Scottish Guided Tours

Orkney Islands Tour

Experience an Orkney Islands Tour over 5 wonderful days 

Orkney Islands Tour from Edinburgh

Scotland Tours – Book a tailor-made 5-day Private Orkney Islands Tour from Edinburgh with Scottish Guided Tours. As a result, you shall experience the natural beauty, mystery and ancient history of the Orkney Islands and Highland Scotland on a fun and relaxed private tour – Neolithic ruins, ancient mysteries & breathtaking scenery await on our private tour of Scotland from Edinburgh – The Orkney Islands from Edinburgh – Enquire about Private Guided Tours of Scotland 

Orkney Islands Tour
5 wonderful days exploring the Orkney Islands & the rugged Scottish Highlands on a guided tour of Scotland
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Experience the Orkney Islands from Edinburgh
Explore the Ring of Brogdar on your Orkney Islands tour from Edinburgh.
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Orkney Islands Tour from Edinbrugh

Your Journey

Our wonderful 5 Day Orkney Islands Tour from Edinburgh is a fun adventure to the Outer Hebrides of Scotland with a private guide and transport. As such, a relaxed and unique travel experience through Scotlands Highlands and islands. 

Orkney Islands Tour: Skara Brae  – Best preserved neolithic settlement in Europe – Scapa Flow  – The final resting place of HMS Royal Oak. Stromness  – The captivating old town of Stromness Kirkwall Orkney’s vibrant capital, remains a Viking town at heart. Churchill Barriers – Born from a time of conflict, but now serving as vital links between island communities Ring of Brodgar  – A striking example of Orkney’s Neolithic heritage Standing Stones of Stenness – Perhaps the oldest henge site in the British Isles The Italian Chapel – Built during the 2nd World War by Italian prisoners of war and a true symbol of peace.

The rugged beauty of Caithness – Visit John ‘O’ Groats and tour the Orkney Islands with a private guide. Experience the wonderful scenery and history of Scotland with Scottish Guided Tours. Explore breathtaking Glencoe and enjoy the hospitality of Inverness, the Capital of the highlands. Journey to the northernmost parts of Scotland and follow in the footsteps of Vikings. The awe-inspiring Orkney Islands and an epic Scottish Highlands tour awaits.

Why Scottish Guided Tours?

Door to Door Service

Your private tour guide shall greet you at your chosen location. Hotel, B&B or even Cruise Ship Terminal. The most convenient start possible to your private tour of Scotland. Complete Door to Door service from Scottish Guided Tours. 

Tour guide Edinburgh

Your Guides

Niall and his team of experienced Scottish Tour Guides aim to give the best possible experience, whether heritage related, historical, cultural or perhaps, a mixture of all three. Fun and authentic private guided tours of Scotland – The best Scotland has to offer.

Transport

Our brand new vehicles ensure great views, comfort and plenty of room for all travellers and luggage. Private Tours of Scotland exclusively for your group of travelling companions.

Scottish Guided Tours

Private Tours

Scottish Guided Tours deliver fantastic private tours of Scotland exclusively for your group of travellers. No travellers shall be mixed with any other private groups. Bespoke tours of Scotland designed around your time frame & interests.

Covid-19 Precautions

All vehicles are meticulously cleaned. Face masks and sanitiser are provided. Private guided tours are exclusively for family or fellow travelling companions. Private tours of Scotland are the safest way to travel.

More info & FAQ

Day One 

We depart on our Orkney Islands Tour from Edinburgh and travel north to the Scottish Highlands, passing through beautiful Highland Perthshire.

Highland Perthshire is known as the ‘Gateway to the Highlands and is an outstanding start to our private tour of Scotland.

Coffee in the historic village of Dunkeld and a visit to the 7th-century Cathedral is an excellent start to the day.

Dunkeld Cathedral is indeed a remarkable building in the heart of this beautiful highland village.

Jacobites once fought the British Army on this quaint village’s streets, and You can still see musket ball marks.

Next, we explore the fascinating Hermitage Woods.

Tours of Scotland
Hermitage Woods, near Dunkeld on our Orkney Islands Tour from Edinburgh

The forest here is magical, and the Dukes of Athol planted the Douglas Firs and Larch in the 18th century.

John, the 4th Duke of Athol, was known as ‘Planter John’ and the woodlands’ Big Tree Country.’ 

There is more to these Scottish woods than meets the eye!! 

 

Culloden Moor & Clava Cairns 

Our private guided tour of Scotland continues to Culloden Moor. 

Isle of Skye & Inverness Tour
Cairns mark the graves of Highland warriors at Culloden Moor.

Culloden is an extraordinary and poignant place in Scottish Jacobite history and, as such, an excellent stop on our private tours of Scotland.

The interactive visitor centre will take you back in time to 1746 and what turns out to be the last military battle on British soil. 

Visitors to the moorland comment on this place’s unique atmosphere, and walking on the battlefield past the cairns that mark the graves of highlanders, you understand why.

Inverness & Highlands Tour
A cairn marking mass Clan graves on Culloden Moor. Scottish Guided Tours-Private Tours of Scotland

The Jacobites’ massacre on that bleak April morning and the war graves that remain are a stark reminder of the fate of the Highlanders.

2 Day Inverness & Highlands Tour
Culloden Moor and the Clan Fraser Cairn on day one of our Edinburgh to Orkney Tour

Clava Cairns and Standing Stones

A perfect end to our first day is Clava Cairns.

Walk amongst the neolithic stones and truly feel the wonder of this place. A hugely significant and exceptionally well preserved prehistoric site.

Clava Cairns is a fantastic example of the distant history of Highland Scotland, dating back about 4,000 years.

Isle of Skye private tour
The Standing Stones of Clava Cairns are as magical as they are mysterious.

A well-preserved Bronze Age cemetery complex of passage graves, ring cairns, kerb cairns, and standing stones in a beautiful setting. Standing stones are not uncommon in Scotland but are always very special to touch, walk around, and experience.

The Outlander TV series has undoubtedly added to their popularity.

A hugely significant and exceptionally well preserved prehistoric site.

Clava Cairns is a fantastic example of the distant history of Highland Scotland, dating back about 4,000 years.

Private Tour of Scotland
Clava Cairns is a neolithic settlement outside Inverness. A magical stop on our Isle of Skye Tour

Inverness – Capital of the Highlands

In the early evening, we check into Inverness.  The largest city and the cultural capital of the Scottish Highlands, Inverness is a wonderful, friendly, and welcoming town.

Inverness Highlands 2 day Tour

Ness Footbridge over the River Ness. Inverness & Highland Tour exploring the city.
 

Nestled on the River Ness, the small city has an excellent choice of restaurants, traditional pubs, and shops.

Situated on Scotland’s northeast coast where the River Ness meets the Moray Firth makes this little city an outstanding overnight stop on our Orkney Islands Tour. 

Superb choices of Hotels, B&B’s, shops, and local eateries means there is an excellent selection for all travellers in the capital of the Highlands.

One of the many reasons why tours of Inverness are a must.

Scotland travel visit Inverness
Visit Inverness on your Scotland Travels and explore Inverness Castle.

 

 Day Two

 

8.30 am We depart for Orkney

We travel North through the Scottish Highlands and marvel at the unique scenery of Caithness. The history of our Highland people can be as tragic as it is remarkable.

As we travel to John ‘O’ Groats, Scotland’s story will unfold a little more.

John O’Groats

Just 11 miles from Dunnet Head, the most northerly point of mainland Britain, the small coastal village of John o’ Groats is the starting point for many embarking on the famous ‘End to End’ journey to Land’s End in England, some 876 miles away.

 

12 pm Check-in for Ferry to St Margaret’s Hope

The ferry takes approximately one hour, during which you will sail through the Pentland Firth and into the Orkney archipelago.

Orkney Islands Tour from Edinburgh
Scotland is a nation of islands. On our Orkney Islands Tour, we sail into St Margarets Hope.

This is the shortest and quickest sea route to Orkney and an amazing experience.

The Italian Chapel

The Italian Chapel was built during the 2nd World War by Italian prisoners of war who were stationed on the island of Lamb Holm and tasked with building the Churchill Barriers.

Orkney Islands Tour from Edinburgh
The Italian Chapel is an incredible stop on our Orkney Islands Tour.
Orkney Islands Tour from Edinburgh
On our Orkney Islands Tour from Edinburgh, an incredible attraction is always the Italian Chapel.

Churchill Barriers

Born from a time of conflict but now serving as vital links between island communities, the Churchill Barriers are remarkable structures that have become as iconic as many of Orkney’s more ancient landmarks.

The sinking of HMS Royal Oak in October 1939 with the loss of 833 lives, prompted then First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill, to order the building of a series of the causeway – the Churchill Barriers – to block off the eastern approaches to the naval anchorage of Scapa Flow.

Tours of Scotland
Churchill Barriers on our Orkney Islands Tour are an incredible sight.

Stones of Stennes 

The Standing Stones of Stenness may be the oldest henge site in the British Isles. Various traditions associated with the stones survived into the modern era, and they form part of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site.

Edinburgh to Orkney
Standing Stones of Stenness on our Orkney Islands Tour from Edinburgh

Ring of Brodgar

Most henges do not contain stone circles; Brodgar is a striking exception, ranking with Avebury (and to a lesser extent Stonehenge) among the greatest of such sites.

Private Tours of Scotland
Neolithic sites pepper the Orkney Islands. Explore the Ring of Brogdar on your Orkney Islands tour from Edinburgh.

5.30 pm approx arrive in Kirkwall

Kirkwall is the largest town of Orkney and a great base on our Orkney Islands Tour from Edinburgh. Kirkwall’s name comes from the Norse name Kirkjuvágr, which later changed to Kirkvoe, Kirkwall, and Kirkwall. Contact us for great B&B and Hotel suggestions.

 

 

Day 3

A longer lie this morning !!!

9.30 am, we set off on an incredible adventure around the Orkney mainland.

Skara Brae and Maes Howe

Maeshowe is the finest chambered tomb in northwest Europe and is more than 5,000 years old. Viking crusaders broke into the cairn in the 12th century and carved graffiti runes on the main chamber walls.

Orkney Islands Tour
Book our private Orkney Islands Tour from Edinburgh. 5 wonderful days exploring Scotland.

Skara Brae is one of the best-preserved Neolithic settlements anywhere in Western Europe.

The amazing artefacts discovered at this incredible site give us an insight into what life was like thousands of years ago.

 

Lunch

 

 Stromness

The captivating old town of Stromness is located on the shore of Hamnavoe, an inlet of Scapa Flow, and is the main ferry port on Orkney.

 

Scapa Flow

Scapa Flow is a body of water sheltered by Mainland, Graemsay, Burray, South Ronaldsay, and Hoy. Its sheltered waters have played an important role in travel, trade, and conflict throughout the centuries.

Orkney Islands Tour from Edinburgh
Our Orkney Islands Tour from Edinburgh is a private tour of Scotland. A fun and relaxed journey over 5 wonderful days.

A scenic drive with Scapa Flow views, which was used by the British Navy during both World Wars. Scapa flow is the final resting place of HMS Royal Oak.

Tours of Scotland
The Orkney Islands Tour from Edinburgh is a magical experience.

Option to visit Scapa Distillery

Scapa is an artisanal single malt forged by the extreme elements of Orkney. Scapa is a surprisingly smooth and honeyed single malt whisky, a unique tasting experience.

 

5.30 pm approx Arrive at Kirkwall

 

Day 4

 

St Magnus Cathedral

Towering above Kirkwall, the cathedral with its distinct sandstone hues is one of Orkney’s most significant landmarks. It was founded in 1137 by Earl Rognvald in honour of his uncle St Magnus and took 300 years to build

Private Tours of Scotland
St Magnus Cathedral is a magnificent site, right in the heart of charming Kirkwall.

11.15 am  Ferry to Mainland

 

Lunch in Wick

Wick is a lovely town and royal burgh in Caithness. The town straddles the River Wick and extends along both sides of Wick Bay.

Great for lunch, coffee or stroll.

 

Dunrobin Castle

Dunrobin Castle Dunrobin Castle is the most northerly of Scotland’s great houses and the largest in the Northern Highlands with 189 rooms. It is also one of Britain’s oldest continuously inhabited houses dating back to the early 1300s. Home to the Earls and later, the Dukes of Sutherland.

Orkney Tour
Dunrobin Castle near Golspie, Sutherland in the Highlands of Scotland

6 pm approx arrive in Inverness

 

 

Day 5

 

We depart Inverness at 9.am and travel the short distance to Urquart Castle on the world-famous Loch Ness’s shores.
Urquhart Castle is a fantastic visit, and the views and history here are incredible.

Tours of Scotland
Urquhart Castle commands great views of Loch Ness and can be found beside the village of Drumnadrochit on our private tour of Scotland.

 

Following the Loch, for almost its full 23 miles, we make our way past Loch Lochy and to the Ben Nevis viewpoint.

Ben Nevis is Scotland’s highest mountain and stands over the highland town of Fort William. 

 

Glencoe & Loch Lomond National Park

We travel into the heart of Lochaber, passing the highland town of Fort William & Ben Nevis.

Ben Nevis is Scotland’s tallest mountain and always great to see as we journey through the highlands.

Inverness & Scottish Highlands 2 day Tour
The Three Sisters of Glencoe, as we explore Scotland on our private tour from Edinburgh.

Exploring the famous Glencoe, renowned for its beauty but infamous for its bloody history, is wonderful and thought-provoking.

Sometimes called the “weeping glen,” Glencoe is as atmospheric as it is beautiful.

Unique landscapes of Rannoch Moor lead us eventually into the Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park and the beautiful scenery of the southern highlands.

A stop a Doune Castle is a must.

Doune Castle 

Glencoe Day Tour from Edinburgh
Doune Castle is a unique stop on our tour from Edinburgh.

The 14th-century castle has been used as a filming location for Outlander, Game of Thrones, and even Monty Python. 

An incredible end to an epic four-day private tour with Scottish Guided Tours.

 

Private Tours of Scotland 

 

Private tours of Scotland are designed around you and your travelling companions; thus, Scottish Guided tours are tailored to your time frame and interests.

On our private Isle of Skye tours, you may want a short or long walk to Neist point Lighthouse or a hike up the ‘Storr.’

You may prefer more time in the fishing village of Portree!

Complete flexibility is only one of the many benefits of a private guide and transport with Scottish Guided Tours.

Local knowledge of where to go if the weather turns or how best to avoid the crowds in busier months is a huge advantage of the private Isle of Skye Tours from Edinburgh.

In summary, private guided tours of Scotland are a unique and relaxed way to explore. 

Highland Cattle (Hairy Coos)

Private Isle of Skye Tour
A Highland Cow on the road to Elgol on our Isle of Skye & Inverness Tour

 

 Forth Rail Bridge

Hermitage Woodland Walk

Dunkeld Highland Village

Lunch in the local area

Highland Perthshire

Culloden Moor & Visitor Centre

Clava Cairns 

Inverness Area Check in

John ‘O’ Groats

Ferry to Orkney

St Margarets Hope

Italian Chapel

Churchill Barriers

Stones of Stennes

Ring of Brodgar

Kirkwall 

 

Orkney Full Day Tour

Skara Brae

Maes Howe

Stromness (Lunch)

Scapa Flow

Scapa Distillery (Tour Option )

Kirkwall return

St Magnus Cathedral Kirkwall

Ferry return

Royal Burgh of Wick

Dunrobin Castle

Inverness area check in 

Loch Ness

Urquart Castle

Ben Nevis

Glencoe

Rannoch Moor

Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park

Doune Castle 

Return to drop off location

Join us on a private guided tour of Scotland and enjoy the best of Scotland.

Scottish guided tours, plan and deliver the best private tours of Scotland

Contact us and start your Scottish Adventure

  • Private Day Tour prices: 695 GBP per day (not per person)
  • Exclusively for your group of up to 8 passengers (for larger groups please contact us)
  • Multi-day tours – Includes guides daily & overnight expenses.
  • Private guiding Services
  • Private Transportation
  • Scottish Spring Water is provided 
  • Please note: Entrance fees to historic buildings-attractions etc are not included unless previously stated.

Transport is in a brand new air-conditioned vehicle with plenty of room for you and your group.

Credit & debit cards or contactless payment are accepted all over Scotland. Its always handy to have a little cash for very small shops 

Scottish Guided Tours offer private tours exclusively for your group. Tours can start and end in any location within Scotland. 

Accommodation is not included in your quote. Payment for accommodation is made directly to Hotel or B&B on arrival, unless by prior arrangement.

Contact us for great accommodation suggestions

We would be delighted to suggest Hotels or B&B’s for your trip. Some clients prefer to book their own but we are always glad to help. Please Contact us 

Scottish Guided Tours - Private Guided Tours of Scotland

Scottish Guided Tours - Tours of Scotland

Private Day Tours of Scotland

Explore a variety of private day tours of Scotland with Scottish Guided Tours. Private guided tours offering you complete door to door convenience.

Private multi-day Tours of Scotland

Multi-Day Tours of Scotland

Book an overnight private tour of Scotland with Scottish Guided Tours. Embark on a 2 day private tour or plan a 14 day private tour of Scotland.

Day Tours of Scotland

Bespoke Private Tours of Scotland

Plan your very own, private bespoke day tours or multi-day tour of Scotland. Private guided tours of Scotland focused your time frame and interests.

Chesapeak Tourist
Chesapeak Tourist
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You Won't Regret a Tour with Niall! In the spring of 2018, our party of 3 adults visited Scotland for the first time. We arranged a day-long private tour outside of Edinburgh with Niall McOwen. Before arrival, we exchanged emails about our expectations. Some attractions the three of us asked to see were probably the usual tourist fair for first time visitors, but Niall also took us to places we didn't even know to ask about! Mr. McOwen was considerate, interesting, knowledgeable and truly concerned about the desires of our group. Around mid-day, the restaurant he chose provided us with good food, a bit of shopping and some time for us to get to know each other better. Getting to see this beautiful country through his eyes helped me to understand more of Scotland, its history and its citizens. If we are ever blessed to visit Scotland again, Niall will absolutely be included as part of our trip.
Lori Q
Lori Q
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An Epic Day to Remember! Scottish Guided Tours offers some preplanned itineraries, but their specialty is in working with you to customize a single or multi-day tour to fit your specific needs. We’d been to Scotland in the fall of 2017 and started planning our second trip as soon as we got back. We wanted to go to places a bit off the beaten track this time, so contacted Niall McOwan of Scottish Guided Tours. Niall built on our “must see” request, and suggested some other sites that worked well with our schedule. He picked us up from our hotel, and gave us an absolutely epic day to remember! One highlight was visiting an Old Kirk that is the final resting place of the famous Highlander Rob Roy MacGregor. Just behind the Kirk, we hiked up a trail that took us to a rallying point overlooking Loch Voil. A stone cairn at marked the place where Clan MacLaren would have lit a fiery cross to summon their men to battle. The view from this spot was just breathtaking! Throughout the day, Niall filled us in on the significance, history, and lore related to our stops. In addition to taking us to absolutely stunning viewpoints and ruins, he knew the best places to stop for lunch, coffee, and restrooms. 🙂 Our entire experience with Scottish Guided Tours from planning to the drop off back at our hotel was smooth, professional, friendly, knowledgeable and fun! I can without any hesitation recommend this service to anyone looking for a custom tour in and around Scotland.
Laura M
Laura M
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First guided tour, Don’t often write reviews but felt the need to for our trip. We live in Spain and decided on a little trip back to the motherland,we were not disappointed and our trip was made even better by Niall,his knowledge and passion for his country and what he does is evident,not your bog standard repitive tour guide,there was not one day of our trip that he didn’t have us laughing. Can highly recommend Scottish guided tours,we will return and when we do,we will definitely be booking with Niall.
Kirstie B
Kirstie BEdradour Distillery & Best of Scotland Day Tour
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Best of Scotland & Edradour Distillery Day Tour We spent a really entertaining and informative day with our guide, Niall ( Neal in Gaelic). He took us north to see the three bridges from different eras that span the Firth of Forth. It was fun to see a train go over the old one. Then we were off to Dunkeld, the river Tay, a wee hike in the woods to find a salmon ladder (alas,, no salmon running at that moment), coffee at a charming shop in Dunkeld, a tour at Edradour Distillery, the only remaining hand made single malt whiskey in Scotland, and the smallest to boot. We had a quick look at the village of Pitlocry, and ended the day at Loch Tummel to see The Queen's View. One more coffee stop, and it was back to Edinburg. But the best part of this fine day was the time we spent with Niall, who was a font of information, jovial and witty. As one does, we compared cultures, talked about everything under the sun, and laughed together much of the time. If you are looking for a tour guide with a warm demeanor and a kind and helpful personality, Niall is the best.
Foods12367
Foods12367Isle of Skye 3 Day Tour
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Excellent 3 Day Scottish Highlands and the Isle of Skye tour!! I had friends visiting from America and rather than drive them around myself , I decided to book a tour with Scottish Guided Tours! Wow! Our guide Niall was incredible!! Polite, funny, punctual, organised and so friendly. We were picked up from our Hotel, Niall had organised water for us, helped us source lovely B&B’s on Skye and the vehicle we travelled in was new, comfortable and spacious. I am Scottish but I can’t believe the information I learnt and my friends were blown away by the sites we visited and the brilliant stories Niall told us. Not to mention “Skye“ which my friends are now crazy about. If you’re visiting Scotland you must use Scottish Guided Tours & Niall!
DMarieC
DMarieC5 Day Private Tour
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Extraordinary and outstanding! With all the great tour guides I have hired, Niall stood out. He was with our family from Nov. 21-25. He picked us up at the Edinburgh airport and we started touring immediately. seeing the Kelpies, South Queensferry and the Forth Bridges all in the first afternoon. After that, we spent four more days together while he regaled us with history, legends and fairy stories. He listened and did not interrupt. Niall seemed to know how much to talk and how much to listen. He played the most beautiful Scottish music as we drove. We felt immersed in Scottish history and culture. He even wore his kilt for two of the five days. He went out of his way to accommodate our dietary needs. (It really helped that he is vegan himself.) We traveled through ancient woodlands, burial sites, battlefields, castles, fairy pools and fairy glens, mountain ranges, Outlander, Harry Potter and other film sites. We ended up enjoying him so much that we considered him part of the family and wanted him for the rest of our stay. Finally, we all noticed how kind Niall was with not only us, but with everyone including other drivers, restaurant staff and hotel staff. I only hope that he will be available when we return. We thought that Scotland was magical and that magic was mainly because of him. We would never tour with anyone else. Niall is the very best.
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