West Highland Line to Skye Traveller Reviews

Our first night was in Fort William, with a view of Ben Nevis out the hotel window and haggis in the mash at supper. Then we took the Jacobite stream train, seeing dozens of trainspotters as we crossed the famous gully from the Harry Potter movies. People on Skye extremely friendly and trip was very well organized.

McKInlay Kidd. Would travel with them again in a heartbeat -- and I've always avoided organized tours.

My friend and I booked the West Highland Line to Skye trip with McKinlay Kidd. We couldn't have asked for a more helpful, caring company to work with. Our experience with McKinlay Kidd from initial inquiry to their kindness and attention when we stopped in their Glasgow office to retrieve our travel packet, and through the trip itself, was more than we would have expected or hoped for! Every detail was taken care of as if we were the only people and the only holiday they were organizing! Every accommodation was lovely and comfortable, every person we had contact with was exceptionally kind and friendly. We loved the train ride, especially the Jacobite Steam Train portion, and we had our own private tour guide (Peggy) on Skye who asked, "Where do you want to go?" She was a delight, and Skye was magical. The McKinlay people offered for one of their guides to meet us at our Glasgow accommodation and accompany us to the train station, which was under construction. This gave us peace of mind since we were not understanding that the holiday was not a group event and that we were not being met at the train by a tour guide and others taking the same trip (our misunderstanding, but something to be sure to clear up if it makes a difference). We were just as happy to be on our own since every detail was taken care of and spelled out, and we were met at our various destinations and whisked away in comfort! We highly recommend the McKinlay Kidd organization as well as this particular holiday. Our only regret is that we did not book more excursions with McKinlay Kidd while in Scotland! We will be sure to do so when we look at future travels.

McKinlay Kidd owners and staff are wonderful to work with. They indeed went above and beyond to ensure we were comfortable and well taken care of in every aspect of our trip, from quickly responding to our initial online inquiries, to booking the holiday itself, to ensuring we were comfortable getting to our train when we apparently appeared nervous about finding our way through the maze of the Glasgow station construction! Though so much goes into the detail of such holidays, it all went so exceedingly smoothly due to the excellent planning and preparation by the McKinlay staff and each associate they work with out in the field. They seamlessly handled such things as informing us quickly of changes in the train and ferry schedules due to construction and weather, making sure we received the messages and that all was well. In other words, they don't just book us into the trip and send us on our way, they are there in the background throughout the journey. My friend and I have each traveled extensively over the years and agree that McKinlay Kidd proved to be a most exceptional tour company.

I chose the West Highlands and Skye itinerary. Maps, brochures, all the details and most important my train and ferry tickets were delivered to my hotel the night before. The McKinlay-Kidd folks acted as a skilled concierge, arranging everything, so that this novice solo traveler had no problem with taxis ferries, trains, hotels and the lovely tour of Skye! And the highlands by train was spectacular! I enjoyed great food and drink, friendly hosts. I ;loved being so carefree in such lovely settings.

James, the driver on the Isle of Skye was had a real sense of what life in that part of Scotland is all about, We enjoyed not only the scenery, but also personal stories, history, landscape, lifestyles.

Our short break to the Highlands of Scotland and the Isle of Skye was well organised from the moment we booked. We were taken care of every step of the way. The tour took us first to a beautiful location in the Highlands overlooking Ben Nevis. We travelled on the Jacobite steam train through the Highlands and then took the ferry to Skye where we stayed in a wonderful hotel. We had an amazing tour of Skye with the legendary Donald. We were looked after all the way and checked on regularly by our tour operator to make sure all was as it should be. Overall a very enjoyable short break.

McKinlay Kidd Ltd were great from the start. The app they provided was really great and was very helpful and useful to use when out and about and also in the lead up to the short break. They phoned us and emailed us with information regarding trains and to check we had made our connections. We were impressed with McKinlay Kidd and would definitely use them again when considering any future holiday.

Tour by train from Glasgow through the highlands to the isle of Skye. Rode on the Jacobite Steam Train, Tour of Skye by car and 2 days in Edinburgh at the end.

McKinlay Kidd was the tour operator. The service was excellent. The hotels were wonderful and interesting, not places that we would have found on our own. There was a problem with one of the trains because of extreme weather and flooding, our tour operator did everything they could to mitigate that circumstance.

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My wife and I traveled with another couple and all had a wonderful time. Accommodations were clean and comfortable and the food was great. Our tour guide for our day excursion was terrific; knowledgeable, flexible, and had a great sense of humor.

MacKinlay Kidd was great...easy to work with, communicative and did everything they promised.

Delightful scenery and well organised rail itinerary.. Tour of Skye was made interesting by the taxi driver in spite of the poor weather.

We had numerous discussions with them - they were always very helpful and made requested changes without any difficulty

Traveled to Oban, Spean Bridge, and Isle of Skye with train, accommodation and tours arranged by Mc Kinlay Kidd.

Very organized and worked hard to incorporate our wishes into the travel.

Journey from Glasgow by train on the West Highland line. Overnight at the Old Pines Restaurant with rooms , highly recommended. Next day steam train to Mallaig then ferry to Skye. Accommodation in a beautiful bay really peaceful. Day Taxi tour around he Island with Donnie who was informative , friendly and flexible. Next day back to Glasgow. Holiday well organised and stress free

Friendly consultant on the phone answered all my questions clearly. Information provided was clear and any paperwork was accurate as sent in good time. The option of the app for information was useful when you wanted to quickly check a detail. All accommodation was what was expected clean ,comfortable and fit for need. All taxis arrived when expected and tickets easily accessed

Our tour was a wonderful seamless adventure from train to transfer to ferry to hotel to tour itself. McKinley Kidd's preparation is superb, and they guided us up the west highland line to two wonderful hotels and two great tours: on the Jacobite steam train and a guided of tour of Skye. We loved all of it, and felt we were always in the best of care (including a mobile call to take the ferry a half hour later to Skye the next day to ensure a seamless connection). We recommend them without any reservations.

See above. Everything was meticulously prepared in advance, and the one slight blip of a half hour late on the transfer they prepared us for in advance. Always felt we were in the best hands at each stage of the tour, and the overall preparation was most impressive, including the app, website, and personal touches.