Reflecting on wonders of Scotland

The first time I visited Scotland I won £100 on a bet. It was in a bar in Edinburgh and the bet was to drink a bottle of Angostura bitters (don't try this at home). I was paid in Scottish fivers which came in very useful as I was just about to start college.

Decades later I am back in Edinburgh not to revisit that bar but to begin a tour of the Scottish Borders. I am travelling as a guest of The Coach Tourism Council and Visit Scotland, and our journey begins at Edinburgh Station where we board the new £300 million Borders Railway train service from Edinburgh through Midlothian to Tweedbank, which the Queen had opened a few weeks before on the day she became Britain's longest reigning monarch.

The original 98-mile line was closed in 1969 following the Beeching Report and its reopening will enable tourists to easily explore the lesser known, southern areas of Scotland.

At Tweedbank we boarded a City Circle luxury coach, our transport for the four-day trip. Driver Stuart talked us through the route as we enjoyed the autumn scenery on our way to Bowhill House, home to one of the world's greatest private art collections. Our guide showed us works of Canaletto, Gainsborough and Reynolds along with huge tapestries, ancient French furniture and antique porcelain.

Our accommodation first night was the beautiful Peebles Hydro Hotel overlooking Tweed Valley. The hotel is undergoing a massive refurbishment and many of the rooms have already been restored. There's a spa and gym, a large restaurant with beautiful herringbone hardwood dancefloor and the restored lounge has a Gin Palace Bar with more than 35 different types to try.

Next morning we boarded the coach to visit the Royal Botanic Gardens at Dawyck, home to one of Scotland's finest tree collections including some of Britain's oldest and tallest trees. The 65-acre garden enjoys a continental climate and we enjoyed the autumn colours as we followed the trail of famous plant explorers such as David Douglas, namesake of the Douglas Fir.

After lunch and shopping at Edinburgh Woollen Mill at Langholm we headed to Cumnock to tour the historic gem Dumfries House. This house was dramatically rescued by HRH the Prince of Wales in 2007 who, under his title as the Great Steward of Scotland, headed a consortium of charities to purchase and save the house, contents and land for £45 million. The house has 50 original pieces of furniture of Thomas Chippendale and you can view the famous Chippendale bookcase, the most valuable piece of furniture in the world (at an estimated £12 million).

The prince regularly visits the house, and the work of the Prince's Trust Scotland at Dumfries House to help young people was recently documented on TV by Ant and Dec in their interviews with the prince.

We then travelled onto the Ayrshire coast to Gailes Hotel, Irvine our resting place for the next two nights.

On Saturday morning the CalMac ferry took us to the Isle of Arran, described as Scotland in miniature. Look out here for golden eagles (there are six pairs on the island), red squirrels, basking sharks and seals. We toured Brodick Castle and Gardens before crossing the island on the 'string' road to Blackwaterfoot. It was then on to tour the Isle of Arran Distillery at Lochranza and taste a wee dram of malt. I had waited three days for this and wasn't disappointed. Arran's first legal distillery for more than 150 years, it produces world-class single malt made from Scottish barley and the pure water of Arran.

The final day we headed east to visit World Heritage Site New Lanark Mill. This 1785 cotton mill was the birth of social reform for workers as it was where Montgomeryshire-born social pioneer Robert Owen set up a school for pauper children who would otherwise have been sent to work. The mill was closed in 1968 but has now been restored with hotel and working museum. Don't miss it.

Soon I was back on the train home reflecting on the wonders of the Scottish Borders and looking forward to that little taste of Arran I brought home with me.

Travel facts

Heather travelled as a guest of Visit Scotland (www.visitscotland.com) and the Coach Tourism Council (www.findacoacholiday.com)

Local operators offering tours to Scotland include:

Johnsons Quality Coaches – 01564 797000, www.johnsonscoaches.co.uk – has a seven-day holiday starting in Irvine and featuring visits to the islands of Arran, Mull, Iona and Islay. From £819pp for six nights half-board and including home pick-ups.

Harry Shaw – 024 7645 5544, www.harryshaw.co.uk – has a range of west coast tours starting from just £199.95 for four nights DBB and featuring Cumbrae Island and the Isle of Bute.

Owens of Oswestry – 01691 652126, www.travelmasterholidays.com – has a variety of Scottish tours including a five-day trip to Dunoon and the Ayrshire coast. Departing in August, from £379.