Historic Orkney

Private Guided Orkney Tours with a Local Orcadian

Historic Orkney offers bespoke private guided tours of Orkney’s ancient Neolithic monuments, Norse heritage landmarks and wartime history sites. Tailored to your interests by a lifelong local Orcadian guide.

Planning the trip yourself?

Trusted local advice and Scotland-wide private driver support for travellers who want to craft their own epic adventure.

Trip planning consultation

1 hr | £60. Clear, trusted local guidance to help you plan routes, timing, and logistics properly before travelling.

Private transfer (Scotland wide)

From £500 per day. Personal multi-day driver support across Scotland, delivered with the same care and reliability as your Orkney experience.

Our approach: Story-driven, flexible & personal

For those who have travelled far to reach Orkney, the difference between simply seeing the islands and experiencing them properly matters.

Our tours provide depth, context and unforgettable island storytelling.

Private guided tours across Orkney’s ancient sites

  • Local Orcadian guide with deep historical insight
  • Tours tailored to your interests and pace
  • Full-day, half-day and custom itineraries available

Each journey is planned and delivered personally, with the entire day shaped around your pace, interests, and the conditions on the ground. Only one private tour is undertaken per day by choice, ensuring your time here is handled with full attention and never reduced to a rushed schedule.

For many guests, travelling to Orkney is a significant journey. How that time is handled matters. Careful preparation, clear understanding of the landscape, and genuine local knowledge ensure your visit feels considered from the outset and rewarding long after it ends.

What makes these tours different

Our tours provide depth, context and unforgettable island storytelling.
For those who have travelled far to reach Orkney, the difference between simply seeing the islands and experiencing them properly matters.

From initial enquiry through to final drop-off, every aspect of your experience is handled directly and with full responsibility. This continuity allows the day to unfold naturally, with the flexibility to respond to weather, light, and the rhythm of the islands.

The aim is not simply to visit notable locations, but to reveal how Orkney fits together as a place shaped by landscape, history, and living community. Fewer places, understood properly, will always outweigh a long list visited quickly.

Born and raised in Orkney, my guiding is shaped by lifelong familiarity with these islands and by generational heritage rooted in people and place. That continuity brings depth and perspective to each journey, offering the level of context many travellers hope to find when coming this far north.

Read more about your guide

A considered experience

Every element of your day is approached with care and quiet precision. Preparation begins well before your arrival and continues throughout your time here, ensuring clarity, adaptability, and a calm sense of direction.

Your experience is shaped around what matters: the right pace, the right moments, and the right understanding. Nothing is forced. Nothing is hurried. The islands are allowed to speak.

Read more about our standards and mission

Trusted by travellers

Over time this approach has established Historic Orkney as a trusted choice for travellers seeking a deeper and more considered experience of the islands. Many guests arrive having travelled a long distance and want the reassurance of knowing their time here will be well used and properly handled from the outset.

With more than one hundred five-star reviews built steadily over the years, visitors consistently describe these experiences as among the most memorable parts of their time in Scotland. Reliability, preparation, and professional standards remain central to every tour delivered.

If you are considering a private tour, the best next step is simply to choose the day that fits and enquire. Availability is intentionally limited.

Reviews & testimonials

See what other people like about Historic Orkney private tours

"From the very beginning, Calum listened carefully to what we wanted and tailored the day perfectly to suit us. At each location, his commentary was both knowledgeable and highly engaging, allowing us to deeply understand and appreciate the sites we visited."
俊明 平
July 2025
"I really think he should turn all his amazing stories into a book; his passion, knowledge, and love for growing up in Orkney really shine through in everything he shares."
Meg
April 2025
"Don't miss the opportunity to book this crazy guide! Not dusty like lots of others, but funny, full of historic knowledge about Orkney and constantly talking. But no worries: If necessary, you can switch him off! We didn't use this opportunity. "
backseller
May 2025
"Calum is an extremely kind and knowledgeable individual whose stories made a three hour tour go by as if it was 30 minutes. I HIGHLY recommend a tour with him - great guy, fantastic afternoon. Thanks for everything Calum!"
Patrick H
July 2025
"Fabulous way to spend a spring evening in Orkney. We had wanted to see some of the craggy cliffs and get into nature and this tour delivered. "
Lisa B
May 2025
"Instead of lecturing us with facts and dates, he painted the history of Orkney ( older than the pyramids) with the story of where he grew up. Spectacular way to spend your time and money if you’re limited to one day on Orkney as we were."
Dr Mike MD
August 2025
"Callum was a brilliant guide, you want a local who knows the "secret handshake" that gets you into places and experiences no one else can or that is already fully booked! My only regret is we didn't stay in Orkney longer, I would hire Callum everyday if we did, he was extremely knowledgeable and lovely to share space with, very safe and respectful person."
Suga Ursae
September 2024
"The most interesting were the stories about the Viking era and the self-sinking of the Imperial High Seas Fleet. Calum took a lot of time to show us the beauty of Hoy. He has succeeded. "
Guide45330875712
May 2025
"If you are looking to see all Orkney has to offer and have limited time, this is the tour for you. Calum had so much knowledge and interesting anecdotes and stories about the island and the history. We had the most amazing time even in the rain. His car was spotless and he was an excellent driver."
Annie C
August 2025
"One of the best trips of my life. Calum was an outstanding guide and charming friend for the day. His knowledge of and enthusiasm for Orkney was captivating. He brought us to mind-blowing, beautiful sites and kept us entranced all day. "
Jo
July 2025

Orkney is not a place you simply visit.
It is a place you learn to read.

Stone. Sea. Weather. Silence.
A landscape where history is not behind glass, but under your feet and written into the land itself.

Experienced with depth, clarity, and genuine local insight, the islands begin to reveal how everything connects - landscape, story, and living community.

There are many ways to see Orkney.
Very few ways to experience it properly.

Get a free 20min trip consultation

Schedule a free 10 minute call lets you ask questions and explore options. We’ll cover sites, timings, cruise schedules, accessibility and special requests, so your Orkney experience is thoughtfully planned and truly memorable.

Schedule consultation