8 Day Grand Orkney, Shetland and Highlands Private Tour

Day 1 – Departing from Edinburgh we travel north over the Firth of Forth towards the Central Highlands. We explore the beautiful village of Dunkeld before our drive northwards takes us to the Cairngorms National Park. Arriving near Inverness by the mid-afternoon, we visit Culloden Battlefield and the Clava Cairns before our overnight stay.

Day 2 – Departing Inverness with a morning drive to the far North of Scotland and the ferry port of Scrabster near Thurso. The drive north covers wonderful coastal scenery and normally takes around 3-4 hours including photo stops and a brief visit to the historic town of Dornoch. Our 1½ hour ferry journey includes a great view of the Old Man of Hoy before our arrival in Orkney where we visit Skara Brae, a five thousand year old Neolithic village settlement – one of the highlights of the tour – before heading for our overnight stay in Kirkwall.

Day 3 – Our first full day in Orkney includes a visit to Maeshowe Neolithic chambered tomb. We also explore the Neolithic standing stones of Stenness, the Ring of Brodgar and the 2000 year old Broch of Gurness. The afternoon takes us to the Italian Chapel and the Churchill Barriers before our return to Kirkwall for our overnight stay.

Day 4 – After some free time in Kirkwall we visit the historic St Magnus Cathedral along with the Earl's Palace and the Orkney Museum. The afternoon is spent exploring the dramatic coastline around Birsay and Yesnaby. There is also the option to take a whisky distillery tour (advance booking required) at Highland Park or Scapa (home to a beautiful tasting room overlooking Scapa Flow). Alternatively, for those interested in Orkney's wartime heritage we could spend the day visiting the island of Hoy – a 35 minute ferry crossing from the Orkney mainland across Scapa Flow (advance booking required). Along with time at the Scapa Flow Museum, we tour across Hoy to explore Rackwick Bay. After an evening meal in Kirkwall we catch the late ferry (11.45pm) from Kirkwall for an overnight sailing to Lerwick in Shetland.

Day 5 – Arriving in Lerwick harbour in the early morning (7.30am), we enjoy breakfast on the ferry before exploring the south mainland of Shetland. Sumburgh Head is our first stop – a haven for seabirds (including puffins from May to July). Next is Jarlshof Prehistoric and Norse settlement which spans over four thousand years. The afternoon takes us on a beautiful coastal drive to the breath-taking St Ninian's Isle where you can hike across the sands to the island before we return north to Lerwick for our overnight stay.

Day 6 – A day to explore the most northernly inhabited island in Scotland – Unst. Departing from Lerwick we drive north to catch the 20-minute ferry crossing to Yell. After a scenic drive through Yell we take the short 10-minute ferry crossing to Unst. We spend the late morning and early afternoon exploring the island, with visits to Muness Castle, Haroldswick, Burra Firth and Saxa Vord, before our return to Lerwick in the late afternoon for our overnight stay.

Day 7 – Departing from Lerwick we head towards the north Shetland mainland. Arriving at Eshaness we savour the dramatic cliffs and sea stacks of Shetland’s stunning coastal landscape. We then enjoy a scenic drive around Scalloway and Burra before returning to Lerwick. The afternoon includes a visit the Shetland Museum and some free time to meander through Lerwick town and harbour. In the late afternoon we board the ferry from Lerwick for an overnight sailing to Aberdeen on the Scottish mainland.

Day 8 – Arriving into Aberdeen harbour in the early morning (7am) we enjoy a leisurely breakfast on the ferry before heading south to explore the ancient ruins of Dunnottar Castle near Stonehaven. The early afternoon takes us south to the Kingdom of Fife where we explore the historic town of St Andrews before our arrival into Edinburgh in the late afternoon and the end of our Northern Isles adventure!