Orkney Islands Day Trip from Inverness

We were blessed with a sunny day to visit the Orkneys. Everything was well-organized. I absolutely loved the visit to Skara Brae and the Ring of Brodgar. I appreciated the possibility to purchase food on the bus since the tour is 14 hours. If you have the time visit the Orkneys for 2-3 days.

Long but seamless daytrip from Inverness. Once in a lifetime chance to visit Skara Brae and Ring of Brodgar. Seeing Scapa Flow adds life to WW I / Ii historical events.

This is a great trip. You are accompanied on the coach at either end by friendly, knowledgeable and helpful staff. You don't get much time at each stop, but they do cram a lot in, so is the perfect taster tour. Skara Brae was a highlight for us. As you'd expect it is a long day, so come prepared, and also pack an extra layer as it did get a bit chilly on the ferry crossing! (We had a covering of fog for the journey back!). The opportunity to purchase food, drinks and snacks on the coach was a welcome addition.

My husband, son and I took this tour on July 5, 2019. It was quite a long day, but we saw so much. The guide on the drive to John O'Groats gave an interesting account on the way and pointed out many interesting castles and things of historical significance along the way. He also took our lunch order which was ready when we arrived at John O'Groats and then an order for sandwiches for the return. The ferry was a bit bumpy as it was a very stormy day to get to Orkney. The driver/guide on (Scott from Kent) Orkney was also very entertaining and had us all laughing several times during the day. Seeing Skara Brae, The Ring of Brogdar and the Italian Chapel was quite exciting. The ferry back was enjoyable as some local kids were playing music the whole journey back and it went by quickly. When we picked up the return bus to Inverness it was a different crew who did not speak to the passengers at all or acknowledge if we were on the correct bus to return. We had to ask and also my husband had to track down his binoculars that were removed from the bus and go to a shack to retrieve them. It would have been nice if the bus driver had made an announcement that they would not be stopping at all along the way for a bathroom break as the toilet on the bus was out of order. Three hours is a long time without any use of facilities let alone to not engage with the passengers other than a short stop where they picked up sandwiches and passed them out. It would have been nice for the driver at least play some music to help pass the time. It was a weird and awkward silence, where as the journey from Inverness was more animated. Other than that we enjoyed the places we were able to see and found it a good value.

Long journey on the bus but the tour was brilliant. Stops at some aces so time for a wonder around and stretch the legs but overall had a really nice day

Martin, our driver/guide on Orkney was great! Everything that we saw was amazing. The ferry was comfortable and the staff helpful. The return bus trip was unpleasant as we were not allowed to use the facilities at John O'Groat before we departed. Then there was NO comfort stop all the way back to Inverness. There was a tiny bathroom on the bus that at least provided an emergency option. It would have been good to have known this prior to booking.

Bus driver was knowledgeable, informative, and engaging’ I would gave liked to stay in Kirkwall 30 minutes longer and the first ruins 15 minutes longer- extend the trip by leaving at 7 and returning at 21:30.

The tour itself is ok but the guide was a bit blah. Also wouldn't recommend this tour from Inverness. Too long of a day just sitting on a bus. Its not a group tour, more like shared transportation. Orkney Island is beautiful and hopefully the tours get better in future years.

Orkney is a beautiful and exciting place to visit. Very interesting and funny guides on the bus, and everything on the tour went smoothly.

The bus rides from Inverness to John O'Groates is a little bumpy and is tiring, but the ferry ride is breezy and wakes you up and invigorates all as you see the cliffs approaching on Orkney. Our driver was full of historical stories and puns tossed in here and there. It was VERY enjoyable and informative. It was a very high level visit of Orkney but has left us wanting to return so we can return for an extended visit to really experience and learn more about the people and the land. It is so incredibly beautiful and full of interesting history. We look forward to our next trip here. As a side note, it is a VERY long day and we highly recommend packing snacks and drinks. There is so much to do in a limited time that there isn't enough time to stop anywhere to grab a sandwich or much of anything else.

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.

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!