The Archaeology of MacBeth

Today we will be considering the theme of James, his obsession with witch-hunting, and the turbulent reign of his mother, Mary Queen of Scots. We do this through an exploration of The Royal Mile taking in St Giles Cathedral, the high Kirk of Edinburgh, and the John Knox House. We continue to The Palace of Holyrood House to visit the Royal Apartments where so many dramatic events in Mary’s life took place, including two of her weddings and the assassination of David Rizzio. We end the day with free time to explore Edinburgh at a more individual level.

After a short journey we start at Dunfermline Abbey and Palace, founded by Malcolm’s heir, David I and resting place for many medieval Scottish monarchs. We lunch at Lochleven, with views to the island with monastic connections to Gruoch, the real Lady Macbeth. This is a theme we consider in greater depth visiting the ruins of St Andrew’s Cathedral and St Andrew’s Castle. We move on to Perth to before the next stage of our adventure.

We spend the morning at Scone Palace, the erstwhile capital of the Picts and later the scene of the crowing of Robert the Bruce and Macbeth – as well as the original home of the Stone of Destiny, the heart of Scottish Kingship. In the afternoon we move to Dunkeld, where we explore the partially ruinous Dunkeld Cathedral to discover the history behind King Duncan and Malcolm. We end the day back in Perth to visit the Pictish Symbol Stones at the Museum, and take a city walk through the historic streets.

This morning we visit the Meigle Museum, dedicated to the Early Medieval Picts, stopping en route at the Hill of Dunsinane with its ancient hillfort. It is here that Macbeth is told "Macbeth shall never vanquished be, until Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane hill Shall come against him." We next explore Glamis Castle, before moving into the heart of Macbeth’s ancestral territory, where we see The Peel of Lumphanan, Macbeth’s stone and Morlach Parish Church, a site of ancient and important religious significance in Macbeth’s day. We end the day in Elgin.

Today, we take in areas which were at the heart of life for Macbeth and his mysterious Queen, Gruoch. We visit the important Celtic Christian site of Birnie Kirk, the 12^th century church which was the first cathedral of the Bishop of Moray, and Spynie Palace the home to the Bishops of Moray. We take in the impressive Pictish Sueno Symbol Stone. We return to Elgin to visit the ancient Pictish Burghead Fort, an important site for Macbeth in battling Norse incursions, and the historic ruin of Elgin Cathedral, before a visit to Elgin Museum.

The final full day is spent exploring the legacy of Shakespeare's play, how the Myth of Macbeth has overtaken his historic legacy, and how that shapes Scotland today. We begin at Cawdor Castle before spending the afternoon at Groam House Museum, home to Celtic and Pictish art. Here, we will explore its renowned collection of Pictish carved stones, including the Rosemarkie Stone.

We begin our journey back to Edinburgh via Aberdeen stopping for lunch en route.