On Foot Holidays - Dorset Traveller Reviews

We walked for 6 days through the Dorset countryside, with our first night in Salisbury and finishing in Lyme Regis. Each night we stayed at a B&B (the food and accommodations were universally excellent), and our luggage was transported between destinations each night such that we only had to take a day pack with us. The route was beautiful, with changing landscapes and a variety of interesting sights along the way.

On Foot offered a very friendly, personal service. We even got to meet our route specialist at the beginning of the trip in Salisbury, and were welcomed by all of the staff at the office. They were professional and well-organized with a very personal touch. It's easy to see that they put a lot of care and effort into planning their routes, choosing the best places to stay, and providing incredibly precise walking directions and support to ensure you have an enjoyable and hassle-free trip.

8 days of fairly long walks with options for shortening the length. One rest day. Great little country pubs as overnight stays.

Organised, prompt communicators, helpful and friendly, thorough with information beforehand and to take with you, good suggestions to make your holiday more enjoyable, staff had personal experience with our route.

We did a walking holiday in Dorset. It was called In the Footsteps of Thomas Hardy. We were blessed with beautiful weather. It was a wonderful experience walking through fields of barley and wheat, through farms with sheep and cows. We crossed styles and went through gates. Because of pre existing right of way since medieval times, we were free to wander through private fields and farms. The little English villages like Cerne Abbas and Evershot were delightful.

A friend of mine told me about On Foot holidays, she had a very good experience with them in 2017, so we booked with them. They were fantastic from the word GO. We found them to be very helpful and friendly. They sent us a package before we left home with excellent notes and maps etc.

Six Norwegians, did this walk in six days. Our average age 71, and we had no problems in fulfilling this walk. Beautiful landscapes, nice and charming hotels/inns, excellent food and good beds !

A representative from OnFoot met us the first day in Salisbury. It made us feel very welcome. The walking descriptions and maps detailed and easy to follow.

We walked from Salisbury to Lyme Regis through lovely Spring countyside, wild garlic and bluebells lined the lanes and old drover’s routes we were direct along with easy to flooow maps and instructions, the choice of accommodation was great. The hotels were welcoming and dog friendly. The food and quality of accommodation was excellent.

On Foot provide excellent walking notes, GPS flies and notes on the sights and villages and towns on the route, they couldn’t have been more helpful in sorting out our walk and facilitating the trip with our dog.

Our walking tour took us through lovely countryside, interesting old villages and beautiful coastal areas. All of our lodgings were very good or excellent. The daily trail directions were not difficult at all to follow but having a cell phone with a compass app is or a compass is a must. Several times we took the shorter options which the directions offer. This is the third walking holiday we have done with On Foot and we heartily recommend them.

Easy to work with, friendly and very responsive.

Loved the Dorset scenery, villages, etc. All beautiful. However the weather had been damp early, so the cow paddocks were extremely difficult to walk in. Some of the hills (eg Dorset Cap) were extremely difficult to climb in the mud. The climb along the supposed "carriage track" into Shaftesbury on the first day was so hard, since the track has been washed away! Several tracks were very overgrown. We wonder if the organisers have reviewed the tracks, signposts, etc, in recent times! We had difficulty following some of the instructions. On several occasions, we had to double back once we realised we were "lost". This added distance and time to the walk. On day 5, we started at Mapperton, tried to follow directions, then after an hour, found ourselves walking back into Mapperton! We were advised by the taxi drivers that most people do NOT walk the whole distance of the tour each day, instead they take the shorter options, for the same reasons we did. The last day, coastal route to Lyme Regis, is virtually impossible for people like us. Our young fit daughter walked with us on 1 day, from Cerne Abbas to Evershot, and even she found it difficult in the conditions.

Friendly when we met them before the walk. Didn't explain the difficulties nearly enough.

A self guided tour of SW UK. Excellent hiking terrain through rolling English countryside, quaint small towns, and friendly B&Bs. The latter were all outstanding and two cases exceptional accommodations. The tour was memorable, not only because of the terrain, but the unpredictable English weather. It led us to laughter as we'd switch from winter gear to summer gear in the span of ten minutes. Snow and driving rain to sunshine.

On Foot holidays has been, through hikes that my family and I have taken (Italy twice, Croatia, Spain, French Alps, and now the UK) an outstanding organization. They are professional, caring, organized, detail oriented, and address issues if they were to occur. To get a call letting us know that the B&B operator was going to be 30 minutes late and that they had made arrangements for us, was just outstanding. The self guided tour documents are clear, accurate, and very helpful. I will continue with On Foot Holidays for my next set of hikes. An outstanding organization.

A great walk though a beautiful part of the country (especially in spring when the bluebells are out). Lovely scenery and pretty villages and some interesting old buildings. Good accomodation.

Top quality walking instructions, maps and local information, provided by knowledgeable and enthusiastic staff.

For various reasons we took the risk of walking in late January. Despite a few rainy days and a great deal of mud we had a wonderful time. Various challenges such as rivers that had burst their banks, 'winter bournes' springing out of the hillside, and meadows churned up by the hooves of cattle and sheep, we were endlessly diverted by the ancient churches, manor houses and grand estates, picturesque villages, sweeping views and varied landscapes, contrasting farming styles, old woodlands - and the very first primroses and daffodils. Although we are 78yr and 67yr old we found the route up and down the rounded hills and valleys easily manageable (with walking sticks), while the excellent notes and maps enabled us to relax and enjoy every step of the experience. The deep peace and quiet of places you would never otherwise reach, tucked away among folds of the hills, was a revelation. The choice of overnight accomodation in old inns, pubs and hotels added to our pleasure. We received a warm welcome everywhere, with provision for drying out boots and outer gear, ample homemade food, selections of local beers and ciders, and choice wine lists. The background information on points of interest whet the appetite without being over-whelming.

This is the second time we've booked a holiday through this company (previously walking along the Rhine valley with Australian friends). We highly appreciate the fact that the walking notes are written from the line of sight of the walker and this makes for great ease of reading the route. The notes are presented in short paragraphs, with indicative timings, and this format is a considerable aid to timing one's own progress. The maps provide good back-up information. The fact that someone from the organisation walks the route and uses the accomodation before the main season starts means that the notes are up to date and accurate, the taxi arrangements can be relied on, and that the personnel at the overnight accomodation are ready to welcome warmly even the arrival of wet and muddy walkers. Before we left we found the contact with the operator to be thoroughly professional yet friendly, and the info pack well presented with sufficient but not over-whelming information. We enjoyed meeting one of their staff personally (since their office is in Salisbury where our walk began); and we appreciate that they genuinely welcome the feedback we provided on completion of our walk. We also appreciate the care that is taken to provide alternative routes for some of the stages, and the taxi arrangements that - given the short January days - allowed us to adjust the start point for the longer stages.