Orkney Tours: Customizable Private Experiences

Discover Orkney’s rich history with a flexible, private tour. Customize your experience on the go and enjoy a no-rush, value-packed adventure.

Duration: 7 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Saint Magnus Cathedral - Enjoy a guided tour of this 12th-century Viking Cathedral, a perfect spot for photos while avoiding the crowds.
  • Scapa Flow - Pass by the iconic Scapa Flow natural harbor and view the marker buoy of the HMS Royal Oak.
  • Unstan Chambered Cairn - Explore and enter a 5,300-year-old Neolithic burial mound.
    This may…
What's Included
  • Private transportation
  • Guide
What's Not Included
  • Lunch
  • Gratuities
  • Entrance fees
  • Entrance fees
Additional Information

Located in Orkney, this small business boasts over a century of combined island life experience, offering exclusively private tours for your group. This is not a bus tour; each booking is dedicated solely to your group for the day, providing complete flexibility. The tour route is fully customizable, so entry tickets to sites like Skara Brae are not…

Location
VisitScotland Kirkwall iCentre
West Castle Street
Please wait in a visible area away so I can locate you. The best place is inside the waiting room.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(10 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
11jennat
Jul 8, 2025
An Excellent Day Tour of Orkney - This was the perfect way to spend our only full day in Orkney! While initially there was a hiccup with Viator not notifying Calum that we had booked a tour (not at all his fault), he dropped everything to meet us within the hour and managed to still get us in to every item in the excellent itinerary (probably calling in some favors), including Maeshowe, which was the biggest reason I had booked this specific tour. He was so knowledgeable and having grown up in Orkney, he was able to share with us that strong sense of place and so many stories about the locations we visited. We never felt rushed and yet visited so many places, from the fascinating Unstan Chamber, the incredible Skara Brae, to two different standing stone circles, each powerful in their own right. Our lunch at the Orkney Brewery was excellent and so filling (as was the flight of beers that allowed me to sample some of the local brews). Calum's passion for understanding the history of his home was very evident and made the experience so much more personal, like a friend sharing their favorite spots. I am so glad that we booked this tour with him!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Elisabethar5477er
Jun 4, 2025
All I wanted and more - The guide made it possible for me to see all the places I wanted to. He was very knowledgeable and tailored the tour exactly how I wanted it. It was a fantastic day.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
V5330krjoannel
Jun 1, 2025
Wonderful guide! - Callum was a terrific guide. He was super knowledgeable, and passionate about all things Orcadian. We learned many local and historical facts which were presented in an easy going, approachable manner. He was very friendly and we really enjoyed spending the day with him seeing Orkney through his eyes.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sue
May 12, 2025
Great overview of Orkney - My husband and I spent a wonderful day with Calum exploring Orkney. Our tour included learning some of the history of Orkney, experiencing nature, feasting at a scenic restaurant and even learning a “peedie” bit of the Orkney language. Calum was very willing to tailor our day so we could visit sites that were of interest to us. He is a very knowledgeable and personable guide-I recommend his tours highly!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
J6849pjlisab
May 6, 2025
Day-long customized tour of Orkney’s historic places led by a 5th generation Orcadian - This tour, led by a 5th generation Orcadian, far exceeded expectations. If you want authentic and not canned, Calum is your man. He tailored the tour to exactly what we wanted to see and we never felt rushed or like we were on a schedule. His knowledge of and love for Orkney was evident throughout the day by the way he shared stories and history and observations and engaged us in conversation. Great driver, too! Highly recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
James221963
Apr 19, 2025
Wonderful! - Calum was brillliant. We saw everything we wanted to and more. It was relaxed, informative and personalised to our interests. Calum knows so much and communicates it in a way that is fun and engaging. He is a lovely person and weaves in stories and examples of Orcadian dialect and customs that makes you feel like you get insights across the generations as well as across history. The small size of the tour made it even better from our perspective - really special. Calum also helped us plan trips to other islands which was very helpful. I can’t recommend Calum and Historic Orkney highly enough.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Laurent
Apr 16, 2025
Ideal visit! - Excellent sightseeing with Callum and Reanne. Lots of historical information. You can feel the passion in explanations and a real love for your island. They listened to our requests and did everything possible to satisfy us. The cars were very comfortable and the driving very pleasant! We had a very nice experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rhit2025
Feb 27, 2025
Wealth of Knowledge & World Class Tour 10000% recommend - I have taken several tours with Calum and this is not a job for him but a passion to share his wealth of knowledge. I was blown away with the amount of information he was able to tell me, from the well known historical spots to the more obscure and less popular ones. He is an excellent guide and as a solo female I felt really comfortable within his presence, even when going to hard to reach places he would put me at ease. He takes the safety very seriously and made it a priority when going to these places. I have always booked directly with him, as his prices were cheaper than through some other sites. And I was then able to customise some of the spots to my liking. I can't recommend Calum and Historic Orkney enough, his service and knowledge was outstanding. Hopefully see you again soon.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
705jeniferh
Sep 24, 2024
Incredible value for an amazing day. - Calum is a wonderful guide on Orkney. He customized our stops to the prehistoric sites. Calum is so knowledgeable about the sites, and enthusiastically shares both academic and local knowledge. He is proud of his Orkney upbringing, and his love of the islands shines through his tours. We had a most memorable and enjoyable day. Book this!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $738 (Per Vehicle)
up to 4 guests
1 - Traveler
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).