a bard and spectacular story teller of this generation. 

Once back in the lovely Dublin we stopped in the dockyards to begin the day. We walked down to see the “Famine Figures”, a dedication to those who left Ireland due to the potato blight that was starving millions of Irish natives during English colonial rule in the 1800s. 

At 10 we headed into the EPIC museum. EPIC stands for “Every Person Is Connected”. The museum is a fully interactive experience that brought us through 20 rooms talking about the Irish influence around the world. It was so fun and the students had an EPIC time exploring from walking on “water”, to dancing jigs, to being bar keeps, to learning about notorious Irish outlaws. While we went they got to stand their “passport” in each room marking they had done it. Which now also serves as a souvenir to take home. After there was of course some time in the gift shop to load up if anyone wanted. Michael met us outside around 11:30 AM and we were off to Grafton Street…to meet a Galway girl (Ed Sheeran anybody?). 

At Grafton we led the students onto Trinity College campus to inspire them. I heard some family members of students attended there! Wow! We wandered through then led them back out for lunch and some free time shopping on Grafton. When we met up again it was time for our first local guided tour of the trip. 

Our tour guide Shane was a lovely and knowledgeable man. We started on the bus driving past Georgian houses including Oscar Wilde's childhood home. The bus took us through an area that used to be slums after the rich left Dublin and the poor country folk moved in in the 19th century. We also got to go past the oldest pub in Ireland, founded in 1198!! Then of course a drive by Guinness's famous original brewery. Still running today, it is one of the largest breweries in the world. We even saw a semi-truck leave with a tankard full of the beer. Its clear the Guinness family is very well respected. In the past it was the best place to work because it offered good pay, pensions, widows pensions, and two Guinness pints a day.

Phoenix park was the next stop, we got out at the giant cross built in 1978 when the Pope did mass in the park for 1.2 million people. The kids ran to see some of the park deer sitting in the field and spent time rolling down the grassy knoll. I was hoping to see one of the wild foxes, but alas they are nocturnal. After we left the park we learnt about a notorious bank robber called “The Monk” that was acquitted of his crimes. He is now running for office for the second time after narrowly losing in the last election. 

Our bus brought us to St.Patrick's Cathedral. Shane brought us inside, giving us the history of the building. It was restored by the Guinness family for over 100 million (in today's currency) in the 19th century after being wrecked by the river it is built on. In the cathedral the kids had a great time with the interactive elements they had like building the cathedral with blocks and charcoal rubbing on brass figures to get a print. 

Post the cathedral it was back through the city to O'Connell street for a bit more free time before dinner. Students and chaperones enjoyed wandering by the river, taking in some city art, shopping, and general exploring before meeting back for dinner! We had dinner at Murray’s pub on O’Connell street. It was a wonderful chicken stew and brownie. Then back on the bus with Michael to go back to our hotel. Everybody is repacking tonight to continue the adventure tomorrow!

Wakey, wakey, eggs and bakey! - Patty and my mum love to say this phrase. 

A handful of our lovely travellers and myself met in the lobby of the hotel at 6:30 AM to go to Trim Castle across from the hotel. We explored outside of the wall and wandered by the river. The castle doesn't properly open until 10 AM so we couldn't go in which was too bad but we walked back through one of the main roads of Trim to create a small loop. It's always special to do extra things like that where we can. Not everyday do you get to wake up and walk castle grounds in the morning fog. 

7 AM was breakfast for us all because we were meeting to leave at 7:50. Everybody did a great job of being up and fully packed already! Then we were off to Belfast! Our drive took us through Slane and past the Slane castle where U2, Harry Styles, Bruce Springsteen and more have performed. Then we crossed into Northern Ireland. No border or checks on the highway in Ireland so it barely feels like a difference. 

We had a quick rest stop at a gas station before our tour with Joe in Belfast.  He was a lovely man born in 1966 that grew up during the Troubles of Ireland. We picked up Joe and he started our tour and discussion of “The Troubles”. Coming after 800 years of conflict on the island they came to a head in the 70s and 80s. We briefly learnt that Northern Ireland was specifically chosen to create a Protestant majority, taking 6/9 Ulster counties. Until 1969 unless you owned a home you could not vote. Specifically the Catholics were prevented from owning homes in many ways, therefore not able to vote. Peaceful protests began in 1969 and then eventually it became less peaceful and the IRA formed as a response. The first death is recorded only in the stories and memory of the locals and not written anywhere including google. He was a catholic man in a white t-shirt said to be a sniper aiming at a protestant militant, the protestant man shot him in the back. In the next 30 years 4000 people died. Many civilians. As our guide said, on either side of conflict the tears and blood run the same. 

During the tour we went to a redemptionist Monastery, a beautiful and quiet experience. We also travelled through the gates separating protestant and catholic communities. These 5 gates still close each night, some at 6, some at 8 and the last at 11. They and the peace wall are a remnant of the times. Our guides said in the end it is in the mental walls that have to break before the physical ones. With that said only 8% of students go to a mixed school of protestant and catholic, the rest still attend separated schools. We all got a chance to sign the peace wall before we finished, a towering 3 layer wall of stone and metal. Joe said that the kids can remember that one day when that wall comes down, they know they are a part of history having signed it earlier in life. 

After the sobering but informative tour we went into the central city. Students had free time; some went to cafes, some ate lunch, and some went shopping. In the end many sat on the City Hall grounds enjoying the sun. 

Post free time it was back on the bus to get to the Titanic Museum. What an experience! Another super interactive museum with buttons, Morse code, fun facts and even a ride??? If you've ever been to Disneyland it was similar to the Peter Pan ride. After that awesome experience, we had a bit of free time at the dock yard and the kids played catch and went to the café. 

Belfast dinner came next, we went to John Long's a 100 year-old chippy (fish and chips). Everyone at least tried the food they had, for some it is a bit of a heavy meal. However, ice cream bars for dessert were a hit. Finally we left Belfast after our brief stint and drove out to our hotel.

For a special treat, we had some amazing Irish gentlemen come to the hotel and they sang jigs, reels, and folk songs. Students participated by singing, clapping, and drumming. One VERY brave student got up and sang in front of the whole group, acapella on his own!!!! Another got a refresher on the traditional Irish drum and 3 more played percussion during some of our songs. SO proud of that bravery. This is the kind of evening that sticks in their heads for a lifetime.

It's an early night, students are tired and the hard parts of a trip like this are hitting for some. I know they will all get through it and discover themselves along the way. Lots of support and love headed their way from us and home! Off to Scotland tomorrow for new adventures!!

Bright and early morning. 4:50 in the hotel lobby to grab breakfast bags to go and then 5 AM the bus headed out of Maghera (Ma-Hera) to the ferry in Duncairn near Belfast. The ferry to Cairnryan in Scotland was wild. It had small cinema rooms, a hygge lounge, a premium lounge you could pay for or go in if you were a member, and the cutest restaurant and café. BC Ferries needs to take notes. Some of the students just rested, some watched Fantastic 4, some explored. 

Two hours later we arrived in Scotland and met our bus driver for Scotland; Jane, she has wonderfully bright pink hair and matching glasses.. As we drove we saw the beautiful Scottish coastal line, cormorants, highland cows, sheep with their lambs, and Ailsa Craig. Ailsa Craig is where they get the stone for the curling rocks around the world, it is also a bird sanctuary. The drive was quiet and some caught up on their sleep as we went. 

Our midway stop today was Glasgow! A wonderful stop not originally in our day plans. We started at the Kelvingrove museum and art gallery. It is a free and BEAUTIFUL museum in Glasgow, right next to one of the Universities. We started by listening to the 1 PM organ music that is played in the museum's atrium. They played a Harry Potter suite, Phantom of the Opera, some popular hymns, and a few other songs I didn’t recognize. It was beautiful. After listening for a while the travellers had time to grab lunch, many opting for pizza or pasta, others going to the museum cafe. When we finished lunch we gathered for a picture scavenger hunt in the museum. Patty created it for them and we tasked them to go around taking pictures when they found the response to the questions. Mrs. Ryan’s group won…. ;) Well done!

After the museum Jane drove us into and through downtown Glasgow, dropping us off near the medieval cathedral and necropolis. While walking to the necropolis some of us saw a blue Police Box and started discussing our love of Doctor Who and Scottish actor David Tennant. Lo and behold a woman next to us on the sidewalk leaned over and said she went to school with him and said he and his father were lovely lovely people ha! The group trudged up the hill of the necropolis, reading graves, admiring the beautiful stone work and taking pictures of the view. 

When we got back to the bus it was off to Stirling! Upon arrival in Sterling we had dinner at the quaintest Pub and Inn. Dinner was sausage and mashed potatoes with gravy and veg, followed by strawberry shortcake. 

After dinner it was a short 10 minute bus ride across Stirling to get to the hotel. Along the way we passed more sheep, saw Stirling Castle, and took in the loveliness of the town. Post-dropping bags in the rooms most of us went for a walk along the river, the neighbourhood, and through some fields. It was a lovely 30 minute loop and definitely needed because despite being an early morning there was a lot of energy to burn off after so much ferry and bus travel.

This morning was a nice sleep-in. Breakfast was at 7:45 so we all caught up on the sleep we needed. 

Our bus driver brought us into Edinburgh, and because we had some spare time, we stopped at the Forth Bridges. There are 3 Bridges that go over the Firth of Forth to Fife. What a mouthful!!

After that stop, it was into the city to get our lovely tour guide, Iris. She was a German immigrant who had lived in Edinburgh for 18 years. She toured us on the bus and one foot through the new town and the old. Our travellers got to learn about Charlotte and Dundas Square in the fancy “new town” that is only around 200 years old. Then we transferred to the old town and started at Holyrood Palace. The royal residence in Edinburgh, which was lived in by the famous Mary Queen of Scots. It is where the current royal family resides when they come to Edinburgh. Here students got to see Mary's bath house (she bathed a whopping once a week, which was unheard of for royals at the time), the tower her secretary was murdered in, and get some souvenirs or hot drinks. 

Back on the bus, we went past Arthur's Seat, a long-dormant volcano that now serves as a hiking hill, the Scottish Parliament, and the Royal Mile. The Royal Mile connects Holyrood and Edinburgh Castle and is 1.1 miles (a Scot's mile) long. Here we got off the bus, walked down Victoria Street, the inspiration for Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter series, and then up to Edinburgh Castle. Iris brought us into the castle and spoke to its history before leaving us to explore for an hour or so. 

In the castle, students could get lunch, explore the chapel and royal apartments, and take scenic photos. Many of us watched the 1 PM go off at, you guessed it, 1 PM before heading out and back to the Royal Mile. Then, more proper free time for lunch was had before meeting for Mary King's Close. 

The Mary King's Close tour brought us underground and into the past. We went under the Royal Market into a series of “Closes” which are very narrow streets running through Edinburgh off the Royal Mile. These streets are where the city was up until the 1600s, when they built the indoor market on top by levelling the top 4 stories of the buildings. Our guide was playing the part of Mary King's daughter and told us about the world she “lived” in. Something very interesting was talking about the plague and going into quarantine. Last time I did this tour in 2018, I had no concept of such a quarantine. Fast forward to 2026, and all sorts of connections exist for the kids and the adults. We enjoyed learning about how people used to live in these 8-12 story buildings, packed in with the poor on the bottom and the top and the wealthy in the middle apartments. Even if it came with learning about the “muck”…both animal and human that used to be thrown into the streets with a yell of “GARDY LOO”. There's no wonder disease was so prevalent. 

After this tour, we had more free time to wander the Royal Mile and get some ever-important souvenirs before we met for dinner. Three of our lovely students became tour trainees and were tasked with using Google Maps to navigate us to dinner. They did a great job! Dinner was meat pies with fries and peas, followed by a brownie and ice cream.

Finally, to end the night, we walked back to the Royal Mile for our Spectres of Scotland ghost tour. Bringing us through the old streets of Edinburgh and into Greyfriars Kirkyard (church yard/grave yard), our tour guides brought the drama and told haunted tales mixed with history, meant to intrigue and spook us. I loved seeing students get into the acting moments that were called upon them, and the way they got into the stories. 

Our big day came to an end, and we returned to the hotel for some well-earned rest. 

After another great breakfast full of pain au chocolates, bacon, eggs and more, we drove off to the Trossachs. There we kicked off the day with a bike ride at Loch Katrine. Think fresh air, stunning lake views, and classic Highland scenery in every direction. The group did an awesome job on the ride, lots of laughs, a few tired legs, but overall such a great way to start the day.

On the way back, we had a VERY special stop with Highland cows. And not just from a distance, we got up close and even fed them carrots and turnip. We were told this was extra lucky since they do not usually come out until after Easter, so this felt like a bit of Scotland magic. Safe to say, this was a top highlight for many.

Next stop was Stirling for lunch. Students explored the town, checked out some cute little cafés, and grabbed food, with a good mix of trying new things and sticking to the classics. It was a nice chance to slow down a bit and enjoy the atmosphere.

Shoutout to our amazing driver Jane who got us everywhere smoothly today, especially up to Stirling Castle. The castle visit was incredible, with lots to explore and some amazing views. The group stayed engaged and curious, which made the experience even better.

Dinner was at The Birds and the Bees, and it definitely hit the spot after a full day. It was decorated beautifully and had a cozy cabin atmosphere. At the restaurant we ate mince, potatoes and peas. Topped off with a awesome crumble for desert. Good food, good vibes, and a well earned sit down.

Finally, to finish off the day, we headed to the Wallace Monument to learn more about William Wallace. There is a bit of a tradition to try to run up to the monument as fast as you can, so of course the students took that challenge on. They ran hard all the way up and were definitely feeling it by the time they reached the top. A pretty epic way to wrap things up and take in a bit more of Scotland’s history.

Another busy, fun filled day in the books. Spirits are high, the group is doing amazing, and we are excited for what is next.

Today was a much more relaxed day as we headed into the Highlands. The scenery was our most notable sight. 

We started with breakfast at the hotel. Then boarded Jane’s beautiful coach and headed into the Scottish Highlands. The landscape here is immeasurably beautiful, even when spring hasn’t fully sprung. As we headed north the mountains got higher, the peaks more jagged, the Scottish Broom and Heather took over the hillsides overtaken with occasional waterfalls and dotted with rocks. It is truly gorgeous. The loch’s cut into the mountains, made by glaciers; they are deep and wide and today covered with “white horses” (white caps). On the way to Inverness Miss Furtado had us play the game she prepared. We had all handed in fun facts about ourselves, including Patty and she made them anonymous so we had to guess who belonged to what fact. The winning team had 15! It was much harder than anticipated, they had great facts.

Our lunch stop was outside of Inverness, we grabbed food and some even had time for a peak into New Look and Next for clothes. Then we got back on the bus and drove about 30 minutes along the river Ness to Loch Ness itself. We all know the stories of Loch Ness, a deep glacial lake hidden up in the Highlands of Scotland with its shy lake monster Nessie. We boarded a cruise in the very crisp and high wind air. Many of us still braved the upper deck, walking carefully and holding on tight to phones or personal items. There were historical facts playing as a bit of a guide along the cruise as well as QR codes to scan and read some information. Some students even swear they spotted Nessie! With the big winds it was a bit of a bumpy ride, but no loch sickness occurred, just lots of laughs and wonder as we drove along the most notorious lake in Britain. 

Our cruise dropped us off at Urquhart Castle. Once a major standing point for the Highland Clans fighting the English, as well as a gate way to important farm land, the castle stands as just ruins. Lucky for us there is still a guard tower that stands tall and strong from the medieval age. Students spent time wandering the grounds, reading about the history, and enjoying themselves in the "dreich" (dree-chk) weather.

After the castle it was the long haul drive of a few hours to our hotel along the coast. We drove past lochs, over rivers, wound through mountains, and took in the beauty of the highlands. Jane, our amazing bus driver, had a playlist that had everything Scottish from traditional “folk” songs to the Proclaimers to the Red Hot Chili Pipers and all that may come in between. We even had a student request for the song “Touch the Sky” from Brave to connect their journey to music they associate with Scotland. 

After the drive we just got ourselves set up at the hotel, had dinner then had an early room check to catch some zz’s! Our final day is tomorrow, which 8 days ago felt so far away, yet here we are.

The final day! We started in Oban, where we had a buffet breakfast…complete with black pudding that a few of us tried! Then we got on the road with Jane, the best bus driver in Scotland. 

The journey to Edinburgh from Oban was a gorgeous one. Once again, the winding roads brought us through glens, by waterfalls, rugged mountains, and gorgeous lochs. On the way we listened to “Misty Mountains” from the Hobbit and “Test Drive” from How to Train Your Dragon because the environment evoked both songs so perfectly. More rain hit us along the way but we just did the long haul 3 hour drive with no stops. 

Upon arriving in Edinburgh, Jane drove us up and around Arthur’s Seat! The buses are only allowed up on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday so that was fantastic! The kids took in the stunning view, took some pictures, and ate Tunnack bars (caramel, wafer, and chocolate) , a Scottish classic. After that she dropped us off at the National Museum of Scotland. We had an hour and a half for our lunch break, everyone breaking off into smaller groups to shop and get food like Nando’s or cafe bites. 

Then we met back up for Patty’s epic Escape Room in the National Museum. The kids were tasked with solving puzzles and taking selfies with the work. The museum houses a whole section on Scottish hsitory through the ages; spanning from Early humans to the Picts, to Vikings, to Jacobites and the modern world. It also has an entire Science and Technology section with dinosaur bones, Dolly the cloned sheep, fashion, interactive exhibits, and more. Truly you could spend many days there looking at all there is to enjoy. Only 2 groups managed to complete the task at hand in their hour allotted. Congrats to Miss Furtado’s group for the win, and Miss Lochhead’s group for fastest time and 2nd place! The others ran out of gas to complete the task and ended up wandering the museum and taking pictures. 

Post museum it was time for our last hour and a half in Edinburgh. We split up one last time to get final souvenirs, enjoy the beautiful Scottish capital and generally say goodbye. Then we left back out to our hotel, waving farewell to the cobblestone streets. 

At dinner we gave out the winning prizes for the Escape Room, and the kids got to try some authentic Scottish fudge along with their regular dessert. Finally a trip to Asda across the road for some plane snacks. Bed checks were nice and early tonight because we have a wildly early call time for our bus tomorrow. Everybody is repacked, sleeping, and ready to go for the journey home tomorrow. It’s truly crazy our time in Ireland and the UK is done. We’ve said goodbye to Jane, we say goodbye to Patty tomorrow, and for that we are sad. Some said they feel they’ve gotten into the swing of things in full now and could go another full trip! I love how ready for adventure these kids are!

2:55 AM we were outside of our hotel and boarding our bus. We had our bagged breakfasts and eyes barely open. We took the transport to the airport where we said goodbye to our fantastic Tour Director Patty. Students made it through security well. We had some bags checked and some random checks but got through it efficiently. 

The flights and change in Frankfurt were calm and neutral. Many fell asleep on the first one from Edinburgh, some even before we took off. More sleep happened on the long haul for most. Some struggled as we do. 

Vancouver customs went well. However we discovered many didn't know their own addresses or postal codes when filling out their written declarations. Maybe something they need to practice…

In Vancouver we were delayed by around 2 hours turning our 4 hour layover into 6. Students got food, drinks, walked, and chatted to fill the time.  

Finally after 24 hours, we got on the plane and made the final jump home. Seeing all your lovely faces at arrivals was so special. We appreciate everything you have done to help your child make this trip a reality. We thank you for trusting us with your children in new and foreign places, it isn't easy. I hope they all get their well deserved rest and family time!

*There are some pictures from our time in Mary King's Close in today's photo album.