7 independent reviews for Scotland island hopping holiday, car free
Reviews for Scotland island hopping holiday, car free
Adam Choonara review 24 Jul 2023
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Difficult to pick just one, but the two minute flight Westray to Papa Westray, and walking around St Ninian's Isle stand out.2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Consider extending it by a few days as there is a lot to see and we didn't have enough time.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes. Accommodation was all locally owned and run. Local produce was used whenever possible. All tours were run by (very knowledgeable) local guides. Nature of the tour does however require quite a lot of flights.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Excellent.Graham Orpwood review 21 Jun 2021
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The day at Iona including the trip to Staffa and the visit to the Abbey2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Try to avoid tight train-ferry- bus connections if possible3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes, all of these4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Excellent. Missed ferry connection was stressful but the operator was not at fault and worked hard to develop alternative arrangements.Sarah Makowski review 9 Aug 2019
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The Isle of Skye was stunningly beautiful, and we enjoyed all of the animals we met along the way.2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
For vegetarians - check out local restaurants in advance. Healthy options can be limited. I think that this tour is better for adults - a few bits were "too slow" for our 15-year old (but great for us!)3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
I doubt we made a huge impact, but we did stay at local places, use public transportation, and took part in a sea life survey tour which monitors marine activity in the area.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
We had a fantastic time overall and got a good introduction to the Scottish Isles - enough to know that we definitely want to go back!Gillian Yates review 9 Aug 2019
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Visiting Iona and Skye, not using car just trains and ferries and buses2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
If you are as eco conscious as we are you may want to check that every hotel has similar values. One of the hotels had very few eco credentials and the management could not understand why we would want to travel by train rather than car and kept criticising the holiday. The other hotels were really great with organic food and local produce etc.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes as mentioned above, apart from the one hotel4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Fabulous - the scottish islands are amazing and most of the travel connections worked really wellPaul Tobin review 28 Jul 2019
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Probably our first day on Iona - sun was shining and our room had superb views2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Make sure you have thoroughly read the holiday itinerary and know where you have to be and at what time - double check ferry schedules when you get there. Also be aware of the steep climb to the accommodation on Tobermoray.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Not particularly to be honest.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Overall we had a brilliant time but there are a couple of things i should mention. 1. The itinerary had the wrong timing for the ferry back from Iona on day 3. It said we should catch the 9.05 ferry to get the bus on the other side to Tobermoray but in fact the ferry was at 8.45 - the bus was 9.05 not the ferry. We were lucky - we made it by the skin of our teeth. 2. The accommodation at Tobermoray was up a very, very steep hill and i suffer from a heart condition. You should warn people of that fact and give them an option to stay somewhere in the town centre. I really struggled to get up the hill and had to stop a few times to let my heart rate settle down.Lisa Brooks review 23 Aug 2018
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Wandering around and finding hikes to walk. The meals were amazing. We loved attending the local music brought in at the Festival on Skye (Feis en Eilean). That was where we were able to really get a feel for the island. I don't believe there were many tourists there.2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Small bags, like 40 L backpacks work best. The trains and buses can be crowded. Also, the operator had amazing customer service.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
To some extent. I liked supporting the local wool merchants in Mull, but travel on the Isle of Skye takes a big toll on its citizens and infrastructure.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Lovely! We will book something similar again!Mark Gurvis review 30 Aug 2015
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Traveling without a car made us travel with less, slow down, and engage more with people around us. So we had a wonderful time meeting people from Scotland and all over, which was great.2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Recognize that you'll spend a bit more time getting between places than you otherwise might, so let go of the rush to "get there". And pack light.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
We were in small hotels except for the extra nights we added in cities, and staying in small towns. So we definitely benefited those small business (including many pubs). And the hotels were all fantastic.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
It was a great holiday. We were very happy with it.Holiday Reviews
You can trust Responsible Travel reviews because, unlike many other schemes, reviews can ONLY be written by people who we have verified have been on the holidays. In addition, we don't run these holidays ourselves - our only interest is giving you the best independent advice.
