Reviews

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

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39 Reviews

4.5 out of 5

Reviewed January 2012

CYCLE THE CAMINO DE SANTIAGO

It’s an amazing physical and spiritual experience, and the Spanish guides went above and beyond the call of duty. However, the trip was physically more demanding than the description led me to believe, beware if you have food allergies, and I didn’t think much of the insurance assistance company provided by Exodus.

Most Inspirational Moment

I got up very early one morning and tackled the most arduous day of the holiday by myself. Seeing the sun rise while bing totally alone but surrounded by all that natural grandeur and beauty was an experience I shall never forget.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Ignacio (Nacho) was funny, considerate, well-informed, knowledgeable, and eager to communicate his love of the region to his little flock. After I had my accident, he went out of his way to make sure that I had everything I needed.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Tiop 1: If you have any kind of food intolerance or allergy, take your own supplies with you. Exodus assured me that gluten intolerance wouldn't be a problem, but all they had done was alert the guide. Fortunately, we found a supermarket that stocked gluten-free food; these are not common in Spain. Without this, one morning I would have faced the prospect of eating raw tomatoes (only) for breakfast.Tip 2: a cycle route in Spain is not the same beast as a cycle route in the UK. Think unmade up road, forest track, large loose boulders.

Suggestions

It was a great experience with a great bunch of people. We were lucky in that it was a very small group (9 of us) and we all got on well. We were also fortunate in our group leaders: Nacho and Diana were fantastically good fun and nothing was too much trouble for them.

Reviewed October 2011

CYCLE THE CAMINO DE SANTIAGO

This was a really great trip- the history of the Camino, interesting towns, the Galician countryside, some reasonably challenging climbs and a good group of people who got on well.

Most Inspirational Moment

Arriving in Santiago, but also the days we climbed up to O Cebreiro and cycling through the Galician country lanes.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Nacho and Jaime were both excellent and looked after the group really well, and with a great sense of humour.

Advice for Potential Travellers

If you like historic cities, consider staying an extra day in Santiago at the end. For those of us who cycled on the last afternoon, we only had an evening there which isn't time to have a good look round.

Reviewed October 2011

CYCLE THE CAMINO DE SANTIAGO

This trip was fantastic! Really good route with a mixture of on and off road cycling. Beautiful area of countryside with a good amount of attractive towns and villages. Superb guides with excellent command of English, good local knowledge and great entertainment.

Most Inspirational Moment

This trip has a good mixture of fairly level cycling with a number of significant ups and downs. The two long uphills mentioned in the trip notes were fairly hard going, but the rewards came on the way down - A couple of fantastic long descents with superb views over the surrounding countryside.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Both Nacho (cycling guide) and Jaime (driving the minibus) were excellent. Both had a great grasp of English (Jaime lived in Scotland for many years). Both were good cyclists and looked after the group very well - giving plenty of leeway for the faster/fitter riders and keeping an eye open for the more laid back cyclists in the group. Not an easy job with a group of 15 of various ages! The organisation was fantastic and the care of the cycling equipment with appropriate help when needed was superb. They were also good company both on the ride and in the evenings.

Advice for Potential Travellers

This is a superb trip, but you do need to have a certain degree of cycling fitness! Having been on a couple of other trips, I would say Moderate/Challenging is about right... there are several fairly hard going uphill bits to the trip, but that only makes the downhills even more worthwhile. We had a very mixed group aged mid-thirties to late-sixties, but all coped very well albeit at slightly different paces! However, it isn't a gentle ride in the country!

Suggestions

Although I took my own bicycle, the hire bicycles provided appeared to be well maintained and stood up to the trip well. I think 3-4 punctures in the week were the only difficulties encountered, and the guides sorted these quickly on each occasion. Enjoy!

Reviewed October 2011

CYCLE THE CAMINO DE SANTIAGO

I’m not one to write about a recent holiday but this was an exceptional holiday with a group of people who loved the whole experiece as much as I did. We were lucky enough to enjoy a mini heatwave in October without needing to get the wet weather gear out of our suitcases.It was my first Exodus holiday and it wont be last. Some of the group had travelled on other trips and I was able to hear first hand about the trips ( much better than reading about them in the brochure).Northern Spain, what a beautiful region to cycle thru with 2 experienced guides Nachos and Jamie. We were even abe to help Nachos with some of his English sentences …..

Most Inspirational Moment

Sharing the Camino with people who had been walking for up to 4 weeks and cycling on a route where thousands of pilgrims had walked before was a very thought provoking experience.Not having to worry about the speed of the front runners ( there were some very keen experienced cyclists up front) wasn't a problem ...you simply cycled with those who were the same pace as you! Grinding out the long steep slopes after lunch one afternoon in 30 degrees of heat with 2 similar paced cyclists and sharing the job of being the leader along the climb was a great 'mini' team effort ( thanks Richard and Rose).

Thoughts on Group Leader

A couple of decent Spaniards, well informed and who new the way to Santiago ...thanks guys!Thank heavens for the yellow arrows that marked the route the whole distance.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Try to be fit before the trip to enjoy the whole week long experience. I think because of the heat I would have graded the trip 'challenging' rather than 'moderate / challenging'.

Suggestions

Would have liked to have stayed on an extra night in Santigo to see the whole town and spent some time watching the pilgrims arriving in the square.The Cathedrals and Churches along the way were breathtakingly beautiful. Dont forget to fill your pilgrims passport with stamps from everywhere along the route. Buen Camino

Reviewed September 2011

CYCLE THE CAMINO DE SANTIAGO

A wonderful trip – perfectly paced, a great group of people, superb guides. We laughed a lot and there was a real sense of camaraderie amongst the whole group. Cycling, picnics, swimming in a freezing river, a cold beer at the end of the day – the perfect trip.

Most Inspirational Moment

The variety of countryside along the route was wonderful. We cycled on every surface imaginable, from dirt tracks to tough mountain climbs, and from paths through vineyards to cobbled streets through beautiful villages. Each day was full of surprises and stunning views. Though no one in the group was doing the Camino for spiritual reasons, the fact that you meet so many people en route who are added a real sense of purpose to the trip and gave the feeling that we were working towards a goal of reaching Santiago.

Thoughts on Group Leader

The leaders (Jose and Diana) made the difference between a good trip and a great trip. I could not praise them highly enough - both wonderful people, both with a great sense of humour and both went out of their way to ensure we had a great time, whilst also both immersing themselves in everything we did and being part of the group.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Panniers are provided so you don't need a daypack - it's much better to keep your bits and pieces in your pannier rather than on your back. The cycling is achievable by anyone with a reasonable level of fitness - you don't need to be an expert or even frequent cyclist.

Suggestions

This is a brilliant trip. Whilst it's physically tough at times, it's doable and the sense of camaraderie and team spirit will get you through the harder bits. It is super-relaxing - from the moment we arrived I left behind the stresses of work and felt totally immersed in the trip. Book it now!!

Reviewed September 2011

CYCLE THE CAMINO DE SANTIAGO

A fabulous experience, with a fabulous group of people of a wide age range!

Most Inspirational Moment

Walking from the valley up to O Cebriero - I had fantastic views before the clouds came down.The arrival in Santiago and knowing that the challenge had been met.

Thoughts on Group Leader

A superb group leader and backup person who couldn't do enough for us; everything planned to make each stage of the journey achievable and flexible enough to sort out any bike problems along the way.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Ensure you get in some practice climbing hills before the trip; not totally essential, because the backup vehicle is a fail safe. If not, be prepared to walk fast and push!

Suggestions

For a first time visitor to mainland Spain, the whole experience was a joy and a challenge; every day was superb and as it happens, the weather and temperatures couldn't have been kinder to us.

Reviewed August 2011

CYCLE THE CAMINO DE SANTIAGO

Just got back from the Camino de Santiago cycling trip and am filled with enthusiasm for all things Spanish, and all things cycling. Had a wonderful time, with a lovely group of people, and a guide and driver who did so much to make our week fun and enjoyable. The cycling was harder than we expected. There are no flat days, one day was slightly easier than the others but there were strenuous climbs almost every day. The days were long and there was very little ‘down time’. There are lots of rough tracks and steep descents on tricky terrain. A few of us felt that the holiday description should give more of an idea of what to expect. To complete every day requires a good level of fitness, determination and cycling experience

Most Inspirational Moment

Our group varied widely in fitness and cycling. The fitter members coped easily, but others showed amazing and inspirational determination on some of the more difficult days

Thoughts on Group Leader

The group leader was lovely. He was friendly, kind, and helpful, and was brilliant with all of us.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Try to get some experience of cycling on rough tracks, and be prepared to spend long days on the saddle.

Reviewed July 2011

CYCLE THE CAMINO DE SANTIAGO

A really good group of people and a trip I’d wanted to do for a few years but which seemed to have disappeared from the brochure for a couple of years before being re-introduced. Cycling was harder than expected; although rated ‘moderate’ this trip was harder than other ‘moderate’ trips I’ve done in the past; in fact only two of our group actually cycled the whole way without spending any time in the support vehicle.

Most Inspirational Moment

Arriving in the cathedral square in Santiago; it's a beautiful place and a fitting end to the trip.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Nacho and Diane were really good, particularly in sorting out arrangements for one of our group who had a close encounter with a concrete drainage ditch and needed hospital treatment.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be aware this trip has some difficult hills (at least one which is serious 'get of and push for about an hour' territory for those who insist on 'cycling' rather than using the support vehicle). The first day of the trip isn't great as it goes through the suburbs of Leon and then across largely flat fields with uninspiring views, but the scenery gets better as the week goes on. With the exception of one night where the rooms were very basic, the hotels were very good, en suites occasionally including full-sized baths which were very welcome after a day's cycling.

Suggestions

It was a nice surprise to find the flights with Sleazyjet (a fictional airline that the lawyers tell me is entirely unrelated to any real airlines) were actually on time. But it would have been nice to have had return flights from Santiago airport - and perhaps having more time to look around Santiago after the trip - rather than having to take a three-hour coach journey back to our starting point. I appreciate there may be cost issues here but hope that Exodus would be able to do a reasonable deal on these costs given the number of flights booked by Exodus over the course of a year.

Reviewed June 2011

CYCLE THE CAMINO DE SANTIAGO

Well what a great trip. Very exhilarating and a complete endorphin high as this was my first cycle trip ever. My training for the trip was about 3 times a week doing 15-20kms on roads with hills and flat sections for 4 months before the tour started. I was able to finish most of the tour except for the last 20kms due to time pressure of my flight out of Santiago de Compostella.

Most Inspirational Moment

We mostly travelled on the Pilgrim paths so there was a lot of rough riding with wonderful vistas and views of the Spanish countryside. Hence I would certainly suggest that you do some mountain bike training before you come on this trip so that you know how to handle a bike in rough, undulating and rocky terrain. Most of us in the group did not have experience in this sort of terrain but if you want to feel confident and go at a reasonable pace then do some. Moreover do some serious hill training as you are probably going to encounter some long inclines.Also we travelled on main roads shared with cars especially the long climbs that you will not encounter in any leisurely weekend cycling. We also travelled on some main roads as from Samos and then onto Sarria once we reached the summit at Cebreiro. This decent was 24Kms in length. The climb to Cebrerio was 9kms which was tough. There is also another long decent at the beginning after you climb for 14ms to the top of Peurto del Foncebadon. Your decent to Molinaseca which is very exhilarating. So you can see that you need to be prepared to do some serious climbing and riding. I could not have done it without having some aids for hydration and energy.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our tour guides Nacho and Diane were really good and were extremely helpful all the way.

Advice for Potential Travellers

- Overall the consensus in our group was that this was more of an Advanced cycling tour rather than Moderate as advertised. To highlight this point only 2 out of 9 members were able to complete every stage of the tour. - One member of our group fell riding too close to the side of the road so it is important to ensure you have insurance.

Suggestions

This tour is highly recommended for the experienced rider. Overall a very enjoyable trip.

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