Absolute Escapes Traveller Reviews

My holiday was a Northumberland Coast Path walking holiday, 14th - 21st June 2022. All in all I had an extremely enjoyable week. I had never spent time on this coast before and most of the scenery was absolutely beautiful. I found it extremely worthwhile taking additional days in both Seahouses and Fenwick. My trips to Staple Island and Inner Farne in the Farne Islands were very enjoyable, in fact having a keen interest in wildlife I would go as far as to say they were absolutely “mind blowing.” It was sound advice though on Inner Farne to wear a good strong hat with our good friends the Arctic Terns in close attendance. I also thoroughly enjoyed walking to the Holy Island of Lindisfarne via the Pilgrim’s Route, although before making the journey I did spend quite a bit of time double checking the tide times and speaking to people with good local knowledge. I should have made the journey home on the 21st June but because of the rail strike it became necessary for me to spend an extra night in Berwick - upon - Tweed. However, this gave me the opportunity to explore Berwick and also take a walk up to the England/Scotland border, so it was actually something of a bonus.

I was very impressed with the package that the Absolute Escapes Team put together for me. The B and B’s were excellent and my luggage was always waiting for me when I arrived. They provided me with comprehensive details of my accommodation, a summary of my route for each day, as well as suggestions on the best places to eat and drink in each night, and where to stock up on supplies for my lunch. They even provided me with safe crossing times when tides were an issue. Soon after I returned home they asked me for feedback which I thought was a nice touch in an effort to improve their service.

We spent 7 stunning days walking the Great Glen Way from Ft. Willam to Inverness. Miraculously, we had no rain and few midges. The places. We stayed were comfortable and our hosts always delightful. The. GGW is spectacular. We four friends laughed a lot and enjoyed this time together exploring the Scottish Highlands.

We started planning this trip in 2019 and it got delayed to 2022.. Absolute Escapes was alway responsive, and they allowed us to roll over our deposit two years in a row. Our lodging was fantastic and when there was a need to book lodgings AE took care of everything before we were even off the trail for the day. All of the restaurant recommendations were excellent — we ate incredibly well. We booked all dinners in advance at their recommendation and that proved vital as most nights we watched as other patrons were unfortunately turned away. Any necessary transit was always on time and our inn keepers were always in the know about that transit and the timing. Truly, everything was wonderful

This was a walking holiday of the Arran Coastal Way - a 65 trail around the island. We booked with Absolute Escapes who organised everything apart from the ferry crossings. The accommodation was at 4 guest houses all of which were excellent; places which understood the requirements of walkers. We enjoyed sea views at the three places on the sea front and all provided tasty breakfasts. The company arranged for our luggage to be transferred from one guest house to another and booked taxis where needed to get us to our accommodation all of which worked like clockwork leaving us relaxed and able to enjoy the walking

They were very helpful in helping us to book and provided excellent pre-holiday information. All queries were responded to promptly. They also provided a map and guide for the walk. As noted above the accomodation they arranged was excellent.

9 wonderful walking days following the Kerry Way in Ireland, good weather

Absolute Escapes did a great job as always, allowing me to request free days for a special visit

Leaving Edinburgh we took A198 to North Berwick, on to St Abb's Head to Berwick Upon Tweed. This route and the sites were a highlight. We enjoyed Cuthbert’s Cave and Bamburgh Castle. The Northumberland coast is too magnificent for words. From Berwick Upon Tweed we drove to Wooler. The Cave and Wooler allowed us to travers a bit of Cuthburts Way. From Holy Isle we enjoyed Howick Hall & Gardens, the Angel of the North and Durham. As we traveled to Melrose we explored a large chunk Hadrians Wall, getting to Sycamore Gap. In Melrose we toured the Border Abbeys. We also had the fun adventure exploring the William Wallace Monument, Leadersfoot, Scots View, and Smailholm Tower (not in that order). There were many other treats and treasures we discovered along the way.

Absolute Escapes was incredibly helpful in helping us plan our trip. They booked outstanding quality accommodations for us to stay in. They provided a plethora of information on diverse attractions and interest which helped us in exploring the byways and highways of Northumbria and the Border Lands. Absolute Escapes created a "Tailor-made Itinerary" for us. They state “Our aim is to ensure that you have the best possible experience whilst visiting and we hope that the following information will help you do just that.” This is ABSOLUTELY what they did!!!!!

Touring holiday in Western Isles of Scotland.

Everything went as planned. Accommodation was excellent throughout, and route instructions were easy to follow. List of places to visit was also very helpful.

We walked the Rob Roy way in June 22 over six days. Absolute Escapes helped us fine tune our itinerary and arranged accommodation and baggage transfer

Absolute Escapes are totally on the ball. They found us some great accommodation and everything ran like clockwork

Absolute Escapes put together a fabulous self-drive tour of Scotland, with first class hotels and a long list of suggested sites and experiences. We took advantage of as many suggestions as we could. We had a great time.

They were remarkably patient, as COVID caused us to reschedule no less than four times over two years. They also worked with us when we decided to switch from Bed & Breakfasts to hotel. As I mentioned, all of their suggestions were spot on.

This trip was an exploration of Shetland, Orkney and the North Coast 500. The tour guides were outstanding, very knowledgeable and personable - perfect for our group.

Andy Gabe and his team at Absolute Escapes did a fantastic job of organizing our trip. I have worked with Andy for tours of Scotland, Ireland and England for over 10 years. I finally got the chance to meet him and his crew in Edinburgh. Such a fine group of people. Andy has a very solid reputation with B&B's, guest houses, hotels, guides, and coach companies. The itineraries Absolute Escapes develop are detailed and full. This last trip, some in our group developed medical issues that threatened the completion of our planned journey. Andy and his team worked evening and early morning to help us sort through the mess. Miraculously, the trip went on as scheduled. This service went beyond simply putting a package together. He looked after us. I have many more trips planned down the road in the UK and Ireland and I will go to Andy to help arrange them all. He also has a talent for hiring crewmembers that are enthusiastic, smart and energetic. I can't say enough about Andy and his wonderful team. I look forward to seeing them again.

We were very fortunate with the weather on our holiday. We did lots of walking in spectacular countryside, many walks along the cliffs with geos, stacks and caves to see and enjoy. We climbed the high point of Ronas Hill on Shetland to enjoy 360 degree views of the northern part of the island. The seaboat trip from Lerwick was a highlight and to be recommended. We booked Jarlshof neolithic village in advance and that was quite something to walk through the houses of ancient peoples and see how they lived. On our first day at Shetland we headed south from the early ferry and took in the tombolo at StNinians Isle which is very beautiful, Jarlshof and Sumburgh Head where we saw puffins close up. Memories of Shetland will always include many wildflowers; seabirds; seals and those orcas. Sadly no otters. The Eshaness Cliff circularly walk was another highlight of our week on Shetland with stunning cliff and sea views. The only downside of our daily walks was the lack of cafes so packing snacks is an essential. The Cornerstone Cafe in Scalloway is to be recommended. Our host at St Magnus Bay told us: 'We are fisherfolk who croft and the Orcadians are farmers who sometimes fish' and this was obvious when we arrived on Orkney. Shetland is wild and remote, Orkney much greener and lower lying. The highlights of our week on Orkney include visiting the neolithic remains. We booked Skara Brae and Maeshowe Cairn in advance and this is essential as they are both very popular, particularly with coach trips and cruise tours, and Maeshowe has just three tours a day with a limit of 16 people on each tour. The Stones of Stenness and the Ring of Brodgar are free to access and there is a good circular walk which takes in both. Early arrival at all of the neolithic sites is essential as they are very popular. Tony took the passenger ferry from Stromness to Hoy and enjoyed a long walk over the highest point Ward Hill, followed by delicious food at the Beneth'ill Cafe at Moaness whilst awaiting the return ferry. Catching the first ferry at 7.30 allows plenty of time to walk to the Old Man of Hoy and back. In summary, we thoroughly enjoyed our explorations and adventures on both islands and your seamless organisation of all aspects of our trip added to that enjoyment and your prompt response to queries. I have already sung the praises of Absolute Escapes to friends.

Absolute Escapes staff were easy to get hold of, friendly and supportive. We had a concern about one hotel we were booked into and that was dealt with very quickly to our complete satisfaction. All aspects of our trip: car hire, ferry bookings and accommodation were professionally managed and we had no issues.