9:30 - 5:00 or half day tour as arranged upon booking.

By booking the full day tour rather than the half day tour you will benefit from sharing several years of knowledge that Jackie has gained from experts in various fields. Jackie tailor-makes every tour according to the clients' interests. This tour of Midlothian centres on Rosslyn Chapel and other lesser known architectural sites that are nevertheless immensely significant

The full day trails starts in Edinburgh with a private visit to the only remaining Pre - Reformation building in Edinburgh: a well house of Triduana who was a female saint and healer in the late Celtic era. This crypt is well off the beaten track and features a hexagonal vaulting style unique in Scotland. Its architecture was of the same period as Rosslyn. Passing through Holyrood Park, Edinburgh's wildlife sanctuary in the centre of the city, we continue past Craigmillar Castle to the beautiful and truly amazing Rosslyn Chapel in Midlothian. Celtic Trails tours to Rosslyn Chapel are the longest established tours by many years there and have always examined its more spiritual elements without sensationalizing its history!.

Rosslyn Chapel is undoubtedly the best example of medieval carving in stone in Europe. Then we explore other local sites starting with the ancient headquarters of the Knights Templar at Temple where a ruined chapel now stands in a serene setting..

The old chapel in the Cistercian crypt of Newbattle Abbey nearby features a leper's squint, magnificent marquetry flooring and an ancient and enigmatic baptismal font relating to Mary Queen of Scots and her mother Mary of Guise, who features at Rosslyn also. A £4 entry fee has recently been added by the college in residence to cover its costs, while the grounds around it are still free to roam, having a magnificent pair of early sundials and other historical and natural points of interest. 

Further to the south, the peaceful and quite significant site of Borthwick Church by Borthwick Castle is as delightful close up as it is viewed from a distance. Here you can view the quite ornate Borthwick effigies lying in their serene setting. Cup bearers to the Sinclairs of Rosslyn, you can sense their immense loyalty and chivalry in this place of serenity even today. You can also have tea /coffee and shortbread by the giant fire in the baronial hall at the well-preserved fourteenth century Borthwick Castle (by prior arrangement only).

In addition to the historical links these places share, there is much to disclose about sacred geometry in the landscape as detailed in Jackie's latest book. Those with an interest in earth energies or ley lines or astronomy would wish to know this as an option.