Absolute Escapes Traveller Reviews

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.

Our trip to Scotland was truly amazing. We fell in love with your beautiful country. Going by train, we believe, was the best way to be able to see it. Everything Absolute Escapes planned for us, went according to plan. The hosts at all the Bed and Breakfasts were friendly and helpful. They helped us get taxis, showed us how to catch the bus, did our laundry, and more. All the arranged transportation worked out beautifully. We felt you gave us an excellent list of things to do and places to eat in each place we visited. Everyone we dealt with at Absolute Escapes, especially Jack and Katia, were amazing to work with. They were quick to answer any questions or deal with any issues we had before our trip. This made us feel as ready for our trip as we could be. This was a great comfort.

Absolute Escapes, Katia Fernandez Mayo and Jack McKenna were great to work. Very helpful and knowledgeable.

Wonderful trip, breath taking scenery, well organised trip. Knowledgable tour operator with valuable tips and guidance.

Absolute Escapes

6days doing the Great Glen way. Absolutely beautiful. I little bit of rain but didn’t dampen our spirits with the stunning views.

They were brilliant. The maps and books they sent before were so useful and great for a little research before you went. They has also written up some really useful daily sheets of places to eat, advising to pre book as there isn’t many places around. There was also some info about each days walk and things to see a little off the track if you wanted.

We had a great time and saw some fantastic wildlife, including the incredibly elusive Corncrake on Iona. Also had an amazing day out with Andrew Tomison Mullwildlifetours and a fab boat trip to Staffa with Staffa tours. Weather could have been better but we did not let it spoil our holiday. Linda our B & B host at the Carnaburg B and B in Tobermory Mull was great and Margaret our host in The Gables Portreeon Skye was amazing, looking after us We had a great time and saw some fantastic wildlife, including the incredibly elusive Corncrake on Iona. Also had an amazing day out with Andrew Tomison Mullwildlifetours and a fab boat trip to Staffa with Staffa tours. Weather could have been better but we did not let it spoil our holiday. Linda our B & B host at the Carnaburg Tobermory in Mull was great and Margaret our host at the Gables Portree on Skye was amazing, looking after us with lots of homebaked goodies. lots of homebaked goodies.

Fabulous service and holiday planned for us, the itinerary was really helpful with some great recommendations- would definitely recommend

We really enjoyed the walking and loved the variety throughout the week - from the pretty stretches along Loch Lomond to the open vistas across Rannoch Moor and into Glen Coe.The displays of bluebells in the early part of the walk were fantastic, and the views both after climbing out of Glen Coe and on leaving Kinlochleven were stunning.

We had a great time and everything worked very well. Our luggage was always at our destination before us, sometimes even in the room!

Excellent 65 mile hiking experience. Would highly recommend Absolute Escapes to anyone.

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Walking across the highlands was the best holiday I have ever been on. Experiencing the landscape of such a beautiful country on foot is intimate and deeply rewarding. Walking brings body, mind and heart together as you face whatever nature offers to you. It is a spiritual and physical endeavor and I can't wait to travel at this pace again. I am hooked.

From start to finish, Andy Gabe, and the whole crew at Absolute Escapes, were fantastic. We had planned our walk along the West Highland Way in Scotland for May, 2020 but were unable to travel due to the pandemic. Our deposit was held for two years until we were able to travel safely. Absolute Escapes offers superb communication and care. They were easy to reach and we loved how personal they were in their attention to each detail of our trip. We are very pleased we chose Absolute Escapes for our walking holiday. We will certainly use them again in the near future.

We made the WHW in 8 days. Every night we stayed in hotels or cottages on the way. Our baggage was transferred every day to the next place we stayed.

Absolute Escape (our tour operator) was excellent. The places we stayed were very good as we hope them to be. Our luggage arrived every day on time to the places we stayed and they were very keen to help us in every question we had.