A Ilha de Hoje Day Trip

Our tour guide Garry, proprietor of Orkney Travel, collected the 6 participants promptly at 09.15 in Kirkwall, drove us to Houton where we took the ferry to Lyness on Hoy, drove us round Hot and delivered us back to Kirkwall at 17.45. Garry was an excellent guide, sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm with the group but without being intrusive. The itinerary on Hoy included various viewpoints, a walk to the Dwarfie Staine neolithic burial site, and a picnic lunch on Rackwick beach, where Garry supplied us with tea, coffee and Tunnocks caramel wafers. My wife and I wanted to spend time at the Scapa Flow museum, and Garry dropped us off there before taking the rest of the group for a nature walk on the south of the island. He informed us that if the weather had been bad, he could have changed the itinerary to suit, thereby demonstrating flexibility to suit the guests. The trip does not include a visit to the Old Man of Hoy, because that would require a 6 mile hike over difficult terrain. However, the schoolhouse at Rackwick which was included in the tour contains an exhibit with many good photos of the Old Man of Hoy, so we got a good idea of what it looks like. Overall, it was an excellent day.

Another great day trip with excellent tour guide Ron We explored the island of Hoy and learnt many things The highlight for me was a wonderful story told so eloquently about the Lifeboat station and the tragedy to befall the crew although those years ago

This was the second trip I did with Garry. I would highly recommend it as Garry is so amenable, knowledgeable and pleasant to spend time with. His tours are hugely informative whilst having a way of making you feel relaxed. He even brough tea and a snack for our lunch stop - talk about going above and beyond! I wanted to travel to Hoy but it's not easy to get around alone so this day trip was an excellent way of seeing it - Garry covered the entire island. I would never have seen these things alone, even with a car. His knowledge is incredible - knowing myself and the other client were interested in nature, he made sure to stop at the nature reserve. Would definitely recommend for anyone.

This tour was the highlight of my Scotland vacation, Ron the tour guide was easy going, professional, informative, welcoming and with a great sense of humour. Every stop we made was excellent and Ron let us have as much time as we wanted. * I believe I was wth the same group that Linda S had previously discussed. I totally agree - an amazing group that added greatly to my experience. I will never forgot Dwarfie Stane! Thank you Ron (and our group) !!!

I highly recommend the full day tour to the island of Hoy in the Orkneys. We had a full van, with 8 passengers and an excellent driver/guide named Doogie. We drove to the ferry terminal at Houton, where we drove onto the "Hoy Head" ferry boat. After a pleasant 30-minute ferry ride, we arrived on the island of Hoy. We headed north to Lyrawa Hill. From atop Lyrawa Hill, you can see a salmon Farm in Scapa Flow, with Stromness (on the mainland) in the background. This was followed by a short hike to see the Dwarfie Stane, the only known rock-cut tomb in Great Britain. It was hollowed out 5000 years ago to honour the dead. We continued to Rackwick. This once thriving community is now nearly a ghost town. Three of the old buildings are now small museums. We went inside the house called Craa Nest (Crow's Nest). The view from Craa Nest is spectacular. Rackwick Bay has tall cliffs on both sides. Nearby is the Old Rackwick School, in use from 1718-1953, with a traditional Orkney slate roof. In the afternoon we visited the Longhope Lifeboat Museum. There we saw the Thomas McCunn Lifeboat, which was inaugurated in 1933. Afterwards, we drove to see a more modern lifeboat. The RNLB Helen Comrie was the first electronic lifeboat in the RNLI. Our last stop was the highlight for me. Near the ferry terminal in Lyness is the Scapa Flow Museum. I wrote a separate review for the Scapa Flow Museum. After our tour of Hoy, we once again boarded the ferry to go back to the mainland. We arrived back in Kirkwall at 5:45 p.m.

Despite the wind we seen everything and more A great small group of 5 that bonded really well made it a more personal experience shared with friends. Dwarfie Stane well worth the walk.

We had a fantastic day trip to the island of Hoy yesterday with Dougie from Orkney Travel. The entire day was beautifully planned and ran smoothly from start to finish. The itinerary struck a great balance—informative, engaging and never rushed. Dougie’s knowledge of the island’s history, landscape and wildlife was absolutely top-notch. He has a real gift for storytelling and made the island come alive for us. The minibus was comfortable, which made the journey in the heat, more enjoyable. One of the real highlights was the picnic lunch on the beach, lovely food and lovely scenery! Overall, a brilliant experience. We’d highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Orkney!

This trip went ahead even though I was the only person on it. Great guiding from local resident Ron. This is a well run company that I recommend using and would use again.