Orkney & Shetland Self-drive Traveller Reviews

A mixture of excellent B&Bs and one hotel gave us a great variety of interesting and beautiful settings. We had a range of experiences, from wonderful wildlife to fascinating pre-historic sites.

McKinlay Kidd could not do enough for us, from first information to pre-trip details. They even got in touch with us during the holiday to rebook an unmissable boat trip that was in danger of cancellation because of rough weather.

A short flight from Edinburgh took us to Sumburgh on the southern tip of Shetland, where our hire car was waiting for us, and half an hour on virtually empty roads took us to our b&b. The warm welcome from Mary, and the beautiful views across fields to the sea and St Ninians isle, made us relax. In four days, we saw fabulous scenery, a knitting museum, seals,puffins, kittiwakes,fulmars, loons, eider ducks ,owls and we puzzled over the local dialect. Another 4 days on Orkney gave us more lovely beaches, and more birds, plus Neolithic villages, and Scapa Flow. Not long enough, we plan to return.

McKinley Kidd was excellent, they put together an itinerary at fairly short notice, taking into account our particular needs. When our flight was delayed they responded promptly. It was a great help that we were able to speak to the same person at their office.

Travel from south of England to Scrabster for ferry to Orkney, Three days touring and then took the ferry for four days on Shetland. Interesting as have never been to the Shetlands, plenty of walking and visiting ancient sites. Overnight ferry back to Aberdeen which was again a very pleasant experience. Covid 19 did impact what could be done but went with an open mind and prepared to be flexible.

My wife and I have used McKinley Kidd in the past and as before everything ran like clockwork, good choice of hotels which were always of a good standard. the whole holiday including ferries just run smoothly without me having any hassle.

Staying in hotels, travelling around the islands, experiencing the people there.

An interactive supportive company

We did a two centre holiday to travel around the two Northern Islands.

The care that McKinlay Kidd gave us was excellent. The app from them allowed us to get all our documentation in one place. The documentation also gave us travel tips that gave us extra information.

An amazing experience combining archaeology, wild-life and more modern history. Comfortable friendly accommodation and tasty local food.

Friendly telephone interactions, informative emails and efficient arrangements. When a boat trip needed to be rescheduled because of changed weather conditions, we were informed by a phone message to my mobile as well as a phone call to our hotel to ensure we had received the news.

This was the first time we had visited these islands and we took lots of warm clothing expecting rain and the famous Shetland wind! However, we actually had only one rain shower and sunshine every day. The trip was a delight. Both hotels very welcoming and comfortable with very good food. All the arrangements made by McKinley Kidd went like clockwork and entirely to plan. The boat trip from Lerwick out to the islands was extra special and our captain and his mate very friendly and informative about the wildlife we encountered. These islands are a delight! We saw them at their very best due to the exceptional weather but the scenery really is spectacular.

McKinley Kidd gave a very personal service, always eager to answer any questions we had and could not have been more helpful. The arrangements such as flights, car hire and hotel locations were just perfect.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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