Island Trails
Island Trails
5
About
Join Island Trails to discover the real Shetland, it's beautiful scenery, history, culture and wildlife. Owned by crofter and wildlife enthusiast James Tait who also has a keen interest in local history. With his extensive local knowledge James can plan a tour or walk to suit your interests and timescale. Check out the Island Trails website for more information and to read recent customer testimonials.
Lerwick, Scotland

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5.0
52 reviews
Excellent
51
Very good
1
Average
0
Poor
0
Terrible
0

Dagmar PB
1 contribution
Aug 2023 • Couples
From the first contact to the end of the tour, everything was perfect. James is an excellent guide and created a customized tour for us. He taught us a lot about Shetland and we will remember it fondly. THANKS !
Written 31 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

cardiganweather1788
Ijamsville, MD48 contributions
Aug 2023 • Couples
My husband and I had a fantastic day with James touring Shetland. We arrived via cruise ship at Lerwick and James picked us up from the port. The itinerary was customized and flexible based on our interests. We loved the scenery and interesting historical facts about Shetland. The price point was extremely reasonable and we felt like it was money well spent for the experience.
Written 29 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Eileen D
Sebastian, FL167 contributions
Aug 2023 • Friends
James did a superb job of sharing the highlights of Lerwick and the main island in these Shetland Islands! We visited the Croft House Museum, and Sumburgh Head Lighthouse. We saw sea bird nests, petted Shetland ponies and the miniature Shetland ponies. We drove through Lerwick, saw the sand tombolo, drove through the Tingwall Valley and Viking Parliament site, saw the village of Scalloway and spent time exploring the Jarlshof archeological site. We had lots of opportunities to stop and take photos, ask questions. He was very informative and helpful at all times. We highly recommend him if you are every in the area.
Written 10 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Emma J
Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom14 contributions
Jul 2021 • Couples
We went on a private tour at the end of July for our honeymoon. I apologise for the lateness of this review! We had an absolutely wonderful time with James. He is extremely knowledgeable, friendly and also has an excellent sense of humour. We really enjoy our trip and got to see some beautiful places and amazing wildlife ranging from rare sea birds, puffins and also wonderful chunky seals
We could not be more grateful for James's expertise and company on our tour. We are looking to book again ASAP.
Written 11 September 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Cynthia
Mainland, UK4 contributions
Aug 2021 • Couples
Excellent time with our very knowledgeable guide. Even answered my husband difficult questions. We both had a really good full day around all the landmarks across the South. Stopped for lunch at the Hoswick tourist centre. We both highly recommend this company. Money well spent.
Written 26 August 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Carol C
Woori Yallock, Australia8 contributions
Oct 2019
My daughter and I found James to be thoughtful and flexible, we were travelling late October, so the weather was fickle. James ensured we saw as much as possible, including the journey to Unst in good weather! James was informative on many subjects and our conversations included history, geography, farming practices, television series just to name a few. He kindly planned our days around airport pickup and drop off. Such a wonderful experience - felt more like travelling with a well informed friend! Thank you James - sorry it has taken so long to put this in writing!
Written 19 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

douglas t
Benicia, CA11 contributions
Oct 2019
We were on the Shetland Islands to do family research on my brother-in-law's family. We decided to take James Tait tour of the South Mainland. We are so glad we did. James was very informative of all things Shetland and we now know so much more of the Islands. Even though it was a scheduled tour it was a small group and James was willing to make adjustments to meet the interests of the group. Highly recommend a tour with James.
Written 20 October 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Douglas thanks for your review and kind words. Much appreciated and I am glad you enjoyed your time in Shetland. James.
Written 22 October 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

LaurensRotterdam
Rotterdam65 contributions
Sep 2019
Thanks to James we had a great day out. Only wished we had longer (cruise ship had to be caught in time:-)
James is very knowledgeable about not only today's Island life but also the islands past.
He picked us up from the pier and showed us a great deal of the Southern main land .
When we get back to the island for a longer stay we're sure to take James as our guide again!
Written 7 September 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for your kind review, I enjoyed showing you some of what Shetland has to offer during your short visit and hope to see you again someday! Kind regards, James.
Written 9 September 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Susan F
Nambucca Heads, Australia18 contributions
Jul 2019 • Couples
Thank you James for a great tour over the past 3 days. We thoroughly enjoyed every moment. Beautiful scenery, fabulous commentary, “atmospheric” weather! James, you gave us a wonderful insight into all things Shetland. Highly recommended👍👍👍👍
Written 13 July 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for your kind review which is much appreciated. Best wishes, James.
Written 9 September 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

pcrimmins1
Arvada, CO5 contributions
Jun 2019 • Family
James Tait of Island Trails provided a wonderful custom tour of central Shetland for our family of eight adults. We wanted to see the areas around Trondra and Burra where our ancestors lived before coming to the U.S. plus get a general feel for life as it was in Shetland and as it is now. James was so knowledgeable about the history of the islands and even helped us locate the grave of our great-great grandparents who died in the 1800’s. He also showed us many areas of historical significance And talked about current conditions and economics, as only a local can do. Our day with him was exactly what we had hoped for, and was a highlight of our trip! We highly recommend him.
Written 2 July 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks your your very positive review. It was a real pleasure to show you around and to help you with your family history research. Best wishes, James.
Written 9 September 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

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ISLAND TRAILS (Lerwick) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go