Grand Tour of Scotland by Train Traveller Reviews

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.

14 days of train, ferry, and boat travel with stays in eight wonderful places.

McKinlsy Kidd. Hands down the best tour operator in the UK.

The Grand Tour by train: West Coast, Skye, across to Inverness, up to the Orkneys, Caingorms, Pitlochry.

Courteous, friendly, attention to detail, faultless logistics, excellent choices of accommodation.......and they get you out of a hole when you leave your bag on the train!!

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We took a train tour of Scotland, with tickets, connections, accommodation and several day trips all included by McKinley Kidd.. It provided us with the advantages of touring individually without the stress of sorting out accommodation and planning the best places to visit.

Very competent, obviously highly knowledgeable regarding places to visit and to stay. They provided a faultless service.

My wife and I chose this tour because we wanted to visit some of the more remote locations of Scotland. We ended up staying at nine different properties and going on two organized tours in Skye and Orkney. The properties were amazing and the meals were gourmet quality. Our transportation, whether by train, ferry or taxi was well coordinated and reliable for the most part. The 15 day tour itself was self guided for the majority of the time, which gave us the freedom to explore our interests. Everything went like clockwork with very little issue. We came away feeling that we saw and experienced much of rural Scotland.

McKinlay Kidd is known for backing up their product and solving issues in an expedient manner. Their tours are well organized and coordinated with great itineraries. They research and select only the best and highly rated accommodations, tour operators and transportation services. I felt confident in receiving the best this company had to offer.