Scotland’s Far North, Shetland & Orkney 2026

Duration

6 Days

Departure Dates

6th May 2026

Prices from

£1,789 Per person

Experience a wonderful tour combining Scotland's Far North with the beauty of the Shetland and Orkney Isles. 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.

Overview
Itinerary
Further Information
Departure Dates
Helpful Links

Stirling ©Shutterstock

6 days from £1,789

DEPARTS

Wednesday 6 May 2026

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

Journey on the fabulous Highland Line
Explore the Castle of Mey, the former royal residence of Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother
Touch the top of the country at John O’Groats
Visit the fascinating Italian Chapel, Skaill House, and Skara Brae�in Orkney
Tour the idyllic Shetland Isle and discover its Viking past at Jarlshof
See the beautiful Shetland Ponies
Discover rich archaeology and history
Marvel at the fantastic seascape coastline of the Far North

Also included in your Tour Fare:

5 nights’ bed, breakfast & evening meal
Services of experienced Railtrail Tour Manager

DAY 1

Journey from your home station to Stirling and, on arrival, we will make our way to the Stirling Highland Hotel for our overnight stay. We enjoy free time to explore our new surroundings before meeting for our first evening meal together.

DAY 2

After breakfast this morning, we travel on the wonderfully picturesque Highland Line that takes us to Inverness where we continue our journey to Scotland's Far North by rail. On arrival in Thurso, we transfer to the Pentland Hotel, our hotel for the next two nights, and enjoy our evening meal together.

B, D

DAY 3

Today, we board our private coach and visit the Castle & Gardens of Mey, the former royal residence of Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother where we gain an insight into Her Majesty's life in Caithness and spend time enjoying the peaceful gardens and grounds. Afterwards, we head to the most northerly point of the mainland, John O' Groats, a famous point for cyclists and walkers making the great journey to or from Land's End. We can explore the village, walk the coast, and admire the beautiful scenery and wildlife before returning to our hotel in time for our evening meal.

B, D

DAY 4

After a leisurely breakfast, we journey to Scrabster by private coach and board the ferry to Orkney sailing past the impressive red stone sea-stack of the Old Man of Hoy. On arrival, we meet our local guide who will be with us throughout our tour of the island including a visit to the mystical ancient settlement of Skara Brae, uncovered by a storm in 1850 and older than Stonehenge. We then visit Skaill House, the finest mansion on the island, before heading to the Italian Chapel which was built by Italian prisoners during WWII. We finish in Kirkwall where we enjoy our evening meal at a local restaurant, before boarding our overnight ferry to the Shetland Islands.

B, D

DAY 5

After breakfast on board, we arrive in Lerwick and meet our guide for the day visiting a local jewellery workshop and seeing beautiful Shetland Ponies before our visit to the Shetland Museum & Archives with over 3,000 artefacts to explore. After enjoying our lunch at leisure, we head to the unusual Shetland settlement of Fladdabister and the Mousa Broch, the best preserved 2,000-year-old Iron Age tower in existence. We finish our tour at one of the most complex archeolgical sites, Jarlshof, travelling through 4,000 years of history from the Bronze Age, Iron Age, and Viking periods. Later this afternoon, we join our Northlink ship and enjoy our final evening meal on board before our overnight journey to Aberdeen.

B, D

DAY 6

After breakfast, we bid farewell to Aberdeen and make our way to the station for our homeward journeys.

B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner

HOTELS

Stirling Highland Hotel, Stirling

Enjoying panoramic views of the Forth Valley, the historic Highland Hotel offers an award-winning restaurant, a relaxing bar, and a working observatory plus a fantastic spa including a heated indoor pool, sauna, steam room, and a gym. The traditional bedrooms provide an en-suite bathroom, a flat-screen TV, free Wi-Fi, and tea/coffee making facilities.

Pentland Hotel, Thurso

Ideally located in the heart of Thurso, the Pentland Hotel offers a stylish restaurant serving fresh, local produce and a cosy, welcoming lounge bar. The comfortable bedrooms provide an en-suite bathroom with complimentary toiletries, a flat-screen TV, 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, a hairdryer, flat-screen TV, and tea/coffee making facilities.

FARES

Fare Region	First*	Standard
London: Kings Cross	£2,139	£1,995
Greater London	£2,155	£1,999
South of England	£2,219	£2,035
East Anglia	£2,205	£2,025
South West	£2,309	£2,075
Heart of England	£2,195	£2,009
Midlands	£2,165	£1,999
Yorkshire	£2,105	£1,975
North East	£2,039	£1,939
North West	£2,135	£1,979
South Wales	£2,269	£2,065
North Wales	£2,185	£1,999
Scotland	£1,949	£1,889
Join & Leave at Hotels	£1,819
Single Traveller Supplement	£320
Deposit	£180

*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.

£30 tour discount for holders of National Railcards

5 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

Important – Please select the number of passengers before proceeding to ‘Book Now’

Number of passengers:

Date	From Price	Book Now	Callback
6th May 2026	£1,789 Per person	Book Now	Callback

Can't see a date that suits you? Please register your interest for additional departures on this tour.

Register interest

Enter your details to receive updates on upcoming departure dates for the Scotland’s Far North, Shetland & Orkney 2026 rail tour.

Stirling Highland Hotel, Stirling

Pentland Hotel, Thurso

NorthLink Ferries

Castle & Gardens of Mey

Visit Orkney

Visit Shetland

Thurso ©Shutterstock

Castle & Gardens of Mey ©Shutterstock

John O'Groats ©Shutterstock

Old Man of Hoy ©Shutterstock

Skara Brae, Orkney ©Shutterstock

Skaill House, Orkney ©Shutterstock

Italian Chapel, Orkney1 ©Shutterstock

What our customers say

Sounds like the holiday for you?

View Dates and Book

Why Book with Railtrail

Railtrail Tours is 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

Unique Experiences

Our tours are unique to us, created by our team of rail travel experts who each have a lifetime of knowledge and experience in the rail holiday industry

Financial Protection

Railtrail Tours are members of ABTOT and ATOL, meaning you can relax knowing that you are fully protected when booking any holiday with us.

Loyalty Rewards

For every pound spent you will receive Loyalty Points on return from your holiday, which can then be used as a discount on future bookings.

Award Winning Team

We were proudly awarded Silver at the British Travel Awards for ‘Best Small Travel Company for Rail Holidays’ in 2024.

More about us

Destinations

Tour Types

Scotland’s Far North, Shetland & Orkney 2026

Register interest

What our customers say

Sounds like the holiday for you?

Why Book with Railtrail

Unique Experiences

Financial Protection

Loyalty Rewards

Award Winning Team