McKinlay Kidd Traveller Reviews

Just back from a 6 day intensive tour of the wonders and splendours of Orkney and Shetland. Connections made easy by McKinlay Kidd. Exciting ferry trips. Amazing landscape steeped in history but offering splendid creature comforts. Archeology sites absolutely stunning and most have expert local guides.Hotels in Kirkwall and Scalloway were so comfortable and characterful - lovely sea-view rooms and excellent food.Enjoyed every moment - will never forget the view from Sumburgh Lighthouse, the exquisite Italian Chapel, and the haunting mystery of Stenness Stones and Maes Howe..Nor the discovery of Shetland Gins!

Provided lots of useful support information and great maps. (We love a proper map) Hotels selected were really special - and near to other places of interest. Overnight ferries organised for us and made it possible to see a lot in a few days. Always helpful in planning the tour and dealing with any questions. The information pack provided was thorough and full of useful suggestions.

This was an 8-day holiday by car through the central Highlands starting and finishing in Edinburgh. Everything worked perfectly. We stayed in four different hotels which had been well-chosen for their attractiveness, good location and high standards. We were very happy with all the choices made by McKinlay Kidd. One very important point is that McKinlay Kidd had paced the car travel between hotels very well. We were not pushed to get to our next hotel and had time to enjoy the magnificent scenery on the way. I cannot praise McKinlay Kidd high enough and we shall definitely use their services again in the future.

I have said it all above. I have never had a "personalised" tour before so did not expect a selection of hotels of such a high standard. Adequate information and a fast response to my queries was provided by e-mail before our holiday and the briefing pack left at the hotel in Edinburgh awaiting out arrival had all I could have wished for.

McKinlay Kidd organized a 5 day trip for my sister and myself by train to the Scottish Highlands and the Isle of Skye. Everything was perfectly organized and we were very happy that they use small local independent firms and hotels. Excellent.

Efficient, kind, caring.

The wildlife safari trip on our first day set us up for being able to spot creatures for the remainder of our stay. Arthur, our guide, was great. The whale watching trip was incredible. Although we didn't see whales, we saw loads of basking sharks, a rare sunfish and a pod of dolphins, all right up close to the boat. We could have done that trip every day of our holiday! Our stay at the Bellachroy was so relaxing and the food great. The hosts were so welcoming and you couldn't beat it for its location in such a beautiful area.

All contact with McKinlay Kidd was good and their experience and local knowledge showed through in the way the package was put together. Thank you!

'We want to go to Scotland' said mum and dad...they just didn't know where... A few months later, we left Glasgow, our stay at the Grasshopper Hotel having got us off to a blissful start (the help yourself homemade ice cream was impressive). The West Highland Line took us up to Spean Bridge for our first night at the Old Pines which was just fantastic: a great location, great food and brilliant owners who just made everything so easy. From here it was the Jacobite train to Mallaig on a cloudless day, the ferry over to Skye and 2 more days on Sleat. Taking the island tour worked really well with a climb up the Old Man of Storr, the Quiraing and a visit to the Faerie Glen, the balmy weather stayed with us throughout with lovely long evenings sat eating out over the quayside with the most amazing views.

They were brilliant: I'd checked out a couple of other operators without finding anything that really worked for us - Mckinlay Kidd were pretty exceptional from start to finish.

Our pre-arranged trip to the Outer Hebrides exceeded expectations. The weather,scenery and local hospitality could not have been better. The short flight from Glasgow to the beach at Barra was a joy and our travels northwards through Uist, Harris and Lewis produced wonderful views of mountains, beaches not forgetting the sheep on the roads !!

Mckinlay Kidd were completely professional and friendly in all our dealings. The advice supplied with the holiday pack was excellent.

We travelled through the Islands of Skye, N. Uist, Harris and Lewis, returning from Stornaway to Ullapool. We walked in mountains, on empty beaches and had some wonderful seafood, soaking up the flavour of each island.

We were travelling through the outer hebrides, to get a flavour of each island. There was a lot of planning to do: different ferries to co-ordinate and places to stay. McKinlay Kidd organised the whole thing for us. It went like clockwork. In addition they supplied helpful notes on each island, gave us itineraries, maps and all the tickets and information we needed to cover each stage of our journey. It was faultless and we felt very looked after and cared about.

We enjoyed exploring the mainland and some of the other islands of Shetland.

We booked rather late and were very pleased that all our requests had been met. The arrangements for ferries and hotel went like clockwork and the information and suggestions given to us were very useful.We couldn't have asked for more.

A wonderful rail holiday stopping at some outstanding hotels, including Inverlochy Castle at Fort William and Kinloch Lodge on the Isle of Skye. The Scottish people were so open and friendly.

Outstanding. Everything was first class from our initial tour inquiry to delivery of our wonderful holiday. The quality and commitment of our tour operator - McKinlay Kidd - stood out when there was a landslip between Mallaig and Fort William that forced a last minute change to our travel plans. Due to excellent contingency planning by our tour operator, we reached our next destination without a hiccup!

Absolutely wonderful. Magnificent scenery, rich history, friendly people, smooth travel, great accommodations.

McKinley-Kidd handled all of our travel and lodging details. They were absolutely superb. They even arranged alternate transportation when a last minute train strike occurred. Their attention to detail and ability to secure such first class tour and travel professionals made all the difference. I wholeheartedly commend them. They will definitely be who we use on our next trip to Great Britain or Ireland.