Grand Tour of Scotland by Train Traveller Reviews

We loved our Scotland trip and this was mainly due to the attention to details in the planning by McKinlay Kidd and the amazing choices of guest houses, tour operators and even taxi services.

McKinlay Kidd did an outstanding job every phase of the trip. They certainly put the money into their customers. - we were so happy with the choices. It was obvious that each place was thoroughly vetted.

Our 14 day self-guided tour of Scotland was facilitated by McKinlay Kidd with the travel of the Highlands done via train lines & ferry boats & with the best of the best accommodations arranged. The attention to detail was impressive & enabled us to thoroughly enjoy every minute of our journey.

See comments above.

The holiday started in Glasgow and went via Skye, Plockton, Dingwall, Thurso, Orkney, and Rosemarkie before ending up in Edinburgh. We have never been on a 'managed' holiday before, but are completely converted to the model now. The choice of locations, hotels en route and day trips was excellent. It's so much more relaxing when you know that someone who knows the area and what you want has done the homework for you.

MacKinlay- Kidd, a Glasgow-based independent holiday-arranger, with an intimate knowledge of their patch - in our case this was the northern part of Scotland - and the ability to adapt things to meet our needs. Personable, knowledgeable, flexible professional and with very high service ethic. We'd definitely use them again.

We had a truly enjoyable holiday in Scotland fully planned by McKinlay Kidd. We would recommend this company to others wanting the same. Everything was pre-arranged fully, and all aspects of the trip were exceptional.

McKinlay Kidd was exemplary to deal with. A very professional holiday planning company, that I would recommend highly for those wanting a lovely vacation with no worries about driving and questions as to where to stay. All accommodations were first class, as were the excursions and travel arrangements.

A Grand Tour of Scotland by rail with wonderful scenery.

McKinlay Kidd found us superb accommodation with a carefully thought out schedule. It was clear they were a well respected company for our hosts and taxi drivers.

Given the number of train journeys and hotels the potential for problems were enormoys but everything went like clockwork

Always on hand to sort out any queries not that there were many. We would certainly go back to McKinley Kidd for a similar holuday and would be happy to reccomend them to anyone

Exploring Scotland's Highlands for 14 days via trains and ferries was a great experience. The accommodations were lovely with inn owners and staff consistently going above and beyond.

The logistics of this trip were extremely well organized by McKinlay Kidd. The independent self-guided tour approach was like adult backpacking with all of the details taken care of (places to stay, train & ferry reservations already handled, taxi services arranged, customized tours in locations such as Skye & Orkney.)

23 nights of magic in the most beautiful country.

Just fantastic. Coming from Australia they made it so easy. Everything was planned to the last detail and was so good. Exceeded our expectations. So good I'd give them an 11 out of 10.

We'd been considering a holiday using trains for some time, so a tour around Scotland using scheduled trains, with the odd steam train and ferry, seemed to fit the bill. Starting in Glasgow, we trained Northwards, stopping off just short of Fort William, at Spean Bridge. This was an idyllic spot, marking the real end of work and start of the holiday! We then took the Jacobite steam train up to Mallaig, staying a couple of nights at nearby Arisaig. Then a couple of days on Skye (which wasn't as crowded as the newspapers were saying - but certainly as beautiful). Next stop Inverness, from where we took a boat excursion through the Caledonian Canal into the resplendent Loch Ness. Onward to Thurso, from where we took a day trip to lovely Orkney. We broke up the train journey down to Edinburgh with an overnight stay at Kingussie and the finest dinner of the trip. Finally, three days in Edinburgh, all full of Festival, Tattoo 'n' all. That's what we did, but putting into words how we felt about our holiday is more difficult. Just a wonderful experience made up of a variety of lovely experiences. The scenery to start with - Scotland seems to be green all the way up to the top - and watching it from a train window rather than looking for road signs from a car was a good choice! The excursions we took, the places we stayed, the people we met (who knew, the Scots are really friendly!). the food we ate, the ale I drank, the gin she drank, and finally all the fun of the festival at our final stop. A big tick for Scotrail too - the schedule went to schedule. This was a holiday to remember, and we will do so with great fondness.

I think it was a car company that once ran a campaign with the tag line "it just works". Well our holiday, with its various journeys, transfers and one- or two- night stays, just worked. The balance of travelling versus staying, was just right for us, and the range of experiences spot on. We didn't feel stuck, or hurried, at any stage. We quickly began to trust "Robert's Recommendations", not least when various hoteliers told us that Robert (Kidd) visits himself. Some say that the planning of a holiday is almost more stressful than the holiday is enjoyable. What stress? McKinlay Kidd took that away, and delivered a special two weeks.

Beautiful part of the U K, very good weather.

Excellent organisation,will use the company again.