diff --git a/testing/acceptance_test.py b/testing/acceptance_test.py
index 0cfe38e47..adddb397a 100644
--- a/testing/acceptance_test.py
+++ b/testing/acceptance_test.py
@@ -177,7 +177,8 @@ class TestGeneralUsage:
         assert result.ret != 0
         assert "should be seen" in result.stdout.str()
 
-    @pytest.mark.skipif("not hasattr(py.path.local, 'mksymlinkto')")
+    @pytest.mark.skipif(not hasattr(py.path.local, 'mksymlinkto'),
+                        reason="symlink not available on this platform")
     def test_chdir(self, testdir):
         testdir.tmpdir.join("py").mksymlinkto(py._pydir)
         p = testdir.tmpdir.join("main.py")
diff --git a/testing/test_tmpdir.py b/testing/test_tmpdir.py
index 589a56a4c..e6c87dd5b 100644
--- a/testing/test_tmpdir.py
+++ b/testing/test_tmpdir.py
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import py
 import pytest
 
 from _pytest.tmpdir import tmpdir, TempdirHandler
@@ -71,7 +72,8 @@ def test_basetemp(testdir):
     assert result.ret == 0
     assert mytemp.join('hello').check()
 
-@pytest.mark.skipif("not hasattr(py.path.local, 'mksymlinkto')")
+@pytest.mark.skipif(not hasattr(py.path.local, 'mksymlinkto'),
+                    reason="symlink not available on this platform")
 def test_tmpdir_always_is_realpath(testdir):
     # the reason why tmpdir should be a realpath is that
     # when you cd to it and do "os.getcwd()" you will anyway