The ride from Inverness to Orkney could use a little bit of enhancement, but once on the island, this is an amazing tour. On the island, each stop is full of a little magic. You can almost imagine you have been transported back in time to when the Norwegians lived there or when the Celts held ceremonies at the standing stones. Even the stop in town was filled with free museums and an open market. One of the best tours I have done. My only suggestion for improvement would be if the bus from Inverness to the ferry had a functioning microphone so the tour guide can relay information to passengers. Ours did not work and our guide just gave up so we received no information during the majority of the bus ride although we did pass through some interesting villages and she did begin to talk about the clearances before the microphone broke.
Review by: Erin J, December 2017
Bus tour guide on Orkney was AWESOME and the sites are so worth the trip. What a great guy. But the bus to and from the ferry was hellish. I get motion sickness, but generally can handle it fine. Usually boats are the problem, but the boat ride across to Orkney was fine. The bus rides to and from the ferry were horrible, and the staff were totally uneuipped to assist. What complete dolts. Had I known the bus would be like that, I would have booked my own visit and stayed on Orkney for a night. We did get the wrost rainstorm on record while we were there which cut short some of our site visits, but even that didn't dampen the beauty and inspiration of the place. The Skara Brae exhibit is thought-provoking and just beautiful. I would definitely visit again. Just not via this tour.
Review by: Susan S, November 2017
I was very excited to take this trip however, on the morning of, we were to be at a bus stop at a certain bay at a certain time. I arrived early, 15 minutes before the time we were suppose to be there. There were three other people there. People started to arrive and get into a line. 10 minutes before the tour bus was to arrive, a representative came over and said they changed the bay number and we had to move across to another bay where there was a huge lineup. I went from the front to the back instantly. People were already grumbling and not happy as they specifically came early to get a window seat. When the bus showed up, people that had been at the new bay number started to get on as another bus pulled up behind it. We were going to board and a large screaming man started pushing people including me saying the first bus was not the Orkney bus and he should get on first on this bus because he had come early just for a window seat. There was a huge argument with this rude individual I actually thought there was going to be a fist fight. The doors to the bus opened and he literally shoved people to get on first. There was still screaming and yelling even when we got on the bus. I booked my tickets months ahead of time, at least 6 months and what I can guess is the few people that booked way in advance were given the original bay number and people that booked later received the new bay number. It was a gong show and left a terrible taste with quite a few people due to disorganization on the tour companies part. I would recommend when you book your tickets, there be a number system as this was a horrible way to start a tour. The tour itself was really good however there was just not enough time at the stops. It was really really rushed to try to take it all in.
Review by: William W, November 2017
This is a very long day, and for those of us who have sea issues sometimes the 45 minute trip across form John O' Groats can seem longer, but it's worth it...the Orkney's have a wealth of history, sights, and views and you really get the highlights of the Islands...some fascinating history form WWII to 3500 BC...Skara Brae never gets old - just thinking about how folks lived there is really mind boggling...Ring of Brogdar ? really reminds you of Stonehenge and they are excavating new sites just down the road...loved the WWII connections, and the Church constructed by the Italian POW's is both lovely and bittersweet...really worth the , almost impossible to do this on your own...you should do this!
Review by: Shelbi B, October 2017
Could have used a little more time in the town but you can't control the currents in the North Sea. It was an amazing day. The tour guides did a great job and ensured we had all the pertinent information. It is a definite must see...you may want to consider an overnight here there is so much to see and do.
Review by: Carol C, October 2017
Very long day, but the sights in the Orkneys are worth the trip.
Review by: Candyce C, October 2017
Amazing place. Starting with the coach ride from Inverness to John O'Groats Ferry, you get outstanding scenery, lots of history about MacBeth and more. The Ferry ride was very pleasant with dolphins and puffins and sunshine. The temperatures on the Orkney Islands was around 70 which they say is year-around but in the winter the winds are fierce so it doesn't seem like 70. The town we stopped in was delightful with very friendly people but the history - Skara Brae and the Ring of Brodgar Standing Stones similar to Stonehenge is something you have to see. The historians built a replica of a stone structure that the people of 5000 years ago lived in that visitors can go into and see how they slept, where their fire was, where they stored their foods, etc. The actual village has a path around the various homes of yesterday but you can't go in those - they are in the sand and the roofs are covered with grown-over grass, etc.
Review by: Yolande H, August 2017
From pick up in Inverness, the tour was fantastic. Really enjoyed the day. Just one thing though - the minibus seats are not made for larger people. Very uncomfortable.
Review by: hilary b, August 2017
This was a fast pace tour ,which initially was annoying but I reminded myself that it was a taster tour. The guides were very informative .The tour was good to whet your appetite for future visits
Review by: kym b, August 2017
Long trip on the bus, followed by a brief ferry ride to the islands. _br/_ I was fortunate to sit next to a local from the island of Hoy and he pointed out points as interest along the way as well as a standing stone on the ridge of a mountain._br/_ There was plenty of time to spend having a wander around the town before setting off on the tour around the island a the points of interest._br/_ The weather was atrocious but there is little that can be done about that._br/_ The archeological sites were outstanding and very well presented. The surprise was the woolly pigs._br/_ The driver was entertaining and informative and allowed us all plenty of time foe a wander. His patience was tried at each spot with two tourists always being late._br/_ All in all I would thoroughly recommend this tour.
Review by: Elena K, August 2017
The ride to John O'Groat was long which is understandable and quite boring - the guide made a couple of comments about the places we passed but basically nothing else. But the tour of the isle itself was awesome! Despite the fact that it was raining and we were staying a lot in the bus to drive from one place to another, the driver Alan, made this a great tour! He was a very knowledgeable person, he knew lots of interesting facts and stories about the isles, their history and the lifestyle on Orkney. We visited Kirkwall and its beautiful cathedral, then went to Scara Brae and Skail House, then saw the ring of Brodgar and finally stopped to visit the small Italian chapel. It was a very quick tour as we didnt have a lot of time on the isle - the ferry took us almost one hour one way and ride back to Inverness was also 3 hours long, but I definitely loved it! Also, the staff arranged for a hot lunch to be collected at our arrival at John O'Groat before going to Orkney and we also could order sandwiches for diner on our way back. Very well thought!!
Review by: Rschnebly, August 2017
We enjoyed this tour very much although it is a very long day. The bus ride is comfortable and scenic and the ferry ride to the Orkneys was enjoyable. I would suggest ordering the food from the bus tour guide as we did because you will get hungry! You can pick up a late breakfast or early lunch at John O' Groats to eat on the ferry ride and then eat a sandwich on the bus ride coming back. The Orkeneys are beautiful with an interesting history and many wonderful sights to see. Our bus driver on the island was very good at keeping to a schedule so we would get back in time for the return ferry. Just be aware that the time at each sight will not be as long as you would like but you do get to see the must see sights. Our local bus driver was very friendly and knowledgable but his Highlands Scottish accent was a bit difficult for our American ears to always understand so I can imagine tourists who are not primary English speakers might have even more difficulty. Overall a good tour!
Review by: Dale B, August 2017
Our day trip to the Orkney Islands was one we will remember for a long time to come. The bus left promptly from Inverness bus station where there is plenty of parking around for those with cars. The two and one half hour bus trip was comfortable and the guide provide us with information along the way. Ferry ride from John O'Groats was smoothly organised. Our guide/bus driver, Martin in Orkney was excellent. As a local he was able to add that little bit of local knowledge and passion for his homeland which made the trip special. We had been looking forward to seeing the archaeological sites of the Ring of Brodga and Scara Brae. I would love to have stopped at the Ness of Brodga and Maeshowe just long enough to take some photos. I would also like to have passed the Ness of Brodga when there were archeologists there working on the site. I do understand that there is a lot to fit into a one day trip such as this._br/_ Another excellent part of our trip was the bus trip back along the Scotish coast with the green fields, blue water, castes and castle ruins. All lovely. We were so lucky to get great weather although windy in parts mostly it was a sunny and warm August day. Thank you Martin for making the day memorable.
Review by: laurie W, July 2017
The weather was awful but overall we had a good trip. Our guide on the Island was very good. Would be fantastic on a clear day.
Review by: pepe_mauzy2, July 2017
the tour uptil Orkney was fine but then we made the mistake to choose for the small bus, the driver/guide was terrible, he spoke only about the 2e WW, he spoke with an accent and by the end of the day he wasn't understandable at all. He made the ride so boring compared to other driver/guides we had on other tours. we even passed a spot where there were two seals, he didn't even bother to pull over so at least the whole bus could see them. It was not a success, pick another company/bus if you want to see Orkney in a proper way.
Review by: Gertrude M, July 2017
Excellent trip, highly recommended. Timing of tour well organised, saw such a lot of Orkney all on one day. Learned so much from Orkney tour guide and had beautiful weather too!
Review by: Christine B, July 2017
Lots of time on the road, but very worth it for the opportunity to visit Orkney! Excellent tour guide/driver in Orkney. Suggest bringing snacks!
Review by: Kim Lin A, July 2017
Our guide Stuart Smith was great - knowledgeable, personable, and funny.
Review by: Peter T, July 2017
Very good tour guides, both on the way up to John O'Groats and then around Orkney. Both gave a lot of good info along the way. Also thought that meals and bookings for Skara Brae were handled excellently so we made the most of our time on the islands. A trip that will stay long in my memory.
Review by: gail r, July 2017
This was a well organised trip where we had the opportunity to see Skara Brae, the Italian Chapel, the Ring of Brodgar and Kirkwall. Our tour guide in Orkney was incredibly knowledgeable and interesting. Orkney is beautiful, the only down side is that one day is not long enough to take it all in!_br/_ Would highly recommend this trip
RSS Feed