Welcome to Railtrail Tours
A family firm with an ethos of honesty and integrity. Our passion for delivering quality escorted holidays by rail at great value fares along with consistently excellent customer service has stood us in good stead for over 40 years.
Big on Quality, Small Enough to Care
01538 382323
Monday - Friday, 9am to 5pm
Experience the peace, tranquillity, and natural beauty of the picturesque islands of Orkney and Shetland. Discover spectacular scenery, amazing wildlife, and fascinating settlements in Orkney, explore the rich history and archaeology of the Shetland Isle, and touch the top of the country at John O'Groats plus enjoy time to explore the beautiful cities of Aberdeen and Inverness.
View Dates & Book8 days from £2250
DEPARTS
Friday 23 May 2025
Friday 19 September 2025
TOUR HIGHLIGHTS
Discover the ‘Granite City’ of Aberdeen on a guided tour
Tour the idyllic Shetland Isle and discover its Viking past at Jarlshof
See the beautiful Shetland Ponies
Visit the fascinating Italian Chapel, Skaill House, and Skara Brae in Orkney
Discover rich archaeology and history
Marvel at the fantastic seascape coastline of the Far North
Touch the top of the country at John O’Groats
Enjoy free time to explore Inverness
Also included in your Tour Fare:
7 nights’ bed, breakfast & evening meal
Services of experienced Railtrail Tour Manager
DAY 1
Journey from your home station to Aberdeen and, on arrival, we will make our way to the Malmaison Hotel, our base for the next two nights. We enjoy free time to explore our new surroundings before meeting for our first evening meal together.
DDAY 2
After a leisurely breakfast, we depart for our orientation of Aberdeen taking in the spectacular scenery at Dunnottar Castle followed by a panoramic tour visiting the highlights of the city including the fishing village of Footdee, Union Terrace Gardens, and Duthie Park. We will discover the historic Old Town, the castellated Citadel at The Castlegate, and the striking University Quarter before returning to the hotel in time for our evening meal.
B, DDAY 3
Today, we enjoy free time in Aberdeen before travelling by road to meet and board our NorthLink ship for our overnight journey to Lerwick. We enjoy our evening meal on board before retiring to our en-suite cabins.
B, DDAY 4
After breakfast this morning, we disembark and step into an entrancing mixture of history with amazing flora and fauna on our guided tour of Shetland. More Scandinavian than Scottish in many ways, the Viking heritage is still strong in this world of magnificent wild beauty, steeped with internationally renowned archaeological sites. We visit the remarkable Jarlshof, the historic town of Scalloway, the capital Lerwick, fantastic seabird colonies, and the famous Shetland ponies. This evening, we enjoy our meal back on-board our ship as we sail to Orkney arriving late evening where check-in to our hotel for the next two nights, The Kirkwall Hotel.
B, DDAY 5
Today, we enjoy a guided tour of Orkney including a visit to the mystical ancient settlement of Skara Brae, uncovered by a storm in 1850 and older than Stonehenge. We will visit Skaill House, the finest mansion on the island, the awe-inspiring Ring of Brodgar stone circle, and the Churchill Barriers before heading to the Italian Chapel which was built by Italian prisoners during WWII. After a day of exploring this region of natural beauty, we return to the hotel in time for our evening meal.
B, DDAY 6
After breakfast, we start the day with a cruise to Scrabster sailing past the impressive red stone sea-stack of the Old Man of Hoy, at 450ft, one of the UK's tallest sea stacks. We continue our journey by coach to the most northerly point of the mainland, John O'Groats, before travelling along the lovely coastal route through Caithness and Sutherland, skirting the Firths of Beauly and Cromarty, to Inverness. On arrival, we check-in to the Palace & Spa Hotel*, our base for the next two nights, and enjoy our evening meal together.
*In September, our hotel will be the Kingsmills Hotel in Inverness.
DAY 7
Today, we spend the day at leisure to relax at the hotel or discover Inverness at your own pace. You may wish to make use of the hotel's spa facilities, explore the iconic castles of Inverness, visit the magnificent cathedral church, or take an excursion to spot the Loch Ness Monster. This evening, we reconvene at the hotel for our final evening meal together.
B, DDAY 8
After breakfast, we bid farewell to Inverness and make our way to the station for our homeward journeys.
BB=Breakfast, D=Dinner
HOTELS
Malmaison Hotel, Aberdeen
Ideally located in the heart of the Granite City and nestled in an impressive 19th-century granite mansion, the Malmaison Hotel offers contemporary dining in the Malmaison Bar & Grill, a stylish bar, and a luxurious spa. The unique bedrooms provide en-suite bathrooms with power showers and complimentary toiletries, a hairdryer, digital TV, ironing facilities, free Wi-Fi, and tea/coffee making facilities.
NorthLink Ferries
NorthLink’s modern vessels boast relaxing bars, lounges, and restaurants plus well-stocked shops with a range of crafts and produce. The comfortable cabins provide en-suite facilities including a shower, sink, and toilet plus a hairdryer, flat-screen TV, and tea/coffee making facilities.
Kirkwall Hotel, Kirkwall
Located on Kirkwall’s picturesque harbour front, the Victorian Kirkwall Hotel offers a recently refurbished and stylish Harbour View Restaurant serving excellent local produce plus the new, relaxing Highland Park Bar. The contemporary bedrooms provide en-suite bathrooms, flat-screen TV, ironing facilities, free Wi-Fi, and tea/coffee making facilities.
Palace Hotel & Spa, Inverness (May)
Kingsmills Hotel, Inverness (September)
Perfectly located in Inverness and the beautiful Scottish Highlands, the Kingsmills Hotel is a luxury spa hotel offering a welcoming lounge, two elegant restaurants, and a cosy whisky bar plus spa and leisure facilities including a swimming pool, jacuzzi, steam room, and gym. The stylish bedrooms provide an en-suite bathroom with a rainfall shower, a flat-screen TV, free Wi-Fi, and tea/coffee making facilities.
FARES
| Fare Region | First* | Standard |
| London: Kings Cross | £2,689 | £2,489 |
| Greater London | £2,719 | £2,509 |
| South of England | £2,775 | £2,539 |
| East Anglia | £2,779 | £2,539 |
| South West | £2,949 | £2,645 |
| Heart of England | £2,775 | £2,539 |
| Midlands | £2,755 | £2,529 |
| Yorkshire | £2,675 | £2,485 |
| North East | £2,595 | £2,439 |
| North West | £2,659 | £2,459 |
| South Wales | £2,835 | £2,569 |
| North Wales | £2,745 | £2,509 |
| Scotland | £2,355 | £2,309 |
*Please Note: Some local and regional train services are Standard Class seating only and First Class ticket holders will travel in standard class accommodation for these sections of their journey.
Join & Leave at Hotels £2,250
September Departure Supplement £140
Single Room Supplement £800
7 nights’ bed, breakfast & evening meal
Rail travel & seat reservations from your Home Station to Tour Base (Standard or First Class)
Rail & coach travel, with transfers as described
All excursions & admissions as detailed
Services of experienced Railtrail Tour Manager
It is not possible to display any suggested tours because JavaScript is disabled in your web browser.
This website uses cookies to store information. By continuing to browse the website without changing your settings you are agreeing to their use. For more information view our cookie policy.
