Reviewed September 2021 Lesley fysh Trip: Croatia: Islands & MountainsGreat mixture of hiking and sightseeing Really enjoyed the variety in this trip. There was a walk every day plus the chance to visit the historic parts of Dubrovnik, Split and Zadar. Most days there was an opportunity to swim in the sea. Some of our group opted out of the hardest walks, which gave them time to have a relaxing day by the sea.What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? There wasn’t one single moment, but I particularly enjoyed all the views from the various high points that we walked to. We were lucky with the weather and didn’t get rained on all week.What did you think of your group leader? Our leader Jelco (Zelco? Not sure of spelling) was excellent. He was endlessly patient, very organised and fun to be around.Do you have any advice for potential travellers? I approached this as a walking holiday, so didn’t pack properly for the swimming. I wish I had taken swim shoes as getting in and out the sea is on stones at all locations and was painful. I also only took a travel towel and didn’t take a beach cover-up. The Lufthansa flights weren’t at the most convenient of times and transited via Frankfurt. In these COVID times it makes sense to use group flights in case of cancellations. In normal times I may have considered booking my own flights instead.
Reviewed September 2021 K. Ottoy Trip: Walking in AndaluciaWalking in Andalucia What a perfect holiday! After a long time full of Covid restrictions, it was the perfect get a way. Yes, not my first choice, BUT I am so, so glad I was on this trip. Not one regret! A week with beautiful, relaxing walks in different regions; some very well known like Caminito del Rey (but defenitly a must see), others a in less touristic region but nevertheless still worth the climb (El Penon and Sierra de Grazalema). All this guided by a wonderful guide, with an overall great knowledge and fun character. The free day in Seville is defenitly to recommend. The small hotel is a little gem in between the olive trees, lovely owners an d a very good chef in the kitchen.What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? Every day had its little beautiful highlights; the tapas lunch on the local square between the Spanish families, the amazing scenery and fantastic walking in the national Park of Siera de grazalema, the breathtaking views of the Caminito de Rey,and even getting lost in Seville was fun!What did you think of your group leader? Mike, Miguel or Michael....What a great personality! Full of knowledge about the area, always in a good mood and in for a laugh. Really making sure all of us were feeling okay and enjoying the trip to the fullest. Never afraid to go, literally, the extra mile to give us an extra ordinary service.Do you have any advice for potential travellers? Be prepared for a great holiday; full of wonderful walks, professional guide, good food, cozy hotel, explore Seville city, time to relax,... etc ENJOY IT!Is there anything else you would like to add? a region well worth a visit! Nice variety of beautiful walks in different areas and one day of culture inSeville.
Reviewed September 2021 Mary Muir Trip: Walking in North Cyprus Loved it! I am just back from an amazing week in North Cyprus as part of a lovely group, and led by fantastic guide, Gizer. This trip is an interesting combination of walking and history which I very much enjoyed. It was very hot at times; one of my highlights was swimming in the Mediterranean at the end of a long walk from Kantara on day 4. We all went on the optional trip to Famagusta - this was well worth while. We also very much enjoyed the local food and drink in the evenings!Is there anything else you would like to add? Covid threat is taken very seriously. Some places we visited required production of our vaccination/PCR documentation before entry (even although we were outside and very few others were there). I felt safe at all times. If you are a UK arrival and have not filled in a Passenger Locator Form before, I would recommend that you have a look at it before you travel to ensure that you have all the details required to hand. You can partially fill it in and save it for submitting later.
Reviewed September 2021 Angela Beckwith Trip: Highlights of MoroccoWonderful Trip We were one of the lucky first groups able to travel post-Covid lockdown, and what a way to re-start travel! The trip was excellent with a fantastic mixture of cities, culture, landscape and activities. Morocco is a very diverse country, with so much to see and experience. I found the people friendly and welcoming, and thoroughly enjoyed every moment. Our guide, Fouad, was outstanding, as was our driver Mo-Mo, and both took such good care of our group from start to finish. There were too many great experiences to mention them all, but the walking tours through Rabat, Fez and Meknes were all awesome - all of the local guides were so enthusiastic to share their country and knowledge with us and we were very lucky to get to experience it with them.What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? Sleeping under the stars in the Sahara was a dream come true. We were lucky to have perfect clear skies and the Milky Way was incredibly bright and clear. Waking up early to take an optional morning camel trek out to the dunes to watch the sunrise (having already camel trekked for the sunset the previous day) and seeing the sand change colours as the light changed.What did you think of your group leader? Fouad was absolutely outstanding. He went out of his way to make sure everyone got the most out of their trip and was constantly organising added little extras (tea and cake at a local home in the Atlas Mountains; local live music demonstration on the edge of the desert; organising for specific shops to open early so a few more last-minute souvenirs could be purchased). He was super organised and never once lost his smile and humour. He took great care of everyone, especially when a few of our group member suffered from dodgy stomachs, and made sure everyone had access to pharmacies and extra stops whenever necessary. He was truly like family by the end of the trip. Likewise, our diver Mo-Mo was such a lovely gentleman, always ready with a smile and a helping hand. He took incredible care of us in the bus and made us all feel very safe whilst on the roads.Do you have any advice for potential travellers? Embrace the culture and the experiences and go with the right attitude to try everything (ride the camel, climb that sand dune, try the tagine, explore the souks). Do not go expecting 5* western accommodation, facilities or food - it is not that kind of holiday. Be prepared that, although the trip is rated "leisurely", it is not a relaxing, slow-paced trip. The holiday is pretty full on for the whole two weeks to ensure that you get the absolute most out of it and it is completely worth it.Is there anything else you would like to add? Make sure you leave room in your suitcase for souvenirs - beautiful leather goods from the tanneries in Fez; art and silver jewellery in Essaouira; pottery in Meknes.
Reviewed September 2021 Chris Greenfield Trip: Mountains & Villages of EviaFabulous, though in the heat of September 2021 probably more moderate than leisurely. Breathtaking views, fabulous fresh Greek food and time (if you have the energy left) to stroll 5 minutes to a local beach at the end of each day's walk. Our guide Charlotte (known to literally everyone on the island as Nanou, had an infectious smile, bags of enthusiasm and a motto of 'everything is possible' to help make this holiday memorable. With temperatures being hotter than normal, some of the steeper ascents were a little hard work, and I'd recommend taking walking poles just to help you up and down the steepest parts of the walk to see the 700 year old Roman Columns.. The hotel is quite basic, but the water is drinkable straight from the tap as the supply comes from a stream. Your room will have a kettle and a supply of local tea and coffee, so if you hanker for a brew in your room, you can.What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? Reaching 700 year old Roman Columns perched on the hillside (it felt like a mountainside), and seeing the views back down to the port of Karystos and Castello Rosso perched on an adjoining hill, that was to be our next ascent. Worth all the effort.What did you think of your group leader? Charlotte was excellent, and really helped make the trip memorable...on the second days walk we passed a vineyard and feigned shock that it wasn't on our itinerary to visit for the wine tasting tour...;-) For the 4th day's walk to the reach the Roman aqueduct, Charlotte rejigged our route and arranged for us to have the wine tasting tour; a superb way to end that days walk...Went above and beyond each and every day.Do you have any advice for potential travellers? Bring walking poles, even if you have never used them before, there are parts, possibly more on the descents where you will be grateful for having extra help / reassurance with your footing; mine are a cheap pair and were perfectly adequate. Walking trainers might just about be okay on the morning walk to Marmari, but for the rest of the routes, ankle support walking boots are essential. Free up plenty of memory on your phone / camera; you'll have so many opportunities to take photograph. If you have a drone, bring that too; sadly it was too windy on the walk to the Roman Columns, but I have some great images from other days. The Greek flysafe drone map can be found at https://dagr.hcaa.gr/#map_pageIs there anything else you would like to add? Thanks for another great walking holiday., hopefully see you again next year for another adventure.
Reviewed September 2021 Julia Larsson Trip: Walking in CornwallWonderful Cornwall A very enjoyable 6 days walking. I've only marked it as very good as I had rooms that looked over roof tops and air conditioning units in both hotels. Some others in the group had harbour views and very big rooms. Be aware that the Old Custom House in Padstow has stairs up and down all over the place. Quite an adventure finding your room!What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? The north coast is stunning and the visit to The Lost Gardens of Heligan.What did you think of your group leader? We had Gaby and Tatty as our guides. They are exceptional young women, multi-talented, organised, caring and fun. They always had a supply of snacks and wine gums ready when required! They made this trip very special.Do you have any advice for potential travellers? Make sure you pre-book a taxi if you are going by train to Bodmin Parkway. There were only a couple of taxis there and they were both pre-booked. One cabby tried phoning for me but couldn't get anyone. The bus was supposed to arrive in 3 minutes and 35 minutes later we were still waiting for it. Luckily then a taxi did arrive that took me and two others to Padstow.
Reviewed September 2021 Vicki Barwick Trip: Walking the Gower PeninsulaGive the Gower a go! Really enjoyable short break walking the Gower Coastal path. The scenery is surprisingly varied - from salt marsh to rugged cliffs and vast sandy beaches. The walking is mainly on well defined paths with a few rocky sections. There are some steep ascents (rewarded by amazing views) and descents but they are relatively short. The Gower Hotel is a great base for the trip. The staff are really friendly and there is a nice bar and restaurant. We had an excellent local guide (Cari) who passed on lots of interesting info during the walks. She was also really helpful in arranging lunches and dinners for the nights we didn’t eat at the hotel. The visit to the Gower Gin distillery (which included a very generous gin tasting !) was an enjoyable addition to the itinerary.What did you think of your group leader? Cari was great - extensive local knowledge and a real enthusiasm for showcasing the best the region has to offer.
Reviewed September 2021 Lucy Wiggins Trip: High Fells and Summits of the Lake DistrictTruly Amazing Experience Chris Berry and Suzy Slaughter are two of the best guides I have had on a trip to date. They both worked so well together and looked after our large group of 14 so very well. Chris was so full of interesting local knowledge and Suzys organisational skills were spot on while always ensuring everyone was enjoying themselves. Both took our safety and level of walking very seriously and we had a lot of laughs and fun throughout the trip. So lovely to eat together in the evenings and the walks were just incredible and gave us a great insight into the Lake District region. Would fully recommend this trip particularly with these incredible pair guiding us through our holiday. Nothing was too much trouble for them and the sandwich lunches were brilliant. The only criticism perhaps would be the current hotel uses need to be more flexible with their breakfast timing as 8.30am was too late on some days as we didn’t get back to 7-7.30pm which ate into the evenings.What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? The scenery, the walks and our guides oh and our group was all so lovelyWhat did you think of your group leader? 11/10Do you have any advice for potential travellers? The weather can vary so always pack waterproofs and warm clothing including a woolly hat but don’t forget your sun cream and sun hatsIs there anything else you would like to add? Would fully recommend this trip - more Uk trips should be provided as the Uk is a wonderful place to visit
Reviewed September 2021 Nicola Peers Trip: Iceland ExplorerA journey around Iceland This trip exceeded my expectations. The ever changing landscape was stunning, the food was excellent (although vegetarians are less well catered for, and it helps to like fish), and all the accommodation was clean and comfortable.What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? Every day had at least one "wow" moment but the highlight for me from the published itinerary was the time we spent in the Krafla area, seeing the crater lake and walking over the lava fields. The Glacier Lagoon was also breath taking. To fit in our pre departure lateral flow tests, the itinerary was amended to arrive early in Reykjavik, which gave us the opportunity to hike to the active Fagradalsfjall volcano on the Reykjanes Peninsula. This was without doubt the overall highlight - never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined seeing red hot lava flowing, and fire bursting out of the earth.What did you think of your group leader? Kristjan was one of the best guides we have had on an Exodus trip. He is very experienced, knowledgeable and professional. He kept calm through every challenge - for example when one hotel could not accommodate the group at the last moment he made alternative arrangements without giving any indication that this had been difficult or stressful. He worked incredibly hard every day, as he was on his own to both drive and guide. The bus was spotless each morning and he was quietly aware of different needs within the group. Thank you Kristjan!Do you have any advice for potential travellers? If you are vegetarian, take some snacks. The trip was a little more active than we had expected (which suited us very well) - be prepared for some walks on rugged terrain, and some lengthy steps to climb.
Reviewed September 2021 Colin Davidson Trip: Walk the North HighlandsTrip is now much better Having just completed this trip I can report that the concerns raised by the reviewer of the July version had been addressed and I found it a most enjoyable trip well led by Brian and more than ably supported by Susan. All the walks were really good, some having been revised to ensure safety levels were suitable and the scenery is spectacular. A highlight was seeing otters on the beach on the walk back to Thurso from Dunnet Head. The day trip to Orkney was also well worth it. made memorable by the knowledge and enthusiasm of our driver. The accommodation generally was better than I expected, although the hotel in Thurso was not as good as the others. We had a good group who all got on well and meant that the atmosphere throughout was sociable, although some of the jokes left a bit to be desired!! I would definitely recommend this trip to others.What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? The otters.What did you think of your group leader? Very sociable and enthusiastic.Do you have any advice for potential travellers? As this is a fairly new trip approach it with an open mind and expect it will continue to be refined based on feedback from previous trips.