Grand Tour of Scotland by Train Traveller Reviews

Saw the sights around the country by rail, ferry, and tours.

McKinley Kidd did an excellent job planning the self-guided tour. Nice hotels and experiences. Lots of suggestions for each day's adventures.

Grand tour of Scotland by 8 train trips

This was a holiday planned with MK for 2020 when Covid hit and cancelled everything. So we planned again for May-June this year - but our request got lost when an MK employee resigned. It took MK several weeks to get our request back on track and another several weeks to repair the Itinerary - but they acknowledged their problems and gave us a wonderful trip in the end, including ongoing personal advice as we made our way around Scotland.

We had never been to Scotland before and this was a wonderful introductory tour. We covered most of the Western Highlands, from Oban to Mull, Iona and Staffa, Ben Nevis to Isle of Skye, Plockton to Inverness, Thurso to Orkney, and Craingorm National Forest to Pitlochry. Although we only spent a couple of days in each location, it was a great way to find out where we would love to spend more time in the future. We can honestly say each day was better than the day before. The scenery was spectacular, the people friendly and the lodgings were very comfortable. We are considering longer stays next time in some of the places we visited, as well as adding other regions to enhance our next trip to the British Isles.

McKinlay Kidd did an excellent job from first quote to final itinerary with many suggestions of things to do and places to eat at each location. They kept in touch if information needed to be relayed timely, and generally gave us a worry free time during our stay in Scotland.

It was absolutely perfect. Every location, every host or hostess, every accommodation, and every connection exceeded our expectations. It was it was choreographed by a master. We loved every minute of our time in Scotland and as I have said say over and over since we departed - our only regret is we discovered Plockton too late. 😊

They were helpful, had an itinerary that ticked all the boxes and a boxful of amazing accommodation and recommendations. When something went awry, like a train strike, they were right there to make adjustments for us. Honestly, I will seek their services again.

We booked a train tour of Scotland and Skye with McKinlay Kidd, including the Jacobite Express, with taxi and boat trips connecting it all up. It was truly exceptional- the itinerary and accommodation clearly well researched, each with different and sometimes quirky aspects. But always comfortable, sometimes luxurious, fantastic food, always brilliantly chosen locations with welcoming hosts. The most wonderful experience.

Efficient, responsive, helpful, provided a brilliant app full of helpful information and personal insights into where we were going and what we could do. We were welcomed extra enthusiastically with the McKinlay Kidd connection- made us feel very special.

Scotland was visited in a meticulously organised tour that brought us to highly enjoyed places. Cosy guesthouses, windy ferries, talkative taxi drivers and handy train trips made for an unforgettable fortnight on Highland level with the bagpipes still sounding in our ears!

“McKinlay Kidd” worked like a sort of spell that seemed to work like magic in connecting the beads of this journey’s string!

Our bucket list trip was perfect from start to finish. We loved each stop along the way and each hotel/guest house. The accommodations, hosts and food exceeded our expectations. We will cherish our memories of our time in Scotland and hope to return.

The team at McKinlay Kidd team is the best. From our first contact through our 19 day train tour of Scotland, they took care of every detail. This was the most relaxing trip that allowed us to visit Scottish cities, towns and villages. McKinlay Kidd took care of all the details and the travel information was very comprehensive. I have recommended McKinlay Kidd to friends and family and can’t wait for our next visit.

We spent 3 weeks touring Scotland by train. We thoroughly enjoyed our experience.

Mckinlay Kidd was fantastic. Everything ran seamlessly. We spent 3 weeks traveling in Scotland by train. The trip was choreographed down to the smallest detail. We couldn't have asked for more. There was always someone to meet us and get us to the train or ferry. The day tours were fantastic and the accommodations were excellent. When we had a couple glitches in the arrangement, Mckinlay Kidd staff addressed the issue immediately. They were always there when needed them. In fact, when ScotRail changed the number of cars on selected routes creating an overcrowding situations, McKinlay Kidd sent a car to transport us to our next destination. They are a fantastic agency to work with.

Different experiences of Scotland each day. Scenery was fantastic and the accommodation was high quality with friendly and engaged staff. Spent happy times with fellow McKinlay-Kidd travellers. Day tours had excellent guides. Everything ran like clockwork.

Well organised in preparing the tour material and responded well to questions.

Our train trip started in Glasgow in an extremely comfortable boutique hotel. We then caught trains and ferries from Glasgow to Edinburgh from Edinburgh to Aberdeen and the Shetland Islands and ending in Manchester. During this wonderful experience we rode the Harry Potter train, visited Skye, Orchney Islands, Balmoral Castle the Comedy Festival in Edinburgh and more highlights to numerous to mention. During this journey McKinnlay Kidd accommodated us in Manor Houses and boutique hotels who were always very attentive to our needs. They supplied top class tour guides and transfers from trains to accommodation. These were always on time and could not do enough to make our experience welcoming. We found travelling by train to be very relaxing and gave us an insight into Scotland that we had not enjoyed before as we have travelled by road on previous trips. The highlights of this extensive trip gave us a better understanding of the Scottish people as we travelled with them on country and commuter trains and communed with them in small country villages as well as the larger cities of course. Having done this trip this way we now have list of places that we would like to return to and of course the many photos and memories. Thank you McKinnley Kidd - John and Diane

As we are retired and travel extensively each year and quite often do our own research and bookings, we found Tom Hamilton of McKinnley Kidd to be one of the best and most attentive consultants we have come across. Our emails, phone calls and questions were always attended to promptly with insight to our particular needs and requests.