Edinburgh Castle

Prof. Richard Little’s Fantastic Landscapes Tour: SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS, SCOTTISH ISLANDS

Fall 2019 -- Sept. 24 – Oct. 12, 2019

This tour will give you the best of Scotland! The scenery is sublime whether in Edinburgh or a Scottish

Isle. This is a “fantastic Landscapes” tour, after all, plus after Edinburgh we will be staying in scenic hotels

right at the shore in this rural, “highland” landscape. The geology stories are magnificent. Scotland is where

many essential basic concepts of geology were recognized, most famously James Hutton’s insight into the

depths of geologic time. We will see the world- famous outcrop at Siccar Point where Hutton proved, without

doubt (in 1788), “There is no vestige of a beginning, no prospect of an end…” You can discover another

geology fact right now… look at the map above. You will easily see a fault line that rivals the San Andreas! It

is the Great Glen fault that splits the Highlands. Glaciers have eroded this long seam into a major valley. Like

California’s great crack, it is a lateral fault (strike- slip), but unlike the San Andreas, it is “old” and not active.

Great – no quakes!

This is a multi-faceted trip. Besides the astounding scenery, we will not neglect great historical and cultural

traditions. There will be time for castles, distilleries, museums and shopping. There are free days plus time each day for you to wander at your

leisure and discover at your own pace. Our daily departures are always after 9:00 and we stay 3 or more nights at each hotel. Most breakfasts are

included, but other meals are on your own. There are no regimented dining experiences, yet tour members can always find companions to share

dinner and conversations.

Angus Miller is our Scotland consultant. He runs “Geowalks -- ‘geology with a human face’". His web site is

www.geowalks.co.uk. Angus invites us to “walk back in time, exploring the long-lost oceans, volcanoes and great

rivers that formed the rocks beneath our feet, millions of years ago. These rocks have been sculpted and eroded to

form Scotland's beautiful and varied landscapes.” Angus was our consultant for our previous Scotland tours. He has

done geologic work with Icelandic volcanoes and California earthquakes. In 2013 Angus received the Royal Scottish

Geographical Society's President's Medal for his volunteer work and we are honored to have him with us for the first

half of this tour.

Limited to 20 participants. Send $100 deposit (refundable) to

hold your space.

Cost (est.) = $4100 + air

Single supplement = c. $1500

Earth View LLC, c/o Richard Little

6 Grandview Ln, Easthampton, MA 01027

(413) 527-8536

50 mi.

Siccar Point, note people for scale, viewed downward from coastal cliff top.

Basalt column steps, Fingals Cave

Photos: Skye view (left), Historic Iona Abbey

ITINERARY (briefly) Day 1. Flight Day (overnight). Day 2. Arrive in Edinburgh. Free time to explore the city.

Day 3 Free Day, but we will meet at 9 am for an easy walk to

interesting landscape spots. Free afternoon. Day 4. Meet at 10

am for a moderate walk up to Salisbury Crags (a sill) and Arthurs

Seat, a volcanic neck, overlooking Edinburgh. Day 5. Siccar Point

and Ediburgh’s eastcoast– A bus trip to visit the world famous

“Hutton’s Unconformity” at Siccar Point, the birthplace of “deep

time”. Afterwards we will stop in the harbor town of Dunbar on

the estuary Firth of Forth, the birthplace of John Muir and visit the

museum in his former home. Day 6. Tour bus day to Ullapool on

a fjord coastline to the Northwest. Edinburgh to Ullapool is about

200 mi, with a stop in Cairngorms National Park for a walk through

glacial mountain scenery. Day 7. Ullapool explorations. Meet at 9

am for a morning walk introducing the varied rocks of the area,

including billion+ year old Torridonian Sandstone. Wow, a billion years old and still sedimentary! Day 8. Visit Knockan

Crag to view the historically famous Moine Thrust Fault and some very interesting rocks and coastal scenery of the

Assynt area, noted for their importance in interpreting the creation of mountains. Overnight in Ullapool. Day 9. Bus

from Ullapool to Isle of Skye. Walk into the gorge of Corrieshalloch, then stop at Poolewe and the Inverewe Gardens

for lunch. Then we continue along this magnificent Highlands coastline to the Isle of Skye. Lodging in Portree. Day 10-

11 Skye explorations including a short boat trip into Loch Coruisk with walking trails across a spectacular glacially

eroded gabbro (black granite) magma chamber. Day 12. Depart for Mull. We will stay 2 nights in Oban, on the

mainland, the gateway to Mull. Day 13. Free time to explore this coastal town. There are two castles, an historic

distillery, and marine life boat excursions, plus shopping destinations, too. Exact

itineraries TBA. Day 14 We take the Oban ferry and then bus across Mull to catch

the small ferry to the Isle of Iona. Shorefront Iona hotel next 3 nights. Day 15-16

Explore Iona and Isle of Staffa, location of Fingal’s Cave. There will be a day walk

to an isolated beach (St. Columba’s ) exploring the rocks

and landscape along the way. The 3.3 billion year old

Lewisian Gneiss is exposed in the beach cliffs, with

lots of scenic beach pebbles. Day 17 Depart Iona

and head back to Oban and on to Glasgow, where

there will be a free day (Day 18) to explore the city. Day 19: flight home….or

continue your adventure.

TOUR COST estimate $4100 per person (dbl. occupancy). Single supplement estimate $1500. This includes: 3-

4-star accommodations (with breakfast most days), bus transport, local geo consultant and your tour leader. Video record of trip. Guidebook. Pre and Post trip meetings. Not included: Gratuities,

airport transfers, air fares, food, admissions to some attractions.

RESERVE YOUR SPACE: Send $100

deposit per person, fully refundable.

Payment schedule: $2000 due Feb. 1st,

2019. Balance due June 1st

2019. Cancellation fees: $100 per person after

Apr. 1st. No Refunds 30 days prior to trip. Trip

insurance is advised.

Your tour leader Geologist – educator Richard Little began “Fantastic landscapes” tours after Mt. St. Helens erupted in 1980. Since then, he and his wife Suzanne (“the flower lady”), have led many tours to famous scenic locations in North America and Europe. With our tours, you will

not just view a landscape, but will see, learn and appreciate the amazing geologic stories within! Plus we always stop to smell the flowers. Join our small, fun group. No experience necessary! Daily activities are diverse. You can always choose what is best for you. Our tour pace is “relaxed” with 3 or 4 nights at each lodge plus daily itineraries do not start before 9 am. Questions? Give me a call or email. Want to see a DVD of a previous tour?

RDLITTLE2000@AOL.COM // www.EarthView.rocks // Earth View LLC, 6 Grandview Ln, Easthampton MA 01027