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Absolute Escapes

Absolute Escapes Traveller Reviews

Reviews of Absolute Escapes

Overall Company Rating
99%
Excellent 729
Good 20
Average 4
Poor 1
Terrible 0
Reviews Submitted: 754
Reviews Accepted: 754
Reviews Rejected: 0
754 reviews
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Absolute Escapes by David L, 27 Mar 2024
Holiday Rating:

Timeless River Thames

Fabulous 60 mile walking week along the River Thames (East Section). Peaceful yet fascinating - loved the way the scenery and sites get bigger and better as you approach the centre of London with some truly iconic sites to photograph and remember. Even though the weather wasn't great - a bit early season - that didn't matter and I had a blast...

Fabulous 60 mile walking week along the River Thames (East Section). Peaceful yet fascinating - loved the way the scenery and sites get bigger and better as you approach the centre of London with some truly iconic sites to photograph and remember. Even though the weather wasn't great - a bit early season - that didn't matter and I had a blast...

Rating for tour operator:

This was my third walking holiday with Absolute Escapes (previously St Cuthbert's Way & Isle of Wight Coastal Path) and I love the fact that they feel like they really understand what makes multi day walking such a pleasure for some of us! Faultless website information and pre-walk preparation is the norm, flexibility and quality is built in and on the one occasion I needed to speak to somebody to check a BnB booking they were available and swiftly sorted it. Love this company - they feel like my Edinburgh "walking family".

Absolute Escapes responded to this review on 28 Mar 2024:

Many thanks for your wonderful review, David. It was fantastic to hear that you enjoyed your walk on the Thames Path and that the weather didn't put you off!

If we can be of any assistance with your future travel plans, please don't hesitate to get in touch as we would be delighted to help you again. Best wishes, Zoe Kirkbride

Absolute Escapes by James Anderson, 18 Dec 2023
Holiday Rating:

Southern Upland Way - fantastic hiking

SUW is VERY quiet - but very beautiful too. Its a solid hike - none of the days are overwhelmingly long - but each of them has something of interest to see. Only negative is that due to the low density of population the area has lost a number of B and Bs - which means there's no place to stay several nights - which means taxi transfers to and fro. Its not the end of the world - but its not as relaxing as eg the Coast to Coast where you ...

SUW is VERY quiet - but very beautiful too. Its a solid hike - none of the days are overwhelmingly long - but each of them has something of interest to see. Only negative is that due to the low density of population the area has lost a number of B and Bs - which means there's no place to stay several nights - which means taxi transfers to and fro. Its not the end of the world - but its not as relaxing as eg the Coast to Coast where you just hike point to point every day and never get in a car the whole way.

Rating for tour operator:

AE was great - arrangements were very professionally done and the team was a pleasure to deal with. I would definitely book through AE again.

Absolute Escapes responded to this review on 19 Dec 2023:

Thank you very much for your review and we were delighted to hear that you enjoyed walking the Southern Upland Way. It certainly has some beautiful scenery, and glad all of the arrangements were to your satisfaction. Please don't hesitate to contact us again if we can assist with any more walking adventures. Andy Gabe

Absolute Escapes by Ross, 11 Nov 2023
Holiday Rating:

Rob Roy Way -Good organisation, but the trail was hard underfoot

Walked the Rob Roy Way from Drymen to Pitlochry in Autumn. Planning by Absolute Escapes was good, and info supplied was helpful. I took each day's info with us, in a waterproof cover. Autumn was absolutely the right time to go, as I already knew from having visited the area decades ago and enjoyed the colours. Kingshouse travel were very good. In general the accommodation was fine. We did feel slightly over charged for the quality of the meal ...

Walked the Rob Roy Way from Drymen to Pitlochry in Autumn. Planning by Absolute Escapes was good, and info supplied was helpful. I took each day's info with us, in a waterproof cover. Autumn was absolutely the right time to go, as I already knew from having visited the area decades ago and enjoyed the colours. Kingshouse travel were very good. In general the accommodation was fine. We did feel slightly over charged for the quality of the meal we felt obliged to take in Strathyre for want of other alternative places to eat. Their packed lunch was also much higher priced than others I'd been accustomed to (my reference is recent - I did the St Cuthbert's Way in May this year. The actual walk is just as many reviews had warned:- nice scenery, not particularly strenuous, but way too much tarmac or very hard surfaces.

Rating for tour operator:

Good communication. Rapidly made changes when flooding put one of our overnight accommodations out of action. Good descriptions of each day's walk. Used a very good transfer/taxi/baggage company who were very responsive and 100% reliable.

Absolute Escapes responded to this review on 14 Nov 2023:

Thank you very much for your review, Ross. We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed walking in Autumn and were pleased with our service. Please don't hesitate to get in touch again if we can be of further assistance in the future - we offer over a dozen trails in Scotland, with lots of varied scenery and terrain! Best wishes, Katia Fernandez Mayo

Absolute Escapes by Jennifer , 10 Nov 2023
Holiday Rating:

Edinburgh, Shetland, Orkney

Shetland was a highlight and magical experience. We enjoyed the museums, attractions and hikes identified for us through our package and made use of many tips, especially for dining.

Shetland was a highlight and magical experience. We enjoyed the museums, attractions and hikes identified for us through our package and made use of many tips, especially for dining.

Rating for tour operator:

Absolute Escapes were a pleasure to work with. All of the accommodations they booked were clean, comfortable and well located. Any questions I had leading up to our trip were answered promptly and effectively. They adapted plans to suit our needs and gave excellent advice. Being unfamiliar with Shetland and Orkney, it gave me great peace of mind to have someone with experience visiting these locations assisting us with our trip.

Absolute Escapes responded to this review on 14 Nov 2023:

Thank you very much for your lovely comments, Jennifer. We were thrilled to hear that you had such an enjoyable time in Shetland and Orkney and that the information provided was helpful. We hope that you will be back to explore Scotland again soon! Best wishes, Katia Fernandez Mayo

Absolute Escapes by pumpkin, 27 Oct 2023
Holiday Rating:

West Highland Way

We hiked the West HIghland Way from MIlngavie in the Lowlands to Fort William in the Highlands in early October. The weather was for most parts fantastic with only one or two rainy days. The experience is very precious to us, we had stunning views along the way, could unwind the brain and came home feeling more carefree.

We hiked the West HIghland Way from MIlngavie in the Lowlands to Fort William in the Highlands in early October. The weather was for most parts fantastic with only one or two rainy days. The experience is very precious to us, we had stunning views along the way, could unwind the brain and came home feeling more carefree.

Rating for tour operator:

They were very friendly and always there to help. Fortunately, everything went smoothly so we didn't need to contact them along the way. The cosen accomodations were nice and homely. They gave us some helpful information such as were to buy lunch and what else there is to see and do aling the way.

Absolute Escapes responded to this review on 27 Oct 2023:

Thank you very much for your review, Stefanie. We were so pleased to hear that you and Andreas enjoyed your time on the West Highland Way despite the occasional rainy day! If we can be of assistance with a future holiday please do not hesitate to get in touch, and we would be delighted to work with you again. Best wishes, Daisy Andrews

Absolute Escapes by KN, 18 Oct 2023
Holiday Rating:

Relaxing trip on the Cotswold Way

My partner and I walked the length of the Cotswold Way, from Chipping Campden to Bath. Aside from some rainy weather, the trip was perfect!

My partner and I walked the length of the Cotswold Way, from Chipping Campden to Bath. Aside from some rainy weather, the trip was perfect!

Rating for tour operator:

Absolute Escapes was great. The accommodations were excellent, as were the restaurant recommendations. Our travel specialist was happy to answer all of our questions before the trip. And an on-call staff member quickly resolved an issue with our final hotel after hours.

Absolute Escapes responded to this review on 20 Oct 2023:

Thank you very much for your kind words, Katy. We are delighted to hear that you had a wonderful time walking the Cotswold's Way and that you were happy with the service we provided. If we can be of any further assistance for future holiday plans, please do not hesitate to reach out! All the best, Nairne McBeath.

Absolute Escapes by Tine, 18 Oct 2023
Holiday Rating:

East highland Way 2023

We had the most amazing trip and what a service you had when our taxi driver got sick. It was just wonderful to be in good hands all the way. All the accommodations were fantastic and provided great service. One of our host was the ever-present guide and advisor on the last part of the hike. His concern for us, where among other things he checked the water level before we went up into the mountains was fantastic. Summarsumarum it was a really ...

We had the most amazing trip and what a service you had when our taxi driver got sick. It was just wonderful to be in good hands all the way. All the accommodations were fantastic and provided great service. One of our host was the ever-present guide and advisor on the last part of the hike. His concern for us, where among other things he checked the water level before we went up into the mountains was fantastic. Summarsumarum it was a really good hike. The East Highland way is just a wonderful trip that more people should take.

Rating for tour operator:

We chose a local company as we wanted to book the trip, to get local knowledge of everything. We got more than that, we got an itinerary that is detailed, feel there has been good communication about questions along the way. We was called with travel changes on the trip when illness occurred, we were texted as we had no access to mail. Everything has been just fine and we have felt in good hands. we have recommended the company to friends who are talking about doing a walking tour in scotland.

Absolute Escapes responded to this review on 20 Oct 2023:

Many thanks for sharing your feedback, Tine. It's great to hear you had such an enjoyable time walking the East Highland Way and that you felt supported by both our team and the locals throughout. Indeed, it is a beautiful and quiet trail, as well as quite challenging, so a big congratulations for completing it! Do get in touch again if you ever consider another walking holiday. All the best, Rebecca Meacham

Absolute Escapes by Lisa, 16 Oct 2023
Holiday Rating:

Cotswold Way in Ten days of walking

We were a group of six who walked from Chipping Camden to Bath in ten days of walking. We loved following the acorn signs marking the Cotswold Way and walking through the English countryside. Each night was booked in advance at a B&B or pub. All of our accommodations were excellent. Based on advice from Absolute Escapes, dinner each night was also booked in advance. When needed, Absolute Escapes also booked transportation by taxi from the ...

We were a group of six who walked from Chipping Camden to Bath in ten days of walking. We loved following the acorn signs marking the Cotswold Way and walking through the English countryside. Each night was booked in advance at a B&B or pub. All of our accommodations were excellent. Based on advice from Absolute Escapes, dinner each night was also booked in advance. When needed, Absolute Escapes also booked transportation by taxi from the trail to our accommodations and back, or from the B&B to a suitable restaurant and back.

Rating for tour operator:

We used Absolute Escapes to book our Cotswold Way accommodations as we had past experience using them to book an Isle of Skye vacation. They were very responsive to our questions and needs. For this trip, we needed to rebook all of our accommodations because we had to change our dates after the initial booking. We appreciated their help. All their booked lodgings and recommendations for meals were excellent choices.

Absolute Escapes responded to this review on 18 Oct 2023:

Many thanks for your lovely review, Lisa. We are pleased to hear that your group enjoyed walking the picturesque Cotswold Way! If we can be of any assistance with your future travel plans, please don't hesitate to get in touch as we would be delighted to help you again. All the best, Zoe Kirkbride

Absolute Escapes by Jackie, 5 Oct 2023
Holiday Rating:

Fantastic time on the Cumbria Way

I had an absolutely fantastic time on the Cumbria Way. Everything was just perfect (including the weather). All the accommodation was excellent and each place very welcoming...there was always a smiling face to welcome me after my day of walking. I'd wanted to visit the Lake District for a while and it exceeded all expectations.

I had an absolutely fantastic time on the Cumbria Way. Everything was just perfect (including the weather). All the accommodation was excellent and each place very welcoming...there was always a smiling face to welcome me after my day of walking. I'd wanted to visit the Lake District for a while and it exceeded all expectations.

Rating for tour operator:

All the information that was provided in the information pack was perfect. The map and guide book were indispensable and Absolute Escapes sent these to my first night's accommodation to ensure their safe arrival. All the accommodation chosen was first rate. Booking with Absolute Escapes meant that I just had to focus on the walking and not worry about anything else.

Absolute Escapes responded to this review on 06 Oct 2023:

Thank you for your lovely comments, Jaqueline. We are so pleased to hear you were happy with our services and enjoyed your time on the Cumbria Way! Please do not hesitate to contact us if we can be of any further assistance in the future. Best wishes, Rebecca Meacham

Absolute Escapes by Pennine Way Steve, 4 Oct 2023
Holiday Rating:

The Pennine Way the easy way!

We walked The Pennine Way in three installments with a few weeks between each part - May, June, September. The breaks were taken at Horton-in-Ribblesdale and Greenhead so that rail links could be used to get us to and from the trail. As with all National Trails there are good and bad days, but, if the weather is good, the last two days in The Cheviot Hills will be as memorable as anything on any trail.

We walked The Pennine Way in three installments with a few weeks between each part - May, June, September. The breaks were taken at Horton-in-Ribblesdale and Greenhead so that rail links could be used to get us to and from the trail. As with all National Trails there are good and bad days, but, if the weather is good, the last two days in The Cheviot Hills will be as memorable as anything on any trail.

Rating for tour operator:

I have now completed at least a dozen walking holidays with Absolute Escapes, and in all that time have found very little to fault. I find everyone I deal with very personable and any query is responded to with speed and efficiency. The planning is not rigid and I am always pleased that the Company try to fit to my requirements.

Absolute Escapes responded to this review on 05 Oct 2023:

Thank you very much for your lovely review, Steve. We were really pleased to hear you enjoyed each of your walks on the Pennine Way, and it has been a pleasure working with you over the years. We will be delighted to help you plan your next walk when the time comes! Best wishes, Zoe Kirkbride