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McKinlay Kidd

Orkney & Shetland Self-drive Traveller Reviews

Reviews of Orkney & Shetland Self-drive

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Reviews Submitted: 57
Reviews Accepted: 57
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57 reviews
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Orkney & Shetland Self-drive by The Clare's, 14 Nov 2017
Holiday Rating:

Wonderful Holiday

We had 3 nights in Orkney and 3 in Shetland. All on a B&B basis. Excellent

We had 3 nights in Orkney and 3 in Shetland. All on a B&B basis. Excellent

Rating for tour operator:

So well organised, 1st time I had used a tour company and I was very impressed

Orkney & Shetland Self-drive by Chris, 6 Oct 2017
Holiday Rating:

A Trip to Britain's Northern Islands

Rail travel from Inverness to Thurso/Scrabster, ferry and overnight in Orkney. Guided small tour of archaeological sites on Orkney and then overnight ferry to Shetland. Self-drive tour around Shetland Mainland, Yell and Unst. Overnight ferry Shetland to Aberdeen.

Rail travel from Inverness to Thurso/Scrabster, ferry and overnight in Orkney. Guided small tour of archaeological sites on Orkney and then overnight ferry to Shetland. Self-drive tour around Shetland Mainland, Yell and Unst. Overnight ferry Shetland to Aberdeen.

Rating for tour operator:

I have used the services of McKinlay Kidd over the last four years for travel holidays around Northern Scotland, the Western Hebrides, Western Ireland and now the Shetland Isles. They have made proposals for my itinerary with recommendations on places to visit, restaurants, museums etc. This service has included arrangements for accommodation and all travel details (taxis, car hire, ferries etc). The service has always been efficient, polite and friendly with extremely good support documentation, tickets and maps.

Orkney & Shetland Self-drive by Bj, 17 Sep 2017
Holiday Rating:

Neolithic history and stunning island scenery !

Three nights each on Orkney and Shetland. Not nearly enough timeto discover all these islands had to offer. Well located in very hospitable and comfortable accommodation we drove out each day to explore the many historic sites on Orkney and beautiful coastline of Shetland. Driving on both islands was easy with the polite locals and good roads. Recommendations from the tour company were very helpful. We sampled plenty of local food and drinks ...

Three nights each on Orkney and Shetland. Not nearly enough timeto discover all these islands had to offer. Well located in very hospitable and comfortable accommodation we drove out each day to explore the many historic sites on Orkney and beautiful coastline of Shetland. Driving on both islands was easy with the polite locals and good roads. Recommendations from the tour company were very helpful. We sampled plenty of local food and drinks which we enjoyed.

Rating for tour operator:

Communication was always excellent. Holiday details were fine tuned and instructions easy to follow. Very helpful tips. We encountered no problems at all. Would recommend

Orkney & Shetland Self-drive by Ms H P 17, 20 Aug 2017
Holiday Rating:

Wonderful opportunity to see Orkney and Shetland at a leisurely pace

The accommodation and the itinerary provided by MacKinlay-Kidd were ideal, allowing us to see the outstanding scenery of the islands, take in many of the historical sites and pursue our main interest in bird watching.

The accommodation and the itinerary provided by MacKinlay-Kidd were ideal, allowing us to see the outstanding scenery of the islands, take in many of the historical sites and pursue our main interest in bird watching.

Rating for tour operator:

We were on a self-drive holiday.

Orkney & Shetland Self-drive by Hugh/Dimi, 19 Aug 2017
Holiday Rating:

Orkney and Shetland Self-Drive Holiday Experience

We have just completed a self dive holiday to the Orkney and Shetland Islands which also included a short stay in Edinburgh. We had not been to Scotland and we wanted to experience Scottish Islands. We wanted to go to Orkney because we heard about Skara Brae but there was so much more to see and experience. What we loved most was wandering around and walking around the Island. We did not know what to expect in Shetland and we were overwhelmed ...

We have just completed a self dive holiday to the Orkney and Shetland Islands which also included a short stay in Edinburgh. We had not been to Scotland and we wanted to experience Scottish Islands. We wanted to go to Orkney because we heard about Skara Brae but there was so much more to see and experience. What we loved most was wandering around and walking around the Island. We did not know what to expect in Shetland and we were overwhelmed by the natural beauty of the place. The Shetland Museum and Archives is a must to learn how the Island developed over time. Again we enjoyed walking around the Island and drinking in the magnificent and dramatic scenery. Anyone travelling to Shetland must stay at the Scalloway hotel. The owners are lovely and we ate at the bar each night as the food was great and served local produce. The mussels are a must. Be prepared for the weather. We took appropriate clothing and we were lucky that there were enough sunny days to enjoy our excursions. The Orkney and Shetland Islands are must for anyone who enjoys nature walks, bird watching ( yes we saw puffins) and archaeological sites.

Rating for tour operator:

McKinley Kidd organised for us a self drive holiday to Orkney and the Shetland Islands and our experience was fantastic! The accommodation selected for us in Edinburgh Orkney and Shetland was excellent and very comfortable. Our hosts were very friendly and accommodating. Everything was well organised. Our cars were ready when we reached our destinations. We particularly liked the app that McKinley Kidd gave us as it included a lot of tourist and travel information, our itinerary and Island natural attractions. Coming from Australia with very little or no knowledge of what to expect in the Scottish Islands the app was invaluable. We enjoyed our holiday. Our only regret was that it was not long enough.

Orkney & Shetland Self-drive by Borderer, 16 Aug 2017
Holiday Rating:

A wonderful sampler of Orkney and Shetland.

If you have never been to the Northern Isles, this is an excellent way to experience the attractions of these islands knowing that your trip has been well planned, high quality and hassle free.

If you have never been to the Northern Isles, this is an excellent way to experience the attractions of these islands knowing that your trip has been well planned, high quality and hassle free.

Rating for tour operator:

We have used McKinley Kidd before to tour the Outer Hebrides and our trip to Orkney and Shetland was a similarly high standard well organised holiday. For a such a short trip - three nights in Orkney and three nights in Shetland - we managed to pack so much in.

Orkney & Shetland Self-drive by Jane of Devon, 29 Jul 2017
Holiday Rating:

I am recommending Mckinlay Kidd to several friends and relations who wish to visit Shetland and Orkney, We had a really good experience

We flew from Exeter to Orknew via Glasgow then on to Shetland and returned via Aberdeen and Manchester to Exeter....all on time! Our holiday fulfilled our expectations and we had no problems, everything was sorted in advance by Mckinlay Kidd. I think a return trip might be on the cards to see all the things we didn't have time to visit.

We flew from Exeter to Orknew via Glasgow then on to Shetland and returned via Aberdeen and Manchester to Exeter....all on time! Our holiday fulfilled our expectations and we had no problems, everything was sorted in advance by Mckinlay Kidd. I think a return trip might be on the cards to see all the things we didn't have time to visit.

Rating for tour operator:

Mckinlay Kidd took into account all our requests and supplied very useful info about the area. They kept in touch right up to our departure answering quetions.

Orkney & Shetland Self-drive by Cat, 28 Jul 2017
Holiday Rating:

Fascinating and beautiful islands

We spent five nights on Orkney and five on Shetland on a self-drive holiday. The arrangements were smooth and efficient and the recommendations for places to visit were excellent and just what we had hoped for. We stayed in hotels and one B&B all of which exceeded our expectations. The weather in Orkney was not kind (cold, wet and windy) but in Shetland was astonishing - warm and sunny (and of course daylight for almost 24 hours) - we were told ...

We spent five nights on Orkney and five on Shetland on a self-drive holiday. The arrangements were smooth and efficient and the recommendations for places to visit were excellent and just what we had hoped for. We stayed in hotels and one B&B all of which exceeded our expectations. The weather in Orkney was not kind (cold, wet and windy) but in Shetland was astonishing - warm and sunny (and of course daylight for almost 24 hours) - we were told it isn't always warm and sunny however!The islands are beautiful and have fascinating neolithic and Viking history as well as more modern history (e.g the vital role played by both in the Second World War. We are keen to go back and would certainly use McKinlau Kidd again. Friendly and helpful and nothing seemed too much trouble.

Rating for tour operator:

We made all arrangements by email and phone - they were friendly and listened to what we wanted and then made it happen. We couldn't ask for more!

Orkney & Shetland Self-drive by Puffin, 24 Jul 2017
Holiday Rating:

Heaven in the Northern Isles!

We took a fly-drive holiday organised by McKinley Kidd to Orkney and Shetland. All aspects were faultlessly organised, both our hotels were excellent and we had a lot of fun visiting many points of interest in both locations. High spots? Our boat trip on Scapa Flow courtesy of Dawn Star, and our trip to to Unst where we got within sight of Muckle Flugga. But there was so much more, assisted by reasonable weather in Orkney and sunshine in Shetland...

We took a fly-drive holiday organised by McKinley Kidd to Orkney and Shetland. All aspects were faultlessly organised, both our hotels were excellent and we had a lot of fun visiting many points of interest in both locations. High spots? Our boat trip on Scapa Flow courtesy of Dawn Star, and our trip to to Unst where we got within sight of Muckle Flugga. But there was so much more, assisted by reasonable weather in Orkney and sunshine in Shetland.

Rating for tour operator:

McKinley Kidd is a highly professional organisation that clearly knows its holiday destinations very well. All aspects (travel, car hire, accommodation, suggested activities and places to visit) are expertly researched and very enjoyable as a result.

Orkney & Shetland Self-drive by Magic, 22 Jul 2017
Holiday Rating:

Orkney and Shetland a holiday to remember

Mckinlay Kidd had understood our holiday requirements exceptionally well which meant that we had one of our best holidays ever. The accommodation was very good and the food was excellent in all the places we stayed as well as the recommendations of where to eat on both islands. The ideas of what to do on Orkney and Shetland matched up with the information we had already researched and gave us very interesting places to visit and the organised ...

Mckinlay Kidd had understood our holiday requirements exceptionally well which meant that we had one of our best holidays ever. The accommodation was very good and the food was excellent in all the places we stayed as well as the recommendations of where to eat on both islands. The ideas of what to do on Orkney and Shetland matched up with the information we had already researched and gave us very interesting places to visit and the organised tour of Westray was very enjoyable. But the highlight of the holiday organised by Mckinlay Kidd was the boat tour from Lerwick - seeing the colony of gannets and guillemots as well as puffins, great skuas and other sea birds was just amazing.

Rating for tour operator:

Hamish and Robert both provided very good service and all the administration was very efficient. All hotels were expecting us and my gluten free requirements very well catered for. Car hire was very easy and all connecting flights worked very well.