Orkney & Shetland Self-drive Traveller Reviews

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.

We were on a self-drive holiday.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

6 nights in Orkney and Shetland with all transportation, accommodation, and car-hire on the islands arranged by McKinlay Kidd Everything worked out exactly as planned and to the highest standards

All contacts and documentation first-class - a very personal touch with everything they do We have already recommended MCKinlay Kidd to several friends

It was our first trip to the Northern Isles. The 2 archipelagos are completely contrasting and a haven for archaeology, bird life, history and culture. We visited several islands using the local ferries and we did some good walking. We also visited one garden though there are many to see.

We used MaKinlay Kidd' fly drive holiday from Edinburgh to Orkney & Shetland. It was very well organised and made it very easy for us. The information we had before we went and that with the Vamoos app enabled us to enjoy our first visit to these islands to the full. The hotels were, excellent and beautifully located. Cars were booked and the boat trip around Noss was fantastic.

MckinlayKidd took their standard Fly/drive holiday to the islands and tailored it to our request by extending our stays in both areas. Flights, hotels and car hire were spot on, even the weather was kind to us.

Easy to deal with when arranging our holiday. All queries and questions were answered promptly and fully. Documentation was clear and easy to understand. A pleasure to deal with the company.