Everyone who goes on a Headwater holiday will be emailed a link to our post-holiday questionnaire where they can give us an honest assessment of all aspects of their holiday - everything from how quickly we answer the phone to how clean the hotels were - plus an overall rating and comments about their holiday.
Any feedback collected is posted to our website, so that people can make an informed decision based on past experiences before heading off on holiday. We don’t edit the reviews, the only thing we do is proofread them and alter any typos, where necessary, to ensure they are easy to read for everyone. All reviews will be published (except in certain extreme circumstances), and a member of the Headwater team will respond to any constructive criticisms/comments under the reviews, at their discretion. So, for the real tales, twists and turns of our holidays, look no further than the reviews from our previous travellers.
Wonderful location, felt well supported and enjoyed our experience.
Very pleasant and helpful to talk to and arrange the holiday. I will certainly arrange another holiday with them.
From first contact to end of trip Headwater folks on the web and in the field provided top-notch advice and assistance in decision making. It was like having personal service throughout. Interesting walking routes and fine hotels.
Great experience. A wonderful way to experience the Luberon. Great for our party member who was very fit as well as those who needed the full ebike experience.
The Loire Valley is an historically fascinating place. As others have said, I think a two day stay in Blois is merited. One day for a leisurely visit to Chambord and another day for exploring Blois and its very interesting chateau/ castle. The Hotel Monarche is a disappointing start to the holiday. I think alternative accommodation should be chosen.
The rest of the accommodation was good particularly the Hotel au Charme in Amboise. However, it only does breakfast and the dinner at the adjoining Hotel . Le Clos was uninspiring. We did however come across a real gem of a restaurant by the name of Les Arpents. Incredible food. Apparently, it is full almost every night of the year so it is necessary to book.
We visited six chateaux and found them all really interesting especially Le Clos de Luce in Amboise where Leonardo da Vinci spent the last three years of his life. Some of his inventions are recreated.
All in all a very good holiday accompanied by undiluted sunshine except for one morning.
We enjoyed our holiday very much. As indicated we were generally pleased with the accommodation. We didn’t meet a rep before the start of our cycle, not sure if we missed them. We were surprised on the first morning g however when we were called for our luggage at 9am. We were told the driver had a schedule to follow. We realised then that we were part of a much larger group, not actually Headwater but a Loire cycling group so we felt some of the individual attention was lost on this holiday. (They will not have received this e mail?)
The app was generally good but needs updated as some of the eating places/boulangeries etc were actually closed permanently.
Our group consisted of 2 couples and despite asking several times to contact each couple individually we always received only one e mail with information, invoiced etc., which I then had to forward. This was irritating, especially as our friends have also travelled with Headwater previously and are on your database.
The holiday met our expectations. All good apart from we would have liked to have met local Headwater contact and have a phone number for the duration of the holiday. It was suggested a WhatsApp group be set up with Loic (who seemed to work for another company?) and another member of Headwater, We only got Loic and he was busy with other matters.
Also times of arrival of "someone" for briefing and meal transfer on the first, last and departure. I was left feeling it might not happen. It all did so I need not have worried and everyone was very kind.
I was stressed at the beginning and end as we had to take Taxi, Plane, bus, train and taxi. There was plenty of time to make the connections and they did all work.
Very enjoyable with an interesting & varied itinerary. Felt support was reliable & there if needed.
This was our second self-guided walking holiday with Headwater and, as before, the organisation of transport, accommodation and the itinerary were excellent. The walks were well-chosen with a variety of terrain. Although the written walk details were good, they were unclear in places, so the Headwater app was an absolute necessity. The hotels were all charming, lots of character, lovely outdoor areas and excellent food.
Fantastic vacation. The hotels were all fantastic and the bikes were very good. One bike had troubles but with phone call to local contact we got it fixed. Thank you.
Good service from start to finish.
Lovely cycle routes -navigation app was good. Each route was through different landscapes mostly on quiet lanes. Hotel de Poete was great with very helpful friendly staff. Chateaux de Mazan was a beautiful building but was disappointing. It felt very corporate and service was poor. E-bikes were good and made cycling up the hills easy.
a great holiday once we got there and amazing views and walking. Details of the holiday could have got to us earlier and you need to be more clear with what is expected and additional costs of passes/transport in future advertisements. The hotels were excellent and we would visit again
This was an excellent holiday, with lovely scenery and some very nice hotels and restaurants. There's also something inherently pleasing about a walking trip that takes you between two different countries. It was really helpful to have two walking options each day (one on the coast and one in the hills), meaning that you could select the length and difficulty of the walk depending on how you felt. The route guides were also extremely clear and it was not necessary to rely on the GPS app, although was still a handy extra resource.
Please do take note when someone says they have vertigo problems. I do appreciate it is difficult for someone who does not have that problem to see any difficulty.
We were very happy with 99% of the holiday and our interactions with your staff.
Excellent holiday. Great choice of hotels Roads quite busy in places so would need to be a confident cyclist.
Great team at Headwater especially Helen and the lovely chap who explained GPX files brilliantly. Would travel with Headwater again - Umbria or Loire or Vietnam or Thailand. But the price is relatively high we thought.
Efficient, informative and great selection of hotels
Lovely holiday, well organised, mostly very good choice of hotels and activities very enjoyable
We had a most enjoyable holiday, enhanced by the peace of mind that all would go as planned due to your pre-travel information and the excellent briefing and care from your local partner.
It was a very good way to have all the travel arrangements arranged by Headwater. Certain aspects could be improved in my opinion, but another time I would check the arrangements more thoroughly as I was disappointed not to nave the bikes available in the morning at the time of arrival. Perhaps a more personal welcome from Headwater on arrival.
We found our Headwater holiday to have been well organised and thoroughly enjoyable and we would certainly consider using the company again. The admin team (Joe Chaplin) was very helpful with our booking and kept in touch over the intervening months. Stuart, our rep was a delight and all the accommodation was excellent.
Route was very suitable for us and we had lots of information from the navigation app. Well done Headwater.
This was our first holiday of this type, we loved the freedom of travelling unguided. The route guidance was excellent and the difficulty and daily distances were just perfect for someone with average walking fitness. The hotels were tremendous, being perfectly located and we could not fault service, food or anything else. The walks were truly superb, blending wonderful strolls through the area's vineyards and gentle climbs through the forests of the foothills. The routes were really well way-marked and so it was easy to navigate. The walks passed through ancient villages and Chateaus and there really were no sections that were anything but breath-taking. Our personal stopover highlights were Riquewihr, a fabulous medieval walled village, and Itterswiller, a tiny village surrounded by rolling vineyards. We will definitely be returning to France again with Headwater.
This was our fifth Headwater cycling holiday and we really enjoyed it.
We did feel that the quality and facilities of the first (and last) hotel was well below that of the others and probably our only disappointment
We loved the holiday and the routes were carefully planned and easy to follow on GPS. There was one occasion when we had to cross a motorway (the A10) which was a bit scary
Booking food options or giving food option in Apt would have been helpful.
We enjoyed visits of castles, gardens, caves, small villages and country side while following an excellent road map. Electric bikes are a must because the road can be sometimes quite hilly !
We had a fabulous first cycling holiday. The route was beautiful and the mileage just right for us. We loved all the places we cycled through from the beautiful countryside to the little towns, where we found plenty of opportunity and time to explore and have lunch. The hotels were all good - some better than others, but all comfortable and clean. We particularly enjoyed our stay at the Abbaye d'Alspach on the second day, it was so very charming and the village was the same, like going back in time. Although relatively fit, we are non cyclist at home and this was our first cycling holiday so I did find some of the hills a bit challenging, particularly on the second day but managed through it (my husband better than me), sometimes getting off to push! The hard work was worth it though as we came back feeling fit and healthy and having cycled through some breath taking scenery. The route guidance and GPS tracker were excellent and meant we never got lost. I would highly recommend this holiday.
Once again another fantastic holiday! Amazing organisation, great support throughout. Just one hotel let the whole experience down a little,but this could be due to local culture/personality differences. All meals inlcuded were FABULOUS! Would definatley travel with you again, but would be GREAT if you could take AMEX please. We really trust you to make great selections and trip notes, which goes a long way for us as we are super busy and would not have time to plan all this ouselves. We have really built up a trust with you now after travelling with you 5 times myself!
Cycling through the picturesque villages of Provence was a wonderful holiday - can?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢t recommend enough.
All very good, excellent introduction to the Pyrenees itinerary.
Very well organised with excellent hotels routes with apps and points of interest clearly indicated. Let Headwater take the stress out of planning for the perfect cycling holiday ! It's worth paying for !
Loved the activity aspect and hotel La terrace was a real highlight
We had a great holiday. It was relaxing and inspiring to walk among the Burgundy vineyards and amazing landscape of the Cote D'Or. The walking routes were well organised and varied. Navigation was easy with the GPS app. We walked 40 miles over 5 days and climbed 1100m, higher than Mt Snowdon!
Our Headwater experience was fantastic. Everything was booked for us bar a short coach trip which Headwater explained clearly what to do and two evening meals which our agent booked for us when asked for his recommendations. We underestimated how long the cycling would take given the beauty of the places we were cycling through and us wanting to stop and explore! The distances were very manageable however and gave us time to relax at the pool before supper!
This was a wonderful holiday which cleared out many cobwebs with its alternating days of water-based activity and relaxation.
I have travelled with Headwater on a number of occasions. The booking staff are excellent, helpful and friendly. The hotels are generally well chosen and offer a varied experience. The well trodden routes are well managed and offer an efficient service. If travelling to less popular destinations, there is a sense that the wheels are less well oiled, so be prepared for a few hiccups.
Great location for a cycling holiday - super hotels and a variety of options available to eat out in the evenings if required. Very good service from Randovelo and we appreciated the extra service they provided.
Overall very good, we have used your company many times over the years and have always enjoyed our holidays . This trip was slightly let down by our stay in Riquewihr as the restaurant was terrible and really left us with negative view of that part of the trip . Fortunately we have never experienced this on any of your previous trips and I suspect might be due to the subcontractor.
A holiday that involves fairly effortless paddling along a beautiful stretch of fairly undeveloped river is great! The lazy stoppages along the route were exceptional although these need to be planned in advance. All the hotels gave us a very very friendly welcome and all the food was of a very high standard.
Be aware there is not a lot of shade and no access to water. Coastal walks can be too hot in the summer months. We went at the end of June and it was very hot there were signs on some routes warning people it was too hot to walk. . Using the gps app provided is an absolute must , if using paper instructions we'd have got lost.
The train journeys were really picturesque and added to the holiday experience.. Our local guide was excellent and punctual.
Excellent cycling holiday in incredibly beautiful surroundings
Lovely holiday; fantastic way to see France.
Excellent locations some hills which are quite hard due to the weight of the bikes
A well judged trip with easy cycling and great places to visit
A very enjoyable short break cycling in France in a region easily accessible by train from Paris. The routes were rather hillier than we were expecting from the description but easily managed given the relatively short distances and afforded some fine views, especially on the final day. Auxerre and Chablis are both lovely and there was plenty of time to explore them both. They both have some excellent restaurants but these get booked up especially at weekends so you would do well to book for any that you fancy trying in advance of this trip.
An excellent holiday through lovely scenery. The cycling could be as energetic as you wanted and the contrast between the easy canal towpath /voie vert and the few ascents and descents on roads was about right: the roads are nothing like as busy in France! Great food and wine.
The local agent, Emmanuel, was excellent and also a careful driver. The hotels were generally good, but the first hotel we stayed in ("Port Toga", not "le Bastia") was very good. The level of facilities in the rooms of the hotels was different which is to be expected from 3* hotels. All had AC's that worked, which was good given the temperatures we experienced. The pools at "Belle Vue" and "Le Revellata" were very good; we did not try the one at the Port Toga, and "A Storia" didn't have one.
The app for these walks is a must have. It shows precisely where one is relative to the paths available. The route maps are OK but not clear enough, and the descriptive could be better. The walks were generally quite spectacular, but on unmade and rugged ground, so care is needed along with proper walking shoes. Shame about missing the boat trip to the Loku beach but a storm was forecast.
The holiday was generally very enjoyable despite the heat, and a blister or two. Mr. Norbury - June 2023
Cycling the Loire Valley with Headwater Holidays was a great experience. The maps and instructions provided were first class and we were able to cycle mostly on dedicated cycle paths. The itinerary was well thought out and we were able to stop and visit other villages/towns along the way if we wanted to. We were also able to arrive in the next town early/later afternoon - just in time for an ice cream and check-in at the next hotel. The bikes were quite heavy but easy to ride. The gears made the few hilly areas a bit easier but we did have to walk up one or two steeper hills. The bike panniers were very useful and meant that we did not need to carry a rucksack. The hotels were lovely; each one very different to the next. The only problem was that one hotel had no air conditioning and it was very hot during our holiday. A fan was provided but it was no substitute for real air conditioning. Overall, we really enjoyed our trip along the Loire Valley.
Excellent bikes and apps in beautiful countryside . Not much information on where stop meals etc which weren’t provided .but hotels very welcoming and accommodating.
Easy walking holiday. Navigating some of the routes was a bit tricky and full use had to be made of the digital maps supplied. The hotels were very good and fairly close to restaurants for an evening meal. English to a certain extent was spoken by hotel staff. If you want to go to the visitor centre at the American Military Cemetary be aware that they won't let you in if you have a knife. I had a small Swiss Army Knife in my rucksack whiich was measured and declared to be too big. Couldn't leave it at reception so couldn't enter. Also having taken a taxi (20 euros) to Omaha I intended to have lunch in one of the 2 nearby restaurants but both were closed. Walked back to Port en Bessin on an empty stomach. Overall a very enjoyable holiday.
Superb trip on a truly wonderful river and location. Well worth the money.
The itinerary was tougher than we expected for the moderate description so we will be more cautious in future. If using trains, we would recommend buying tickets on the day so you can catch the most suitable one as the ones suggested by the agent involved a lot of unnecessary waiting around and changes. However, the walking was through beautiful countryside and we visited some lovely towns and villages. A very enjoyable holiday.
So pleased we worked with Headwater. We used them to book our flights and rail tickets too. We found the maps and the GPS app on our phone useful too. it helped to read previous reviews and learn the we could turn our phones on to airplane mode and the app still worked. The towns, villages and coastline were magic. The local guide who met with us and ran us to one of the hotels was terrific and very knowledgeable. There was only one day we felt that the route overlapped with a but we had covered the previous day but only for about an hour. The suggestions for dining were good but the towns we stayed had loads of eating places so we didn't pre book any. Doing this walk the week leading up to the D Day anniversary was extra special as there were lots of events, people etc creating a very heart-warming atmosphere in the towns and at the two cemeteries. As well as enjoying the wonderful scenery we loved taking time to learn about the role Normandy played in history.
Wonderful cycling route along the Route des Vins d’Alsace- relaxing and stimulating scenic route with fascinating stops.
Enjoyed overall , most of the route was on main roads, many motorcycles , we expected more of a cycle route, my wife is ‘ gluten free’, she indicated this on the booking but the hotels weren’t aware of this., some of them could provide something but mostly not. The Astoria in Bastia is close to the station but access walking with luggage is difficult.
lovely but not too challenging cycling, good accomodation, food everywhere outstanding. All in all a great week
Very well organised and efficient service providing routes bikes and luggage transfer enabling us to enjoy a relaxed week of cycling and sightseeing with confidence. Route was well designed with minimal sections on roads and all roads used were quiet and felt very safe for cyclists. We loved the Roadbooks app which made it almost impossible to get lost.Plenty of options for sightseeing en route all well signposted via the app and instructions. Rando Velo also an excellent partner We thoroughly enjoyed the trip .
Well planned route & easy to follow. Occasional hills but nothing too strenuous. Mostly on cycle routes or very quiet roads so traffic never a problem. Worth booking ahead in Beaune & Cluny for meals out but plenty of options. All hotels were clean & comfortable. Sturdy bike. & reliable baggage transfer. Need to highlight that TGV station in Macon is not the one near your final Ibis hotel so will need to book a 20 min taxi ride
Cycling the Vineyards from Beaune to Macon. The idea of this holiday conjured up idyllic images in my mind beforehand and they were borne out by my experiences on this trip. The countryside, vineyards, villages, rolling hills and scenery and - perhaps most of all - the amazing quality of the off-road cycle paths all more than lived up to my expectations. Unfortunately, I missed the initial briefing due to a mysteriously cancelled SNCF train. However, Active Tours kindly arranged a briefing for me the next morning.
The paper route maps were a helpful adjunct to the GPS, but the place names and marker points on the open street map were sometimes difficult to reconcile. It would help if the points on the map could be numbered as per the associated schedule of directions. I was new to using an electric bike, but the one supplied was good quality and fully operational. I was pleased to find that, with reasonable use, there was no risk of the battery running out during a day's ride.
sublime, the locations, itinerary, food, service and ease of the whole holiday was excellent. We were very lucky with the weather too- the recommendations of where to stop for coffee/ lunch very wise and welcome. End of May is glorious- the honeysuckle, fields of wild flowers, swift and house martins everywhere and so many lovely spots to stop and rest/ picnic. The velo vert route was lovely when we were able to use that too
A wonderful holiday full of places of interest
Enjoyable, but see below.
Locations, accommodaton, food and general organisation were excellent. 2 of the days were hard/long.
Very well organised. Good routes. Mainly good hotels. Maps etc very good.
Great location and wonderful walking. Just need to upgrade hotels.
Very enjoyable holiday with stunning scenery and incredible food!
A fabulous cycling holiday with beautiful countryside, especially the May flowers. The fields of poppies were spectacular and the routes planned by Headwater allowed full appreciation of the Provençal spring. One thing to be aware of is that Le Couvent in Apt does not allow check in before 5.00pm: something that would be good to know before turning up at 3.00, hot and sweaty and looking forward to a cooling shower. The meals arranged were great and all of the hotels were very comfortable with excellent breakfasts. Would definitely do a Headwater holiday again.
A well organised walking holiday to a stunning area of France. All accommodation and local cuisine of a high standard.
Varied walks in a beautiful area of The Luberon with very comfortable accommodation . Fabulous in the Spring with the cherry blossom.
Good walking through beautiful countryside
Booking arrangements good but a couple of minor glitches. Travel to and from destination good but see comment below.Cycles reliable and easy to use.Cycling involved quite long distances on minor roads and dedicated cycle tracks. Mostly excellent although muddy and slippery in one or two points. Chateaus did not disappoint although visits a bit hurried after a day on the bikes. If repeated would allow an extra day at Blois. Hotels and restaurants generally excellent but that at Amboise overlooked a noisy street and did not serve dinner.All in all an excellent break and would do again in another part of France.
Really interesting and entertaining trip. Route notes need very careful study though.
Excellent holiday except our night at Le Chateau de Mont Dol
I enjoyed a varied and interesting walk in Normandy.
The highlights of the trip were the times spent in Honfleur and Bayeux and its well worth tagging on an extra day at each end of your holiday.
The accommodation I stayed in was not as grand as that I experienced during a recent Headwater trip to the Dordoigne but it was more than adequate. The locations of the hotels were generally excellent. While in Beuvron en Huge I stayed at Le Manoir de Sens and just a bit of advice for any future travellers. There is no onsite catering so make sure you stock up on food and drink in the village at the end of the days walking.
The walking was generally interesting, taking in a combination of farmland, villages and coastline. At times the route was a little undulating but it shouldn't present a challenge to a regular walker. One of my objectives was to visit the D-Day beaches and I found the American and British war cemeteries particularly moving.
Overall, a very enjoyable trip.
This is a great trip through the backroads of Provence.
The holiday was excellent. We had a great time. On balance we would have preferred slightly more upscale accommodation. We especially thought that the Arts et Terroirs hotel in Gevrey Chambertin was extremely dated, and generally disappointing. The staff however were absolutely charming.
We found the printed walk instructions and maps very poor, and had we not downloaded and followed the app we would have got lost countless times. The instructions were too perfunctory and just didn’t do the job. Using the ‘Ride GPX’ app made the walk way easier.
Overall we loved our holiday and hope you will take any criticism in a positive way.
supposedly gastronomic meals but no information given that would be in outside restaurants or where . No information re need for so called vouchers two of four hotels good but two very disappointing . also person we were dealing with left the company just before our holiday also wifes special dietary requirements not passed on. Sadly the company is declining and we will now look elsewhere .
Headwater response:
Thank you for your invaluable feedback. We are truly sorry for any disappointment caused on this occasion. We would like to reassure you that we value your feedback in order that we can ensure improvements are made in the near future and your feedback has been passed on to our French Programme Manager. Thank you for choosing Headwater this summer and we truly hope to welcome you again soon.
Very well organised holiday and run very efficiently
I have sent separately suggestions for improvements to this walk, to enhance future travellers' experiences.
This was our first "organised" holiday and so a new experience for us. The organisation was excellent, including travel bookings, taxis from hotels to start of walks, and luggage transfer. The hotels were superb, all with character and very "French" (family-owned, no chains). The walk directions were clear and accurate, as were the maps, and the availablity of GPX files was very helpful. The staff at Headwater were very helpful and efficient, and replied to emails and phone-calls very quickly. I would certainly book a walking holiday through Headwater again.
Great trip well supported and will book again
The walking was fine but a bit too much on lanes/roads for us personally. That said I appreciate that this was as much to do with the area chosen as anything else and also the fact that we had to get from A to B. The hotels were all very different and without exception fun to stay in. The only downside was the limited choice/unchanging menus at two of them (already corresponded about). The maps didn't arrive until after we'd left for the holiday and were awaiting our arrival home. Luckily my husband had managed to buy copies as they proved essential at times, although the walking notes were on the whole, very good.
The ideal combination of active days in beautiful surroundings with indulgent meals and lovely accommodation, all arranged for you.
Excellent trip, very well organised, great hotels with lovely swimming pools, just what we wanted and can't wait to book our next holiday with Headwater.
Great fun very interesting and enjoyable.
It would have been useful to review the walking notes prior to booking as our first day fell on a Sunday when places were closed, it also meant other things on consecutive days were closed on the days that we were visiting so we could have altered our day of arrival to make the most of our time in the area. Would have requested an upgrade on the first hotel had we known how basic and small the room was, would also have liked the opportunity to explore Blois and its chateau but we were shipped out at 9am the day after arrival. If we'd read the notes we could have requested an extra night in Blois. There was nothing in Chitenay other than the hotel, the days we stayed it was a fixed dinner menu so the only choice was between dessert or cheese - no option on starter or main course. We didn't enjoy the dinners here, but our taxi driver had said it had a very good restaurant - it was a shame we couldn't choose from the main menu on the days we were there. Very helpful local staff at Rando
This holiday was a new challenge for us as we are occasional cyclists and normally organise everything for ourselves. The experience was just great! All of the arrangements worked perfectly and we had a fantastic holiday. The cycling was perfectly suited to our standard and the chateau and landscapes were magnificent. We arrived home and immediately grabbed the brochure to plan our next trip.
Lovely walking holiday in Provence - beautiful hilltop villages, vineyards and views. Not too challenging and good to relax by the pool in the afternoons.
We loved our trip to Corsica. The local agents, and particularly Emanuel, were chatty and informative. The hotels were good and the one in St Florent had a huge terrace overlooking the sea - which was very special. The sea swimming was beyond brilliant. A note about the walks however - don't rely on the maps and instructions. They are not 100% accurate but there is an app (so think about data and battery life) ... we used the app - and it stopped us going wrong many, many times. Also - many of the walks are labelled "coastal" but don't be fooled into thinking they're flat or easy - the paths are rugged, so bring robust walking shoes. The walks are stunning, and challenging in places ... but always worth it.
it wasn't the most scenic trip on a daily basis, but we particularly enjoyed Dinan and Mont Saint Michel. I preferred the cycling holiday Bolzano to Venice for the scenery. Food was a bit hard to come by on a daily basis for lunches, we made a filled baguette at breakfast. There was a local grocery shop in St Malo and carafours in Forgeres and one other enroute, but they were the only ones we spotted. we found a place for coffee, 4/6 days but they don't always have food.
The scenery was ok, very agricultural, lots and lots of corn on the cob fields, which got a bit boring, mostly very quiet roads or cycle track, a few hills. I had an ebike but my daughter had a normal but which she found heavy especially up the hills and she is used to cycling. helmets were provided but we had taken our own. take a phone holder as the ones provided weren't great. the GPX maps worked really well. we found kayaking and sand surfing enroute which were fun. overall very enjoyable
The Dordogne activities holiday was well thought out and put together. The staff on the ground wee helpful and available. The accommodation was uniformly excellent and baggage transport efficient and problem free. Equipment was good quality and well maintained. Be aware that e-bikes need to be pre-specified, which is a detail that had passed me by and if walking any stages, the instructions are sketchy. Other than that, a lovely experience and a good holiday.
Thank you for a wonderful holiday. The Dordogne region is a beautiful part of France, and lent itself well to this type of activity holiday. We were very impressed with the hotels, all with swimming pools, which were very welcome after hot days walking, cycling or kayaking. Staying in the luxurious Chateau Monrecour was a particular highlight.
Christine explained everything perfectly, and was even able to swap two of our individual kayaks for a double after the first day, which made the second day on the river easier.
This is quite an active holiday - perfect for my 15 year old, but some of the up-hill cycling (mostly just the last day - we are from a flat part of the world!) and kayaking on his own was sometimes a bit of a stretch for the 13 year old, although we got there in the end. The Headwater App made navigating on the bikes very easy.
Lots of happy memories of a fantastic week.
We had the most wonderful holiday cycling on electric bikes in the Ventoux region of Provence, to celebrate my 70th birthday earlier this month. Our guide, Christophe, was very helpful and charming and most anxious to ensure that we had a fantastic holiday. Similarly the hotel staff were very keen to provide a high quality of service, particularly in helping me locate a lost jacket. The Jardin de Mazan was the most wonderful hotel both in the quality of accommodation and the wonderful meal Eric cooked for us, Both Eric and his wife did everything possible to make our stay memorable and nothing was too much trouble for them. It will be a very hard holiday to beat.
Our trip to Provence was spectacular ! Headwater very kindly customised our trip, to allow my husband to fulfil a long term dream - cycling up Mont Ventoux, for his 60th birthday.
Megan, at Headwater, kept me involved and up to date with the progress of the booking from when the initial enquiry was made until we departed for France. The standard of the hotels was superb, the navigation app kept us on track and the road bikes we were provided with for the ascent of Mont Ventoux were spot on. Overall an excellent trip.
This was an excellent holiday on all fronts. The Headwater staff were their usual helpful self, including a mix up with bikes in France which was resolved very quickly. The hotels and locations were first-class and we could not fault anything at all. This was our third Headwater holiday. Much more interesting than the last one in Chablis where the villages were almost deserted in August and on a par with our first one in Umbria. A big thanks to Helen, Sara, Katie , Steph , Cecile and all who helped. Not cheap but we think great value for money and just what the doctor ordered after COVID!
We travelled by ferry and car with our two children aged 14 & 12 for the Dordogne Activities holiday, a total of 8 nights in the Dordogne. Two days canoeing and 5 days cycling. We thoroughly enjoyed it. We are used to cycling at home and have also done a fair amount of canoeing previously. The quality of the bikes was very good, the cycling was about the right level for us, a few hills, mainly quiet lanes and roads but there were a few fast and busy ones. The canoeing was enjoyable too, the water level was very low in places in the Dordogne due to the prolonged drought making the canoeing harder due to less current and needing to navigate to deeper water. The accommodation was on the whole very good and also the food, although menu options were a bit limited at times. We would definitely use Headwater again for a cycling holiday.
Great places and scenery, pleasant walks, very nice accommodation (except in Blois), delicious food and good fun altogether. Some fine tuning and adjustments in logistics would improve the overall exprience of otherwise great holiday!
Really enjoyable, accommodation and food were really good, navigation app was brilliant, Christophe’s advice on where to go and to eat was invaluable, itinerary was also fantastic with options to do as much or little as we wanted. The routes were very well planned being mostly on quiet back roads through beautiful scenery. As the weather was very hot we chose to bike in the mornings so we could relax in the afternoons. In cooler whether we would have taken more time and explored more en route.
Good itinerary. Comfortable distances even though weather was hot
Wow wow wow! Wonderful scenic routes, amazing hotels in St Emillion and Blaye! Great cycling on good routes and very good quality bikes
A beautiful area to cycle in and the Headwater electric bikes were brilliant. So comfortable and easy to use. The route was well planned; lots of interesting places to visit and just the right distances so that on hot days we could do most of the miles in the mornings.
We did the Landscapes of Thee Luberon self guided tour in July. The dinners were great and the itinerary was excellent. Special thanks to the staff at Les Imberts who helped us recover a backpack we accidentally left on the side of the road!
Will do this on feefo
A very moving cycling tour. Lovely countryside and only the odd long hill!
Local agents advice and help was invaluable.
Lovely area but Apt was a disappointment. Accommodation was clean and comfortable but nowhere to sit during the day and rooms very small also would have chosen to have had another day at first hotel and not stay in Apt for 2 days
The holiday worked well and the routes well planned. However the area is very flat and there was a lot of road or cycle path walking. This region is well suited for cycling but would not recommend for walking. The first walk was particularly long and we had temperatures of above 35 degrees on roads that were reflecting up the heat and little shade. At one point we did not think we would be able to complete the walk because of heat exhaustion. We had run out of water and there was nowhere to get refreshments. I knocked on a door and fortunately a very kind French lady refilled our water bottles. The second and last hotels were exceptional.
Perfect first family bike trip!
Wonderful area with excellent cycling and bikes . We were very disappointed with the Hotel Hermitage which we had stayed at 3 times before but had changed hands . The welcome was dismissive and the quality of rooms within our group was very different. Other hotels were excellent with the reception at Le Jardiniere de Mazan the ambience and food quite marvellous . We were disappointed that the representative on the ground felt that helping with a difficult puncture was not in his brief
Another excellent Headwater experience. This time to rural Normandy. We did not know this area at all and this walking holiday enabled us to explore this beautiful and rustic area. The walks were of good length, the hotels all very good and we had a real opportunity to experience great French cooking in the evenings in the towns and villages in which we stayed. The staff at Normandie Rando (the local tour company) were all terrific. We thoroughly enjoyed our holiday in this little known part of France. Recommended.
The itinerary and the walking distances were good but, unfortunately, I happened to book my trip to coincide with the worst French heatwave for a number of years. By making early starts and benefitting from the coolest parts of the day I managed to complete the entire route. Had the water been a little less extreme the route would have been easily achievable. On the whole the hotels were very good and the accommodation in Carsac and St Vincent de Cosse was absolutely stunning. The hotel in Souillac was a little more functional but perfectly adequate. Souillac has suffered badly as a result of the Covid pandemic and it needs renovation. However, while there and although it was a rest day, I planned my own walk, doing a loop in the hills to the south of the town. This comes highly recommended as I've never seen so many butterflies except in a butterfly house. There must have been at least twenty species almost literally competing for air space. I will be booking with Headwater again.
Overall, an enjoyable holiday. Local guides were friendly and helpful. The hotels were of good quality or better and the service was generally very good. The exception would be Les Sables d'Ocre; there were no staff available after 8pm (and thus no bar). This was very disappointing. It is not a long walk into the village but sometimes this is not what is wanted after a day's cycling; the information was not given to us prior to the holiday. The major disappointment is that Headwater, or possibly the parent group Exodus, seem to have kept prices relatively high but there is evidence that an increasing number of holidays on offer do NOT include evening meals. This, for us, is a real negative and we don't accept the theory given that it was to give us more flexibility. It gives more headaches and time on the internet/phone attempting to arrange evening meals. We enjoyed much of the holiday but felt it was the least enjoyable of the five holidays we have undertaken since 2008.
Lovely cycling routes and the electric bikes allow hilltop village visits with ease. Excellent bikes and support. And our stay at the Jardin de Mazan was an absolute highlight of the trip.
Please see separate trip report which we will email to you
An interesting part of France to visit, with variety along the walk, from coastal paths to stretches along salt flats. The taxi connections need to be refined as we found ourselves waiting as they had gone to the wrong place. The hotels were ok but we found higher quality meals when we were not on a HB day. On most days it is difficult to find refreshments en route (without retracing steps from a previous day) so planning ahead is essential.
A most enjoyable holiday even for 80-year olds like us. The walks are realistic in terms of difficulty. The only problem was the unseasonably high temperature but this was tolerable by starting walking at 8.30am and reaching the destination by 2pm.
Great part of France to visit - pretty villages, acres of vineyards and hotels off the beaten track. During the week we covered over 10,000 feet elevation - more than Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike,, Snowdon put together in 5 days walking. The combination of forest walks and vineyards was excellent arriving into villages. Most of the villages have a baker’s shop and cafe, but remember most places closed after 14:00. Not always easy to find lunch, so be sure to take your lunch before you set off.
A very enjoyable cycling holiday, lovely scenery especially the paths along the river and through the woods. It was hard work for those of us not that used to cycling, but a good achievement to have made it! We enjoyed visiting some of the chateaux along the way. Lovely food and wine, of course! However, the Gastronomic package of 4 days of half board was unfortunately poor value for money. It would have been better to have our dinner reservations made and for us to pay locally. We packed our cycling helmets and water bottles as the information we received indicated we needed them but these were all provided by the local agent so we didn't actually need to bring them and could have saved a lot of space in our bags.
A generally enjoyable trip slightly marred by a couple of issues which were not Headwater's fault. As part of the holiday booking, we paid for three 'gastronomic' meals in the places we stayed, where local alternatives were very limited but found only one of these could be remotely worthy of the term 'gastronomic' and we could have purchased the same meals much cheaper directly at the hotels concerned.
Cycling per se was enjoyable. Very angry to be offered a family room at Chenonceaux when we are not related. Gastronomic meal on the last night never materialised.
Experience left a bitter taste.
Headwater response:
Thank you for your comments. We are really pleased to read that you enjoyed your cycling , however sorry that your experience was impacted by the hotel accommodation with your friends and the disappointment with your meal on the last evening of which we have responded in writing.
Fabulous holiday made perfect by hiring the electric bikes as it was hilly and the electric bikes made the whole biking experience really enjoyable. The scenery and hotels were super and we were really well looked after.
We had a great time but we should have asked for e-bikes. Some of the hills were very long.
We thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Booking through Headwater was easy, though in retrospect we could have booked the same holiday ourselves much cheaper. Our contact, Joanne, was very helpful in sorting out our late booking.
The Loire region was lovely and a great holiday location. This was our first cycling holiday so, we chose a level 1 trip. .But We found 40 kilometres a day to be far to long and took too much time. We had minimal time to visit places of interest. We struggled with some directions and indeed were lost on 3 occasions. Also be aware that the gps on phone overheats on the hot days so you do need to master the paper routes. We suggest booking 4* hotels as we found the 3* a bit basic.
Dordogne beautiful area to travel round can be very hilly in parts,local people very helpful
Our holiday was as good as described in the headwater brochure. All arrangements,bookings, preferences etc worked well. All queries, however trivial dealt with quickly and completely.
We thoroughly enjoyed cycling the Wine Route of Alsace. It is a very picturesque part of France, and the villages we visited were lovely, including storks nesting on rooftops. The second day was a bit hilly, but nothing we couldn't manage and the length of ride each day suited us well.We were very fortunate to have perfect weather, which made the holiday even more enjoyable. The hotels were very clean and comfortable and in the evening there was a good choice of restaurants in every town or village. Lots of interesting ice-cream flavours to try too, such as rhubarb, gooseberry, red currant etc in most towns. All in all a great holiday, and we returned home with lots of photos and happy memories.
We enjoyed our trip through this wine growing region and thought the routes were well planned though they do involve cycling past many vines! . The Jardin de Mazan hotel was a highlight with beautiful rooms and delightful owners. The food was good throughout the trip. Christophe gave us an excellent briefing with many useful pointers and recommendations. Although the app generally worked well we still do prefer to have actual maps of the area, not just the route, and we would definitely recommend having a portable charger for the phone.
Very good except for length of walks! But we managed this after first day by getting taxi to drop us into the route a few kilometres.
Cycling hillier than expected, Lascaux caves a highlight, food at Les Glycines excellent, prefered new longer 25mile rather than 20mile trips with 2 days at one location, grateful for taxi for 2hour trip to Toulouse when train failed but strongly dislike single person supplement
We really enjoyed the biking adventure, we are not avid bikers, but found the routes a good pace for us. We did have one challenge because we did not receive our last days GPS map, so our advice to others is to double check to ensure you have them all before you go.
This was our 7th headwater holiday but the first we had done on foot. Every holiday has been special in one way or another but this one certainly ranked among the best. The walks were excellent, carefully routed to avoid any distances on busy roads and include a lovely range of scenery. We enjoyed the sense of being right out in the countryside and away from the main tourist centres although there were several times when a café or bar along the way would have been welcome (We had to carry drink and snacks with us on each walk although we did find a bar open in Gargas on the first walk.) Coming from a particularly flat part of the UK we were worried about steep climbs but the inclines were generally quite gentle and we managed fine. The weather helped. At the start of October, it was warm and dry but with a cooling breeze. In the summer heat we could have found it more challenging! The route notes were very good, as long as we read the details carefully. We only lost our way once, adding a few extra kilometres to the walk into La Fontaine de Vaucluse.
The hotels were all of a high standard, Each had an individual character, all were very comfortable and the breakfasts were wonderful. We especially enjoyed the Hotel de Poete in Fontaine and the Hermitage at Pernes les Fontaines.
The Headwater rep, Joey, couldn't have been more welcoming or more helpful. He went out of his way to make sure we had the best holiday possible. He was always cheerful and fun to be with.
Another excellent holiday with Headwater. The routes, the towns, the accommodation all just right. My only request would be that some new routes are added for France as we have nearly exhausted them all.
Had a lovely time, got what we expected and Joey the Rep was absolutely fantastic. The only area of complaint was the Hotel des pins. Location and room fine, Food not that great. We could clearly see from the other guests that the food was very good but we got a set menu which was not great. On both nights they forgot I had a Nut and Fish allergy which wouldn't have been to big an issue if they had provided me with a reasonable replacement but on the second night the starter, Fish and Salad was replaced with just salad for me. The main course was poor compared to the other hotels and then they finished me off with stewed apple sprinkled with nuts, good job my allergy is mild. Having said all that lets not forget that the Hotel Montmirail was absolutely fantastic.
Canoeing on the Dordogne was an absolute highlight of my travels in France. Headwater’s in-country representatives were outstanding in every aspect - from the moment they met my train until they dropped me back at the station nine days later. This was my first experience of a holiday kayaking trip like this and, whilst I am an experienced kayaker, I was quite nervous to be doing this on my own. The thoroughness of my first day briefing put me totally at ease and I was able to relax straight away and enjoy every moment. I also appreciated the detailed notes and activity suggestions for my stay-put days and enjoyed a couple of great walks, following the extremely accurate guiding notes provided by Headwater. I would thoroughly recommend this experience to anyone who enjoys nature and water-based activities.
This was a well organised tour taking in some pretty hilltop villages. We have done several Headwater holidays, but think that this was our first '2 bike '. It was quite demanding and many locals had electric bikes, but the hills are manageable. Les Imberts is a very small place, but the suggested trip to Gordes is well worth it, but we took an easier, but longer route there to avoid the main road. We found Apt to be rather uninspiring for a 2 night stay, We looked on Trip Advisor and found a couple of good local restaurants, but there was little to do during the day. Instead we cycled to the small town of Cereste along a cycle route- but it was a demanding ride. Our last hotel on the route was very picturesque and the welcome was the best we had, but we would have liked some choice at dinner especially as they hadn't noted the dietary preferences we have noted with Headwater ( luckily I had a good lunch that day). La Pernes de la Fontaines is a very pleasant town.
We started our holiday with a night in Avignon and would recommend this. Our guide Joey contacted us the night before and made excellent recommendations for our morning in Avignon. The week we stayed was a busy one for Joey ( he could have done with some help), but his cheerfulness and enthusiasm were most welcome.
We would recommend this holiday.
Our walking holiday in the Luberon was an excellent way to experience the area and
Good all round, except a cycling itinerary for the rest day at Apt would have been very welcome. The hotel at Apr lacked a Headwater blue book. The manager / owner did not seem to know about them.
Headwater response:
Dear Mr. Chandler
Thank you for your review. We are pleased that you you enjoyed a good holiday. Headwater continually aim to improve on the services that we provide based on customer feedback and your comments regarding a cycling itinerant on the rest day has been passed to our product manager to consider. The Headwater blue book that you refer to was not replaced for this season; so this would have been the reason the hotelier was not aware of them.
Thanks again for your comments and I do hope that we will be able to welcome you on another Headwater holiday in the future
Really Happy with the overall experience - & would recommend Headwater to others
Lovely countryside and picturesque towns - almost too many of them. Some of the days are packed with sightseeing, leaving little time to do the cycling! Excellent hotels, and very well looked after by the Headwater rep. The route is at times quite piecemeal, trying to avoid busy roads, which is made just about manageable by using the GPS system provided.
A fine, challenging activity holiday with excellent back-up support re luggage forwarding, through-out the week. Idylic Provencal hotels and villages interspersed among vineyards and Olive groves galore. A region dominated by both limestone and sandstone cliffs clothed with dense forests and providing stunning views of the surrounding countryside.
Our reps Janet and Andrew were superb and they really added to the enjoyment of the holiday. Although three of the hotels were beautiful and of a similar standard (Relais St Anne, hotel La Terrasse and Villa Romaine) the other two were very much more basic.
A great holiday but it does have a few flaws!
This is our second Canoeing/cycling on the Dordogne holiday and our fourth with Headwater. We are already considering what our next will be, and whether we will do the Dordogne again in a few years.
A wonderful cycling holiday that had some hilly sections so the option of the e bike was great for the less fit, especially in the summer heat. Each hotel offered excellent service and food and the pools were lovely. We enjoyed the variety of quiet countryside hotels and the bustle of staying in Vaison with the fantastic Roman ruins to visit. The routes take you on quiet roads through vineyards and quaint villages with beautiful scenery every day.
An excellent week mixing Canoeing and biking around the Dordogne with our 11 year old son. There are loads of places on route to stop off for a swim in the river, which is beautifully clean. There are also plenty of places to stop for drinks and a bite to eat.
Superb holiday! Andrew and Janet were extremely helpful and made for an extremely relaxing holiday. Accomodation and food was generally excellent, with some really exceptional meals (wine lists were extensive but quite expensive, generally minimum about €20 a bottle). Activities were well planned and clearly explained. Holiday does require a good level of fitness for the activities and the hotels, twice we were on the third floor but no lift (lots of stairs to carry suitcases up). Would highly recommend this holiday.
As the title implies there are some steep hills but the villages are very attractive. Magnificent countryside and panoramas from the elevated villages.
A well organised and relaxing holiday with great canoeing, lovely hotels and a beautiful area
This was our third walking holiday with Headwater and lived up to expectations. The walking was lovely, although the second one was quite challenging! All the hotels were comfortable and the last two were luxurious, but all had wonderful food. France is not an easy place to be if you are gluten free, as one of our party is, but the last two hotels were particularly good. Taxis too, are scarce and very expensive, if you wish to go out on your rest days. However, the reps (Janet and Andrew) were very helpful and we all had a lovely holiday, and would certainly use Headwater again.
We loved the freedom that a self-guided tour gave us to set off at the time that was right for us, take breaks when we wanted, stop for lunch where we wanted and travel at our own pace. The hotels along the way were excellent and far more "up market" than we expected. The Headwater staff, from the initial booking to the location rep, were extremely helpful and informative. We will definitely be going on another Headwater holiday.
An awesome canoe holiday. Headwater were very thorough in all the preparation and organising. The reps could not have been more helpful in giving local advise and support. We will definitely be using Headwater again for another holiday adventure. Thank you to all
We had a fantastic holiday mixing exercise with beautiful scenery, excellent food in a tranquil environment. We wouldn't hesitate to recommend a cycling holiday with Headwater.
We had a fantastic holiday. We stayed in some great places, had some wonderful food and cycled / canoed through some fantastic scenary. The local reps Janet and Andrew were superb and always available to help if needed. The bags, bikes and canoes were always in the right place at the right time. All we had to do was enjoy ourselves.
Spectacular holiday! Stunning canoe trip on the Dordogne- beautiful tranquil river. Fantastic accommodation and wonderful food! Headwater reps Andrew and Janet brilliant. Megan Wyatt at Headwater- thank you!
Excellent experience - don't hesitate - book your holiday now!
We thoroughly enjoyed our holiday. Château Monrecour was the highlight for accommodation and food but we also found Relais Saint Anne to be very special. Our tour reps Janet and Andrew were fantastic. They went above and beyond to help us out and make sure everything went well. Everything went very smoothly with luggage transfers, bikes and canoes.
An excellent balance of cycling (some challenging hills!) sightseeing, eating and drinking with plenty of opportunity for relaxing as well.
Very enjoyable walks with excellent notes. We are experienced walkers but even we struggled with very high temperatures on Day 4. We were offered the opportunity to swap one day’s walk to canoeing; this is an example of Janet and Andrew ( the reps) going out of their way to tailor our holiday to suit both us and the weather conditions. We thoroughly enjoyed the canoeing and it added a new dimension to our holiday! The hotels were very high quality as we have come to expect with Headwater ( our ninth holiday with you). The only exception was La Terrace in Meyronne where the menu was limited and was the same on both evenings. It gave the impression that we were less important guests and didn’t add to the ambience.
Headwater response:
Thank you for leaving a lovely review. We are so pleased that you enjoyed the canoeing a great alternative to walking in the extreme heat that you were experiencing. Janet and Andrew will be really pleased to read what you have written. I am sorry that the menu in La Terrace was limited and would like to assure you that your comments have been fed back to them.
Kind regards
Customer Services
This was an amazing holiday full of different activities but the highlight was the canoeing. The standard of accommodation was excellent and the food superb. The outstanding feature was our 2 lovely reps who could not have done enough for us. Initially Andrew collected us from Toulouse rather than have us arrive late for dinner if we had come by train. In the morning he showed us features on the river to be aware of which was a great help to a pair of novices.
He gave us a lift to Rocamadour which we would not have seen otherwise. We paid for a taxi 2 days before to go to the Goffre Padirac which cost 30€ for a 10min trip! He even brought us bikes to cycle back as the temps were in the high 30° and not fun to walk in. Overall they did a fantastic job and really made a difference to our holiday. We would contemplate doing this trip again in the future as we enjoyed it so much. Thank you.
Beautiful part of Provence to walk in despite it being atypically hot. In view of the high temps, not many hotels offered an early breakfast (07:30) to allow us an early start. If I was to do again then out of main season would be sensible.
Also some popular village restaurants get booked up quickly so having some contact details at the hotels could help smooth these difficulties
Fabulous "Landscapes of the Luberon" walking holiday with Headwater in the south of France. Excellent clean, comfortable and welcoming hotels, great walks with very good, accurate self guided notes amidst beautiful scenery and villages that were a joy to visit and stroll through in the sunshine. Rep was very efficient, friendly and helpful and went out of his way to accommodate us. We added a couple of very enjoyable short city breaks in Avignon and Nice at either end of the holiday. In short a very varied, memorable and wonderful holiday which we really enjoyed.
Our canoe trip in June 2019 was excellent. The weather was very hot (France’s recent heatwave) but the river was possibly the coolest place to be if you have all the right sun protection. Surprisingly, we were just about the only canoe on the river at this time. It made for a calm, surreal experience just for us. We found that the trip notes were misleading at times. Information on landing points and weirs/chutes could be updated and the maps made clearer. We brought a foam cushion for the seats and this made quite a difference when sitting in the canoe for up to 5 hours. Andrew and Janet were the reps in Souillac and they couldn’t be more helpful and friendly, even though they hadn’t been on the contract for long. They went out of their way to change the schedule to accommodate a wet day with a visit to Rocamadour. They were also keen to show us some of the key actual day 1 landing specifics which were ultimately essential in hindsight. The accommodations were good and we found that the food for dinner was generally high standard with good choices.
Walking notes excellent in terms of directions but could have much more detail of places of interests passing through. Hotels never boring, all have character and different. Travel - should be better informed with more options offered inc train.
This was one of the best holiday we've ever had, Provence is amazing, really beautiful and stunning. The hotels were wonderful, as were the walks, really enjoyed them. We would recommend everyone to visit this fantastic region of France and travel with a fantastic holiday company Headwater, as they really have it all so well organised and take good care of you. Thank you to all at Headwater, we shall be planning next summer's walking holiday soon.
The holiday lived up to our expectations. Unfortunately the weather was not kind and we had a lot of rain but our reps Andrew and Janet bent themselves over backwards to make our days as enjoyable as possible. They went out of their way to juggle the itinerary and came up with great places to go on our rest day, always willing to provide transport. The canoeing was great fun and the scenery was spectacular! Most days, apart from an occasional fisherman, we had the Dordogne to ourselves! The food and accommodation throughout was very good and in some places absolutely brilliant! We both put on weight despite the canoeing! A great holiday, would thoroughly recommend.
Our third cycling holiday ,great fun as always, and nice to travel around another different area.
Excellent organisation, accommodation, enjoyable walks and fantastic local rep. Would not hesitate to use Headwater again.
Barry and I thoroughly enjoyed our experience in Provence cycling with Headwater. The only difficult thing was to get a good cup of coffee!
Enjoyable rides, more challenging than expected remember French towns close on Sunday especially off season!
The briefing by the reps about the bikes and the Ride with GPS app was very good. The route notes were also useful. The bicycles were excellent. The ladies needed the electric bikes in the Dordogne because they had not done much cycling preparation beforehand. The meals at each hotel were very good. The countryside was beautiful and there were many interesting sites to visit.
If you just want to hike / trek without driving, this is definitely a good choice. However, it would be nice for Headwater to pick a hotel close to the village such that guests can easily stroll around on the rest day rather than book a taxi in order to go some places.
A great holiday away from the crowds at a quiet time of year. Paddling was easy most of the time with some interesting parts where the river ran shallow or faster. Hotels and food were great with some characterful hosts.
Surpassed all our expectations because we were the only canoes on the river. Great river, great hotels and helpful reps.
Our holiday ticked a lot of boxes for us as it involved exercise and was outside in beautiful nature, we also visited charming and traditional French villages. All of the staff were welcoming and helpful and the bicycle routes were perfect for us as they were mostly through vineyards and olive groves, so that the routes felt safe.
This was an excellent holiday through lovely countryside. The route was hillier than we had expected for a 1+ bike rating but the day mileages were short so it evened out. For those of us aged over 70 and with a temperature of 33C, the climb out of Caromb on Day 4 was indeed memorable! But there were some lovely long descents to compensate.
We had no problems finding coffee and lunch stops as there were lots of bars and cafes en route, even on Sundays and Mondays.
Accommodation was mixed, as always with Headwater, but every hotel had its excellent upsides.
We spent two extra days in Vaison and took the bus into Orange on one of them to see the splendid Roman theatre there. 10:03 from the top of the road beyond Tourist Info, the journey takes an hour and there are buses back at 16:15, 17:15 and 18:15.
Wonderful area, ideal for walking with hotels of character and many places to visit.
Our first Headwater holiday: beautiful, fascinating countryside, and comfortable, friendly hotels with superb pools to relax in at the end of a day's walking.
Excellent experience with outstanding food and accommodation, a gastronomic delight
We had the best cycle briefing ever from Nick, the Headwater rep, who was friendly and professional. All the hotels were lovely to stay in with great food and beautiful swimming pools to relax in at the end of the day's cycling. We were warned about the steep climb at the end of day one and maybe, given the hilly nature of the Dordoigne area, we should have anticipated the hills. They were quite tough going in places. The GPS made finding the way easy .
On the down side, some of the rides were a bit dull. We cycled in Umbria last time and enjoyed it more; great architecture, villages and generally more fun. The French drivers all give you room when passing but pass at high speed and most of the cycling is on roads, not cycle paths.
I will save up for another Headwater holiday though but will spend a little more time looking at the area first. Lovely weather!!
Wonderful holiday in a beautiful region with an excellent and charming rep. Marred by the anxiety for me (Jane) over the working of the new app, battery running out before reaching the destination and the lack of good and accurate back up directions. The apps need a bit of tweaking but will be good. Attachment to bikes need to be stronger and visible in strong sunlight.
Headwater response:
Thank you for your feedback. Overall it looks as though you had a lovely holiday . The team at Headwater are constantly reviewing what we do based on our customer feedback and can assure you that all that you have mentioned have been under review to improve.
Wife says it was the best holiday of her life, one of my best. Accommodations were just right - small enough to be intimate yet with all the conveniences. Advise to bring an electrical adapter - one hotel was without one/one hotel gave us an extra to carry for the remainder of the trip. River was a little low in September but we didn't bottom out anywhere. The weather was about perfect - very safe and beautiful -- almost a float trip with some mild rapids thrown in. Would highly recommend others to check out the cave at La Cave - really worth the side trip - take a cab, it's worth it. And the bike path from La Villa Romaine on an old railway line, even walking, shouldn't be missed. Overall quiet and relaxing. Our first trip to Europe -- we passed on the big cities (except for London) and glad we did - though we would probably have enjoyed a couple of days in Toulouse if we had the time.
Our cycling holiday in the Luberon was typical Headwater style. Friendly rustic hotels, minor road routes, places to visit, great scenery and great local food and wine. Other cyclists on the same route were great company when we bumped into them.
Wonderful walking in picturesque varied countryside with many historical features. Ample shade. Hotels luxurious and/or extremely comfortable with delicious food.
Wonderful trip! Everything was so well set up for- transfers, trip notes etc. The walks themselves were stunning, and it was amazing to jump into the pool at the end of the day. A great way to see the Dordogne and experience a different part of France.
VERY NICE HOLIDAYS!! Nice cycling, with wonderful food and wine.
Lovely area, great hotels mostly, very enjoyable
An excellent and varied exploration of the Vaucluse region of Provence, with opportunites to visit ancient Roman ruins, mediaeval villages and legendary Cotes-du-Rhone vineyards.
A lovely way to explore this beautiful and historic area of France while building up a good appetite for a classic french meal
Superb experience for family activity holiday; we loved it
Really enjoyed the holiday and out rep Mark was extremely pleasant and helpful. As we were 4 ladies we had requested twin rooms and this was confirmed by Headwater. However this was not the case in three of the hotels which provided double beds with single duvets. This was a 1+ cycle and we had elected for electric bikes which proved to be the right choice.
Location/routes are excellent as is the food and value, just a shame many of the bedrooms are so basic
We had a relaxing week in the Dordogne, with cycling and beautiful food every day. The routes, although appearing short, are very hilly in places and are not to be taken lightly. We really would recommend kayaking on this trip, as there were lots of opportunities alongside the cycling and it added a great extra dimension. There are lots of ancient monuments and castles to explore, but simply soaking up the medieval architecture is a treat in itself. In August, it was nearly 40 degrees so be prepared, and get the cycles done early, so you have time to relax. Try the local vin de noix, and all the lovely cheeses and meats. After all, you will cycle them off! And do NOT forget insect repellent!!
A super family break with relaxed canoeing and more challenging cycling. The pool at every hotel was very welcome, the bag transfer service slick and efficient and nothing was too much trouble for the reps. Chateau de Monrecour was a particular highlight, as was trying the via ferrata above the Dordogne!
Wonderful French culture, cuisine and canoeing down the Dordogne river, enabled by an excellent riverside support team at Headwater. In a word, superb!
Lovely accommodation, great food and gentle cycling.
A wonderful holiday to see a picturesque side of the dordogne region
The holiday overall was very good, with some excellent and some distinctly average hotels. The holiday overall is about the activities and the surroundings that you are in and in this respect the holiday was excellent. The reps were excellent and no complaints there at all. The quality of the equipment was excellent and the introduction to the use of was also excellent. Two things to note, the walk from the river to the hotel in Souillac does take the a while and although flat, carrying all the equipment and if you have young ones is a task in hot temperatures. Secondly the position of the hotel in Sarlat is stunning for the views but is overall poor and is situated as stated out of town. After a hard day walking or cycling, to walk into town and and back (back is uphill and 2.8 k ) is not easy in heat, and the hotel said that it was almost impossible to get taxis to do the short distance (for them) to and from the hotel. These two things aside the holiday is a good one and we would reccomend to others and Headwater are a good company, we have had two holidays with them now and would use again. To clarify the earlier statement about some of the hotels being average, we have had several of this type of holiday with other companies as well as Headwater and they all seem to throw in one hotel that is a bit of a let down, we are now used to this and it becomes a bit of a game to guess which it will be. As with this type of holiday you are only in one place for a couple of nights before moving on you can put up with a poorish hotel as you are not spending that much time there, but if you like top notch all the time then research the hotels closely.
beautiful area for cycling and easy to manage distances
Our first trip to Provence. Lovely walking, hotels and food. It was hot!
Marvellous area . Notes for cycling extremely poor . The hotel at Roussillon CLOSED at 8.00pm .and had no gin and no beer . It was like a travel road house !
Headwater response:
Thank you for your feedback on the cycling notes which have now been revised. The Hotel in Roussilon is only a short walk from the village centre where there are bars and restaurants to enjoy and as the hotel is small they tend to stay open when the demand is there.
A picturesque part of France, with vineyards and Lavender fields, Ochre coloured soil, and Rose wines to complement flavourful food. Heaven.
We enjoyed our holiday, the hotels, Locations were great and the food too. The canoeing was good but I feel it was a bit too isolated on the river for us.
A very enjoyable cycling holiday. The route was well researched using very quiet roads whenever possible, passing through lovely and varied countryside with stops in all the interesting hilltop villages. The hotels were all very comfortable and meals where provided were excellent. Our guide Mark was knowledgeable and couldn't have been more helpful.
The holiday exceeded all our expectations! Headwater had organised everything perfectly and there were no problems at all. The hotels were all extremely comfortable, most had large grounds for you to spend time in. The swimming pools were a welcome treat after a day of walking. Breakfasts were all delicious, with a large variety of food to choose from. The instructions for the walks were well explained and my daughter and I had no problems following them. We walked through magnificent scenery, and visited beautiful old towns. I would highly recommend this walk and Headwater. I will definitely be travelling with Headwater again in the future.
Great easy cycling for the most part amongst beautiful countryside with interesting places to visit all along the way.
Always interesting, off the beaten track and a chance to meet the local population and enjoy the quiet and peace of the countryside.
Headwater has never disappointed. We have travelled with Headwater at least 6 times. The hotels are always full of character and the food good. We had a problem with a persistent puncture and Mark came twice to fix. I left a necklace in one of the room safes. All the hotels replied promptly. It was found at Chateau Mazan who sent it back very effeciently and quickly
From the start to the end this was a very relaxing holiday, every day somewhere new to visit, great hotels and swimming pools, and lovely food.
Excellent - well organised - good hotels
Enjoyable walking with impeccable backup. The icing on the cake for us was exploring fascinating villages on the non-walking days.
Really enjoyable way to experience local cultures and get ‘off the beaten track ‘ good local representative support .
A good concept for a cycling holiday and overall, a lovely and enjoyable time. Fabulous scenery and well selected routes to follow.
Very well planned and organised by knowledgable and helpful staff. Route notes generally accurate and helpful, although the wording can at times be confusing and imprecise as can some of the distances between way marks. The degree of difficulty on some days is under estimated and had we not been as fit as we are,we may have struggled with some of the climbs.. The local reps were superb, always charming, helpful, patient and totally reliable. Nothing was ever too much trouble for them. All of the hotels were excellent and two in particular were superb, both in terms of the cuisine and the rooms that we were accommodated in. However, in two hotels the menu did not change from day to day, and therefore, as non meat eaters we were limited to having the same meals on consecutive evenings; particularly as there were no vegetarian options and only one type of fish (which my wife does not like) available. The walk routes were glorious, beautiful scenery, varied terrain, and wonderful spring flowers (particularly many and varied orchids).
Excellent short break in a beautiful region of France. Just the right balance if cycling and relaxation with my teenage daughter.
We had a lovely holiday. The weather was perfect, the area very beautiful and interesting and the hotels were good, but we found the bikes very heavy and poorly geared for the fairly hilly nature of some of the routes.
professionally organised, good hotels in the main with excellent food. Local tour staff were first class, Jude and Tim were thoughtful, considerate and extremely helpful in every way. They provided excellent service and delivered a slick, personal service. The cycle routes were well mapped and very sensible quiet roads providing superb countryside views and charming tiny villages. The river canoe trips down the Dordogne were a highlight, so peaceful and the most relaxed activity we have ever done.
Excellent , few errors in information re places visited. Above strange error in travel arrangements. Otherwise great holiday.
A perfect way to experience nature and culture in this region of Provence.
Headwater could provide water bottles and helmet options for travellers outside Europe. We were fortunate previous visitors had left 2 helmets for our use this visit.
A wonderful holiday with no issues or problems with our itinerary. Headwater got things right with a very light touch.
Thoroughly enjoyable week of mixed canoeing and cycling. We had intended walking days too, but found there was so much we wanted to see cycling was the only way to encompass as much as we could. Canoeing down the Dordogne was truly serene and magical. Most accomodation and food really excellent.
It was a great opportunity to take part in activities I might not otherwise have tried. You can only get the magnificent views of the Dordogne river that we had from a canoe.
Very well organised, with excellent directions and achievable distances to cycle daily. Cycles very good condition, well maintained, clean and comfortable to ride. All staff willing and able to support if required.
Most enjoyable holiday cycling through beautiful quiet countryside with stunning views. There were plenty places of interest from Chateaux to Caves. The food and accommodation was of a high standard. The Vielle Auberge in Souillac could have been more comfortable but we forgave it for the food.
After reading previous reviews, we hired electric bikes this year. This was a good decision as, although we still had plenty exercise, we enjoyed each days cycle without feeling terminally exhausted. We saw more as we always chose the longer route. It is a very hilly region and definitely a grade 2 cycling holiday.
Although we have been very many times with Headwater, this was a last minute booking due to a health problem. The assistance of the Headwater staff could not have been better, Thank you.
However we do have an issue regarding our bill from the Chateau Mazan and we will be writing to you separately to seek your opinion.
Excellent holiday, wonderful accommodation and food. We could not fault the reps who were extremely helpful.
Great cycling, fabulous food, quiet roads in a busy area, plenty of local places of interest, well done Headwater.
Nice area though hillier than we expected when we booked. Well maintained bikes, though rather heavy. Good food. We were lucky that we had a cooler than average week for August.
A relaxing holiday with positive together time as a family - nothing gets everyone working together as well as arguing more - than getting lost in the Dordogne countryside an hour before lunch !
Canoeing in the Dordogne. The most picturesque river and so quiet ( even in high season). The beautiful countryside was dotted with amazing chateaux and the food at each hotel was superb - a gastronomic delight. The canoeing was straight forward and the map instructions were good.
The hotels we stqyed in were in the most delightful medieval towns which were so well preserved. It was like staying in a fairytale town.
We really felt that we were part of France - so few foreign tourists as this was a place that the Fench go on holiday so we were really immersed into the country.
Our reps (Jude and Tim) were excellent as always available if needed
We had a great experience with Headwater, cycling the hill-tops of Provence in 35-40C heat. The Reps were great;, the bikes eminently suitable for the route; the hotels generally good; the food superb; and we both enjoyed the few days that we had.
Happy paddling on some quiet stretches of river in a beautiful area. Plenty of pools, good food, and all arrangements taken care of.
An excellent experience in a lovely part of France.
absolutely lovely - from the helpfulness of the guides to the assiduity of the hotel staff - and the general friendliness
We last took on a headwater holiday15 years. Now we have an 8 year old daughter and 11 year old son. The dordogne was lush, warm and beautiful. The reps were helpful and knowledgable. The hotels were very french with great food. The activities were well balanced with relaxation at the pool. Super holiday i hope we dont wait another 15 years.
See the inside of the country without the hassle bussel of roads and busy towns plenty of fresh air and excellent hotels and refreshlng swim when you arrive
Very well organised and effectively managed, with the odd surprise/challenge e.g. Tour de France promptly dealt with, worked round.
A chance to sample another country's culture and experience the landscape on an excellent mode of transport
We like the Headwater cycling format to the extent that we cannot remember the number of holidays we have been on.
Easy walking in an attractive area. First class hotels, all with pools.Standard of food in the local restaurants was high. Good to be able to visit Avignon and Marseille as add ons to the holiday. Very hot, even in June this year.
Wonderful holiday, well organised but not obtrusive. Fabulous food in beautiful surroundings. Kayaking down the Dordogne was so beautiful. Will definitely book with Headwater again.
Incredible 200 km of beautiful countryside, cuisine and culture of Provence! Loved every minute despite 35° heat and 35% elevation. La vie est belle!
Despite being of the same modest grading as our two previous HW cycling holidays, this was significantly harder, because of the heat (over 34 degrees) and some long uphill stretches, especially on the Lafare-Vaison day. However, it was worth it for the lovely scenery, the downhill bits, and the hotels, two of which had lovely pools, and some excellent food, especially at Hotel Montmirail (if only it had air-con as well!) and at La Dame d'Oie at Pernes. Plenty of opportunities to sample the Provence Rose, Muscat de Beaumes de Venise and Gigondas wines. The archaeological sites and mediaeval town at Vaison la Romaine are well worth the 'rest' day.
Surprisingly easy going for the independent traveller, yet adventurous, with a touch of comfort
Dordogne is utterly beautiful, medieval chateaux rising from open woodland dotted with ancient villages. We hit a heatwave, so cycled rather than walked. Excellent maps (but read their key!) allowed us to discover our own way sometimes. The two days canoeing — we chose an open two-person canoe — were a revelation: clean river, beds of long green weeds flowering at the surface, home to dragonflies; real bliss, with occasional bursts of not-really-threatening adrenalin as we avoided shallows and bridge pillars. (Hard-working) Tim and Jude created a lovely laid-back, friendly, helpful feel for the 8 days. Hotels and food were superb.
The Dordogne is a beautiful area. Good routes on quiet roads but testing hills! Accommodation is very good and the food lived up to the expectations as advertised. If anything the four course evening meal every night is too much but no doubt others will disagree! We felt the grading system was slightly underrated as at times the hills were testing given the very warm sunny days we enjoyed. Overall a lovely week in a lovely part of the world. Thank you
This was our fifth holiday with Headwater - four of them walking holidays. All have been absolutely excellent but this Provence holiday was probably the best of all. The area was spectacularly beautiful and the walks testing enough but not too testing in view of the hot weather we experienced. As ever, the arrangements were superb and the choice of hotels excellent. All of a very high standard with lovely staff, good breakfasts and great swimming pools. Evening restaurants were a mix of Headwater selected and our own choices. We ate and drank well throughout the week. The reps James and Beckie were delightful and helped us whenever necessary. My wife and I were sad to be coming home and will be with Headwater again next year. No better compliment.
Very friendly and approachable reps. Nothing too much trouble. Good support with cycling information.
Excellent holiday overall. Well organised with great staff. Many thanks.
We have now done 8 walking holidays with Headwater and we have never been disappointed. This was no exception. There were some niggles more to do with the French footpath designations and markers than walking notes, but the region is awesome, the village of Fontaine de Vaucluse stunning. We would return to this region but would come by car as there is so much to see. Having a car means on stay put or rainy days exploration is possible.
There needs to be some more communication with hotels as to willingness to make picnics. It is fine for the notes to say ask them to provide a picnic but if they they don,t and you have not been able to buy food because village has no shop ie Les Imberts then you have a 8 to 9 mile walk with no food!!
Though it is occasionally nice to visit other restaurants we felt having to pay for 4 evening meals with what we have paid for the holiday seems a bit steep certainly compared to some of our previous experiences
Overall we still love the Headwater experience
Excellent holiday in a truly beautiful part of the Dordogne. Extremely comfortable hotels with some fantastic cycling and so many varied places to stop including villages, chateaus, gardens,caves etc which meant every day was a different experience. However, a word of caution. If you are not a reasonable cyclist consider an e bike or choose more direct routes between hotels which avoid some good hill climbs.
The holiday is an excellent combination of interesting, good length walks, fine hotels and great food. The lack of restaurant facilities at the Renoir was more than made up for by the quality of the food at the nearby Bistro L'Octroi. The finest food was undoubtedly at the Hotel Les Glycines but all were very satisfactory. There was plenty to do on all the rest days and we would particularly recommend visiting to Marqueyssac Gardens in Beynac, the museums dedicated to the amazing pre-historic finds around Les Eyzies, and lounging by the pool at the Laborderie.
Takes you on new journeys
Great hotels and views. Walking infused with smell if hot pine and wild lavender.
A pleasant way to experience 'off the beaten' track regions through a very manageable itinerary and allowing for a high level of independence whilst in the comfort of knowing the back up is there if required. The quality of both bikes and hotels excellent - would use Headwater again.
Provence is a wonderfully scenic area and walking independently and at your own pace is a great way to experience the history and the variety of views. The Headwater formulae works excellently!
You have improved the standard of hotels used and Laura and Tim looked after us very well.
A wonderful taste of Provencal scenery, wine and food!
The two holidays we have had with Headwater were extremely enjoyable. Our first was a walking holiday and the second was a cycling holiday.
Suited us well as a mixture of cycling plus time to relax. We cycled each day and were pleased we visited the suggested towns. Pools at the hotels a great advantage. Always a gamble finding a lunch venue in unknown villages but we never had a bad meal all week.
I think we found only two signposts missing but it was easy to work the route out.
This holiday has given us the opportunity to see some of the most beautiful villages in Provence under our own steam and away from the crowds you'd find on a typical coach trip The exercise of cycling during the day is a great appetite-sharpener for enjoying some excellent food and local wines in the evening.
Hilltop villages of Provence
This was an excellent holiday, lovely scenery and good hotels and we had a lot of fun. Days 1 and 3 are quite challenging and justify the 2 bike plus rating but the other days are not overly taxing, and there is no shame in pushing your bike up the hill into Gordes! If you start the cycling bit of this holiday on a Sunday there is an excellent market in Isles sur la Sorgue where you can get picnic supplies...although pushing the bike through the packed town was a bit challenging.(I would give this holiday 5 stars)
Vineyards of the Vaucluse
Pleasant cycling through some enjoyable countryside, and lots of good wine! Le Grand Jardin is one of the loveliest places we have stayed. The food at Castel Mireio was delicious and the service (unlike a previous reviewer we didn't find it slow) and welcome very friendly. We are not quite sure it merits anything higher than a one bike rating - some of the distances for full days cycling were a bit short (but we had done 'Hilltop Villages of Provence' the week before so this may have coloured our view). It is not a very touristy area (apart from Vaison la Romain) so many places you visit are quite quiet.
(I would give this holiday 3 stars)
Excellent route with just the right amount of easy flat cycling and some more strenuous hilly sections. Beautiful part of France with plenty to see and do whilst cycling. Lots of good lunch options too. Another well put together holiday which we thoroughly enjoyed.
This holiday is as described. Cycling more difficult at start but definitely got easier. The hotels tended to be on the edge of villages but this didn't matter too much as they had lovely swimming pools and the weather was very hot and sunny.
Lovely holiday in beautiful part of world
We have been on a few other trips with headwater and this was our least favorite. There are a number of problems with the instructions. The area is not as scenic at the time of year we rode as others. The distances are quite short with little to do once the ride is over. There are things that need to be thought out and tips and pointers given such as availability of taxis to St. Remy and restaurant/store availability. Still a number of bugs that need to be worked out.
A really lovely week touring a rural area of Provence. The scenery within the Luberon valley, protected by the two wooded and rocky ridges was delightful, shame we missed the lavender in bloom (late August) but the fruit trees and vineyards were pretty scenic. The grading is fair, one or two climbs to the hillside villages worth it for the views and a welcome cool drink! Accommodation on the whole, whilst modest, was acceptable, the highlights being the pool at Les Mas de Senecole and the 'Country Home' lounge at L'Hermitage. Not terribly taken with St Saturnin les Apt as a stop, either as a village and particularly unimpressed with the Hotel St Hubert. Routes well planned on country lanes and bike tracks but still offering interesting stop off points - we loved the Caves at Thouzon, not least for its cool temperatures on a hot day! Great reliable support from reps Laura and Tim.
Headwater response:
Dear Mr Holt,
Thank you for taking the time to write in with your post-holiday feedback. It was great to read you enjoyed a lovely week in Provence.
We were however sorry to read of your disappointment with Hotel St Hubert. Over the course of the summer, we monitor the feedback we receive from our customers. We then use this feedback to help us to improve our holidays for future customers. With this in mind, we have made the decision to change this hotel for the 2017 season. We are sure you will agree, this will help us continue to enhance this holiday.
We were pleased to read you rated our reps support highly. I am sure they were delighted to read your comments.
In closing, we would like to thank you for choosing Headwater and look forward to welcoming you on another of our holidays in the future.
Kind regards,
Headwater Customer Service team
A very enjoyable holiday , beautiful countryside cycling though the vineyards on small country roads , Provence was stunning , great views good food and wine one of the best Headwater holidays we have done
If you like being outdoors and lots of exercise, this is a perfect balance to stay active and work up an appetite to indulge in the gastronomy and wine. Compared to the South East of England the lack of traffic and potholes is wonderful!
Great all round experience
Headwater provide gently active (this interpretation depends on one's level of fitness and expectation!) holidays in comfortable, interesting hotels and places. The restaurants vary, some are better than others, but in general they reach a very satisfactory standard. I think they are a great way to spend time exploring an area but with always the fall back of a pleasant hotel.
We had a lovely cycling holiday on the Cotes to Ventoux tour. The reps were great in picking us up and explaining about the bikes and timings etc. The hotels were lovely especially the first 2, which had the best food too! It was nice cycling along at our own time and the notes were good in explaining where to go so didn't get lost.
We had a wonderful mixed activity holiday cycling and canoeing down the Dordogne knowing we had excellent food and drink to look forward to after a hard days work. Pure bliss !!
Great hotels and food - a great trip in a beautiful region..
The booking process was simple and supportive. The holiday exceeded expectation; not something I have said before. The accommodation was superb, food wonderful, welcome huge and help available when required.
Our Headwater walking holiday contained the perfect mixture of beautiful and challenging walks with comfortable hotels and delicious French meals. We felt we were able to escape from the well-trodden tourist trails and really explore the countryside, knowing our luggage was being taken care of and there would be a crystal-clear swimming pool awaiting us at the end of another hot day.
An ideal combination of mild peril, moderate exercise and gluttony, in lovely and interesting surroundings.
Being able to easily visit several locations made the holiday much more interesting, and so nice not to have to think about where to park the car. Electric bikes gave us so much freedom to see more things at our age (66 and 76!)
As a family of six, headwater is a great holiday choice for us. We enjoy spending the time together and the activities give us a shared focus and shared sense of achievement. The children age between 16 and eight, and they all enjoyed the holiday. It challenged their palates as well as their legs, as most of the hotels don't offer kids menus, but this worked out fine and they all discovered things they didn't know they might like. Canoeing was harder work than expected, but such a beautiful way to see the river. I really love headwater holidays, this is our third time and it definitely won't be our last. Now that all the children are confidently able to cycle we will try some more ambitious ones next time.
Elizabeth was friendly, efficient and helpful tour rep. The food and accommodation were generally superb, especially at Hostellerie Fenelon, where the staff made special efforts with our 9 year old. We particuarly liked reading about the experiences of others in the Headwater Blue Book, which gave us useful clues for what to do on the 'non-canoeing' days. It also helped us plan for the weather which was variable, ranging from very hot to thunderstorms. We would highly recommend canoeing and cycling the Dordogne which is a welcoming and very attractive area of France. Our children really enjoyed themselves. We are glad that we didn't try it with children any younger because after four canoeing days, our youngest (9) was tired! The pools at each hotels were a particular hit. QuercyLand, the children's water park at Souillac, proved something of a lifesaver when we realised that we weren't going to be able to cycle because of illness.
We enjoyed our holiday in the lovely countryside and the cycling routes were scenic but it would have been nice to cycle past some lavender fields as they feature so prominently in postcards and appear in the brochure. We particularly enjoyed the traditional country hotel at the beginning of our holiday including breakfasting outdoors and the outdoor dining and leisure area of Montmirail was particularly nice. It is nice to return from a cycle to a relaxing swim. The food and wine is generally excellent and gives the opportunity to try some regional specialities. We really enjoyed our holiday.
Cycling was excellent, food good, people friendly and reps also very good ad helpful. A bit disappointed with the accommodation at Hotel St Hubert. Rooms were old and quite shabby.
Excellent service from headwater head office....even a phone call to tell us train was delayed. Also great service from local reps.
We have just returned from an excellent 10 days in France, having never been to this area before, we now are keen to return! The walking and cycling was definitely 2 boot, but worth the climbs. And we really enjoyed the relaxed canoeing down The Dordogne. All hotels were excellent with fabulous food. Sarlet is very pretty and well worth the extra night, although it is a long climb up back to the hotel from the town.
Excellent holiday.
Exxcellent trip,superb reps,only complaint food at Les Pins - an uninspired menu for the demi pension. No choice,poor value
This was an ideal holiday for our family with three teenagers. The canoeing wasn't too demanding but was fun, and the 'rest' days could be as active as we liked. The Dordogne is a wonderful part of France, fantastically beautiful, and with superb cuisine. All the hotels provided fantastic meals and really good, friendly service. The kids had a triple room in three of the five hotels and these were well-sized, proper triple or family rooms so they had plenty of space.
I would normally put our family holiday together myself but it was wonderful being able to leave all the organisation up to someone else, knowing that all the pieces would fit together. They did our flights (from Scotland) - with dates that didn't match the canoeing holiday - and also car hire for those extra days at a very reasonable rate.
Just be aware that you will have extra costs when you are there. You will, of course, have to pay for drinks with your (half board) evening meal, and these prices varied quite a bit between the hotels, and the picnic lunches provided by the hotels varied between 7 and 10 Euros per person. We could add tips to our card payments at all but one of the hotels.
An enjoyable holiday cycling in the beautiful countryside of the Dordogne region, visiting medieval towns and villages, castles and gardens. We were sorry not to be able to canoe as planned but nevertheless had a great holiday.
We had a fantastic holiday, The scenery, food and accomodation were great. Although we are both pretty fit my wife isn't such a keen cyclist but she really enjoyed this. The reps were really helpful when my wife wanted to swap to an E-bike towards the end when it got really hot, and now she wants to go again which I never thought would happen! I would really recommend this holiday and the E- bikes for those less enthusiastic about cycling
Wonderful relaxing holiday
Great cycling location with generally very quiet roads, beautiful countryside and pretty villages perched on hilltops - definitely a great way to explore the region - you can smell the lavender fields and really enjoy the countryside. Both Keith and Claire were excellent reps - really friendly, helpful and flexible in every way. The food at Dame L'Oie in Perne la Fontaine was superb as was the food at Hotel de Sable. Quality of the bikes was very good. The itinerary for the rest day at Maubec was a little underwhelming as we felt the villages weren't that picturesque with few options for coffee/stop-offs and only managed to get lunch at the last stop in Robion. We would have preferred to go back to Lacoste and Menerbes which we had whizzed through the day before.
Cycling through wonderful rural landscapes; visiting beautiful hilltop villages
We had two varied weeks in France, interspersed with the 8 day walking holiday. I think we have come to the conclusion that staying based in one hotel (i.e. Kandersteg) is probably better for us than walking from hotel to hotel. We missed having a car on our 'rest' days in order to explore the surroundings. We also found 23kms rather too much for us! We got lost a couple of times following the instructions - better signposting in Switzerland! However, the food, wine and the beautiful countryside was much appreciated. Not often one walks only hearing birdsong and nothing else!
Thanks Headwater for all your arrangements.
Good varied walking, with clear directions. But we were pleased the weather was not hot because, aged about 70, we found the walking days quite full. Timing was as predicted though torrential rain had turned some of the tracks into an obstacle course.
Hotels were excellent, all very special in different ways. Chateau de Monrecours is magnificent, feels very expensive, with a talented chef and friendly helpful Maitre d'.
Monrecours and Les Glycines provided special menus for Headwater, Meysett and Laborderie scored by saying 'here are all our menus, have what you like'!
Nearly all staff spoke very good English.
This was not our best holiday with Headwater the weather in the Dordonge was just awful and we had to contend with a train strike none of which Headwater could have done anything about. We dried out on the last three days in Sete which was lovely. Electric bikes are wonderful
This was our first trip with Headwater (recommended by our New Zealand travel agent) and we are very pleased with our choice and will definitely look at another cycling trip in the future- most likely in France. We were particularly impressed with by the friendliness of all the hotel staff we encountered - and their helpfulness!!
We went for a canoeing holiday. which didn't happen.Obviously, Headwater were completely blameless.We made the most of it, with excellent help from Elizabeth (our Rep), by walking. This area, especially at this time of year, wouldn't have been my choice for walking. For us,this was a very expensive walking holiday.
The 'multi-choice' approach to answering disguises the variable nature of the accommodation and cuisine. The route notes (for cycling) were written in almost narrative style and A4 landscape which may be appropriate and helpful to walkers but were cumbersome and awkward to follow for cyclists. Some defences were clearly lifted from walking notes e.g. references to maps not available to cyclists.
Varied walking in superb countryside through pine forests, cherry orchards, lavender fields and vineyards, all of which which gave us a wonderful experience of Provence in all its glory
We found the holiday extremely well organised, we had no problem with arrangements from start to finish despite the problems France are having at the moment with strikes. The reps Jon and Neu were the best we have experienced on any Headwater holiday, they worked hard to ensure the experience was as good as it could be. We were also impressed with the bikes, which were easy to operate and very comfortable.
Superb cycling location with generally very quiet roads, beautiful countryside and pretty villages perched on hilltops. The reps were really helpful in every way and we enjoyed our time with them. Whilst staying at the Hermitage hotel we ate in the local town at the restaurant - Dame L'Oie which was superb. At Vaison la Romaine we ate at La Barantavelle which was a wonderful meal and far superior to the alternative restaurant in the Old Town. The most disappointing was Castel Mirei as although the owners were very helpful, both breakfasts and evening meals were very poor with extremely slow service and the room was very 'tired' with traffic noise from a side road interrupting any peace. There is however a decent sized pool and small cool sitting room with cold drinks to purchase which were very welcome.
The cycling instructions were generally easy to follow though we would welcome more distances being included between turning points and perhaps a small trip metre on the bike which we have had on other holidays with one of Headwater' s competitors.
Headwater response:
Dear Mrs Ramsden,
Thank you for taking the time to complete your post-holiday questionnaire. Please be assured, all of the feedback we receive is valued and used to help enhance our holidays for the future.
It sounds from your feedback that you had an enjoyable holiday and made the most of your time in this region. We were pleased to see you found the service provided by our reps useful and enjoyed spending your time with them.
We were however sorry to read of your disappointment with Castel Mirei, whilst we agree there are a number of great features to this accommodation, we have taken the decision to replace this hotel for the 2017 season.
We are also making some exciting changes to the way we produce our route notes.
Over the past couple of summers, we have received many requests to make the notes electronic and downloadable so customers can use them on their smart phone or tablet device. We are going to trial this in the cycling resorts that feature experienced Headwater reps, and for all of our new cycling holidays. Then once we gain feedback, we plan to roll this out to other resorts for future seasons.
We will, of course still provide hard copy notes for any customers that prefer this style and for our non-rep regions.
We hope you will agree, these changes will help to continue to enhance this holidays for the future.
In closing, we would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued loyalty, we look forward to welcoming you on another of our holidays in the future.
Kind regards,
Headwater Customer Service team
A most enjoyable holiday in Provence - beautiful surroundings and the villages could always serve great coffees! Good to have a chance to explore locally on alternate days, on the bus or on the bikes. Excellent accommodation and support from Jon and Neu.
Headwaters choice of hotels / restaurants resulted in us having some superb meals.
We enjoyed it and had a lot of fun, but it could have been even better with a few tweaks. Some of the walking notes certainly need reviewing as we wanted to enjoy the walking, not stand scratching our heads wondering if we had the right path. An explanation of the GR markers would have been really useful as we had to find out what they meant by trial and error. Also there were markets or events on some days that it would have been nice to know and arrange our days off to coincide with.
As regards hotels the Monrecour was superb, the labourderie very good and the Meysset OK. Les Glycinees we found varied. The location was great, the room ok. The food at the hotel varied from some of the best ever eaten to some of the worst. Our picnic sandwich was inedible. Generally it did not have the same feel as the other hotels. Also tea or coffee making in all hotels would be appreciated.
Excellent, good location, helpful reps, fantastic hotels, good food, well maintained equipment with all necessary ancillaries. It all makes to an active but stress free holiday.
An excellent way to see the countryside without the stress of organising all your own itinerary.
Wonderful holiday through a stunning and, at times, remote area of France with excellent food, drink and opportunity for activity. Very relaxing.
Lovely locations. There is so much choice of what to do on your spare days.
Although the walks are not too strenuous you do need to have enough food and water with you as there are few places on route where you can stock-up.
Do take your time following route instructions as markers are not always immediately obvious and can become difficult to see or disappear entirely.
Excellent holiday travelling through the Dordogne in a peaceful setting at your own pace and staying at well chosen establishments that provide some amazing standards of food quality relative to their star rating. The friendliness, helpfulness and availability of the reps Keith & Claire was excellent too.
This was our second holiday with Headwater and again we had an excellent holiday. It was very well organised and the walking notes were easy to follow. The holiday certainly lived up to its name of being a gastronomic walking tour - the food was delicious throughout and all four hotels were very friendly.
The walking was pleasant but suffered a little in comparison to our first hoiday with Headwater (Umbria) as the Dordogne is a busier area than Umbria.
Our top tip would be to visit Le font de Gaume when staying in Les Eyzies - there are a limited number of tickets issued each day and 52 of these go on sale each morning at 9.30am. The receptionist at the hotel suggested we shoud be there by 7.30am, as September isn't peak season and as she predicted we weren't the first, we joined the very orderly queque as nos 11 and 12; it was a magical experience seeing original paintings that are 14,000 years old.
We came home feeling very relaxed and ready to book another Headwater holiday.
I suggest you place the oldest persons in each group on ground floor hotel rooms. Hard for old guys to lug bags upstairs.
Excellent routes, great hotels, fabulous countryside, lots to see and good food to fuel your journey!
Fabulous family holiday. We were very impressed by the high standard of equipment provided and managed by our two reps Keith and Clare - the kit was immaculate and in excellent condition (especially the bikes, panniers, locks etc). The canoeing was so peaceful with beautiful scenery and wildlife all the way (numerous kingfishers, herons, cormorants, little egrets etc) - the faster water was fun, the daily distances were very achievable. On our 'rest' days we were fairly active and put in many miles (steep hills and off-roading) on our bikes (we bought detailed maps online before we went) however, it would have been very easy to have complete rest and relaxation by the lovely hotel pools. Basically you can be as active or inactive as you feel - would suit nearly all abilities. Fabulous food and wine (although the wine in the hotels was quite pricey). Would highly recommend to anyone.
We as a family have canoed and kayaked in the past. I would have thought it would be quite tricky on the first day if you have never done it at all. I would suggest an hour demonstration for novices to get them try it out.
Fantastic. The whole experience was wonderful. Travel was smooth - the 'local reps (Keith and Claire) were lovely, informed, committed and really, really nice couple. The itinerary was easy to follow and worked very well. Food superb and hotels great. thank you
Wonderful food amazing canoeing in a brilliant location
Extremely enjoyable, well organised and busy with an excellent mix of quiet countryside cycling and fascinating places to see and visit.
A brilliant and well thought out holiday, with super routes and excellent hotels - well worth adding extra days to.
The holiday offered varied activities which were not too strenuous, although you needed some degree of fitness to enjoy them. The support offered by the local reps was excellent as was the food at the various hotels.
An excellent family activity holiday with a lovely range of hotels and universally excellent food. Chateau de Monrecour was a particular highlight. Look at the cycling routes carefully and plan the day especially with regard to food stops and water refills.
Excellent Holiday with easy walking and kayaking
Would definately recommend this holiday to everybody! The whole package was brilliant.I was a bit nervous at first -never been in a canoe before but after a very short time i was thoroughly enjoying every minute! We loved everything about the whole trip - the region, the canoes,the hotels, the bikes - the reps were brilliant -really helpful and knowledgeable. We,ve had some great holidays over the years and this one certainly ranks as one of our best ones! I took a lot of photos along the way and friends and family were very complimentery about them - seeing what we had been up to!!
A wonderfully relaxing holiday featuring the opportunity to mix a range of outdoor activities in a beautiful part of France with the chance to explore its towns, villages, sights and cuisine.
All the accommodation was good, but the Hostellerie Fenelon, and the Hotel Quercy were outstanding in all respects - superb food and very friendly and welcoming.
Local reps Claire and Keith were also outstanding - available, informative, cheerful, nothing too much trouble, very well-informed - a pleasure to have them as reps
Well organised and did what it said on the can!
Great time Well organised and well balanced with activities.
Fantastic holiday all round. Accommodation, food, service etc all excellent if a little bit variable. The cycle routes were well planned and took us through some lovely areas. Would definitely recommend an e-bike for anyone who is not a regular cyclist or accustomed to hill work. The food was very good all round if a little heavy on the gourmet- we will not want to see any more frois gras or duck for a long time! The one exception is the bistro at Hotel Pere Leon - best avoided and easily done with the plethora of good alternatives in Toulouse.
Beautiful region of France. Didn't see a soul whilst walking and the hotels were quiet which suited us! Representative was very friendly and helpful.
This canoeing/ cycling holiday on the Dordogne rates as one of our best ever. In mid September, we had the river to ourselves, the weather fortunately was superb, the accommodation, locations and food were excellent and the logistics from Headwater and the support and advice from Keith our rep were outstanding. We plan to come again, especially in the quieter season.
We especially appreciated the well-chosen routes through beautiful countryside on little roads with little traffic. A highlight is the long downhills we enjoyed from ridges to river level.
Thoroughly enjoyed our holiday the excellent hotels and food were welcome relief at the end of a challenging day's cycling. Beautiful countryside and villages to visit on route.
This holiday was exactly what was described and expected. All accommodation, activities and equipment were excellent.The company reps were very friendly and helpful. It was a great experience which we will doubtlessly repeat in the next few years. Thanks.
A very rewarding type of holiday. A very good way to get insight into a particular region.
On this itinerary the length and gradient of the walks are not so suitable for the over 65s - we experienced them as three-boots rather than 2 on account of our age.
Your notes are very well written, congratulations. We never went wrong and rarely used the maps.
The menus on this gastronomic holiday were surprisingly limited - should have guessed they would be though. There was one evening when we could not face the foie gras and duck again so crept out for a cheap Italian despite having paid for the gastronomic bore. We cannot blame Headwater for this, please note.
Throughout the service was very good. The landscape and local attractions were outstanding. The routes were creatively chosen. Thanks!
A wonderful holiday, alternating canoeing with walking. The hotels were all in good positions and the meals were gourmet standard - a real treat. We were very well looked after - our bags always waiting for us at each destination. Thank you for a great experience.
This was a fantastic hotel. The best hotel was in montignac, however the worst eating experience was in motignac at the terrace restaurant next to the building site of lascaux 4. In our opinion you should consider foregoing the 'gastronomic title' for one night and let your customers eat at one of the many riverside restaurants and save the taxi fare and let them upgrade their meal with the difference.
This must have been 15th Headwater holiday for me and I have no complains about any of them. My late husband and I have used two other companies in the past (one in Germany and one in France) but always came back to Headwater. The formula is excellent (rest day between cycling or walking), the hotels are always good and very often really excellent. The reps are very helpful. You know someone else has done the background work researching for suitable roads to cycle and hotels to stay, yet it feels like an adventure as you have to find your way from one hotel to the other. I have recommended Headwater for several of my friends looking for active holidays and hope I will do many more myself in the future.
Wonderful countryside for walking and great walks - with a spectacular meal at the end of every day.
The holiday was terrific. Lots of wonderful villages, castles, and caves. The biking routes were well planned and very enjoyable. This was our third Headwater Holiday and all of them have been phenomenal. The food was great too, The trip notes were excellent. The bikes were very good bikes. The holiday was not exactly leisurely. If one does just the trips on travel days, it still would not be leisurely due to many tough hills. If you do the optional trips on 'lay over days,' the accumulation can be quite exhausting. However, many of the really great things to see are on 'layover days' - so resting on these days is not really an option. Personally, we enjoyed the level, but agree with others that the level needs to be at least moderate. I would rate this trip as moderate to challenging. The good news is that even if you are not an active cyclist, you can always hop off your bike and push it to the top of the difficult hills - pushing is not as difficult as it might sound. And once you get to the top, it is worth the effort for long rides with great views on quiet roads. The sights Headwater recommends in the notes are perfect! The Headwater reps (Keith and Claire) were very helpful and went out of their way for us.
This was a really excellent holiday despite the cycling being a little harder than expected. The food throughout was outstanding. Keith and Claire were friendly and helpful giving excellent advice and support.
The Dordogne is a very good area for a holiday, with plenty to see and do in all weathers. The Headwater walking holiday is a very good introduction to the many varied facets of the region - geography, towns and villages, food and places of interest. We enjoyed experiencing different styles of hotel - they all have their own individuality - and all looked after us extremely well. The walking notes were faultless and the maps some of the best I've encountered on the nine Headwater holidays I've taken. The rep was very informative and helpful and although we required only the routine service we were confident that if exceptional circumstances arose they would be dealt with professionally.
The Dordogne is a great area for walking with fantastic views and places to visit such as Chateau and cave/rock attractions. Mostly small hamlets along the route and limited facilities for refreshments so a picnic was essential. The walks were very strenuous in places with steep climbs and descents along stony paths. It was the toughest series of walks that we had undertaken (we live in Norfolk but have walked up Snowdon and other hills!) but we did it. Food at hotels in Beynac and Tamnies in particular was substantial and excellent but the walking helped burn off the calories. We flew from Norwich to Toulouse via Amsterdam and it was nice to be home within 40 mins of touching down in Norwich. Headwater helped us find a route to the Dordogne which didn't involve a long trip to and from London and didn't break the bank either.
Very good. We have always enjoyed our Headwater holidays.
There should be more information on the routes available early in the process. We had a 23 km walk, which was fine for us but it was not clear that there were any walks of this length and it could cause problems for some guests.
The right blend of activatity and relaxation in stunning scenery and beautiful locations.
1. Be prepared for one disappointing hotel amongst the other gems
2. If cycling, some training beforehand will enhance your holiday
The Dordogne is a beautiful area for cycling, but be aware this is a hilly route. The benefit is that the cycling works off all the wonderful food you will be presented with at the hotels.
The hotels, with the exception of Le Quercy are first class,but the food is excellent at all.
The combination of activity (kayaking, cycling), and moving somewhere new without the problem of carrying heavy baggage, yet also having time to explore local towns and villages was perfect for us. Wish there were more kayaking options in southern france that you offered.
We thoroughly enjoyed our walking holiday in the Dordogne. Accommodation and food were for the most part excellent. Walking notes were detailed and accurate. Our rep. was helpful and very informative.
The accommodation was excellent, it was great having meals already arranged so no need to go in search after a long walk. Walking was as described in the brochure and route notes very good with a couple of minor hiccups. Our rep Claire was 1st class and made some helpful suggestions which added to the enjoyment of the holiday. All in all we had a great holiday and would definitely recommend it.
Friendly Dordogne, repa and hoteliers alike. Helpful at all times. Good food if a little rich and large at times. Canoeing was excellent and good safety equipment and instructions. River is variable so guide lines only approximate. Very hot in July but trees provide shade as does starting out earlier than 10.00 a.m. On the four day canoeing( out of 8 days ) important on days 1 and 2 to wear a helmet. A hazard on each of those days and helmet was useful to one person ! Lovely hotel in Sarlat on first and last day with warm pool. Market exceptional in Sarlat. Trip out by air left us in Toulouse for over 3 houirs with luggage and heat of day waiting for train to Souillac. Very hard day travelling. Advise breaking it up or take euro star and train.
Overall we enjoyed the holiday very much despite weather that was less than kind, especially for the time of year. The upside of going in June was that we had the river almost entirely to ourselves, and the faster-than-usual current made for some good entertainment and less strenuous paddling. We would certainly recommend it to people who - like us - have never canoed before. A couple of problems before we left: we were incorrectly invoiced (£500 was added for flights we weren't taking) and both our surnames were misspelt. Once we got there Keith did an excellent job, including sorting out rooms with a bath to soothe our aching bodies at each hotel. He also lent me his own waterproof bag for the week, and picked us up early as requested on the final day - he couldn't have been more helpful. As far as the hotels were concerned, the weak link is St Sozy (although it's worth going there just for Bernard, who is a hoot). I suppose you have limited options around there, but it's quite a walk from the river and it's a pain that it doesn't open till 1730. Also to be told that we are only allowed one croissant each for breakfast is not really acceptable. On the other hand Bernard sorted us out an excellent taxi driver who took us by various scenic routes to Rocamadour on our rest day. One general comment we would make - especially in view of the cost of the holiday - is that Headwater might consider putting its guests in slightly better rooms - we seemed often to be in the cheapest - and preferably ones with a bath. Overall, though, an excellent holiday, though we'd be grateful if another time you could sort out the weather...
