Absolute Escapes Traveller Reviews

We walked the Great Glenn Way in october from Fort William to Inverness. This trek is very easy. The landscape is beautiful.

Absolute Escape organized our trip. They did a great job. I recieved a detailed information kit about the Great Glen way., where are groceries, restaurants, about B&Bs and so on. We enjooyed our trek.

I had a walking holiday from Melrose to the Holy Island that I booked through Absolute Escapes. It was wonderful. The days were superb. I will never forget some of the beautiful landscape through which I walked. I extended my holiday an extra day on Holy Island at the end as well as a day in Edinburgh before I flew back to Boston, which were great experiences.

Absolute Escapes helped me select an week for my holiday, advising me that my original dates might be more problematic and another would be better. They were correct given the tide table to Holy Island and their advice saved me much disappointment. The luggage transfer they arranged was prompt and careful. My bags were always waiting when I arrived the next day. The literature they sent helped me make the most of my walk (and kept me for becoming sidetracked or losing my way with their maps). I found the B&Bs they selected were excellent. The staff helpful. The rooms comfortable. Their recommendations about where I might eat and what other sites along the way that I might enjoy visiting were invaluable and saved me much wasted time and kept me from overlooking some sites that I would have been disappointed to miss. I shall certainly to using them again for my next walking holiday.

After a ferry delay at Oban (Absolute escapes rearranged everything quickly) once we arrived at Lochmaddy there were no problems, though the ferry back to Aberdeen was a rough ride (thank goodness we could lie down in the cabin. Weather did brighten a little in Lewis and was really poor in the Orkney’s but we really enjoyed the whole trip nevertheless. The accommodation & hosts chosen were perfect and we would rate all of it favourably however we particularly warmed to Elaine & Keith in Kirkwall and also to Anna in Durness (Smoo) – they were wonderful hosts. Catherine in Selibost was also fantastic and interesting (most beautiful location and view). Linda at Lochmaddy was also good company – we appreciated her stories. Sarah at Aird Uig was also great and the meal there was fantastic, and it was clear afterwards that while remote this is an interesting location. Even the extra location stays at Skye and Sollas were great. In terms of attractions and locations some we really enjoyed were: Nth Uist: Crab sandwichs/Langostines at the rather hidden but beautiful Kallin Seafood Café were fantastic and beautiful location Cake & Coffee and Langrass Lodge (we didn’t have meal there as they had restricted hours) Westford Inn – Nth Uist – great meal Uig area scenery - Lewis Golden Road – Harris but glad we were there a quiet time and the seafood van at St Clements – was fantastic Skara Brae and Skaill house – though weather was appalling & freezing Merkistar Hotel near Dounby Orkney – beautiful meal (locals recommended it) Museum – Stornaway Pies at Lochinver – awesome, lunch at Kylsku hotel

Would certainly recommend your company and itinerary, all things you recommended were as you described – we meet another Australian couple at Merkistar hotel having lunch – they had self-organised and were very unhappy with their accommodation and had missed some interesting things, so it reinforced your value in our minds. Also all our hosts spoke favourably about Absolute Escapes.

I have walked several of the long distance routes in Scotland and the Speyside Way is by far my favourite - I absolutely fell in love with it! I blog whenever I travel (https://theburkablog.com/) so you can check out my trip along the Speyside Way there along with some photos. And so impressed was I with Absolute Escapes that I've asked them to book another trip for me next October - I've decided to walk the Fife Coastal Path in 2020.

Attentive, timely and arranged everything that I asked them to!

Hiking the West Highland Way was a marvellous experience for my wife and me. All the Guest Houses and Hotels our operator booked were very good, clean and comfortable. Even though at some times the weather made it through our rain gear, we knew that there was a nice, warm and dry place waiting for us somewhere.

Absolute Escapes prepared a very detailed and comprehensive information package for us. The luggage transport worked perfectly.

One of the best hoildays my wife and I have ever had. We live in Australia and at 70 yrs. old all of the stress and strain of planning and booking both routes and accommocation were done for us. All accommodations (8 different locations) were first class. The itinery was superb, and very detailed i.e. maps with highlighted suggested routs (independent driving, no tours) for the best scenery, places to visit and places to eat. One other highlight which demonstates their thoughtfulness and caring was the gift of a bottle of whiskey they sent to the accommodation in Glasgow for my actual 70th birthday. I thoroughly enjoyed the "wee dram" in the evenings before sleep.

Absolute Escapes are an excellent choice for anyone wishing to see Scotland and other places but have no prior knowledge of the country or area they wish to visit. After first contacting them and receiving a provisional touring route we made various changes during the planning stage. The staff were always very helpful, nothing too much trouble, offering good sound advice. They responded very quickly to emails and requests. We have absolutely no fears nor reservations about recommending Absolute Escapes to others. In fact, we have already recommended the company to many friends who are considering holidaying in Scotland and other places.

We really enjoyed the Saint Cuthbert's portion of our trip that Absolute Escapes organized. All the places we stayed were good choices and there were a few standouts for different reasons. As far as the accommodations I would say that Burt's Hotel was the best for ambiance. Beautifully appointed rooms and very accommodating. The restaurant there was also fantastic with food AND service. We arrived fairly late in Jedburgh from our walk and was worried about dinner since everything was closed or without reservations after 7:30 PM. Penelope (?) at the Meadhon Guest House stepped right up and got us a reservation right down the street at Forresters Restaurant which had a wonderful Meat Pie. Jim with First Taxi was awesome. He picked us up from the trail and dropped us off in the morning. Great guy! I really enjoyed our stay at The Mill House. Clare was great with her happy efficiency upon our arrival and once we settled in and I was able to sit down with her and talk it felt like being home with a good friend who was interested in hearing about your day and couldn't have been more helpful with information and solutions. They also fixed us a lunch that was my first experience with Flapjack(?). It was love at first bite and was by far the best recipe of flapjack that I experienced over the remainder of the trip. I believe David makes them himself and if he wouldn't mind sharing his recipe he would have a bunch of happy kids on this side of the ocean. We ate dinner at the Border House per your recommendation which was delicious, especially the Lamb Shank and the Smoked Fish Stew. Yummy!! My room at The Olde Courthouse was nicely remodeled and we had another wonderful meal at Milan's with great service. The Fenham Farm Bed and Breakfast was a beautiful location with an amazing sunset and moon surrounded in a peaceful setting. It was a long way off the path but a delight once we got there. Unfortunately we didn't eat dinner there because we had only called for reservations early that morning instead of two days in advance and they couldn't accommodate us on the late notice. Bummer for us since I'm sure we missed a delicious meal. The Ship Inn on the island was basic but they were very accommodating and we had a delicious meal in their restaurant that evening. The walk itself was absolutely beautiful. It felt like you could go from one temperate zone to another within an hour as the path took us from grassy rolling hills to boggy areas walking along the river to wooded pine forests. Most days we ate a packed lunch surrounded by beautiful scenery including castle ruins, peaty shaded areas or sheltered by a mossy stone wall. The second half of the second day after leaving Moorebattle was difficult for me with a significant assent and decent but provided us with outstanding views that stretched forever. We really lucked out as our weather was picture perfect with mild temperatures and blue skies almost our entire walk which I'm sure also facilitated an extraordinary experience. I'll share some photos from the walk of some of the surrounding area and beautiful views. Thanks again for your help in organizing our walking pilgrimage. Best Regards, Shawn

Very accommodating, timely in their responses and professional. Absolute Escapes put together a fantastic walking holiday for us.

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We had an amazing walking holiday. We had perfect weather, and the terrain was gorgeous every step of the way. The stay in Aviemore was great too, having a chance to hike up Cairn Gorm was great. Their choice of B&B's was great.

Self-guided walking holiday, but the booking agent was terrific to work with and very knowledgeable.

We had the happiest time in Scotland! Our 3-week tailor-made itinerary couldn’t have been better suited for us; we loved everywhere we went and were sorry to leave. Thanks in no small part to the amazing job Absolute Escapes did in planning and making our arrangements, we were able to appreciate every minute. We enjoyed stunning landscapes, fabulous walking, friendly people, wonderful food and all sorts of serendipitous moments. Our accommodations were lovely - sometimes incredible - and, almost without exception, we would be more than happy to stay again. We count ourselves lucky to have worked with Absolute Escapes. We can’t say enough good things about our experience, from the very first email contact. They did an exceptional job in creating a vacation we will never forget. We do hope to return to Scotland, and if we’re lucky enough to do that we will definitely be back in touch!

We worked with Pippa Robson at Absolute Escapes to plan a 3-week tailor-made holiday in Scotland for Sept 2019 and we couldn’t be happier with our experience! Pippa was everything we could have hoped for – she listened carefully and quickly understood our travel preferences; she was amazingly prompt and efficient, responding quickly to incorporate our thoughts/requests and adapt the plan as necessary; she offered wonderful suggestions to enhance our trip and gave good advice; she communicated clearly and conveyed a personable attitude; and she was simply a delight to work with. She made the whole process enjoyable and easy. We love Pippa! In addition, everyone we encountered at Absolute Escapes was friendly, helpful and professional. The travel packet provided for our trip was outstanding - all the material we needed for everything to go flawlessly. We would work with them again in a heartbeat!

We had an absolutely wonderful time, and enjoyed each and every place and person we met. We were exceptionally blown away by how much we loved Oban, our delicious experience at Edinburgh's Prestonfield House, and the thrilling high-speed tour of Loch Ness with Beastie Boats. My partner's favourite was a full Scottish breakfast every morning (he still won't stop talking about this and trying to recreate it at home!) and visiting Sgriob-ruadh Farm in Tobermory where we got to pet the pigs and baby cows. Although we didn't end up going on a wildlife boat tour, a hike to a lighthouse in Tobermory gave us stunning views of the Isle of Mull and a seal enjoying the water!

Being in different time zones can definitely be a hindrance when booking with a tour operator on the other side of the world, however, the team at Absolute Escapes was always quick with their responses and catering our trip to our needs and wishes. Going through this experience with Absolute Escapes really had a huge impact on how enjoyable the trip was for us, making it easy for us to get around, and easy for us to enjoy a stress free holiday abroad. I will definitely be recommending Absolute Escapes to any friends or family who want to visit Scotland.