"National Tartan Day" Scottish Heritage Tour

National Tartan Day is a North American celebration of Scottish heritage. It's officially on April 6 each year, the exact date on which the Declaration of Arbroath was signed in 1320.

To commemorate this special day we have arranged for a fun and educational day trip for you. Today we travel to the towns of Cayuga and Dunnville, located in Haldimand County about 2 hours from Toronto near the shores of Lake Erie.

Our first venue is a converted church that is now a restaurant. The seats in your booth might be pews from the church! How cool! Then our lunch starts with the haggis being piped in accompanied by a bagpiper. After the ode to the haggis has been performed, it on with a Scottish themed lunch.  The menu is at the bottom of this page. Also included is bagpipe entertainment during the lunch and after lunch a wonderful hour of Scottish poetry, folk songs and music.

Once we are finished being regaled with Scottish stories and music we move on to a local greenhouse venue that will amaze you with it's vastness and the variety of spring flowers. 1.9 million square feet of greenhouses and a 35,000 sq.ft cooler. Good grief! And of course with this tour being in early spring, it's a perfect time to ask all the questions you might have about flowers.
​FYI, some of the well-known Canadians of Scottish descent include Sir John A. Macdonald, Lord Elgin, William Lyon Mackenzie, Lord Beaverbrook, Norman Bethune & Farley Mowat to name just a few. Did you know that in the 2016 Census of Canada, a total of 4,799,005 Canadians, or 14 per cent of the population, listed themselves as being of Scottish origin?!

Tour Date

April 23, 2022

Pickup Locations

8:00 AM Scarborough Town Centre
8:30 AM York Mills Station
9:00 AM Vaughan
9:30 AM Mississauga
10:10 AM Appleby Line

Price

$169 per person
All prices are per person, in Canadian dollars. All taxes and tips are included!
To book over the phone
please call (866) 208-2950

Inclusions

  • Round trip transportation on deluxe bus with a washroom.
  • Scottish themed lunch included.
  • Live bagpipe entertainment during lunch included.
  • Piping in of the haggis followed by 1 hour of Scottish folks songs, poetry & music included.
  • Tour and shopping opportunity at a large greenhouse known for its spring flowers.
  • Escorted tour with ShortTrips.ca tour director available during tour. 
  • All tips & taxes included!

Approximate Return Times

  • Appleby Line 4:40 PM
  • Mississauga 5:20 PM
  • Vaughan 5:50 PM
  • York Mills 6:30 PM
  • Scarborough 7:00 PM

Deposits, Payments, Cancellations & Refunds

  • 100% full refund if you cancel at least 7 days before the trip departure date. 
  • Sorry but no refunds if cancellation is received less then 7 days before trip departure date. 
  • Your can transfer your seat to anyone else you know, up to the time of departure. without penalty. 

Travelling With Children

  • Children 12+ are welcome on this tour. Price is the same as adults.

Tour Highlights

Piping In The Haggis

Everyone stands as the haggis is brought in. It is usually brought in by the cook on a large dish, generally while a bagpiper leads the way to the host's table, where the haggis is laid down. "A Man's A Man for A' That", "Robbie Burns Medley" or "The Star O' Robbie Burns" might be played and then the host recites the Address to a Haggis.

After the piping in of the haggis, you will have an opportunity to enjoy our local entertainer who will perform traditional Scottish folk songs, music & poetry and finish with a rousing group sing-along of Auld Lang Syne. 

Scottish Themed Lunch

We will be having a Scottish themed lunch that will consist of a soup and bread roll to start followed by a Scottish beef pie topped with homemade crust and squishy peas. Vegetarian and gluten-free options will be available.

Dessert will be a traditional Scottish cranachan. Want to know what a cranachan is? Click here for the link to Wikipedia. 

A bagpiper will be providing live bagpipe entertainment during the lunch.