5 - Excursão de um dia Orkney & Northern Coast a partir de Edimburgo

This tour gave me a greater appreciation of Scotland. Our guide Kevin was phenomenal and very knowledgeable.

Keith was fantastic! Very knowledgeable about history and the landscapes and the areas and travelled too. Superb guide 5 *****

Scotland is by far the Most beautiful if all countries I have visited. The driver/guide was without doubt the kindest most efficient and knowledgeable of any with whom I have travelled. His name Sean Gordon 5 star.

First and foremost, our tour guide, Chris, was fantastic! He was knowledgeable and very entertaining. Our primary goal in taking this tour was to visit the Orkney Islands, specifically Skara Brae , Maes Howe and the Ring of Brodgar. We had plenty of time at each of these, and they are all extraordinary sites. We also had a lot of time at Culloden, on the last day of the tour. Seeng the extensive and very well done exhibits in the visitors center really enhanced the experience if the battlefield, as did all of the information Chris imparted over the five days. He gave us a sweeping sense of Scotland's history, from the glaciers that created the landscape to the battles for independence. Of necessity, because we travelled the length and breadth of Scotland, it was a lot of driving. It seemed like we stopped every 90 minutes or so, for bathroom breaks (there is no toilet on the little bus) and to see spectacular views of waterfalls, lochs and neolithic sites. I would have liked to have more time to explore more of the sites we passed along the way like Stirling Castle and where we stayed overnight, like Inverness, but a lot was crammed into the five days. One very welcome surprise was that we stopped to visit the magnificent Kelpies, two 98-foot tall steel sculptures of the mythic horses' heads. They weren't on the itinerary, and I have very much wanted to see them. They didn't disappoint.

Our guide Mac was phenomenal! He shared so much information from history of the clans, nature related topics, movie set locations, and the best spots in each town! The 5 days flew by so fast, we wish we had more time. Our accommodations were great for the 1-2 nights we were at each spot. The highlands and Orkney Island were beautiful. During the long drives, we got to stop at some scenic spots that had very few people so it was very peaceful.

We spent 2 weeks in the UK and this 5 day Orkney tour was the highlight. We loved the prehistoric sights of Maeshowe, Skara Brae, the standing stones and the Ring of Brodgar, but we also highly enjoyed all the extra scenic beautiful or interesting sights and also the stops to view or visit with unusual Scottish animals. The Highland cattle are beautiful and we got to feed two huge Hungarian Hairy Hogs. There were suitable coffee and restroom breaks and lunch/snack stops. Our driver and guide Billy was wonderful and was a wealth of information. It was also pleasant meeting people from other countries. In our group we had people from Australia, Canada, Sweden and the US. Our hotel accommodations were good also.

I think the tour guides/drivers must either make or break the trip. Our's was really good. His name was Christopher and he was in control and master of everything. Besides being cheerful and friendly he was a good driver, organized, responsible and chock full of Scottish stories, history, politics, geology and music, you name the subject he could talk about it in an informative and interesting way. The only criticism I have is that the tour didn't allow enough time to explore the little towns, eg. Kirkwall. I would gladly have skipped a couple of the cliff viewing stops to spend a little more time in the towns. I think Rabbie's should rearrange their tour schedule a little to make room for this. Don't expect much from the B&B and hotel accommodations. They were clean and basic and except for one they were all teeny-tiny and had queen size beds. You are on remote islands so keep that in mind.

I’ll start by saying my partner and I are very active and in our early 40s (we spent a week cycling the highlands with Trailbrakes before our five-day Orkney trip with Rabbies and LOVED it) so maybe we should have known a bus tour wouldn’t be for us. However, the tours say they’re for all ages and (key to our decision) that Rabbies “believes the best way to enjoy your trip is to get you off the mini-coach and out exploring. So, we give you plenty of time to take photos, go walking, and explore ancient ruins.” We all have subjective takes on what constitutes “plenty of time,” so let me be objective and specific - there are breaks of anywhere from five minutes to (twice) 75-ish minutes, depending on the site you’re stopping at. You’re rarely on the bus more than an hour at a time. However, you are essentially in transit between two places for eight to 10 hours a day. The majority of stops are 15 minutes or less. Accommodations - it was nice to have them arranged for us. That said, even though we chose the budget option, the rooms were always more $$ than anything we’d booked ourselves elsewhere on our trip (though this is likely because prices are higher in the more remote communities), never quite as nice, and often very small. The bathroom at the Harbour Guest House in Ullapool would truly be too tiny for some people to be able to enter, so not an accessible space. Our room at the Orkney Hotel in Kirkwall was freezing and the toilet wouldn’t flush, so we had to use the public one two floors down for two nights. Food - Breakfasts (included with accommodation) are great and have many options, from porridge and cereals to fruit and eggs, toast and sausage. You buy lunches at cafes, and convenience and grocery stores, then dinners are on your own. Do book these in advance as places are jammed, but also be aware you may have to change reservations on the fly due to ferry and road delays causing later-than-expected arrivals. No one’s fault, just a fact to be aware of. Guide - I thought he was great. Loved Scotland, super knowledgeable, and told engaging stories. It’s got to be a rough job to be “on” and accommodating to 16 people of different temperaments in close quarters for five days. Billy was good at it. Carsickness - I didn’t experience this, but my partner did. The roads are very twisty, bumpy and bouncy. By day four he was so nauseous he had to keep his eyes closed to avoid puking. A consideration if you get carsick. That or avoid the back of the bus, where it’s worse. On the whole, I’m not saying Rabbies leads a bad tour (though I would suggest written materials give honest and concrete numbers in terms of how much time people have on/off the bus). Reviews are overwhelmingly positive. People clearly enjoy it! I AM saying I wasn’t one of them and I’m relaying facts here to give a clearer picture to potential passengers like myself and my partner. If we had read this review ourselves before booking (specifically that travel time can be upwards of eight hours a day), we would not have booked. Subjectively, it’s just not my style of travel. I’m not a fan of getting on and off a bus every hour for a 5-to-10-minute photo opportunity or to browse more gift shops. Lots of others on the bus loved it, so I’m not slagging it outright - just saying you should know this going in so you can decide whether this jives with your travel dreams. It’s true you see some amazing scenery. It’s also true that I would have given up every single five-minute roadside photo stop in exchange for more opportunity to be out IN that scenery ie: I would have loved an hour to swim Loch Ness, walk the trails at Duncansby Stacks, or head down to some of the incredible beaches we saw from the road rather than spend another 15 minutes walking 100 metres to a lookout for a photo (to that point, I fully skipped day three on the bus to hang out in Kirkwall, run the oceanfront trails, wander the town, eat bakery treats, go to galleries, and chat with locals, and it was the best day of the tour). I get that on a group tour, you stick to the middle lane because you have to please a diverse group. Again, I’m not saying Rabbie’s has a flawed model or is bad at what they do. Bottom line IMO - if your top priority is seeing a lot in a little bit of time and going home with a ton of photos (and you reeeeally love sitting) you may be into this. If you’re an active person whose priority is spending more quality time in fewer places, less so.

We had a fantastic experience on our 5 day tour of Orkney and the Highlands. Queen Kelly of Scotland provided impeccable service throughout. We were told incredible stories, cheesy jokes, and great facts. The tour itself was really well run, accommodation was all fabulous, and the places visited were stunning and interesting in equal measure. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone interested in learning more about this beautiful country. Kelly did everything she could to provide a fabulous experience to everyone on our bus. Thanks Rabbies!

Our driver and tour guide Martin w Rabbie's Tours was spectacular. His knowledge of history and animated, kind personality made it a rich experience. It was our first group tour and I would happily sign up for one again. It was an active 5 days and each day was full. The Scottish weather smiled on us this time.