Absolute Escapes Traveller Reviews

Had the most wonderful week walking the West Highland Way. Fantastic accommodation and very friendly hosts. Scenery was spectacular.

My brother and I had a fantastic trip. I set myself a challenge to walk the West Highland Way in 5 days and it was challenging, but thanks to absolute escapes it was also very enjoyable. Their customer service from the first quote right to the end of our trip was excellent. We loved all the accommodation selected for us, it was very well suited to walkers and all the hosts were really friendly and helpful. As I was organising this trip from Australia I could not have done this without the help from Absolute Escapes.

Map, guide book, itinerary, directions, luggage transfer, accommodation, tips on places to visit and recommendations for food and drink all provided by Absolute Escapes. Leaving me free to enjoy the wonderful experience of walking the SWCP.

From the outset, when I first telephoned them (tel. no. given in the SWCP Association guide book), Absolute Escapes (AE) were professional, helpful, and friendly. AE anticipated all requirements and I was completely satisfied with all the arrangements they made. I will have no hesitation in engaging AE for my next walking holiday.

excellent organization and advices. Nice landscapes . kind people at each stop (good choices by absolute ). breakfast at the top. what'else ? thanks again .

kind, efficient , file and informations very complete...

On Cumbrae, I was able to find the location of the Balloch Cottages, at the Museum/Library. A wonderflly helpful lady was able to let us know where to find them. We then motored back toward the Ferry and there they were. A lady standing in front of the cottages said they were still in use. Got a photo of them. Also in illport the sunken gardens are beautiful and coincidentally built in the same year my Mom was born. It was exciting to actually be there and some 111 years later see the actual house she was born in. After ferrying back to Largs and over to Bute, we arrived at the Commodore House. It was very nice, the owners and son were extremely friendly, as the son helped us up with our luggage and gave us some hints about things to do in Oban. Turned out their favorite Fish and Chippery is the same one we loved in Glasgow. The place is clean and comfortable, the food great. We did tour the village that evening and saw quite a few things. Too bad the town seems to be undergoing an economic downturn. Travelled up to Oban the next day. that was an experience, especially for Rosalind who forgot a wee bit of what she knew of driving on the left and using a gear shifter. Fared well though. Didn't really stop in Inveraray as there seemed to be something going on and no parking space. Arriving in Oban we found the B&B Kilchrenan House. Greeted with a whisky and assisted with our luggage. Nice little walk into town, which we did a few times. That is one place Oban and the Kilchrenan House we are hoping to revisit one day. We did skip the ferry to Mull, as the drive up pretty much left Roslind petered out. Spent that day just wandering the shops and eateries in Oban. The food at the Kilchrenan House was great and we had something we had never heard of before. Porridege with cream and whisky, absolutely fabulous. Toured the Oban distillery as well. Great place. Travelled up to Ft. William, and arrived at Minaig House to be greated by the owners. Had a garden view room, and the owners were very friendly. We had tried for months to get seats on The Jacobite Train but couldn't so our host told us to go to the station berfore 9 AM as they always hold back tickets for last minute sales. We were able to get tickets and spent the day going to Mallaig (Malaig). There is a town just north of where we live with the same name. Took in the Museu in Ft. William marvellous. Ft. William was not our favorite location as it was hilly and very difficult to get parking, although it was interesting in itself. Went up to Ben Nevis, and then tried to go further but didn't go all t he way to the falls as the road ran out and the trail was rocky and we are not good hikers. Travelled to Arochar. Stayed at the Ashfield House, a wonderful place. The lady Christina that owns it has some of the most interesting collectibles from her travels on display and is a wonderful hostess. We did a walk into town for supper and met some interesting folk at the pub/restaurant. That Ashfield House was Rosalinds favorite mainly due to the way the house was done to exhibit the owners tastes. We then headed off to Edinburgh via Sterling. Stopped to visit Sterling Castle. Great tour guide made the experience informative and fun. It is a must see for folks travelling that route. We then got lost going to the airport to return the car. Miscounted the Exits on the roundabout, but got turned around and made it to the drop off. Return of the car was straight forward and Rosalind got back the deposit she paid at the pickup. All in all a great trip. Well organized and no significant problems other than our own mistakes. when we got to the ferry in Largs, we went in to get our passes,' however, I took in the wrong piece of paper. The lady there took the numbers called your offices and within about 1015 minutes we had all our passes and awaited the next boat. You and your company will surely be our choice if we decide to do such an adventure again. One thing you might mention to those wanting to rent a car. Unless they are very familiar with shifting gears opt for an auto. Also the byway roads are very curvy and hilly so it is sometimes hard to get up to speed. Again thank you for your great assistance.

We booked this tour online from Canada. Jason Martin was extremely helpful and we were amazed at the immediate contact if we had questions and concerns. His office arranged a special part of the tour so I could try to find where my mother was born. Any concerns we had were immediately dealt with and the tour went without any issues due to their arrangements.

Walking, moving on, different every day

Used them three times now, organised well, easy to follow maps for directions to b&b

We traveled to Flodgarry, Skye, walking north to Rubha Hunish and then south along the Skye Trail ending at Broadford. We walked around 100 miles total over nine days. Absolute Escapes arranged our accommodations which were excellent and transferred our luggage as needed.

We are Americans and started working with Absolute Escapes in August of 2018 to design a bespoke walking tour on Skye that met our needs. They were very helpful in the design process and the actual locations and services on the tour were all excellent. Of particular note, was Gus's Taxis in Portree who went out of his way to wait for us when we were delayed arriving from the Trotternish Ridge.

I really enjoyed the Cleveland Way. I thought the Osmotherley to Clay Bank, and Saltburn to Runswick Bay were particularly stunning sections. I got super lucky with the weather, which helped too. A brilliant way for an Aussie to experience a little of North Yorkshire!

All aspects of the trip were very well put together. All the accommodation was nice, and all the hosts very welcoming - particularly in Boltby, Helmsley and Osmotherly. I was very happy with everything that was organised on my behalf and would happily book with Absolute Escapes again.

Reviewer's images:

We very much enjoyed our trip although, as elsewhere in the country, the weather was unseasonally cold and windy, restricting some activities. Both Three Chimneys and Scarista were equally delightful with excellent service, rooms and food. The two do make an interesting contrast with Three Chimneys offering fine dining and stylish and comfortable rooms while Scarista’s owners provided a more homely ambience enhanced by their personal contribution. We would love to return to both. Thank you for the recommendations and itinerary arrangements, all of which went smoothly.

Efficient, reliable, expert.

I had a wonderful walking holiday in Pembrokeshire. The landscape there is absolutely stunning, a perfect combination of high impressive cliffs and wonderful sandy beaches. It took me 14 days to walk from Amroth to St. Dogmaels, it was a very good escape from my everyday life in a big city.

Everything from my booking enquiry to the holiday itself went absolutely smoothly. The people from Absolute Escapes are very friendly and were always open for questions. I also got a guidebook and a list with emergency phone numbers in case I would have any problems. I liked all of the accommodations they booked for me and felt very welcome in the B&Bs and Inns. The luggage transport was great as well. Thanks again! :-)

We had a brilliant holiday walking the West Highland Way, our first log distance walk, over 9 days / 10 nights. A biblical weather forecast at the outset actually turned out quite benign and we really didn't have any more than heavy drizzle at the most on 3 or 4 half-days, a similar amount of T-shirt days and the rest somewhere in between. Moral: don't take the weather forecast in Scotland too literally, but be prepared for anything. Great scenery, great hospitality and a great experience.

All the accommodation was great, and the B&B hosts were all especially welcoming (even more especially Ali in Drymen with tea/coffee & home made scones, Liz in Balmaha with tea and home made cake & scones, and Ellen in Tyndrum with tea & banana loaf) and the standard of the rooms and the breakfasts were fabulous, so well done on your selections. I'm glad we booked early and were able to get a 'straight-through' walk. We did meet a number of people (not necessarily with Absolute Escapes) who had to stay two nights in a place and be ferried back & forwards to restart their walk. That would have felt a little 'false' to us. The Kingshouse is interesting. I didn't realise they had completely rebuilt it, even the 'old' walkers' bar, which they have recreated to an extent. I had never been in the past, but had driven past many times. It's not the white 'landmark' it once was, but is very luxurious. So it's perhaps a little incongruous in the context of the walk, but as it's right on the route it's absolutely a great place to stay. It obviously has lesser accommodation for smaller budgets, so it should work for anyone who books in time. We really couldn't fault any aspect of the holiday. The itinerary and accompanying advice were spot on, and the luggage transfer service was seamless.