6 September 2026 – 5 days for £1,994 per person
Register for 2027 now at tours@newscientist.com and we will contact you later this year with confirmed tour details.
Delve into the fascinating world of Edinburgh and Glasgow’s most celebrated scientific minds, from the pioneering anatomists, natural philosophers, and inventors to the groundbreaking thinkers who shaped modern chemistry, physics, and engineering. Along the way, uncover the stories behind their discoveries, see the sites where they worked, and gain insight into the intellectual climate that turned Scotland into a hub of scientific innovation and curiosity.
Enjoy expert talks and explore key sites from the Scottish Enlightenment, a period of incredible scientific and intellectual creativity in the 18th and early 19th centuries. During that time, leading practitioners of geology, medicine, maths, physics, astronomy, economics and philosophy exchanged and developed key scientific ideas.
Learn about the Enlightenment's wide cast of protagonists, including such luminaries as James Watt, Lord Kelvin, Mary Somerville, John Napier, James Clerk Maxwell, Charles Bell, James Hutton, Arthur Conan Doyle, Robert Burns and even Charles Darwin, who was exposed to early ideas on the evolution of life while studying in Edinburgh.
The tour features guest speakers including Dr Richard Oosterhoff and Dr Craig Smith, walking seminars, and visits to several museums, as well as excursions to two remarkable feats of engineering — the Falkirk Wheel and Whitelee Windfarm. Throughout, a knowledgeable local guide will accompany you, offering additional insights, context, and stories that bring Scotland’s scientific and industrial heritage vividly to life, helping you connect the sites with the people, ideas, and innovations that shaped them.
This tour is ideal for science enthusiasts, history buffs, and intellectually curious travellers eager to explore the minds, discoveries, and innovations that shaped modern science. It’s perfect for those who enjoy a mix of expert-led talks, immersive walking seminars, museum visits, and hands-on exploration of Scotland’s scientific heritage, from Enlightenment-era laboratories to iconic industrial and engineering landmarks.
In partnership with Kirker Holidays.
Day 1: Arrive in Glasgow and meet the group
After checking in to your Glasgow hotel, you will meet your fellow guests to hear opening comments from the tour leader and then enjoy a lecture from author Dr. Craig Smith, who will cover the commercial, philosophical and political factors that led to the Enlightenment and assess its impact.
Afterwards, you will have dinner together in the hotel.
Day 2: Hunterian Museum, Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum and Whitelee Windfarm
After a leisurely breakfast, you will take a brief city orientation tour before a visit to Glasgow’s Hunterian Museum, the oldest museum in Scotland. What started off as a Victorian gentlemen’s curio collection has expanded to cover nature and life sciences, ethnography from Captain Cook's voyages, Roman artefacts and the anatomical teaching aids accumulated by founder Dr. William Hunter. There are also the scientific instruments used by James Watt, Joseph Lister and Lord Kelvin.
In the afternoon, you will explore the nearby Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. This stunning building has 22 exhibition rooms covering a wide range of themes, including natural history, arms and armour, and art from many movements and periods of history, from ancient Egypt to Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Salvador Dali.
You will then board the coach for a 40-minute journey to Whitelee Windfarm, the UK’s largest onshore windfarm and the second largest in Europe. You will board an electric coach for a tour of the facility with an entertaining talk from the in-house guide. The 215 turbines can generate up to 539 megawatts of electricity on a windy day. Standing under one when it is in full rotation is an awe-inspiring experience.
In the evening, Dr. Richard Oosterhoff from the University of Edinburgh will give a talk on the natural scientists of Scotland from the 17th to 19th centuries, including Robert Sibbald, James Hutton and Charles Lyell. This was a time of significant discovery among the scientists of Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Day 3: Falkirk Wheel and continue to Edinburgh
After checking out of your hotel, you will board a comfortable coach for the 40-minute journey to the Falkirk Wheel. It is a visually stunning and unique rotating boat lift with two gondolas that replaced 11 locks and allows ease of navigation between the Union canal and the Forth and Clyde canal. Despite carrying 600 tonnes of water on each "lift", it uses surprisingly little power as the two gondolas are always in balance. You will experience it first hand as you take to the water and are lifted on a guided tour.
After lunch, you will then travel to Edinburgh for a short orientation tour before checking in to the MacDonald Holyrood Hotel & Spa in Edinburgh for the next two nights. You will then take a short drive to the James Clerk Maxwell Foundation for a talk and private tour. Maxwell discovered that light is made up of electromagnetic waves and his work laid the foundation for fields such as special relativity and quantum mechanics. Albert Einstein said: “I stand on the shoulders of Maxwell.”
Day 4: Surgeons' Hall Museums, Greyfriar's Kirkyard and the National Museum of Scotland
Today, you will gain significant insight into the scientific history of Edinburgh as you visit several sites and museums.
Starting with a brief orientation tour of the city, you will then visit the Surgeons' Hall Museums, which includes The Wohl Pathology Museum, the History of Surgery Museum and The Dental Collection. Home to one of the largest and most historic pathology collections in the UK, it was originally developed as a teaching museum for students. You will see the work of noted surgeons and anatomists, such as Sir Charles Bell and John Barclay, who developed anatomical nomenclature.
A short walk will take you via Greyfriar's Kirkyard, where a number of influential scientists are buried, before reaching the National Museum of Scotland. It houses international collections covering science, technology, natural history, archaeology, world cultures and history. One of its more renowned artifacts is Dolly the sheep, the stuffed body of the first successful clone of a mammal from an adult cell. Half of the museum is housed within a magnificent iron-clad and light-filled auditorium, reminiscent of London’s Crystal Palace and built in 1866.
In the evening, you will enjoy a final dinner together in a private room at the Royal Scots Club, a historic building that has the charm of a country house with a cosy club atmosphere.
Day 5: Depart Edinburgh
After breakfast, the tour has finished. If you travelled by vehicle to Glasgow, we will gladly give you a lift back there or we can arrange for you stay for some extra nights in Edinburgh for you to explore the city.
