Plot Twist: a writing workshop and carefully curated creative adventure across Scotland and Yorkshire, September 7-13, 2026
Write the mystery, thriller, or suspense novel you never knew you were going to start, while we gallivant for a week across Scotland and Yorkshire being mentored by a Random House and Sunday Times bestselling crime writer. We’ll stay in an opulent gothic castle, a chic boutique hotel, and a Baronial-style lochside lodge inside a Scottish national park. We’ll ride first class on a train route included in The World’s Most Scenic Railway Journeys, and we’ll also be inspired by dark history, dungeons, castles, moats, idyllic landscapes, and a decadence of food.
No matter your writing genre, you’re invited to join us and start work on a terrifying thriller, or cozy mystery, or page-turning suspense novel—pick your poison. Whether you’re a published author or hoping to be published, this is a chance to be daring, and spontaneous, and try new methods of working in alluring settings while having far too much fun.
*Small group of 14 participants (we are currently sold out, but if you’d like to be on the waiting list should there be a cancellation, please email writers-expeditions@mail.com. We will soon be posting the information for a second Scotland expedition for the following week of September, 2026)
Plot Twist is hosted by Writers’ Expeditions and Exploring York
“Gallivant: go around from one place to another in the pursuit of pleasure or entertainment.” Oxford Languages
(Scroll down for prices, inclusions, itinerary, hosts’ bios, contacts, and photos)
(Photo of Edinburgh, Scotland, by Peter Swan)
David Mark, your mentor, is back to lead this workshop again: Before writing twenty-seven acclaimed books, including the internationally bestselling Detective Sergeant Aector McAvoy series, David spent more than fifteen years as a journalist—and for seven of those years he was a crime reporter with The Yorkshire Post. This man knows murder, and you can tell when you read his books, which aren’t just page-turners but are superbly crafted works of literature that engage all your senses.
David is a sought-after author, performer and public speaker at literary festivals, but the fourteen of you have him all to yourselves for an entire week.
(Photo of bestselling novelist David Mark taken by Plot Twist participant Megan Allyn Dulin)
Val McDermid (Scottish crime novelist) describes David’s writing as having “more twists and turns than a corkscrew through the eyeball.” The Financial Times declares, “Aficionados of the grittiest, most trenchant fare love Mark’s copper Aector McAvoy.” Daily Mail’s Geoffrey Wansell says that David Mark’s work is “Dark, compelling crime writing of the highest order.”
(More about David and a link to his books at Penguin Random House can be found after the itinerary with the hosts’ bios and prices)
Itinerary
Monday, September 7th
York, England—founded by Romans and loved by Vikings
(Clifford’s Tower, Medieval-Norman castle keep, York, England)
From Inspiration to Publication: We’ll meet Monday morning at our boutique hotel (Victorian Yorkshire meets Parisian chic) for a warm-up writing romp in the lounge or garden (weather depending) followed by “From Inspiration to Publication,” a conversation with David Mark. It’s time to start thinking about what kind of thriller or mystery you want to write, and David will discuss them all with you.
(The Shambles, York, photo by Kirsten Koza, author, adventurer, humorist, & Writers’ Expeditions host)
Free time for a leisurely lunch and to write – and also to decide if you’ll be writing a character-driven or plot-driven mystery/thriller.
(Yorkshire Fat Rascals, photo by your guide, Matthew Greenwood, owner of Exploring York)
(Yorkshire Rarebit at Bettys [no apostrophe], photo by Kirsten Koza, Writers’ Expeditions)
In the late afternoon we will take to the cobbled streets inside the medieval walls of York for a true-crime walking tour before heading to the dank depths of the infamous York Dungeons, where dark history and notorious villains come to life.
(Plot Twist participant & Canadian playwright Chloë Whitehorn – photo by Kirsten Koza)
This evening we dine together at a reputedly haunted 17th century house that used to be owned by the ropemaker who made the hangman’s noose for York Prison, but it’s now a restaurant serving a relaxed French-inspired menu featuring Yorkshire produce. The Chopping Block also happily caters to dietary requirements, and they are opening just for us on a Monday, for our private dinner party, and they will be closed to the public.
(Kirsten’s garlic mushroom appetizer and housemade bread at the Chopping Block)
(Included: true crime walking tour, three-course dinner at the Chopping Block, York Dungeons tickets, overnight for two nights at Clementine’s boutique hotel)
Tuesday, September 8th
(photo courtesy of Markenfield Hall for Writers’ Expeditions)
Pack your laptop or pen and notepads in your day bag, because we’ve been invited to hold our two-hour morning writing session on the fringes of the Yorkshire Dales inside a medieval, moated, manor house, one of very few still in existence. Markenfield Hall might also be the oldest continually inhabited home in England, and they are excited to have us visit their home. The earliest part of the house was built circa 1230. While its history is bloody, the setting is serene, making the moated manor perfect for our writing workshop.
Our private bus will take us to Ripon where you have free time to lunch in the historic market square which is surrounded by a choice of English bakeries, pubs, tearooms, cafes, delis, and pie shops, plus non-food shops such as wool, and books. Then we’ll delve into the notorious Victorian workhouse (new to Plot Twist this year) and also visit the Police Museum which is housed in an old jail where unfathomable punishments were doled out, but also they exhibit the early breakthroughs in solving crime, some still relied upon to this day
We’ll return to York in the late afternoon, and then it is free time for writing. Our guide is a foodie and will give you restaurant recommendations.
(Included: full breakfast from menu at Clementine’s, our private mini-bus, museum tickets for both the Workhouse Museum and also the Police Museum, Markenfield Hall and tea and cake during our workshop there)
(Breakfast at Clementine’s – all our hotels have a lovely selection on the menus – photo by Kirsten Koza)
Wednesday, September 9th
From North Yorkshire to Scotland – first class! Plus two nights at Melville Castle!
(2025’s dark imaginations are incognito at York Railway Station – however, don’t be deceived by these sweet smiles, the surgeon in the group spent the entire train journey talking to me about how to kill someone in the toilet – photo by me, Kirsten Koza)
After breakfast at Clementine’s, you and your luggage will be shuttled by cabs to catch the 10:00 AM train from York to Edinburgh.
(Royal Border Bridge, which you’ll be crossing on a train just like this one – photo by Peter Swan)
The train ride is seacoast-sublime, but as you enjoy the view, you’ll also be plotting murder. We’ll arrive two and a half hours later at Edinburgh’s Waverley Station, the only train station in the world named after a work of literature. Sir Walter Scott’s Waverley novels include the books Rob Roy and Ivanhoe. In fact, Edinburgh is the world’s first UNESCO City of Literature. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (author of Sherlock Holmes books) was even born here.
Did you know that Edinburgh Castle is built upon an extinct volcano?
(Photo by Kenny Lam, Visit Scotland)
We’ll be met by our private vehicle, which will take our luggage for us, so we can wander to lunch at the corner of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh’s Old Town, at the Whiski Rooms.
New to 2026: After lunch (for some dark inspiration) we’ll visit the Surgeon’s Museum and go on the Blood & Guts walking tour through Edinburgh’s Old Town and hear stories about chloroform tea parties and serial killers.
(Edinburgh, Old Town, photo by your guide, Matthew Greenwood)
Then we’ll be driven to our castle abode where we spend two nights in luxury.
Write in opulence at Melville Castle: walk the grounds, perhaps seek out the infamous Mary Queen of Scots oak trees, or explore the regal rooms with quirky antiquities, including suits of armor, animal skeletons, and stately art–enjoy fine dining at your pleasure in the hotel’s cellar restaurant, or perhaps tea in the Peacock room, or a wee dram and elaborate cocktails in the library bar, or in the privacy of your room. Tomorrow you will have a full day for writing at the castle and one-on-one sessions to talk with David about your books and ideas.
One of the rooms we have booked is haunted. Let us know if you do not want this room. We have booked over half the rooms at the castle. If none of you want to entertain a ghost, then either David, Kirsten, or Matthew will have to have that room.
(included: full breakfast from the wonderful Clementine’s menu, cabs to York Station, first class train tickets, Surgeon’s Hall Museum, private Blood & Guts walking tour of Edinburgh led by Surgeon’s Hall, and of course the accommodation for the next two nights at Melville Castle Hotel, let us know if you don’t want the haunted room–or if you do–ghost isn’t guaranteed)
Thursday, September 10th
Full day of writing at Melville Castle–masquerade dinner party tonight!
Today you will have the opportunity for a full day of writing and to confer with David in private sessions. This evening we will have a masquerade party and three course dinner in our private dining room, followed by readings. Bring your own masquerade mask.
(Included: breakfast, three course dinner)
Friday, September 11th
To Loch Long & Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park we go!
(Loch Lomond, photo by Niall Hardie)
After breakfast and checkout, we’ll drive to the ruins of Linlithgow Castle where Mary Queen of Scots was born.
(glimpse of fountain that once ran with wine at Linlithgow Castle – photo by Kirsten Koza, Writers’ Expeditions)
We will also stop at Rosslyn Chapel, not just because it is a sensational structure, but because it is the ideal setting (you probably know why) to discuss the success of Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code, which has sold over 81 million copies.
(Photo of Rosslyn Chapel by Kirsten Koza, Plot Twist, Writers’ Expeditions)
We’ll pause for lunch along the route of our scenic drive, which will take us through Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park to Knockderry Country House Hotel, our exquisite lochside lodge, where you can hear Loch Long lapping from the front door. This loch also contains secrets (ones of global impact), which we’ll reveal to you when you’re there, or maybe you’ll witness this oddity-to-behold yourselves. We have booked the entire lodge for our mystery and thriller writing for the next two days and nights.
Dine at your leisure at the hotel, and perhaps sample some of their fine collection of whiskeys.
(Knockderry Country House Hotel has an award winning restaurant – photo by Kirsten Koza)
(Included: breakfast, entrance to Linlithgow Castle, entrance to Rosslyn Chapel, private minibus, overnight at Knockderry Country House Hotel – we’ve booked the entire inn for two nights)
(The dramatic landscape you’ll be driving through in The Trossachs today)
Saturday, September 12th
You will have all day to work on your new mystery or thriller at Knockderry Country House Hotel. You’ll be encouraged on this day to write as much as is inhumanly possible – to channel your creative demon – and write as many pages (of what is affectionately dubbed the vomit draft) as you can. All along on our writing adventure, you will have been given exercises and tips and techniques to lead up to doing just this.
(Knockderry Country House Hotel photographed by your guide, Matthew Greenwood)
Tonight we’ll have a decadent three-course meal together in our hotel’s dining room (yet another award winning restaurant) followed by readings.
(below image: Loch Long in front of Knockderry Country House Hotel – photo by Kirsten Koza)
(Included: Breakfast, dinner, and overnight at Knockderry Country House Hotel)
Sunday, September 13th
(Loch Lomond, from Luss, misty morning, photo by Kenny Lam, Visit Scotland)
Following breakfast and checkout, we’ll tootle around Loch Lomond in our minibus, stopping at the best vantage points until we arrive at our boat, where we’ll board and cruise to the breathtaking fjord-end of the lake.
We’ll reboard our bus, and will stop at the picture postcard village of Luss on Loch Lomond, where you can buy quality Scottish-made items, or just wander and admire the view from the dock. We’ll lunch at a traditional inn before driving back to Edinburgh, where we’ll drop each of you off at either the airport, airport hotels, or back downtown Edinburgh, or at Waverley Train Station, where we’ll wave farewell around 6:00 PM.
(Photo of Edinburgh alley by Michaela Wenzler)
(breakfast, boat tour tickets, minibus)
HOSTS’ BIOS, FOLLOWED BY PRICES AND INCLUSIONS
Kirsten Koza (writing workshop host): is a humorist and adventurer. She is the author of the book, Lost in Moscow, published by Turnstone Press and dubbed by CBC radio Canada “the ultimate what-I-did-last-summer essay ever.” Kirsten edited the Travelers’ Tales (USA) humour anthology, Wake Up and Smell the Shit, and read thousands of stories for that book before narrowing it down to the 31 writers she selected for the volume. She’s had over 75 stories published in books, magazines, and newspapers around the world, and has even made the front page of Kyrgyzstan’s national newspaper after mountain biking across Kyrgyzstan during a violent revolution. She has also been repeatedly invited to speak at the American Society of Journalists and Authors annual conference in New York, on the power of social media for writers and making stories go viral.
David Mark: As promised, a little more about your murder mystery and thriller mentor. The link below David Mark’s image leads to some of his books at Penguin Random House.
(Above: David Mark bestselling crime writer and link to some of his books at Penguin Random House https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/231321/david-mark/) – image taken by author Cat Jameson during Plot Twist 2025)
Matthew Greenwood (your guide): created his tour company, Exploring York, in 2004, out of a love for his native county of Yorkshire and his lifelong passion for travel. He has guided a wide variety of groups ranging from policemen from Sudan to venture capitalists from New Mexico and adores showing visitors from around the globe the British Isles.
When Matthew was a child he wanted to be a hotel manager and had an almost encyclopedic knowledge of international hotel chains. His interest in all things travel continued through life. He says the reason we embark on journeys is for the unknown, to make discoveries outside our realm of imagination. His own travels have circled the planet. A chance-meeting with a charity worker led to a lifetime dream-trip to Rwanda, where he walked among the mountain gorillas, something he couldn’t have imagined coming true when watching Gorillas in the Mist as a child. That trip also fed Matthew’s appetite for learning about war and atrocities and how humanity can endure and overcome. This passion has led to him taking self-study trips (what he calls holidays) to Bosnia, Serbia, Cambodia, and Vietnam, where he and Kirsten (your workshop host) met in Hanoi outside Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum. The two of them have been hosting creative adventures together since 2017.
Prices, Inclusions, Exclusions, and More Photos
PRICES AND INCLUSIONS: prices include hotel accommodations – full breakfasts daily – three three-course dinners – first class train ticket from York to Edinburgh – boat cruise on Loch Lomand – cab from Clementine’s to train station on day three – all tours in itinerary – museum and historical site entrances – transportation on our own private minibus while on tours – private guide – and writing workshops.
The price for a single participant on this writing expedition (having your own delightful hotel room all to yourself) is £2990. A deposit of £400 reserves your place when you sign up – this amount is subtracted from the total. You can quickly Google the currency conversion from pounds to your country’s currency – the conversion, however, will happen on the day you make the transaction. The payments are broken down into four: the deposit when you sign up, a second payment in February 2026, the third in May, and the final payment in the summer before you travel. Have a partner in crime who is also your bedfellow – for £1200 more you can bring them and perhaps become the next great thriller writing duo. There are no twin rooms which is why the important word is bedfellow.
The group size for this trip is just 14 participants. If you have questions, or would like to sign up, please email Kirsten at writers-expeditions@mail.com (and to make sure we get your email please cc: kirstenkoza@gmail.com), or message us from the Writers’ Expeditions Facebook page. We respond quickly, so if you don’t hear back within 24 hours, please check your spam.
EXCLUSIONS: Airline tickets, alcohol, lunch, UK visa, and dinners that are not on the itinerary.
(Loch Long – photo by Kirsten Koza)
(2025’s Plot Twist group on the Royale Mile in Edinburgh – photo by Kirsten Koza)
(Linlithgow Castle has a maze of winding stairs – photo by Kirsten Koza)
(Wallace Monument which we’ll see on route to Loch Lomond – photo by Kenny Lam – Visit Scotland)
(Writers’ Expeditions 2024 participants with internationally bestselling crime novelist David Mark – up to no good in the back row)
(photo taken by our guide, Matthew Greenwood, in Edinburgh – note the small print)
(front entrance of Melville Castle taken by Matthew Greenwood, your guide)
(Night in York)
(Writers’ Expeditions’ participants riding our private minibus through the Yorkshire Dales)
(Tearoom cabinet, photo by Matthew Greenwood, your private guide for Plot Twist)
(Little Shambles, photo by Kirsten Koza, Writers’ Expeditions)
(Scones and tea, photo by Kirsten Koza, Writers’ Expeditions)
(2019’s writers in a village pub – photo by Kirsten Koza, Writers’ Expeditions)
(A mushroom bourguignon pie at The Guy Fawkes Inn – photo by Kirsten Koza)
