Booking terms

Travelling to the other side of the world is a significant investment. To protect your holiday against the unexpected, I strongly advise all guests to secure comprehensive travel insurance at the time of booking. This is the single best way to remove anxiety from your planning for not only Orkney but all of Scotland.

You are booking the exclusive reservation of my professional time, rather than a rigid checklist of locations. This allows the day to remain beautifully flexible, accounting for weather conditions, variations on the day, physical limitations and any spontaneous requests you make that shift the scope of the tour. If you want to spend an extra hour photographing the Ring of Brodgar, the schedule adapts to you at all times.

Services are priced based on the agreed duration and logistics. Pricing is confirmed in advance and does not change unless the scope changes. No bookings or travel purchases are made on your behalf until a deposit is received.

Tours operate between 9am and 7pm, Monday through Saturday, unless agreed otherwise. Extensions will be discussed and confirmed on the day. I do not work on Sundays under any circumstance.

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All projects and tours are priced per private group. That can be a size of one person or a maximum of four people in the same group booking. The price does not change with the number of people, and there are absolutely no per person additions to private group tours.

A 50% deposit secures your date for all private tours.

What a booking means: A booking constitutes an immediate and total closure of my calendar for your selected dates. The deposit is allocated instantly upon payment to cover the immediate loss of alternative bookings, operating costs, detailed itinerary planning and advance logistics like securing site allocations. The value of this commitment is delivered the moment you book by reserving the day exclusively for you. Therefore, all deposits are strictly non-refundable.

The remaining balance is due on the day of service. Settling the final half on completion naturally leaves room for any scope extensions requested on the day, or a reduction if mutually agreed if mitigating factors cause issues on the day. Accepted payment methods include secure website payment, bank transfer, cash, or PayPal.

Cash is preferred where practical, especially when we are out exploring the rural islands or on a mountain.

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I operate exclusively as a land-based Orkney tour provider. Any failure to attend a scheduled tour or service due to an external transit issue, including cruise ships unable to dock or tender, cancelled flights, or ferry delays, is classified as a client no-show.

Contractual delivery is fulfilled by being present at the designated start location at the planned time. No deposits or fees can be refunded under circumstances involving third-party transport disruptions. However, if your ship cannot dock or tender, I will immediately supply a formal Statement of Loss and a Certificate of Non-Attendance.

This gives your travel insurer exactly what they need to reimburse your deposit without delay.

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Historic Orkney provides professional guiding services and does not operate as a travel insurer. The financial risk of maritime, aviation, or transit delays belongs entirely to the client or agent.

I accept no liability for outside events or consequential losses, meaning I do not cover alternative transport, missed connections, or accommodation resulting from a disrupted itinerary. If external factors interrupt your travel plans, I will step in to help. I will provide an official invoice and a formal Statement of Loss so you can claim your non-refundable deposit through your comprehensive travel insurance provider. That is exactly what insurance is for, and I am highly willing to provide the necessary certification to make the paperwork side straightforward for you.

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Private tours start exactly at the planned time and location. I will be at the start location 10 minutes early, ready to begin at the allocated time, having reserved the day and prepared your itinerary.

If you are running late, the total duration of the tour may be shortened to respect the schedule and comply with legal responsibilities under UK law. If a guest is more than one hour late and no contact has been made, the booking may be classified as abandoned, the guide will depart, and the session may be cancelled without refund.

Please note: I will do everything within my capacity to foresee delays such as an in-flight plane, but I do not have a crystal ball.

Client Cancellation: If you need to cancel your Orkney holiday entirely for any reason, including extreme weather, missed connections, a cruise ship not docking, or illness, the deposit is retained. To ensure fairness, liability is split down the middle: you only lose the deposit, and you will not be charged the remaining balance. I forego 50% of my earning that specific day, and we go our separate ways.

If you need to change your date in advance, I will always try to accommodate a reschedule as a measure of goodwill. If my own calendar is full for your requested date, I may reach out to my extended team to fulfil the booking where possible. Alternative dates during peak cruise ship days are extremely rare.

I reserve the right to cancel a service only in exceptional personal circumstances, in which case any money paid directly to me will be refunded in full. Following a refund, I will do everything reasonable within my ability to help source a replacement guide, giving you full flexibility to decide how to proceed.

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Orkney weather is famously robust, and tours proceed in rain and wind. As we say up here, there is no bad weather, just the wrong jacket. However, your safety is my absolute priority. If I make the professional decision to cancel the tour prior to starting due to severe or dangerous weather conditions, you will receive a full and immediate refund.

In island and maritime travel, minor timing adjustments are normal. Where standard weather or access dictates, reasonable changes to start time, routing, or the order of sites may be required. These are part of safe guiding practice and do not constitute a cancellation.

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Orkney is a small island community. Safeguarding residents, site staff, and future guests from contagious bugs and viral illness is paramount. The guide holds the final say on whether a tour will proceed. If a guest or group arrives visibly ill, service may be refused on the spot to protect the community, and no direct refund will be issued.

I realise this sounds tough when you have travelled far, but this is exactly what comprehensive travel insurance is designed to handle. For cruise passengers, specialist cruise insurance policies specifically cover scenarios like cabin confinement, missed ports, and unused pre-booked excursions. If you fall ill on board, or if service is refused at the pier due to visible illness, I will step in to help by providing a fast, official invoice and a clear Statement of Loss. This gives you the exact paperwork required to claim the cost of the missed tour back from your insurer.

Please do not risk bringing a bug ashore. Rest up in your cabin, and let your insurance cover the financial side.

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Entry and experience tickets to historic monuments are included only where explicitly stated. Please be aware that many entry and attraction tickets are non-refundable even at the supplier level and are sold at point of sale. All third-party services, including site tickets, ferries, and flights, remain subject to the individual supplier's own terms. Historic Orkney is not responsible for closures, disruptions, or policies imposed by third parties.

Requests to adjust routing will be accommodated where safe and practical. Significant changes to duration may require revised pricing.

Orkney's historic landscapes are wild, uneven, and beautifully exposed to the elements. Historic Orkney is not liable for injury, loss, damage, or consequential loss except where required by law. Please advise me in advance of any mobility concerns or medical conditions to allow for responsible planning.

Guests must treat site staff, fellow visitors, and all of Orkney's monuments with courtesy. Inappropriate or destructive behaviour will result in the immediate termination of the tour without refund and the authorities informed.

Personal data is used solely for booking and service delivery. It is stored securely and deleted once the service is complete unless retention is required for legal or accounting purposes.

This framework constitutes the definitive agreement for all Historic Orkney services. These terms strictly supersede and overrule any conflicting policies, terms and conditions, or dispute resolution frameworks presented by Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) or any third-party advertising sites offering my services or intellectual property. By proceeding with a booking, you agree that this document is the final and binding authority.

These terms are governed by Scottish law. Any disputes arising from these terms will first be addressed directly between the supplier and the client. If a resolution cannot be reached, the matter may be escalated to an independent third party for review and audit. If the dispute remains unresolved, it will formally fall under the jurisdiction of the Scottish courts.

If anything is unclear, please ask. I am here to help you plan the best possible experience, honestly, realistically, and without surprises.

Please note that I am a team of one, managing the guiding, planning, and administration personally. When I am out guiding among the standing stones, my phone is put away so I can give my current clients my undivided attention. If you message during the day, I will get back to you as soon as I am off the road.

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Written by Calum Thain on 20th July 2026

Proprietor of Historic Orkney

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