Absolute Escapes Traveller Reviews

We visited Shetland and Orkney in September 2024. It's hard to fathom that people have lived in these isles for a very, very long time. The weather cooperated and we did all that we'd planned. Would definitely visit again, especially when the Puffin's are about in Shetland.

The itinerary recommended by Absolute Escapes made the journey easy to follow and checked all of the boxes on where we wanted to visit. They also provided a paper map which was hugely useful, as Google just doesn't always do it when you want to get yourself located.

All of the accommodation, hostesses and hosts were wonderful. We made some great new friends. All of our transfers and haulage went smoothly and out of the 7 days along the wall we had so much sunshine it more than made up for the brief hail storm :) All in all it was brilliant.

Absolute Escapes were knowledgeable, helpful and accomodating. We had a particular BnB we were interested in and they contacted them and organised for it to be included in the itinerary. All the accomodation, transfers and haulage went really smoothly which made the challenging walk much more pleasant.

We walked 80 miles in 8 days out of 10--started with an extra day in Falmouth and had a rest day in Polperro mid-way. We thoroughly enjoyed the ups and downs along the gorgeous coastline. We loved Cornwall and want to return. Yummy food, wonderful spots to jump in the Channel to swim, and breathtaking scenery. (the ups and downs were breathtaking, too!)

Absolute Escapes set up wonderful guest houses along the way and arranged for our bags transfer. Everything went off without a hitch! They also helped us figure out our itinerary: where to take that rest day, how many miles to cover. The materials for the daily itinerary and suggestions for meals were very helpful. We had wonderful communication throughout our planning, too. This is our 2nd time working with Absolute Escapes, and I imagine we'll work with them again.

We started out in London for 3 days. Traveled by train to Wales and then Glasgow where we picked up a car. Traveled to Iosue of Arran and Mull then to Fort William. On the way back to Edinburgh to fly home we passed through Glencoe. Wonderful vacation!

All arrangements made including car rental, B&B’s/hotels, and ferry tickets were seamlessly easy.

Thanks to Nairne and Absolute Escapes for your help in planning my visit to Scotland, I had a wonderful time during my tour. The itinerary that you set up for me guided me seamlessly throughout my journey from my exploration of Edinburgh to my visit in Oban and the Isle of Mull, across the Isle of Skye, scenic vistas of the Highlands, and finishing up in Callander. I visited nine (9) castles during my visit, a loch cruise, and explored the countryside on short walks. I took well over 1000 photographs that I, and family and friends, will enjoy reviewing. There was so much more that I would have liked to see, but time ran out. I will have to add another Scotland trip to my to-do list. All the accommodations that you arranged for me were great! The folks at each site were wonderful to work with and very accommodating. Your recommendations on restaurants were well made. Even with restaurants and cafes outside of your recommendations, I had no complaints.

Absolute Escapes did a phenomenal job in planning my itinerary with accommodations and a rental car on my ten-day excursion around Scotland, and providing a list of options for sightseeing, activities and meals. Nairne was always willing to happily answer questions and offer suggestions during the planning process. The activities listed were so comprehensive that I am already thinking about another trip within the next couple of years to take in those activities that I was unable to do.

Absolute Escapes (AE) in Edinburgh thoughtfully planned my walking tour of the Cateran Trail in Perthshire, Scotland in September 2024. They easily accommodated my fussy schedule demands and arranged for taxi rides, luggage transfer, dining reservations and of course accommodations which required a thorough understanding of local lodges and hotels as each has its own personality and way of operating.

Absolute Escapes provided ample supporting documentation about the Cateran trail and Perthshire - it was detailed and accurate. AE's staff were accessible, responsive and professional.

We spent 3 1/2 weeks on a self drive sojourn from Edinburgh to Aberdeen then on to Shetland and Orkney followed by the North Coast and Ullapool then to the Isles of Lewis & Harris, North and South Uist, Barra then back to the mainland at Oban and Glencoe and finally into Glasgow.

Absolute Escapes designed an itinerary with accommodations and ferry transport along with a rental car. We filled in all the rest. It was a perfect way for us to travel. It gave us flexibility to plan the sites we wanted to see and choose our own time table.

Shetland and Orkney were both great to visit. We had a wonderful time with extremes of weather! In Shetland we saw temperatures of 22 degrees and were wandering around in shorts and tee shirts! In contrast we had fog and high winds in Orkney. We found the scenery and archeology fascinating and the people welcoming and very helpful. Both of our accommodations were first class, no complaints only compliments for the owners. We found the ferries clean and modern with excellent restaurant facilities. No problems in finding or using the ferries. Our favourite place in Shetland was Eshaness lighthouse, the weather was fantastic and the scenery outstanding. On Orkney we were blown away (literally, it was very windy) by Skara Brae. We were also impressed by Barrony Mill. It was an intriguing place to visit and the resident receptionist was extremely helpful. We had a wonderful, well organised trip and would recommend the holiday to anyone.

Absolute escapes provided first class organisation with detailed itineraries. Communication was always quick and helpful. All accommodations were excellent and extremely helpful, making for an even better holiday.

This year we walked Great Glen Way. The organisation was perfect. We just enjoyed the whole walk.

This year we walked Great Glen Way. The organisation was perfect. Host, transport of luggage, maps and description so well organised. The daily stages no problem to walk. We just enjoyed the whole walk.

For us the following things are important: - Flexibility to amend the standard trek so that we can add days for breaks, sight seeing, etc - Good quality accommodation on route. - Car Parking at the beginning or end of the route. - An efficient baggage delivery service. Absolute Escapes delivered on all of our requirements and were a very easy company to deal with. Other trekkers on the same route experienced problems with the quality of their accommodation; accommodation not well placed for evening meals or to make the days manageable. In summary, we are experienced trekkers with some 30 similar trips over 20 years, using several companies. The organisation on this trip was second to none.

To start with we liked the offering from Absolute Escapes when comparing companies and the likely locations they were using for accommodation. We were then very happy with the way we were able to customise the walking package to our requirements. Absolute Escapes absolutely delivered on the trek as we had hoped.