17 Day Northern Isles of Scotland Autumnal Adventure
September 25th - October 11th, 2025
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On this tour we spend one week each in two of our favourite places on earth! We both have Orkney ancestry and when we are here, we are home! We would love to find some Shetland ancestry because we feel just at home there as we do in Orkney. How could it be any better than spending one week in each location? Join us for an unforgettable journey that you will treasure always.
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Nothing captures the Romantic wonder of Scotland more than the Highlands and Islands. If you have never experienced the Isles of Scotland, I cannot do them justice in just a few words! We have been including Orkney into our Highlands and Islands tours for several years and Shetland for about the last seven years, even so, we can never get enough of them! So putting together a tour that includes one week on each set of Islands seemed like the next natural progression to allow you to get the most of your North Isles Scottish experience.
Our Islands tours are ever changing as ferry crossings may be delayed or cancelled or venues change times or dates. We try to keep to the itinerary exactly as it is, but sometimes things out of our control happen. We will have many wildlife adventure on this tour, but unfortunately we cannot guarantee the sighting of any listed wildlife. You must be able to easily go with the flow on this tour because changes can happen. Although we provide the very best level of accommodation available, we are sometimes limited for choice when we are out in the Hebrides, Orkney and the Shetland Islands. Even so, the two accommodations we have chosen for our islands adventure are indicative of what you will find on Orkney and Shetland and as far as we are concerned, the very best choices available.
Our Orkney accommodation is at the Storehouse in Kirkwall. The Storehouse, or The Old Store as it was previously known, was built in around 1880 as a herring curing store. It is a grade B Listed Building, and has changed very little since 1880 and still retains many of its original internal timbers, some of which are believed to have been salvaged from tall ships.In its lifetime, the 19th Century building has been used as a print works and stationery storage by George Leonard, however it lay in a state of neglect until Judith Glue and David Spence bought it to use as a storage facility in 2011. The end result is a wonderful renovation that oozes Orcadian history and uniqueness, mixing the old with the new to enable luxury and comfort for guests . The restaurant also serves local Orkney produce which is made in an open kitchen with a menu that also reflects the nature and history of this fantastic building.
Our Shetland accommodation is at Busta House Hotel on the shore of sheltered Busta Voe on mainland Shetland. The earliest part of the house was built in 1588 and then extended in 1748 and it has quite a history! If you have ever watched the Shetland TV Series you will recognize parts of the house. You can watch the sun set on the sea as you enjoy specially prepared Shetland lamb and seafood in the understated elegance of the Pitcairn Room restaurant. The unfussy cooking features good quality basic ingredients which include Scallops from Busta Voe and Locally Sourced Haddock or Plaice. We would not stay anywhere else on Shetland and once you experience its rich history, beautiful settings and warm hospitality we think you’ll agree!
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Tour price includes 17 nights of island and Edinburgh accommodation. Full Scottish breakfast each morning, all dinners and lunches listed in the itinerary, porterage of one suitcase per person, minibus travel including tour guide, knowledgeable guide for all tourist venues, all sightseeing as indicated in itinerary including any entrance fees and all taxes and service charges.​
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$9,995 per person. This tour is now closed..
$1695 single supplement.
$1000 per person deposit to reserve your spot.
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Please do not sign up for a tour until you have familiarized yourself with
our Terms and Conditions. Especially in regards to mobility, cancellation,
luggage​ etc. ​
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Day 1 - September 25th - We will meet this morning at our Edinburgh Airport Accommodation and make our way north toward to just above Inverness with a few stops along the way. Our first stop will be the lovely Highland Village of Pitlochry. Queen Victoria called Pitlochry the loveliest spa town in Europe and it soon became a holiday destination that was a must among Victorians and all the way up to today. We think you will love it too, so you will have plenty of time to explore! Our next stop is just up the road at the House of Bruar, home of Scottish Country Clothing with an extensive range of high quality products in both the Men’s and Ladies Clothing Halls. You can also find the Finest Country Fayre of Traditional Scottish Food and Drink in the Food Halls and Delicatessen. It also houses the largest collection of Cashmere in the UK. The Country Living Shop carries plenty of choice for decorating your home, or even the perfect gift. After getting your fill of shopping, we stop for Afternoon Tea before making our way further north to our country house hotel north of Inverness to get better acquainted before we start our island adventure together. Welcoming Dinner and Overnight north of Inverness. (B,L,D)
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Day 2 - September 26th - This morning we start our journey north to Scrabster where we will take a ferry across to Orkney. Our drive will take us north and along the this spectacular coastline across the Dornach Firth and to Golspie and then Brora and to the lovely village of Helmsdale, where we will make our first stop. We then continue through Dunbeath Latheron Wheel, Lybster and Thrumster on our way to Wick with a few photo stops along the way. We will stop in Wick for afternoon tea and a wee wander before we make our way further north to John O'Groats. John o' Groats is a village located in the far north of mainland Scotland, historically known as the traditional northern terminus of the British mainland road network. There is also a wonderful ice cream shop here! We then make our way around the coasline heading west and along the most northern coast of mainland Scotland. We will also stop at Dunnet Head, a wee peninsula known for being the northernmost point of mainland Great Britain. It's a popular destination for its dramatic cliffs, wildlife viewing (especially seabirds), and the Dunnet Head Lighthouse. From here it is a lovely coastal drive to Scrabster where we board our ferry. After we have boarded the ferry, you can find some dinner on our way to Stromness in Orkney. Once our ferry docks at Stromness, it is just a short distance to our accommodation in Kirkwall where we get settled in for the night. Overnight Kirkwall, Orkney. (B,L)
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Day 3 - September 27th - This morning we will have a Walking Tour that will familiarize you with Kirkwall. The Town Walk and Cathedral tour, starts at the harbour, moving up through the historic City and Royal Burgh of Kirkwall. We will follow the narrow, winding streets, that made up Kirkwall’s medieval coastline, listening to stories of the notorious Pressgang and of Orcadian wedding traditions. Hear about the fearsome Kirkwall Ba Game, that divides the town in half, at Christmas and New Year. Then get a guided tour around the magnificent 12th century St Magnus Cathedral. The tour ends in Tankerness House Gardens, with the story of Orkney’s very own Pirate Gow. After our tour, we make our way to Stromness where you can find some lunch before taking some time to explore. Stromness is a place shaped by the sea with old stone houses huddled along its sheltered harbour, with a tumbling network of flagstone streets, lanes, piers, and slipways lending a timeless feel to this unique town. The maritime heritage of Stromness is the thread that runs right through the town’s story. A safe haven in Viking times and a final stop for ships of the Hudson’s Bay Company, it’s now the heart of Orkney’s dive industry, a ferry gateway to Scotland, and the home of the pioneering renewable energy industry in the islands. The harbour is the heart of the town, but elsewhere you’ll discover independent shops, studios, and galleries, as well as the world-renowned Pier Arts Centre. The best way to see Stromness is to simply take a stroll through the street as it runs from north to south, exploring all the nooks and crannies you can find. Dinner and Overnight Kirkwall. (B,D)
Day 4 - September 28th - This morning we make our way west to Skara Brae, a neolithic village dating from 2,500 BC which has been hidden under sand dunes, perfectly preserved, for thousands of years and was only rediscovered 150 years ago. We will also visit the Broch of Gurness, one of the most outstanding surviving examples of a later prehistoric settlement that is unique to northern Scotland. The Vikings who settled in Orkney from around 800 often used the mounds of earlier settlement sites as burial places, and this was the case at Gurness. Next is the Ring of Brodgar, a stone ring built in a true circle originally containing 60 megaliths. Next we visit Maeshowe, the finest chambered tomb in Western Europe. Built before 2700 BC, it was raided by the Vikings in the mid-12th century and plundered of its 'treasures'. Maeshowe is interesting because of the various runic inscriptions carved into the walls. This is one of the best known collections and includes the Maeshowe Dragon - a very well known Orkney icon. Finally we visit the Standing Stones of Stenness dating from 3,100BC making the stones complex one of the earliest stone circles in Britain. We then make our way back to our accommodation for dinner. Dinner and Overnight Kirkwall, Orkney. (B,D)
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Day 5 - September 29th - This morning we will take the short journey to the Isle of Hoy. Synonymous with the world famous sea stack the Old Man of Hoy, Orkney's second largest island rises dramatically from the sea. With mountainous moorland and glacial valleys, you will encounter a dramatic highland landscape. Hoy is unlike anywhere else in Orkney. Once on Hoy we visit Dwarfie Stane, a huge block of sandstone in which a Neolithic Burial Chamber has been cut. It is believed to date from around 3000 BC and the tomb was formerly sealed by the blocking stone which now lies in front of the entrance. Hoy is also famous for its birdlife. We will have a Packed Lunch Picnic which we will have at Rackwick Beach. Rackwick means “wreckage bay,” in the Old Norse language of early Viking settlers. The name reflects the terrible fate suffered by many ships as they attempted to cross the Pentland Firth, even in more recent days. Nestled among the Hoy Hills is beautiful Rackwick Bay. This crofting township is considered one of the most beautiful places in Orkney. Bounded by towering 200m cliffs and steep heathery hills, Rackwick Valley rests beside a fine sand and boulder strewn beach. It has a beauty and climate all of its own. Then back to the mainland and to our accommodation for dinner. We then visit the Scapa Flow Museum before taking the ferry back to the mainland. The museum tells the story of a remote but immense natural harbour off the far north coast of Scotland as the centre of the British naval universe during both world wars. Here we will discover the equally important story of how this influx of thousands of service people affected the daily lives of the people of Orkney and left a lasting legacy on the archipelago. Scapa Flow Museum’s role is to chart Orkney’s military involvement in the First and Second World Wars, and provide a safe home for a major collection of wartime artefacts, many of national and international importance. Dinner and Overnight Kirkwall, Orkney. (B,L,D)​
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Day 6 - September 30th - After breakfast we make our way to one of Orkney's Most Popular Beaches, Scapa. With views out into Scapa Flow, the beach is a brilliant place to be on a bright morning with the sun casting its colours over the sky. There is an excellent walk along the cliffs at the west side of the beach taking us past Scapa Distillery, a waterfall and plenty of seabirds, en-route to a small sandy bay. Then we take our picnic lunch to Yesnaby, one of the most spectacular stretches of coastline in Orkney, and must see location during a visit to the islands. This wild location offers stunning sea views where you may see huge waves crashing into the cliffs, but in calmer weather there is plenty of seabirds to spot. From the car park we will head south on the coastal path and walk across the Brough of Bigging for a view of the jagged and towering cliffs, and then continue past rocky inlets until we reach Yesnaby Castle, a delicate sea-stack with a natural arch. For the more adventurous you can continue your walk south taking in more beautiful cliff views and sea stacks. we make our way Scapa Distillery for a Tour and a Taste. Scapa single malt is crafted by a small team of dedicated artisans and a Master Distiller, using traditional methods perfected over generations. Overlooking the historic Scapa Flow, it is one of the last remaining manually operated distilleries, manned 24 hours a day. Our warehouse visit and a tour of the distillery will conclude with a bespoke tasting in The Noust - the clifftop whisky haven. Dinner on your own this evening. Overnight Kirkwall, Orkney. (B,L)
Day 7 - October 1st - We start our day with a drive that will take us to South Ronaldsay as we make our way across the Churchill Barriers. Born from a time of conflict but now serving as vital links between island communities, these remarkable structures have become as iconic as many of Orkney’s more ancient landmarks. They link the islands of Burray, Lamb Holm and Glimps Holm with South Ronaldsay. We will make a few stops along the way including the Italian Chapel before we stop for lunch at our favourite place to eat on South Ronaldsay. The Italian Chapel consists of two Nissen huts transformed into a beautiful chapel by Domenico Chiocchetti and his colleagues, Italian prisoners of war captured in North Africa and transported to the Island of Lamb Holm in Orkney. A shortage of manpower to construct the barriers coincided with the capture of thousands of Italian soldiers fighting in North Africa, so a decision was taken to transport 550 men to Camp 60 on Lamb Holm and a similar number to Camp 34 in Burray. On the way home we stop at Orkney Distillery for a Tour and a Taste. The distillery is situated on Kirkwall’s harbour front, and is the ideal attraction for gin enthusiasts looking for a quality visitor experience in the heart of Orkney’s main town. We will spend the afternoon here taking a full tour of the facility and to explore the process of making their Kirkjuvagr Gin. Dinner and Overnight Kirkwall, Orkney. (B,L,D)
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Day 8 - October 2nd - Today will be spent at your leisure in the lovely town of Kirkwall, a Viking Town at heart, with a skyline dominated by the magnificent 12th century Norse Cathedral of St Magnus. You can have breakfast at your at the leisure and as we are half way through the tour, the rest of the day will be entirely at your leisure as well. There is any number of things you can do nearby or you may just want to have a down day. In Kirkwall, the largest city on the islands you will find St. Magnus Cathedral. Begun in 1137 this cathedral built from alternating bands of local red and yellow sandstone is one of the finest and best preserved medieval cathedrals in Scotland. You may want to take in the ruins of the Bishop's and Earl's Palaces which are back behind the Cathedral. The medieval Bishop’s Palace was built around the same time as St Magnus Cathedral, in the early 1100s. The builder may well have been Bishop William the Old, crusader and friend of Earl Rognvald, St Magnus’s nephew and patron of the new cathedral. Across the road you'll find the Earl's Palace, which was constructed around 1606 by Patrick, Earl of Orkney - one of Orkney's most notorious rulers. His Renaissance palace was built to impress and featured a first-floor hall with elaborate staircase, inner, outer and guest chambers and accommodation for staff. Huge fireplaces dominated the main hall. The town officially has Scotland's Most Beautiful High Street full of wonderful shops and interesting streets. Overnight Kirkwall. (B)
​Day 9 - October 3rd - This morning we take a short flight from Kirkwall to Sumburgh, Shetland, a natural world where wildlife is truly wild and where you can watch otters and seals at play and where the air is filled with the sound of seabirds crowding extraordinary cliffs in huge, noisy colonies. We will stop for lunch and then take in the multi-period Jarlshof Prehistoric Norse Settlement. Jarlshof lies at the most southerly tip of Mainland Shetland and provides an insight into the way of life of the inhabitants at particularly interesting periods – the late Bronze Age, Iron Age, Pictish Era, Norse Era and the Middle Ages. It includes oval- shaped Bronze Age houses, Iron Age Broch and Wheelhouses, Viking Long Houses, Medieval Farmstead and a 16th Century Laird’s House. We will then stop in Shetlands Capitol Town of Lerwick for you to have a wee wander. The town's origins were in the seventeenth century with the herring fishing industry, largely worked by the Dutch; concern about Dutch influence led to the building of a fort and the town then grew up around the fort with some of the fine older buildings you will see that date back to the 1700s. There is lovely shops including Island Larder, Jamieson's Yarn Shop, Aurora Jewelry, the Peerie Shop and the Shetland Soap Company. We then get settled into Busta House Hotel before we meet up for dinner. Dinner and Overnight Shetland. (B,L,D)
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Day 10 - October 4th - Today will be a lovely day starting out with an outdoor pursuit with the Shetland Pony Experience. No visit to Shetland is complete without getting up close and personal with some more friendly Shetland ponies. The experience is very hands on and includes plenty of picture perfect photo opportunities while you lead the ponies through the idyllic, picturesque, rugged coastal fields to a secluded beach. We then make our way to Scalloway, once the ancient capital of Shetland. We will stop at “The Scord”, one of the most iconic and breathtaking views that Shetland has to offer, with harbour, castle, bridge and the scattering of smaller isles in the harbour approaches, only the larger of which are occupied. We then make our way to Lerwick where you can find some lunch on your own before we visit the Shetland Museum. This Five Star, award winning Museum and Archives is a multifunctional visitor attraction in the heart of Lerwick and showcases Shetland's cultural identity, born from a history of Pictish, Viking and Scottish settlements, as well as a tradition of welcoming seafarers and travelers from all over the world. This eclectic and intricate tapestry of influences makes Shetland's past a fascinating one. We will have plenty of time to enjoy this interactive visitor experience discovering their world renowned collections. Dinner and Overnight Shetland. (B,D)
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Day 11 - October 5th - This morning we make our way back to Lerwick where we join a Seabirds-and-Seals Two Hour Boat Trip around Bressay and Noss National Nature Reserve, where you will get to enjoy more of Shetland's Abundant Seabirds and Seals. The views are awesome, giving us photographic opportunities with the awesome Noss Cliffs in the background. You won't believe how close they'll take us to the 25,000 Gannets, Thousands of Guillemots and Hundreds of Puffins, Razorbills, Black Guillemots, Gulls, Shags and Skuas! You sometimes even meet Porpoises and occasionally Whales, Otters and Dolphins! We’ll sail through the magnificent rock of the Giant’s Leg and then into the beautiful Orkneyman’s Cave. Once back in Lerwick we will take the ferry across to the island of Bressay where we stop for lunch before making our way to Garth's Croft where we will have a tour with the owner Chris Dyer. A tour of the croft comprises an initial introduction and refreshments within the byre with examples of fleeces, equipment, images and a digital display. The tour subsequently moves outside to view and meet the livestock and finally into the walled garden, woodland and polycrub. We then make our way back to Busta House to get settled in again before we meet up for dinner. Dinner and Overnight Shetland. (B,L,D)
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Day 12 - October 6th - Today will be spent completely at your leisure at Busta House which has an amazing history. The earliest part of the house was built in 1588 by the Giffords but both house and family only really gained prestige and wealth in the 18th century. The house was eventually bought in the 1950’s by Sir Basil Neven Spence, another Shetland landowner. He was Lord Lieutenant of Shetland and a Member of Parliament. He entertained Queen Elizabeth II for tea here August of 1960 having just come ashore from the Royal Yacht Britannia. In 2015 the present owners Grant and Joel took over the hotel having began their career here as young teenagers. The setting is spectacular and the hotel quirky and unique. You will have a packed lunch to enjoy at any time you choose during the day and maybe even enjoy on a hike around the property or down to the water. This afternoon you have the option of going into Lerwick for some shopping, exploring and to find some dinner. There is also the wee fish and chip shop or the Brae Hotel just up the road from Busta House if you choose to stay home. Overnight Shetland. (B,L)
Day 13 - October 7th - This morning we make our way to Eshaness and the Eshaness Lighthouse in the area of Northmavine. Eshaness boasts one of the highest energy coastlines in the world. Blasted by the full force of the North Atlantic it displays a stunning array of stacks, blowholes and geos (narrow inlets). The area of Northmavine boasts a wonderful range of wildlife and habitats. Seals, Otters, Porpoises and occasionally Dolphins and Whales can be seen from the shore. Inland expanses of peat and heather are home to Mountain Hares, Rabbits, Polecats and a multitude of birds, including the elegant Red-throated Diver which can be seen on many lochs. The lighthouse, which is visible for miles, is perched on the rim of fabulous volcanic cliffs where the full Atlantic fury has shaped some of Shetland's most dramatic cliff scenery. You can walk along to the head of Calder's Geo, where the sea has gouged out a deep inlet along a line of weakness in the rock. Fulmars float on air currents above the surging waves and nest among the crannies of the vertical rock faces, which are transformed into hanging gardens. We then return to Busta House for lunch and Gin Tasting featuring Shetland Reel which is distilled in the Isle of Unst. Overnight Shetland. (B,L,D)
Day - 14 - October 8th - This morning after breakfast we grab our to go lunch bags from the hotel and then make our way to the very most Northerly Point in the Shetlands on the Island of Unst. Our journey will take us north on Mainland Shetland to Toft where we board a wee ferry to cross the Island of Yell. We will stop at the Shetland Gallery on Yell before traveling further northward to the top of yell to Gutcher where we board a wee ferry for the crossing to Unst. We will explore the wilds of the Shetlands and drive to the most northerly point of Unst where we can look out to Out Stack, and uninhabited island that is the last land mass before the North Pole! While here we will have our Picnic Lunch while we gaze upon the most Northerly House in the whole of the UK and then you can stand at the point where the Oceanic Crust meets with the Continental Crust. While here, We will visit the most Northerly Village as well as the most Northerly Church. After a lovely days outing of exploring and amazing photo ops we make our way to our where to Lerwick and the harbour which is an excellent location to seal watch before we stop for dinner before heading home. Dinner and Overnight Shetland. (B,L,D)
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Day 15 - October 9th - We start our morning with a visit to Clickimin Broch on the shore of Clickimin Loch, an outstanding example of a sophisticated type of stone-built round house found only in Scotland. The broch has evidence of a settlement spanning over a thousand years. We then stop back in Lerwick where you will have time for another trip around Lerwick for some last minute shopping, visit the fudge shop or chocolate shop or just linger for awhile on the harbour to enjoy your last few moments on Shetland before lunch. After lunch we visit Lerwick Brewery for a tour. Our experienced guide will show us the ingredients, equipment and processes required to make ales and lagers in a craft brewery. On the tour we will have time to taste and smell the hops and malt as we make their way through the various stages of brewing. As we wander through their 12 barrel brewery, we will be taken through the process of how the beer is actually made until we arrive at the final product. The tour ends where it should, in our brewery bar where you may try out of some of their complimentary beers that we have been learning about. Then we board our evening flight back to Edinburgh on the mainland. You can find a bite to eat at the airport before we board. Overnight Edinburgh. (B,L)
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Day 16 - October 10th - We will have a leisurely morning for our last day of the tour and then make our way out and about. Our first visit is to the Falkirk Wheel, the world's one and only rotating boat lift. A marvel of engineering and Scottish Canals' flagship destination, the Falkirk Wheel connects the Forth & Clyde Canal with the Union Canal in a half-turn that takes only five minutes! We will take a boat tour where as our gondolas is lowered, the opposite one rises, keeping the vast, 1800 tonne boat lift in perfect balance as it carries our canal barge over 100 feet into the air in a matter of minutes. We will then stop for afternoon tea before we visit Helix Park to see the Scottish Kelpies, the world's largest equine sculptures. We will have a Guided Walking Tour that takes you through the vision of artist Andy Scott and how history and industry impacted on his designing of these breath-taking sculptures. The pinnacle of the tour is that you get to experience a Kelpie from the inside, and see for yourself the breathtaking engineering and design of the Kelpies. After our visit to the amazing sculptures we make our way back to our accommodation before our Farewell Dinner. Dinner and Overnight near Edinburgh. (B,L,D)
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Day 17 - October 11th - We return you to Edinburgh International for your flight home.
