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Your Words – We tell it like it is! Holiday Reviews by previous Exodus travellers  

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175 Reviews

4.8 out of 5

Reviews

Mont Blanc Circuit 12th - 26th July

A fantastic experience from start to finish. Long days (8.30am to 5pm) with plenty of breaks, magnificent scenery and great company. Plenty of ascents and descents along the way, forest trails and rocky paths. If you are used to walking in the Scottish / English / Welsh hills then this trip shouldn’t bother you. We had a mixture of participants of differing ages but all were able to keep up easily. The weather was pretty kind to us and we only had a couple of days rain. You won’t regret doing this trip and it will inspire you to do more.

Most Inspirational Moment

There wasn't really one - every day was different and in the early stages each day surpassed the previous one. If you haven't done it before, the fact that you don't know what is round the next corner inspires you to keep walking.

Thoughts on Group Leader

John the group leader was superb. A very experienced guide, he was patient with our different walking speeds from the outset and when he got to know us a bit better, gradually let some of us venture out ahead when the conditions allowed. He was eager to impart his local knowledge on us and looked after us conscientiously. Totally trustworthy and a good bloke.

Advice for Potential Travellers

1. Pay for your own tent instead of sharing with a stranger - I'm glad I did - you'll need the extra room. 2. Bring a biggish rucksack - mine was a 25L but I could have done with a 35L (to load waterproofs, lunch, etc) 3. All the local walkers wore waterproof ponchos that also covered their rucksacks when it rained. They didn't care what they looked like as long as they stayed dry. If you don't fancy one, make sure your backpack has a cover / liner because when it rains it rains hard. 4. There was no wind on the hills so a portable umbrella would have been useful. 5. Bring lots of easy dry wicking tops - they don't smell even after a few days, are easy to wash and dry and don't crease. 6. Bring two towels - biggest problem with camping is keeping stuff dry and when it is damp it starts to smell. 7. Spare plastic bags to keep stuff dry or put damp stuff in eg Tesco sandwich bags, carrier bags for dirty clothes. 8. Compeed for blisters, spare dry socks, woolly hat and gloves for high climbs in low cloud as it gets cold. 9. I walked in shorts most of the time - it was cooler to walk in shorts when wearing waterproof trousers.

Excellent trip with well supported camping

This is an excellent trip with well supported camping and some pretty incredible scenery.

Most Inspirational Moment

There were some really amazing days walking up to high passes with some optional peak ascents for those that wanted to do a little more. Looking down from 2700m onto peaks shrouded in cloud was pretty good!

Thoughts on Group Leader

John put in a lot of effort to make sure everyone got what they wanted out of the trip - which was different for everybody. He was always helpful and willing to answer questions, give advice etc. Gave a few laughs along the way as well. Graham and Charlotte did an excellent job in providing the camp support. Graham's meals were a definite highlight (and much better than we ate onthe local restaurants nights) and he was really good at providing anything people particularly wanted and catering to everyones needs.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Make sure you prepare for all weather conditions. We had quite a lot of rain and it could be cold at night, but equally I think it could be really warm and sunny every day. There are some really tough descents so I would suggest walking poles are a must.

Mont Blanc Circuit

Overall I had a fantastic trip, fantastic views, great food cooked for us by Graham our chef for the trip, good flat camp sites with good showers and some great views as you look out of your tent, even washing machines for your dirty clothes. The weather could have been a little bit kinder to us as the first and last two day were a bit of a washout and inbetween wasn’t exactly pure blue skys all the time. There are some stiff climbs to the tops, but the views are worth all the effort. With stiff climbs the inevitable steep decents follow, giving your knees a good pounding, (have walking poles, they help,(I PUT THAT ONE IN FOR YOU JOHN). The tents are spacious, but if you share with someone you don’t know room is limited and prohibiting, I would strongly advise paying the single tent supplement, you will have more room than you need.

Most Inspirational Moment

Getting to the top of a hard climb and getting great views of the mountains all around you. A dip in a river at the end of a very hot day at one of the two wild camps

Thoughts on Group Leader

John was a good leader, he was very informative and always approachable.

Advice for Potential Travellers

1-Hard steep climbs and knee pounding decents-TAKE WALKING POLES. 2-5 star advice - Pay the single tent supplement, you will be glad you did it at the end of the two weeks.(Especialy if you share with someone you don't know) 3-Be fit when you go, this trip is not a walk in the park

Mont Blanc Circuit

Lovely place but a bit wet!

Most Inspirational Moment

The views from the Tete du Grand Col Ferret

Thoughts on Group Leader

I think this was John's second time of guiding this route. He'd walked this route many times before, and had some good stories to tell. The goal of the tour seemed to be completing the route rather than appreciating the surroundings, but with the distances to be covered perhaps this is inevitable. He was very helpful with providing advice for days off and walks near the campsites

Advice for Potential Travellers

It can rain - we had a particularly wet trip. It is especially difficult to dry socks, and spare pairs - a total of 6 might not be excessive - may be appreciated by your feet. If you acquire any newspaper keep it for drying your boots. if you are travelling alone consider paying the relatively modest single supplement to get a tent on your own. I was really glad that I had done this - sharing a tent with an owl when you are a lark, or with a disorganised person could be difficult. Take some J cloths - the groundsheets of the tents leaked when it was very wet, and I found these useful for drying the bottom of my thermarest., and mopping wet gear generally. On the day off at the end of the trip in Chamonix you can get a pass which covers all the local teleferiques/chairlifts etc, and for very little more you can go up the Aiguille du Midi and several others - including the Bossons Glacier near the campsite. If it's good visibility the first afternoon in Chamonix, it could be worth going up the Aiguille then, as you may have a cloudy day at the end of the trip - though it may not then be worth getting the lift pass. At the airport coming home you can use the electronic luggage drop - the notes regarding not being able to book in on line on the way out had made us think we couldn't use the Airline Locator Number on the way back.

Mont Blanc Circuit

Great way to undertake this classic long distance Alpine trek.

Most Inspirational Moment

Fighting the snow and biting wind on the high passes in July. Be prepared for cold weather. Also the amazing view from the 3842m Aiguille du Midi cable car. Highly recommended if you have good weather.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Both Nick (mountain guide) and Tom (camp manager) were excellent. Very knowledgeable, full of enthusiasm and great company.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The descents are really hard on your knees. Take knee supports and trekking poles if you have a history of knee problems.

MONT BLANC CIRCUIT

A wonderful trekking holiday through spectacular alpine scenery. The guidance from the leader and the support from our camp support meant I could focus on enjoying each day’s trek to the fullest.

Most Inspirational Moment

For me the border crossings, from France to Switzerland, Switzerland to Italy and Italy to France were all spectacular - difficult days that made me feel a sense of achievement as passes were crossed, moving from one country to another. On two of the rest days I took the opprtunity to take the respective cable cars up to stations high up on glaciers. An amazing experience to see the high mountains without having to be a mountaineer. 

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader Jenny was quite frankly superb. She was organised, kept us well briefed throughout the trek, and was tremendous fun to socialise with. It was pretty obvious she had many years of leading and her experience showed.

Advice for Potential Travellers

For anyone who walks regularly or is reasonably active, this trek should not pose any significant physical challenges as long as you are reasonably fit before you come on this trek. That being said the more physical preparation you can do pre departure, the more you can enjoy the trek. Read the pre departre notes and even look at the Exodus trekking fitness guide and be honest with yourself you can do what's described. You want a challenge not an ordeal.

MONT BLANC CIRCUIT

If you’re considering it, do it!

Most Inspirational Moment

When the clouds cleared and we saw Mont Blanc for the first time. Just beautiful.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Really knowledgeable. Interesting to talk to.

Advice for Potential Travellers

In my view there are only a couple of difficult days really, the rest can be long but are not too strenuous. I was worried it would be harder than it actually was.

MONT BLANC CIRCUIT

An absolutely brilliant trip – the views were truly spectacular and I thoroughly enjoyed the walks.

Most Inspirational Moment

Passing from Switzerland into Italy over the Grand Col Ferret was a really special moment.

Thoughts on Group Leader

The group leader was extremely helpful, friendly & knowledgable.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Just go for it, you won't regret it!

MONT BLANC CIRCUIT

A great trip, with great scenery and cake stops.  It’s hard work though!

Most Inspirational Moment

At the Col du Bonhomme refuge one of our party played the guitar that was in the refuge.  It seemed quite surreal for us to be singing along to the Pretenders 500 miles at 2,100 metresThe views across the whole trek are sensational, hard to pick a highlight, but the descent into Italy down the Col Ferret was pretty niceThere are plenty of cake stops along the route, which certainly helped me, the cakes at each refuge were really good and I was lucky to be part of a group that wanted to stop and partake at regular intervals.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Mike Rhodes was an excellent leader.  I have no experience of the other leaders, who I would expect to be just as good, but if you end up with Mike you are really lucky.He is a really nice man, who knows the area like the back of his hand.  He can identify every flower, peak (including who climbed it first) & animal you might encounter and is a wealth of knowledge on the area generally, including recommended activities on the rest days.Because of his knowledge he is able to adjust the route to fit the group's ability, he put several tougher climbs in for our group as we were all fairly fit, but these were also avoidable for those who would rather have a rest.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Compeed! - I was lucky and didn't suffer with blisters, but on a 10 day trek, if you do suffer you will certainly get through them.  Mike also uses surgical tape over the top of the Compeed to stop them rubbing on your sock and coming off.  a bit of vaseline on the top of the tape helps even more.  There are quite a few chemists, shops etc on route who sell them, but better to be self sufficient Don't wear white t-shirts - I doubt mine will ever be white againYou can buy stuff in Chamonix before the trek starts, but it is pretty pricey and best left for things you forgot to bring, I would recommend purchasing anything you need at home. Take your camera, ipod etc chargers.  The support van is well kitted out and I was able to charge batteries in it once we got to camp or overnight (it had about 8 socket points the group could use) A book is useful for the evenings, as is a small speaker for your ipod, but obviously only if the whole group like your taste in music! Wet wipes are useful for the 2 days you are basic camping (ie no hot showers, but there are toilets)

MONT BLANC CIRCUIT

Yes, it’s the best trekking trip I have ever had.  Good roomy, thunderstorm proofed tents (easy to pitch up and dismantle), great camping sites (only two had no internet access, and no showers) with one having a large LCD TV screen to watch the Tour D’ France going up Alpe d’Huez (an excellent treat for me as I had biked up it 10 days ago), and, not forgetting, good food (four nights at local restaurants on Exodus tab).  Of course, the scenery was just awesome, and we took lots of beautiful picture postcards.

Most Inspirational Moment

Too many.  Most would include doing the touristic stuff in Chamonix (Aguille du Midi to see Mt Blanc at close range; trip to Heilbroner;  seeing skiers going down Vallee Blanche, Mers du Glace and the Cave); having lunch at Lac Blanc; seeing Ibex, Marmot, and even a baby poisonous snake;  doing the Balcony and the Bovine trail; multi day view of Grand Jorasse; having gelato in Courmeyer; ascending Col du Tricot in just over an hour; watching the bungee jumpers in St. Gervais; the paragliders taking off in Mt Brevent and toasting our successful completion at the top of Mt Brevent….10 days trekking, 3 countries, 176 km, 10000m cumulative elevation.  Too many pleasant memories so much so some of us had withdrawal symptoms on returning home.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Mike was knowledgeable and experienced.  He modified the start times based on his estimate of what time we would like to arrive at camp e.g. on the day of the TDF going up Alpe d’Huez, he made sure we arrived at 2.30 pm in camp so we have time to settle down, and get to watch the race at 3 pm.  This flexibility also ensured we did not get caught in bad weather, although there may be an occasion when we got wet (although not very heavy).   Safety was always a priority, and he was always around to lend a helping hand whenever there were obstacles such as crossing a fast running stream, climbing down a ladder, walking over a slippery patch of snow, and climbing over steep rocks adjoining deep ravines. Matt, our driver and cook ensured we always have enough fruits, bread, cheese, and salad for our lunch bags.  We were never hungry.  And dinner was something that was always a pleasant surprise, with enough for second helpings for those who wanted more.  I am still trying to lose the 2 kg I put on.

Advice for Potential Travellers

My group was an experienced group, having done tougher treks in higher altitudes.   However, this trek was still very challenging, especially the last two days where climbs of cumulative 1500m elevations were the norms.  Train hard.  Also bring lots of warm clothing as it can be very cold at night.    Bring long sleeves/pants, a hat and sun block to protect from the UV…we were deep fried by the end of the trek.  Be careful of ticks even though lyme disease is not prevalent in the alps.  I may have been bitten, and had symptoms that were indicative such as muscle and joint ache/pain, fatigue, ear ache, and other normal flu symptoms after returning home.  As a precaution I took doxycycline (an antibiotic) to kill the bacteria