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Customer reviews: Spain independent walking holidays

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.

Stephanie Johnson
Walking in El Hierro
16/03/2024

Excellent company to travel with. Highly recommend

Richard Sumption
Walking on Gran Canaria
14/03/2024

The booking experience, holiday information and the walking app were all very good.

The briefing documents from the local rep didn't arrive until the evening of our first day, but otherwise, apart from one route not being navigable, all went well.

Elisabeth Baranowski
Contrasts of La Gomera
12/03/2024

We loved the hotels and surrounding views from each hotel,breakfasts were amazing!

Ferry and transfers very smooth!

Enjoyed all the walo

Theodore Emms
Walking on Gran Canaria
11/03/2024

lovely walking routes which although short were very scenic and challenging .

Driving in Gran Canaria is probably not ideal for unconfident drivers

Anne Craddock
Highlights of El Hierro Walk
06/03/2024

Ralf was wonderful - very informative and helpful. Gave us advice and answered our questions. He was very reliable with the transfers and it was reassuring to know that we had his phone number if we needed any help. Transfers from airport to ferry & vice versa were very good too.The app looked very good. We downloaded the info before we left and printed the walk instructions. The directions didn't work with our phone on most occasions, due to loss of signal.

Andrew Newbold
Highlights of El Hierro Walk
05/03/2024

An enjoyable experience and the walking instructions were very clear. The local representative Ralph provided excellent support throughout the trip.

Russell Smith
Volcanoes and Vineyards of Lanzarote
27/02/2024

We enjoy the freedom of self-guided walks in areas off the beaten track, but with the luxury of having bags transported and the routes worked out for us.

Peter Banyard
Highlights of El Hierro Walk
20/02/2024

The holiday offered all that we wanted. The walking was challenging at times owing to recent landslips, mountain weather, and the exposed & precipitous nature of some paths. To me this was part of the enjoyment. Headwater advised us to be ready for these conditions but there would be obvious hazards for those who did not take the time to read your guidance and to be prepared; perhaps this should be stressed? We made 2 new friends who were also guests of Headwater. Enjoying some of the walks and meals together certainly added to our enjoyment of the holiday. Thank you very much! 🙂🙂

Colin Pearson
Highlights of El Hierro Walk
19/02/2024

Great holiday in a very different setting to all the other Canaries. Without Ralf's expert local knowledge, we would have found things way more difficult. To be honest, the breakfasts were all good but the evening meals are pretty basic. Apart from this, it's an excellent holiday for serious walkers. Walking poles are essential...

Holiday was enjoyable. Parking at the first hotel should be changed from roadside to old football stadium.

Adrian Pomfrett
Volcanoes and Vineyards of Lanzarote
13/02/2024

This was a well organised.

Lanzarote was lovely and the people some the friendliest we have met. I would recommend this to other travellers.

Simon Wilkinson
Volcanoes and Vineyards of Lanzarote
10/02/2024

Easy walking and unusual landscape, very windy and quite humid but lovely to have warmth and sun

Great food and local wines

Isabelle Mcgrath
Contrasts of Tenerife Walk (with car hire)
04/02/2024

We were lucky with the weather being perfect for an early spring walking holiday but the overall experience was enhanced by the Headwater backup of accommodation, welcome guide, and especially the Walking Route App. So straightforward.

We had an excellent holiday. The variety of walks chosen was very good and each day showed us a different aspect of the island. The walk on the fourth day when we transferred from one hotel to another was planned to start from a small parking area on the Teide plateau. By the time we arrived there mid-morning the parking was completely full (it was a sunny Sunday afternoon) and there was nowhere to safely park in the vicinity. We were therefore unable to undertake that days walk which was a shame. This was the only problem we encountered on an otherwise faultless holiday. Thanks to all the team.

Helen Belton Jones
Highlights of El Hierro Walk
28/01/2024

I have already recommended to friends who like to walk and crave a little more adventure than a circular walk from the hotel or compsite. The Headwater model is ideal and local gents are invaluable. I am looking forward to the next one.

Edwina Lloyd
Walk the Bonita Island of La Palma
25/01/2024

A very professional and personable organisation that has looked after me and my late husband through, now, three walking holidays.

Vidar Vidarsson
Highlights of El Hierro Walk
25/01/2024

We have had excellent experience with Headwater and their services. We will use Headwater´s services again for sure.

Excellent communication. Well planned and the added assurance of 24hr local support

Jane Lavender
Walking on Gran Canaria
19/01/2024

Great holiday - we did self guided. We had a great time. Found room in first hotel unbearably dark although a very nice room. Needed one on lower level with decent window. On first walk we hadn't got the sounds the app made (for wrong way etc) sorted out and got very lost down the gorge ! Path down there very tricky to find and we met a lot of lost people (Spanish).once we sorted out app it worked really well. Loved Tejeda and being in little village - unfortunately as off season very little open in evening (but enough).

Birthe Hilton
Walk the Bonita Island of La Palma
23/11/2023

After the excellent walking holiday we enjoyed in Portugal with Headwater, we felt this trip is a work in progress and needs more development. This is especially true of the grading and variety of the walks offered. We are fit sixty year-olds and very keen walkers but we found some of the walks challenging. However we had a really great holiday and La Palma is a wonderful holiday destination.

Sarah Weston
Catalan Classic Walk
22/10/2023

Great holiday, excellent local team, Headwater app is fabulous, hotels are great, varied walking - had a lovely week

This was a fabulous holiday. We enjoyed every bit of it.

Well organised; good selection of hotels ; thoughtful planning of walk sections

Excellent. The only observation is that the full fees must be paid months in advance of the trip taking place which differs from many other providers.

Lynne Graham
Catalan Classic Walk
04/10/2023

An excellent experience from first communication about the holiday right through to the end

James Langtry
Highlights of El Hierro Walk
02/10/2023

El Hierro is a fantastic walking destination. It is a privilege to walk in this unique biosphere. The people are friendly, the food and local wine is good, the senderos are well marked and there is a a good variety of routes in the 6 days of this trip

Samantha Furlong
Walking the Camino de Santiago
29/09/2023

Excellent holiday overall which was well organised from start to finish and all information given was clear and helpful.

David Vaughan
Catalan Classic Walk
28/09/2023

Overall an enjoyable holiday.

Good walking route and good accommodation

We would use Headwater again

Nigel Turner
Contrasts of Lanzarote
27/09/2023

We've travelled with you often before without any difficulty. This time, we found that the walks were a lot stiffer than we were expecting, nearly all the paths were littered with stones which made it hard to look at anything apart from your feet, and it was unseasonably hot even by local standards. We didn't do all the walks, but on our days off we visited some interesting places and ate excellent fish by the sea!

Paula Hargreaves
Walking on Gran Canaria
27/09/2023

Excellent service, information etc. both before and during the holiday.

Glen Macdonald
Catalan Classic Walk
24/09/2023

Another excellent and really enjoyable self guided walking holiday with Headwater on the Classic Catalan Walk

Anne Mihailovic
Walking the Camino de Santiago
23/09/2023

We thoroughly enjoyed our holiday and the whole experience and met some wonderful people.

Walter Mcallister
Walking in Sierra de Aracena
21/09/2023

I had a good holiday with Headwater, everything was well organised and the local agent, Patricia, was very helpful when changes to restaurants were required.

I had no issues with the travel or accommodations.

I would have no hesitation recommending Headwater holidays to family and friends.

Steven Lambert
Catalan Classic Walk
16/09/2023

Overall everything worked well, the App and local Rep probably the best features. The route could have been significantly better as there is no particular need for it to be circular. The farmland walking is pretty non-descript. The hotels felt tierd and/or in secondary locations. It was dissapointing that the feature hotel, Castella d'Emporda was not offered. Difficultly of the walking was fine and as described and the route notes were good. It should be noted that the main attraction from Encis is closed on a Monday. Value for money wasn't great given the price the hotels could have been booked directly at and transfers seemed very expensive although good.

Robert Metcalf
Highlights of the Picos de Europa
16/09/2023

Lovely people at Headwater; easy to deal with. Great itinerary. Super hotel and staff in a lovely location. Super walks.

Woeful pre-trip notes.

Too reliant on app and e-mail.

App misleading in terms of walking time remaining but loved the breadcrumbs

Niall Hadden
Catalan Classic Walk
12/09/2023

I am fan, as I have now done a number of trips with Headwater. On a few occasions I have not really liked some of the 3* hotels (too basic) and I guess it would be good to have the option of choosing better hotels. But overall, I love the concept and I have always enjoyed the trips. Will continue to consider future self-guided trips with Headwater.

As the weather was vey hot, which we would normally have no problem with as we love the heat, we did fewer of the walks than we might have done had it been cooler. We did, however, do some shorter walks in and around Port de Soller. That is in no way a criticism of Headwater, just a fact of the weather.

As I’ve already said, we did not realise that nearly all the walks involved a tram or a bus or a train, or a combination of them, and we would not want a holiday that was so reliant on local transport in the future.

We did, however, like Port de Soller, and the hotel Aimia.

Christopher Hilton
Hidden Valleys of Cordoba Walk
09/09/2023

This was our first Headwater holiday. It was fantastic from beginning to end. Everything ran smoothly. We had a wonderful time

Neil Johnson
Contrasts of Lanzarote
05/09/2023

Ian Andrew Young
Walking in Sierra de Aracena
03/09/2023

Headwater went out of their way to expedite the trip and resolve the few problems that arose. The seif-guiding aspect worked well.

Marion Sugars
Catalan Classic Walk
29/08/2023

As before, Mark (local rep) was very good.

It's probably unfair of me as I was travelling alone and relying on Mark for safety back-up, but I do have an ambivalent view of the app, as in some ways I think it detracts from the fun of self-navigating. Also it's not 100% reliable when you are in a more remote area with little or no GPS signal.

Margaret Ardagh
Catalan Classic Walk
27/08/2023

Great first trip with Headwater

Marion Sugars
Catalan Coastal Walk
21/08/2023

Very good. I was particularly impressed with your local rep Mark who went out of his way to make me feel safe (as I was hiking alone in some quite remote places).

Margaret Garai
Highlights of the Picos de Europa
19/08/2023

Good for those who don't like walking in big groups but enjoy the security of local support and route guidance

Suzanne Schiller
Highlights of the Camino de Santiago Walk
08/08/2023

Terrific experience. I do not see your name mentioned among the traditional Camino companies but it should be. It was a very easy and terrific experience.

The itinerary was good. I thought it was sensible to split the first and last days in two. Going from the start in France to Roncesvalles in one day, whilst doable would have been tough given the amount of ascent required. Equally stopping in Viana rather than going all the way to Logrono was sensible, given the heat and distance. The entrance to Logrono isn't particularly interesting and to put that at the end of a long day would have been dispiriting. The signage along the way was very good apart from the last section coming into Estella, where a series of new cycle tracks has made things confusing. A stone arrow on the ground helped, but it could be easily missed. As it happens I chose the right option.

Robert Morgan
Walking the Camino de Santiago
22/07/2023

Very enjoyable holiday

James Russell
Catalan Classic Walk
21/07/2023

We loved our trip to the Catalan Coast. Such a beautiful area! The walks and suggested walks were well planned, with minimal time spent walking along busy roads. The hotels were very good and the staff at each had helpful suggestions for places to eat and things to do. This was our second Headwater trip and we have already planned a third!

Kenneth Roberts
Walking Mallorca's Mountains and Coast
15/07/2023

As I said earlier, we have enjoyed many happy trips with Headwater over many years. However, as I said on an earlier page, the route notes seriously need some attention in our opinions. Although they read well enough, the sentence construction suggests they were written by a local with local knowledge. To us, they appeared unclear and sometimes inaccurate. In the end we devised our own walks. Staff at the hotel were fantastic, Megan at Headwater was most helpful and we shall almost certainly book with you again but the itinerary needs looking at.

Fantastic and iconic hiking country, with more ups and downs than a roller coasters, and flora and fauna to shout about. Even the storms are dramatic!

Hotel is friendly, comfortable and basic. You won't spend much time there, but when you do (and are not sleeping) you are enjoying gourmet food, chatting with friendly owners and staff in the bar, or just soaking in the scenery on the terrace.

We had a lovely time walking the Camino - very helpful staff and everything went as it should have done. Helpful walking notes.

An excellent holiday with pleasant walks and good food. Some knowledge of Spanish will help.

HUGHES
Catalan Classic Walk
19/05/2023

A beautiful walking holiday taking in castles, hilltop villages and dramatic coastal walks.

An enjoyable experience, with like minded people

SINGODIA
Catalan Classic Walk
13/05/2023

Headwater walking holiday provided a challenging adventure, exploring beautiful countryside in Catalonia. We have memories of Spanish castles, poppy filled valleys and turquoise rocky coves. What a wonderful holiday.

Our first walking holiday and it was a fabulous experience. The pre-departure notes and information provided, made planning easy. A necessary cancellation and re-booking was handled expertly by Helen. The itinerary and route notes were very detailed. The overall quality of accommodation and meals, was excellent. We never went hungry or without a glass of wine! All taxi and bag transfers went smoothly. We hadn't anticipated being joined by other Headwater guests at the various hotels and it made it very enjoyable to meet new walking companions. We would definitely book another trip in the future.

A great experience with interesting and for the most part, rural, off the beaten track accommodation of a very high standard. The hosts were without exception extremely welcoming. The walk is challenging at times but no less enjoyable for that and the experience of arriving in Santiago and the sense of achievement at the end of the 6 days of walking was one I won't forget any time soon.

Mr Jacques
Highlights of the Picos de Europa
06/05/2023

Excellent location Jim had extensive knowledge of the arrea the walls were challenging but fantastic area. The hotel was well run great food attentive staff

Ms Whitlum
Hidden Valleys of Cordoba Walk
05/05/2023

We greatly enjoyed the holiday and our apartment was lovely. We found the walks physically hard. Walks were problematic if one relied solely on the paper walk guides. We had battery problems when using the navigation app.

Mr Evans
Walking in Sierra de Aracena
03/05/2023

Beautiful walking in forested hills, mostly easy, but with a few stiff climbs. Good boots needed, and walking poles helpful

Headwater booked the trip but the hotel actually provided were different than reality. Having arrived expecting Hotel Homiday time we were then told actually it’s Galeon. Itinerary were incorrect. Guide didn’t arrive on first day. The walks were excellent and enjoyed. Hotel Romantica left no options other than hotel to eat. It tries to be fine dining which is not what you want after a long days walk resulting in large food bills.

Mr Sharp
Catalan Classic Walk
25/04/2023

We loved the holiday. Each day seemed to get better and better and it was nice and varied with lots to see. The app makes navigation a cinch. We loved the hotels as well, all three quite different with different offerings. Headwater were brilliant in their flexibility re changing pick up times and adding days on. This was our first walking holiday so I can't compare to others but we had a very enjoyable time.

Mr Davies
Contrasts of La Gomera
10/04/2023

La Gomera is a wonderful island to explore. Walks are quite demanding. While we enjoyed driving around the island it's not recommended if you're nervous negotiating hairpin bends and/or roads with sheer drops on one side!

Ms James
Contrasts of La Gomera
15/03/2023

La Gomera is a stunningly beautiful and totally unspoilt island. The walking is fabulous but you must have a very good head for heights and be a confident driver too as the roads are very serpentine. Travel arrangements were very straightforward.

Mrs Marchant
Walking on Gran Canaria
11/03/2023

Excellent holiday with very good accommodation and wonderful, scenic walks. Favourite walks were in Firgas (the one with the climbing ropes and log bridges!), Artenara ridge (make sure you have a phone to ring for a return taxi) and Barranco de Guayadeque with spring flowers. Both hotels were very good, although it's worth mentioning that they have central air-con which was still set to heating in a 26 degree heatwave. Fortunately Alberto was able to help us persuade them to switch over to cooling mode.

We weren't able to eat at El Mondalon as the restaurant was closed for the 3 nights we were there (2 nights for a private function and closed Monday as standard). Casa Miranda, a 10 minute walk up the road, was very good but also closed Sunday evening and Monday. At the Parador there's a choice of either the restaurant or the cafe/bar and the watercress soup is an absolute must (it's not vegetarian, despite the name). Tejeda, a 15 minute drive away, has lots of eating options too.

Mr Vinsot Pothuau
Contrasts of Tenerife Walk (with car hire)
18/02/2023

A fantastic way of discovering the rugged beauty of Tenerife and its well preserved natural areas. The option of long routes and short routes provides the needed flexibility for each day of the trip.

Mrs Usher
Highlights of El Hierro Walk
09/02/2023

The walking on El Hierro was excellent, the paths are very well waymarked and generally in good condition. The local agent Ralf was excellent and looked after us very well. For future trips to El Hierro please note that the path normally taken from Jinama to El Frontera is closed due to a landslip, so Ralf collected us from there and drove further along the escarpment to the next path. Also, please note that when we arrived in Tenerife, there was no taxi arranged to take us to the ferrybport, although a phone call soon sorted that out. Also, although we were told we were staying in Los Verodes in El Frontera, we were actually booked into Apartments Alameda, so that caused some confusion. This may have been due to the changeover from New Experience to Headwater.

We had a great time with varied walks and lovely swims in sunshine in February. The local guides were helpful and supportive; for example they informed us about a closed road with ice and fog. Driving in Tenerife is challenging with many windy roads and we felt we could have been told in advance about this.

Mr Wilcox
Walking the Trails of La Palma
26/01/2023

Weather in January was disappointing. Damp, cold and on the day we should have walked down from the highest point icy, so walking was prohibited.

Contrasts of Tenerife Walking holiday does just what it says on the tin! It was a series of excellent, very different walks - contrast between and within the walks! Superb variety, lovely hotels to stay in and a great holiday!

We greatly enjoyed the varied walking routes and the comfortable hotels. The detailed route notes and gps maps gave us confidence.

Mrs Leverton
Walking the Trails of La Palma
22/12/2022

The majority of our trip was lovely, the only downside was our experience at Hotel Romantica, which was quite negative. The hotel was quite uncared for, in need of maintenance and modernisation, the public areas particularly had a musty feel and were dark. The owner was rude, we had queried the previous evening why our starter took an hour to arrive after we had sat down. The following morning, Christmas day, he confronted us aggressively, insisting it was half an hour, he didn't even bother with 'Good Morning'. This incident soured our stay at this hotel, he rarely acknowledged us for the remainder of our visit.

We enjoyed the walking, the routes and the Holiday Time hotel in Santa Cruz was delightful.

Dr Shea
Highlights of El Hierro Walk
16/12/2022

Wonderful location, amazing walks and landscapes, friendly helpful locals.

A wonderful walking holiday in Tenerife. Walks extremely well described in the trip notes. Weather variable as expected this time of year but suitable alternatives to high level hiking were suggested for the days with poor weather. The hikes gave us a fantastic experience of the variety of climate, terrain and aspect of this beautiful Island. It was our first visit to Tenerife but we will return.

We used a hire car, organised by Headwater. When we arrived at Garachico late on Friday evening we found it difficult to find parking in the narrow streets and to navigate the one way system. Your advice was to park in a street nearby the hotel. The hotel receptionist suggested the car park , the campo futbal,only a two minute walk from the hotel. The car park was free and there were always spaces. We suggest that you direct future clients here.

Mrs Mcclymont
Catalan Classic Walk
19/09/2022

The classic Catalan walk offered a varied route from coastal scenery to well preserved villages in the interior. The standard of accommodation was good and well located.

At the time of our visit dining and drinking options in the area were very limited with most cafes, bars and restaurants closed. The only real option was the hotel where food choice was limited and repetitive.

Mr Baker
Catalan Coastal Walk
16/09/2022

We loved this holiday. The walking was very manageable even if tiring at times. The route took us into what felt and looked like really remote, open and unspoilt countryside. Many beautiful views and a lovely mix of coastal and inland paths. We generally took an hour or two longer each day than the published figures because we needed to enjoy resting for lunch and taking photos. Tickets to Salvador Dali's house are well worth buying but really this must be done on-line at least a month in advance as it is so popular. The hotels and small towns were a delight. Local food was excellent and good value.

Ms Osborne
Catalan Classic Walk
11/09/2022

All hotels excellent, but all slightly different. Had a little trouble with walking notes and ended up walking much farther than expected. Very nice part of Spain and area I didn’t know I enjoyed Girona on the way back again very good hotel and right in the centre

Menorca is a beautiful, quiet island ideal for 1 boot walking. I cannot rate the hotel anything other than excellent, it surpassed all expectations. Great location and facilities.

Mrs Craven
Walking the Trails of La Palma
08/09/2022

Headwater were really helpful and met our various requests. It was an excellent trip with varied walks which really give you a feel for the La Palma. Recommend you use the first walk to gague the timings suggested in the instructions, and use a map too. Take plenty of water and snacks as cafés along some routes are closed. Take a swim suit on the Charco Azul walk as the sea pools there are great, and a refreshing way to end the walk. Make sure you have your camera charged as the scenery is stunning!!!

Mrs Illing
Walking the Trails of La Palma
08/09/2022

Excellent walking trip on a beautiful scenic island

Mrs Mitchell
Walking the Camino de Santiago
03/09/2022

The Camino De Santiago was a wonderful holiday, great accommodation, food, route notes, etc and when our plane was delayed Headwater could not have been more helpful to arrange alternative flights.

Mr Godfrey
Catalan Classic Walk
02/09/2022

Holiday was actually booked via Exodus so difficult to comment.

Softley
Following St James' Way
02/09/2022

Excellent pace of itinerary and well thought out accommodation. Local guide in Leon was enthusiastic, well informed and very collegial.

The whole set-up of the holiday was very good, the accommodation wonderful, it was just the detail of the walks that let things down - it seemed in many cases that the routes had not been revised for a considerable length of time. Overall we thoroughly enjoyed our holiday but much of this was due to the work that we put in rather than relying on the information provided. The walking maps are poor - why are they not provided by Headwater and in colour?

Mr Watson
Catalan Classic Walk
08/06/2022

Headwater provide a stimulating itinerary, with walks that are fairly graded and staying at good boutique hotels. We really enjoyed the holiday.

Mrs Brand
Catalan Classic Walk
21/05/2022

An excellent week's walking with varied landscapes and beautiful scenery, flowers and birdsong. A good mixture of tough days and easy walking.

Mrs Henderson
Walking the Coastal Trails of Menorca
20/05/2022

We have enjoyed twelve holidays with Headwater since our first visit to Sicily in 2006! They have all been thoroughly enjoyable and one of the beauties of booking with Headwater is that you can relax at every stage knowing yoiu are in very capable hands!

Mr Brearley
Hidden Valleys of Cordoba Walk
14/05/2022

The hotel looked after us well. We went half board - the evening meals were generally good. The area was very scenic and the wild flowers were lovely. The ascent/decent from to the village was quite severe especially after a long walk! On the first day the walk took us through an area with poor GPS signal where the paths were also indistinct and in places over grown.

However the biggest challenge was the heat - in mid-May we were expecting low to mid 20s but instead central Spain suffered a heat wave up to 37C making walking after 11am not sensible. As a result we spent our last 2 days in and around the hotel. As a small local hotel it was an ideal base for walking but by its very nature its facilities were limited for the days when it was too hot to go outside! This is by no way a criticism of the hotel or the holiday but the severe heat somewhat spoilt our last few days.

Brilliant holiday, excellent hotel, great walking (although relaxed and appropriate for us mid 70s age group with health issues) and sea swimming (much helped by the lovely May weather of course). We recommend booking the best rooms (we had experience of the best and the cheaper ones).

Highly recommended

Mrs Everson
Walking the Camino de Santiago
07/05/2022

We would like to thank you for organising our pilgrimage on the Camino to Santiago de Compostela. We had a truly wonderful time, and the memories will stay with us for the rest of our lives. Everything went smoothly, and Headwater arranged lovely hotels with fantastic food. We would recommend this unreservedly

Mr Bennett
Walking the Trails of La Palma
28/04/2022

Should any changes be made to your accommodation, make sure that Headwater explain any differences between the original and new accommodation. The changes didn’t bother us but may bother some people (ie. Spar hotel with swimming pool was changed to a simple - albeit lovely B&B).

Mr Francis
Walking the Camino de Santiago
16/04/2022

A good experience for anyone walking the Camino de Santiago for the first time. Did not get to visit the cathedral in Leon due to the Easter Penitent festival taking place over the weekend. But this was more than made up for by the spectacle of the parades of about 20 religious societies that were taking part in the festival, which, I believe is the biggest of its type in Spain. All of them with their own bands which had very good and noisy drum sections. All of the venues where I stayed were good, and mainly in renovated old stone built Galician houses, some of which were former Pilgrim Hospitals. Staff very helpful, especially at Rectoral de Lestedo who greatly facilitated my visit to the church of San Salvador at Vila de Donas, which was well worth the effort made to see it. On the travel from Madrid Airport at the Railway station at Charmartin. Went to take a Taxi, advised by operative that price could be 50 Euros and it would be better to take the metro at 3 euros. This I did.

Ms Roberts
Hidden Valleys of Cordoba Walk
19/03/2022

Holiday was made easy, flexible with alternative walking available due to the weather.

Excellent holiday, superb walks in great locations. We did all the longer walks, some with a fair bit of ascent/descent and they were all excellent. Take sticks for the descents! Vilaflor & Garachico hotels were great, good food (and large portions) included in Vilaflor. There was an event in the main square in Garachico for 2 nights whilst we were there, but fortunately the music stopped around 10pm both nights.

There's a great little bar/cafe in Vilaflor with a large terrace overlooking the views at the back - Casa Pana, just down from the Dulceria Vilaflor below the main square. You can't see the terrace from the front! And in Garachico we had great meals at Hotel San Roque, just around the corner from Quinta Roja, and also at El Caleton by the sea.

We had a couple of nights added on at the end and stayed at the Hotel Botanico near the botanical gardens, both excellent. La Orotava is also worth stopping at to look at the gardens.

An energetic walking holiday in stunning surroundings. Tenerife was surprising and stimulating, from the rocky coastline, amazing views through to the extraordinary volcanic landscape. Thoroughly recommend.

Mr MCMILLAN
Hidden Valleys of Cordoba Walk
30/10/2021

An enjoyable holiday based at a good local hotel with excellent food. The walking is quite rugged, although not strenuous and there is sufficient variety for a week. In fact, being based in one location allows you to get to know the topography well and appreciate the local way of life to some degree. We hired a car which meant we could visit other villages after our walk each day.

Mr Smith
Walking the Trails of La Palma
20/02/2020

An interesting island for walking with a good network of well signed footpaths. We enjoyed our week and everything went smoothly.

Mr Barrett
Walking the Trails of La Palma
21/11/2019

La Palma has some wonderful walks. Pretty, attractive landscape, varying from lush, verdant plantations at sea level to stark volcanic landscapes at 2,400m. There is nowhere flat on La Palma! Some of the walking is very strenuous, but quite spectacular as you walk up and down steep-sided barrancos. Day 4 is the equivalent of walking from sea level to the top of Snowdon in 12kms. The location of the accommodation and the combination of taxis and buses to get to and from walks works very well. Santa Cruz is picturesque and compact with plenty of good places to eat and drink.



Mrs Drage
Hidden Valleys of Cordoba Walk
12/10/2019

One reason we choose this holiday was because all meals were included in the cost of the holiday. This was exactly what we wanted. I see that future holidays in this area/hotel don't include a picnic lunch (essential as there are no shops on the walking routes) and only one evening meal. So I can't recommend on the basis of what we experienced. The food at the hotel was really good. The walks were as described on the itinerary and were enjoyable. In October the temperature was just right for walking. I'm glad we chose this month.

Headwater response:
Dear Mrs Drage, thank you for your review. I am pleased that you enjoyed your holiday and I would like to assure you that the opportunity to add picnic lunches and evening meals on this holiday are still available as additional options. It is important to Headwater to offer the choice to customise your own trip, therefore the standard trip is B&B, apart from on the first night when dinner is always included and the option is there to add the extras that you require.

Mrs Love-Fordham
Catalan Coastal Walk
06/10/2019

Catalonian is a wonderful place and the five of us enjoyed the trip. The weather in early October was extremely pleasant. The paths are covered with small rocks and there are a lot of descents that are tedious. You will need hiking poles. There are several places on the first and third hiking days where the path is very narrow (18 - 24 inches?) with a sheer drop off on one side. The walking notes need a lot of work. Most days we could follow the trail markers so it didn’t matter. The third day notes are a mess offering partial options that make no sense (like follow the road if you don’t like heights... but follow the road where? We were still 5 miles from the hotel). The last day, we walked about a mile out of our way before we turned back. This is our ninth Headwater trip and this has never happened before.

Make plans to see the monastery on the first hike, the turtle reserve, the wineries, and Dali’s house. Each will take some pre-trip planning, but it’s worth it.

I am disappointed that Headwater sent us back on the train to Barcelona without warning us that there was rioting. Our train was the last into the station before it was closed for two days. We were greeted with a dozen armed vehicles and protestors. Roads were blocked and flights cancelled. We got a text 3 days later from our rep asking if we were okay.

Having said all that, we enjoyed the trip. Best part was swimming in a secluded cove mid hike and the picnic afterwards.



A perfect balance of independent travel with the knowledge of knowing that at the end of each days walk there will be a comfortable bed and an excellent meal in an unspoilt rural location each with its own individuality.

Mr Greenslade
Catalan Classic Walk
30/09/2019

Good for people who like an energetic walk

Dr O'Grady
Hidden Valleys of Cordoba Walk
28/09/2019

A charming hotel with lovely staff in quiet part of Andalucia

Mr Higginson
Catalan Coastal Walk
20/09/2019

The holiday was exactly as outlined - a 'Catalan coastal walk'. We loved the little Coves & bays along the route plus the delightful small towns we passed through.

Mr Cunningham
Walking the Coastal Trails of Menorca
16/09/2019

We found it too hot to complete all the walks but time by the pool was a god restorative. If one wanted to start early one had to miss breakfast which is only available from 8.00am. If we wanted to go to Cala Turqueta we were advised to get to the queue for access to the road leading to the beach by 7.30am - after that and for most of the day access was prevented. The hotel is isolated so there is no chance to wander off easily and enjoy local life without a fairly long car journey along an unsympathetic, narrow road. Once in the hotel the ambience and staff were charming and welcoming.

Mr Riley
Catalan Coastal Walk
04/09/2019

This was a fantastic holiday with a wide variety of locations, accommodation, eating experiences and challenging walks with lovely views and interesting history.

The Hotel Vilamont Spa was particularly welcoming and helpful and despite having smaller rooms and being in a small inland village was charming and very comfortable. The Café Colon where dinner is taken is a delight and food delicious, fresh and exciting, reflecting the owners' Parisian and Catalan origins; the restaurant itself is very rustic and oozes much history.

Though very different in style, all hotels are comfortable and clean and in good locations, in particular the Hotel Blaumar.

The walks are all excellent and the routes easy to find and follow. All the main walks involve ascents and descents, quite steep at times, but afford fabulous views and dramatic changes of landscape.

There are some very interesting local walks on the rest days which are well worth doing, some offering a chance to swim in the Mediterranean.

This is one of the best Headwater Holidays we have taken

Mr Broad
Hidden Valleys of Cordoba Walk
31/08/2019

Excellent and well organised.

Mrs Nekrassova
Catalan Classic Walk
03/08/2019

Very enjoyable experience, pleasant walks, nice hotels with friendly staff and excellent food. My favorite walk!

I enjoyed it

Mrs Oliver
Catalan Classic Walk
02/07/2019

We had a good week though in very hot weather. Overall we thought the week was underated at 1+ boot. 2 would have been more appropriate. Greg, the rep was very conscientious. The walking notes were good. The Hotel Garbi and The Castle were extremely comfortable and helpful. The Hotel Rosa in Begur was extremely friendly and welcoming. However the room was very small and the air conditioning not able to cope with the ambient temperature. Not comfortable. But overall a good holiday.. very interesting hilltop villages.

Mrs Birchall-Scott
Catalan Coastal Walk
23/06/2019

We possibly misunderstood the references to coastal and beaches/ coves not realising that the walks would be so strenuous/ steep and spend most of the time elevated above and unable to access these. It wasn’t until we received the walk details that we had a better understanding. Unfortunately we were also there during a heatwave and so the walks were not as expected/as enjoyable as we had hoped. Walking poles were an essential along with the walking boots etc. The fact that we could skip a walk and travel to the next hotel in the taxi was really helpful and so we both did the first two walks and my husband the fourth. All in all very enjoyable holiday and as noted our understanding plus the weather were the issues and these were just an unfortunate combination.

Excellent walking holiday but would probably go to Menorca earlier in the year as the end of June is almost too hot for walking!

Mrs White
Walking the Camino de Santiago
15/06/2019

My husband and I used Headwater in order to walk the Camino de Santiago. When arranging our holiday, we asked for an extra night in Madrid as well as Santiago; this they did for us, no problem at all.

Throughout our holiday, we had, mostly, excellent accommodation and the walk routes were really good.

We will both be using Headwater again and highly recommend them.

Mr Clapham
Walking in the Sierra de Gredos
09/06/2019

First class hotel with friendly and professional staff. Beautiful region of Spain with an excellent mix of walking and potential sightseeing.

Mr Mcnaughton
Catalan Classic Walk
04/06/2019

Great route, interesting sites and beautiful sceneryi

Mrs Boston
Catalan Coastal Walk
31/05/2019

Really beautiful walks visiting lovely places. Wonderful organisation. Would highly recommend.

Mrs Chalmers
Walking in the Sierra de Gredos
26/05/2019

Excellent holiday, well worth visiting this area, locals very friendly and we especially enjoyed the wildlife and tranquility on our varied walks.

Mr Howe
Catalan Coastal Walk
23/05/2019

Marvellous walking in remote rural and coastal areas but with high quality hotel accommodation in lovely coastal settings at the end of each day.

Miss Crocker
Catalan Classic Walk
19/05/2019

A truly fantastic holiday. The distances walked were slightly longer than those documented but it was well worth the effort.

The food and wine for the whole week were excellent and the castle was the highlight from an accommodation perspective.

I would thoroughly recommend this trip. Greg, the local rep was very helpful and very helpful when one of our party was ill.

Menorca is a pretty place with lots of history - the Menorcans are rightly proud of this. The walking is not too strenuous, but there are some coastal areas which are not suitable for people with vertigo. The views are magnificent. The hotel rooms are separate from the restaurant - if you go in shoulder season, you will need something warm in the evening. The hotel staff are delightful and nothing is too much trouble. You will get to know the main road down the spine of the island pretty well!

The Camino from Sarria to Santiago do Compostela is a pilgrimage rather than a conventional long-distance hike. If you would like to share an unusual, fascinating and historical experience with fellow travelers from all over the world (and of all faiths and none), you will probably love it. I have heard people complain that it is rather crowded. If you see that as a disadvantage rather than a positive part of the experience, then perhaps this is not the right walk for you. The walking itself, for anyone of moderate fitness, is not at all challenging, and the way-marking makes it impossible to get lost. As I say, this is a great, historic pilgrimage, but not an escape to the wild.

Mr Bowett
Walking the Camino de Santiago
11/05/2019

The first night in Leon is an enjoyable experience, in the evening the streets are very busy with everybody out enjoying themselves, get a seat, get a beer, and sit and watch the world go by.

The first two days are the most difficult, uphill on unmade paths, once you pass from Leon in Galicia the paths are much better, made up with gravel and it is possible to progress at your normal walking pace. The first two days are also a delight, being high up with beautiful scenery, and looking down on eagles soaring below is a real treat. The spring flowers were stunning.

All along the route the local people are welcoming and happy to see you,. Your fellow pilgrims are a huge multicultural gathering of people from all over the world, and it is a pleasure to be a traveller on El Camino

The hotels are good, very comfortable, with good staff, and are very very clean and highly polished, a pleasure.



The connections, the taxis, the baggage moving all worked perfectly and reliably



All round a very happy and enjoyable experience



Thank you.

A great welcome from the holel that continued through out. Excellent variety of walks on the charming island of Menorca.

The whole trip was amazing, reps Jill and Colin were very attentive and knowledgable. Hotels were well picked and varied so we experienced castles to little boutique hotels. Really enjoyed the trip.

Mrs White
Hidden Valleys of Cordoba Walk
06/04/2019

Good location to enjoy this beautiful natural park.

Mrs Butchers
Walking in the Sierra de Gredos
05/04/2019

Wonderful hotel, staff and food/wine! We had inclement weather including snow, so early April may not suit everyone. Driving was easy on good if winding roads. Our last night had clear skies, and we were lucky that the hotel could provide an English speaking guide to show us the stars etc via the observatory - not to be missed! Only real issue was the Europcar booking process which was confusing and over complicated. Petit Precios hotel in Madrid was fine, but rooms facing the street were a little noisy.

Mr Pearson
Hidden Valleys of Cordoba Walk
13/10/2018

The Hotel Zuhayra is brilliantly situated to explore both the white town of Zuheros and the mountains that provide the backdrop. The walk via Luque was excellent and we also enjoyed the easy choice of the Via Verde, walking on a disused railway line (a great option for cyclists too with well over 100km of level routes available). We were amazed that it was a Rural 2-star Hotel and wondered how much better it could have been had it been 3 or 4-star. As such it was excellent value for money [the food was at times, a bit disappointing and the choice was occasionally limited or there was no choice].

Mrs Chicken
Hidden Valleys of Cordoba Walk
13/10/2018

A great holiday - excellent planning and support and a wonderful location which combined beautiful countryside, a rustic rural Spanish locale and very enjoyable walking.

Mr Thorsteinson
Walking the Camino de Santiago
13/10/2018

Walking the Camino was a lovely experience. Having the luggage moved everyday and prearranging accomodation and meals took away the stress of travelling.

A generally enjoyable first visit to this attractive island with varied and undemanding walking on offer. Also, the historic centre of Ciutadella is charming. We were delighted and disappointed in equal measure with our hotel. The welcome, quality of service and the comfort of the lounge and bar areas were excellent. Our bedroom was comfortable enough but let down by a lack of storage space and a serious level of noise transference from adjoining rooms. Breakfasts were excellent but we felt the evening meals were somewhat mediocre considering the quality of the hotel, and the dining room though ideal for summer visitors became cold and draughty when it was windy.

Mr West
Catalan Classic Walk
30/09/2018

Having undertaken guided walking holidays we wanted to try a self-guided trip which would enable us to set off, stop and finish when we wanted (later start, more and longer stops) and this was perfect. We did three days walking with a day of rest between each walk (altho' ample instructions for further walks were provided). Our luggage was transported seamlessly from one hotel to the next and the hotels were first class both in situation and service (the food was excellent). In addition we tacked several days onto our trip to make a short city break and all arrangements for travel and accommodation were dealt with seemingly effortlessly providing us with a superb holiday experience.

Great experience to walk the 100km+ on the camino

Excellent holiday we connected with your other clients and walked as a group of six and made our own

Camino Famílily. Very helpful before set off. Great accommodation and food. Some confusion with notes for arrival at hotels! - we could provide you with better notes!

Miss Saunders
Hidden Valleys of Cordoba Walk
22/09/2018

Lovely hotel with super friendly and helpful staff, especially Antonio the manager. Good food and the picnics are very good - a very large sandwich, 2 pieces of fruit, juice and water. You wont go hungry! The walks are great and we did them in the order that was recommended in the walking notes. If you want a day off from walking a day trip to Cordoba is well worth it. All the logistics went according to plan and we had an excellent holiday.

Mr Lambert
Hidden Valleys of Cordoba Walk
11/09/2018

Beautiful situation, friendly staff and great food, with access to some lovely walks - similar to walking in the Lake District so bear in mind the effect of the heat!

Mrs Pearson
Walking in the Sierra de Gredos
09/09/2018

A quiet, remote area of Spain yet full of interest. We visited three outstanding cities, all within driving distance - Avila, Sevogia and Salamanca. We interspersed these visits with walking days in the remote and beautiful countryside around the hotel. The hotel provided picnics which were delicious and the hotel food and local wine was outstanding.

Mrs Tallis
Hidden Valleys of Cordoba Walk
01/09/2018

Zuheros is a lovely, very quiet village in the Andalucian hills. The villagers offer a friendly "Buena Día" when you pass them in the street. The hotel Zuhayra offers friendly and helpful service.

Mrs Hinson
Walking in the Sierra de Gredos
05/08/2018

Impeccable organisation - everything arranged to perfection!

Mr Spruce
Catalan Classic Walk
24/07/2018

Great walking in a lovely area. Accommodation excellent; allowing us to relax in comfort after a long day's walking. The Headwater team are excellent; everything (all booking arrangements, support from local guide) ran perfectly smoothly.

Mrs Birchenough
Walking in the Sierra de Gredos
01/07/2018

On our arrival we were upgraded to a lovely room, (the Manhattan), it had great views, with a balcony overlooking the mountains. The room was very spacious and had a nice sitting area. The hotel was quite spacious with plenty of inside and outside sitting areas and a bar. The staff were always helpful and friendly and I felt they wanted to make our stay enjoyable. Daniel is particularly helpful with any problem.

There was a good choice of food from the menu in the evening,both meat, fish and vegetarian options and many chocolate deserts. Our picnic lunches were exceptional, with fruit, nuts, salads and enormous baguettes of many varied fillings. I would highly recommend these if you are walking all day. The walks are very good. We wrote in their book where the instructions could be improved/updated.

June is probably too late for the recommended walks. Due to heavy use of the beaches it was not possible to take the car to the starting points of the coastal walks which meant we had to change the route. The latter was fairly straightforward as the cami way signs are excellent. Driving in Menorca is easy however the side roads are very narrow with high stone walls up to the verge. We had a polo which was very good but I thought a Fiat 500 would have been easier. The Hotel is very good and the staff very friendly and helpful. We were disappointed in the dinners which were a set menu. Two meals consisted steak and pork both of which were extremely tough and not enjoyable. The breakfasts were excellent and the wines very good and well priced. We would be pleased to return to Menorca.

Beautiful countryside, dramatic coast line, wonderful walking often with historical interest. Brilliant located hotel and tremendous service. First visit to Menorca, fallen in love with this friendly beautiful island.

Mrs Walker
Catalan Coastal Walk
08/06/2018

We really enjoyed our holiday. We could not fault the service received at any of the hotels and the driver Fransisco was very helpful. Due to the heat we found some of the walks a bit challenging but the scenery is stunning. We were able to get into the sea at the end of a couple of the walks which was very welcoming. We used the pool at Vilamont Spa. Salvador Dali's house was very interesting and worth the visit. On the last day we had time to go to the tortoise sanctuary which if one has the time is worth the visit.

Mr Thompson Ashby
Catalan Classic Walk
02/06/2018

Another enjoyable holiday and we are keen to do more.

Mrs Williamson
Walking the Camino de Santiago
02/06/2018

Wonderfully organised and relaxing holiday, apart from the challenge of walking every day, which is what we paid for!! Thank you!

Mr Herklots
Hidden Valleys of Cordoba Walk
26/05/2018

The two weekest points were 1) - The arrangements with B.A. Both the Outgoing and Return journeys failed to allocate adjacent seats and the initial lack of a Boarding or Check-In document for the Return journey did cause us some concern. and 2) Details for the suggested walks for 5 days were quite difficult to follow.

A great holiday; a wonderful way to see unspoilt parts of this popular island holiday destination. Would love to return and explore more on foot.

A really enjoyable holiday on a beautiful island and staying at a lovely hotel

Mrs Dakeyne
Hidden Valleys of Cordoba Walk
19/05/2018

Wonderful tranquil location and excellent helpful staff at the hotel. Walking notes provided are very out of date however and we would recommend using the hotel walking notes instead which are very detailed.

We thoroughly enjoyed our first visit to Menorca. The walks weren't at all challenging but can be sometimes rocky underfoot. The wild flowers in May were exceptional, the coastal views were stunning and the weather was ideal for walking. We completed all the walks except the Mahon city walk and enjoyed all but the Punta Prima walk had long stretches between two high walls. We extended our stay to 10 nights which allowed us to do an extra walk of our own in the natural park of Es Grau. This we would definitely recommend as it is so unspoilt. Park at Es Grau and call for a taxi to Favaritx and walk south back along the coast to Es Grau. This was one of our two favourites, the other being the north coastal walk. The hotel was charming, the staff helpful, the food was excellent quality but the choice was limited to two per course as there was no a la carte in May. The last few miles of driving to the hotel is reminiscent of those narrow Cornish lanes with high rugged stone walls and blind bends.

The walk from Leon to Santiago started as a series of walks but developed into a pilgrimage of sorts as we and the walkers around us (who we'd bump into regularly) were immersed in the journey that so many hundreds of thousands of people have made for centuries. It was a wonderful feeling when we arrived in Santiago di Compostela

The holiday was excellent, thoroughly enjoyed it. Well organised, fantastic accomodation. Will definately book again through Headwater

Mrs Strong
Catalan Classic Walk
07/05/2018

For the money, the holiday could have been longer. 3 hotels of which only 2 provided evening meals. In previous years we have had 4 hotels and an additional days walking. Route notes very good and local information.

Information provided by Headwater both on the phone and in written documents was thorough and informative. The choice of hotel was excellent - quiet rural situation with friendly staff whose customer service was of a very high standard. Walking notes were reliable and detailed. Road directions were accurate. This was our first Headwater holiday and we were impressed with how little we had to rely on our own research to accomplish the visits we made. Plus, we were bowled over by Menorca in early May - beautiful meadows of wild flowers, birdsong, relaxing and quiet beaches/walks. A heady mix.

Our holiday processing along the French Way of the Camino de Santiago at the beginning of May was a joy. We were not quite knowing what to expect, as some people had said that the Camino and Santiago itself were pretty busy and commercialized. How wrong they were! We loved the enchanting unspoilt villages and tracks we passed along and the places which we stayed at were a delight. Full marks to Headwater for winkling out those excellent choices. As indicated on the questionnaire, all were good but some were outstanding. Our hosts were generally highly helpful and, even if they didn't speak English, made every effort to please us through our pathetic Spanish. (Charming Fernando at Rectoral de Lestedo even presented us with a voice-recognition translating app on his mobile - conversations became quite fulsome!). The Pazo Santa Maria was the jewel in the crown - I could have stayed for days! A brill holiday - which I've been exalting since our return, thank you. Catherine Parkinson

Mr Harrison
Hidden Valleys of Cordoba Walk
21/04/2018

Quiet location, offering a variety of challenging walks. Abundance of wild flowers and birds (in April). Excellent hotel, very welcoming and brilliant choice of good local food. Friendly and helpful staff, especially the taxi service.

Mr Cameron
Hidden Valleys of Cordoba Walk
14/04/2018

Far from the madding crowds in clean air

Mrs Gathercole
Hidden Valleys of Cordoba Walk
14/04/2018

The Sierras Subbeticas was a lovely verdant limestone area to explore in depth using the excellent Hotel Zuhayra as a base. By the end of the week we had criss crossed it in various ways but without unduly repeating any area.

Mr Broster
Catalan Classic Walk
12/10/2017

Walking along the coast is lovely, interesting old towns inland. The standard of hotels was mixed.

Most enjoyable variety of walking on a lovely island. Weather in October was wonderful...... ideal for walking.Driving around the island was a delight despite the manual left hand drive car! Accommodation was ideal in peaceful, relaxing setting.

Mrs Grisley
Catalan Classic Walk
08/10/2017

Our holiday was good fun, route notes were excellent (we didn't need the area maps at all) and the food and wine in Catalan was fantastic and affordable. Our rep Greg was helpful, practical and caring. One of our group couldn't do the walking due to a hip injury and Greg went out of his way to ensure she was able to get from A to B on our hotel to hotel walking holiday. The hotel staff were super helpful and couldn't do enough. This is our fourth trip with Headwater and we'll be looking again for next year.

Dr Banyard
Hidden Valleys of Cordoba Walk
07/10/2017

We were made very welcome and comfortable by the hotel staff, taxi drivers and locals. The walking was very pleasant, despite the unseasonally high temperatures, with wonderful mountain views and plenty of wildlife interest. I would not advise some of the more remote walks to people who are not experienced hill walkers with good navigational skills. Owing to the lack of large scale, high quality mapping for Spain there were a couple of places where we were unable to find waymarks and strayed off the intended route (and hence needed to resort to GPS for assistance). A number of earlier guests made comments about this in the hotel log. Despite that we had a wonderful holiday and we hope to return in a later Spring season to enjoy the mountain flowers.

Headwater response:
Dear Dr Banyard,
Thank you for taking the time to write in with your post-holiday feedback.
Firstly, we were pleased to read you had an enjoyable holiday overall and found the Hotel staff and transportation providers welcoming. We have passed on your comments.
We were however sorry to read you encountered difficulties with some of the way marking. Please let me reassure you, we do review all of our route notes seasonally, however, we do realise areas can change during the season due to weather conditions, construction and route updates. With this in mind, we will review all of the feedback received in this area and updates made as required.. Thank you for bringing this feedback to our attention, as it allows us the opportunity to continue to improve our holidays for future customers.
In closing, we would like to thank you for your continued loyalty and look forward to welcoming you on another of our holidays in the future.
Kind regards,
Headwater Customer Service team

Mrs Simpson
Catalan Classic Walk - Short Break
02/10/2017

Beautiful places and great hotels. The walking is quite challenging but with clear directions.

We had a great holiday returning to Menorca after ten years. We thought the hotel was great, in a beautiful setting, extremely friendly and welcoming, and really well looked after; a peaceful oasis to return to after a day out walking.

Mrs Roderick
Hidden Valleys of Cordoba Walk
16/09/2017

This was our third visit to Zuheros. The hotel is an excellent base for a walking holiday and the walks are challenging enough to feel that something has been achieved.

We enjoyed the whole experience. The weather in September is delightful and the hotel is clean and comfortable. The walking is lovely in the valleys and very rewarding with beautiful views from the tops of the mountains. The driving is very easy around Hoyos.

Mr Ford
Catalan Coastal Walk
08/09/2017

Definitely a 2 boot holiday and not to be done in high summer heat as a lot of the walking is in open high countryside

Mr Moore
Walking the Camino de Santiago
12/08/2017

An enjoyable way to experience part of the Camino with a mix of accommodation to stay in along the way and the opportunity to walk along several interesting parts of the route.

Mr Spackman
Catalan Classic Walk
30/07/2017

We really enjoyed our trip to northern Spain. All travel arrangements worked well and we were very impressed by Greg, our rep, who met us at the station and couldn't have been more helpful or welcoming. All our hotels were clean and comfortable but the Castell d'Emporda stood out. Beautifully situated on a hill overlooking a patchwork of fields, it's a modern hotel (our room had one glass picture wall with wonderful views) situated in an old castle. The restaurant is relaxed and breezy and the breakfast buffet was truly awe-inspiring. All the walks worked well, although we would have appreciated a bit more shade on the hottest days! We're looking forward to our next Headwater adventure!

An extremely enjoyable holiday. Walking was at times tough due to the temperature, in the mid 30s, so perhaps May or September are better months for this holiday than June? The hotel was wonderfully situated. It was so relaxing and the staff polite, efficient and helpful. Would recommend taking out insurance for damage to car as some roads, especially the one to and from the hotel, were narrow and bordered by dry stone walls. However, we did manage to deliver the car back to Mao scratch and dent free!

Dr Rayner
Walking in the Sierra de Gredos
05/06/2017

A delight for birdwatchers and botanists in spring and early summer. Lots of opportunities for photography. Walks were flexible in length and difficulty. Car hire essential.

Mrs Morrison
Catalan Classic Walk
04/06/2017

Perfect for a relaxed walking holiday. Routes took us through lovely and contrasting scenery in a part of Spain that we would probably never have thought to visit. So glad to have discovered it.

Mrs Mcsweeney
Catalan Classic Walk
04/06/2017

Very good, well signposted walking routes in a beautiful area of Spain.

Turquoise waters, ancient tracks and historic gems , all from a superbly restful hotel in a fabulous rustic setting --what not to enjoy?

Relatively easy, but varied, walking, glorious coastal scenery and beautiful sea swimming. The scenery, archaeological remains, and plentiful and varied bird-life made the walks very interesting. Good accommodation with exceptionally helpful staff. Slightly hair-raising driving on narrow roads around the hotel (a little car is good!). Generally relaxed and helpful atmosphere. Wonderful seafood.

Mr Flockhart
Catalan Classic Walk - Short Break
29/05/2017

We really enjoyed walking in the Catalonian countryside in the spring time. The towns and villages were delightful. The food and wine was great. The people in the hotels were super. It was all good.

Walking in Menorca seems to be nearly entirely on coast paths, with very few inland walks. That means linear walks, so unless you have two cars it's a matter of 'there and back', or a longish taxi ride. That said, it's a beautiful island, mostly unspoilt. Passing other cars in narrow lanes with dry-stone walls and thorn bushes can be nerve-wracking. We did four of the five Headwater-recommended walks, and would recommend Son Mercer de Baix for it's inland variety, the North Coast trail for its scenery, and Macaretta-Turqueta for beautiful coves. Also worth doing Cuitadella and Mao (on last day) town walks. Morvedra Nou is a delightful hotel in a very quiet location, with friendly and efficient staff. Standard room was clean and comfortable, but small, although with an outdoor terrace that was lovely in the evening sun. The dinner options included in the HW package were slightly unexciting and perhaps we should have spent a bit more on Menorcan specialities a la carte. House wines are OK and very reasonably priced. We had no difficulty finding restaurant/cafe lunch stops on our walks. Overall, a very enjoyable week.

Mr Van Beuningen
Catalan Classic Walk
19/05/2017

Very nice and interesting to discover this part of Spain - nature, history, quiet beaches.

For me personally it met my expectations. Walking, time to relax and unwind each day with a relaxed evening . The. Cuisine was excellent and offerred an ideal choice of local food/dishes.

Great all round but the last hotel in Santiago de Compostela (Hotel Virxe de Cerca) was wonderful. Fantastic location and everything about the hotel was just lovely. We had a couple of extra nights here and it was a great end to the walk

Menorca's surprisingly flat, especially round the coast where most of the walks are located, so ideal for gentle walking - not for hard-bitten hill-walkers! Easy to traverse the length or breadth of the island by car in a hour or less, but watch out for minor roads on the Kompass map which prove to be private or little more than an overgrown bridle path. Much of the island seems untouched by tourism, which is delightful, but don't expect to find a cafe wherever you stop. Many things are still free to visit. People and climate very friendly!

Mr Evans
Catalan Classic Walk
09/05/2017

A magnificent holiday, well organised and all Headwater staff were extremely helpful. The hotels were very comfortable and the food (my God the food!) was astonishingly good. A holiday where we ate as much as we liked and still lost weight! Even though our holiday was rated as easy the walks are challenging and we very very glad of our equipment and a walking pole each although my wife was not keen on the way I whirled around near her head at times. The trees, flowers and bird life were at their very best in May. Nightingales, Cuckoos, Cirl Buntings, Bee Eaters, Hoopoes, Serins, Crested Larks... bring your binoculars. If I were to be picky then on the day 2 walk to La Bisbal we took the longer route (our default decision) which added an extra mile or two through similar countrisde and could have been omitted giving longer at the very pretty last 2-3 miles through villages and farmland. The circular walk (a) on day 3 was lovely, Monells a good place for a coffee and very cheap (coffee, tea and ham baguette for under €5). Day four's walk was great to Pals, villages en route very attractive. We then trekked up the rock path to the observation point at Quermany Gros which turned out to be rather lower in elevation than the castle at Begur and possibly my wife would have said ' I hate you' a bit less often if we'd taken the low road. The kilometre climb up soft sand dunes after this meant we crawled into Begur slightly delerious. Fortunately the Hotel Rosa, though not as luxurious as the others has the most superb restaurant, the owner is the chef. We ate enough to compared with that Vicar of Dibley episode in which Geraldine has to eat 3 Christmas Dinners. Day five's walk was lovely. Day six we actually got lost twice (our fault) due to failure to follow instructions which were uniformly excellent. From Sa Tuna we rebelled and followed the coast path GR92 but I'm not convinced it was 'better'.

Our only slight grumble was that we would have missed the train connection from Barcelona Sants to Flaca even if our Ryan Air flight hadn't been delayed by 20 minutes. We sprinted through immigration and got the train from T2 but they only run every 30 minutes and we missed our connection by 15 minutes. The station ticket office man couldn't have been more helpful but intransigently refused to honour our pre-booked ticket meaning we had to fork out an extra €19 for 2 singles. Can we claim this back?

Headwater response:
Dear Mr Evans,
Thank you for taking the time to provide your wonderful review of this holiday. It sounds like you had such an enjoyable holiday that you will treasure for years to come.
We were however sorry to read that you missed your train due to tight connection times. I will be in touch to refund this amount. We are sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused at the start of your holiday, however are delighted it did not affect your holiday overall.
We would like to thank you for travelling with headwater this summer and look forward to welcoming you on another of our holidays in the future.
Kind regards,
Headwater Customer Service team

Mr Cameron
Walking in the Sierra de Gredos
07/05/2017

Snow capped mountains, woods, fields and flowers and wildlife made every day interesting

Headwater offers self guided holidays, but with the benefit of sorting all the travel arrangements.

We had a wonderful holiday. The hotel was very comfortable (we did have a free upgrade as the hotel wasn't very busy). The staff could not have been more helpful. The walking was very varied and we were blessed with beautiful weather.

Mr Taylor
Walking in the Sierra de Gredos
30/04/2017

It was one of the best walking holidays we have had. The hotel was superb with wonderful staff and food. The walking was excellent with varied terrain and scenery. I would highly recommend it to anyone.

Mrs Hiam
Hidden Valleys of Cordoba Walk
15/04/2017

We enjoyed a wonderful week's walking which exceeded our expectations. The landscapes, birds and flowers were exceptional and we particularly enjoyed hearing the nightingales singing in the gorge. We were very lucky to be able to see some of the Easter celebrations too. The hotel was very welcoming and offered excellent service and delicious food.

Mr Chandler
Catalan Classic Walk
11/04/2017

The walking tour was a great way to really explore the countryside. It was comforting to know there was someone there if we got terribly lost or hurt.

Mr Hewitt
Hidden Valleys of Cordoba Walk
01/04/2017

Beautiful walking in unspoilt limestone scenery. Fantastic bird walching opportunities. Comfortable hotel with hearty picnics and interesting evening meals. Antonio ensures that all aspects of a Headwater holiday are arranged with great efficiency.

This was the first week of the season and it was cold for three days. The hotel bedroom had heating but the bathroom did not. The communal areas of the hotel were cold. Obviously accommodation in this area is designed to keep heat out. If the weather is not good there are limited opportunities here. especially as the local museum was shut for refurbishment for the whole season. The hotel staff were very helpful and friendly. We found the walks quite challenging, the directions were mostly good but on one occasion (the end of the Ermita walk) the alternative route back to the hotel was impossible to find. The path was completely invisible and we had to walk back along the road. The scenery, birdlife and wild flowers were wonderful. We hired bikes from the hotel one day and cycled along the Via Verde (disused railway track) which was easy cycling with interesting views. Another day we took the bus to Cordoba which was cheap, reliable and well worth while. We enjoyed this holiday but felt that overall both the hotel and the village were not places to be If the sun isn't shining.

We did the Classic Catalan walk as a short break at the end of the season, in October. The mixture of 15/17 kilometer walks, historic towns, seaside and forests, with comfortable hotels at nights, and luggage transported from place to place, was just right. Just what we needed.

Mr Till
Catalan Classic Walk
16/10/2016

The notes were very detailed,accurate and all the paths well-marked locally; that made for a very relaxing walking experience. The hotels, whether grand or more humble, exceded our expectations; The Castell d'Emporda was a stunning place to spend our rest day, the food and friendliness at Hotel Rosa was great.

Mr EtchellsButler
Following St James' Way
14/10/2016

After long tiring days of walking, it was lovely to relax in rustic accommodation with comfortable beds, a good en suite and decent food. We thoroughly enjoyed 'Walking the Way of St. James.' The landscape was thoroughly unexpected in Galicia, - very lush, green and much like the U.K. and Ireland. It was particularly special to make friends (although very briefly) with people from all over the world.

One meal was appalling, and throughout the cooking was at best uninspired.

In the rooms, the shower over-flowed very quickly onto the floor. this resulted in a very slippery and potentially dangerous surface.

There were so many flies outside and in! No fly-swatters made available.

Headwater response:
Dear Mr Tucker,
Thank you for taking the time to write in with your constructive feedback. We were sorry to read you encountered maintenance issues with your room, the hotelier has assured us this has been resolved; unfortunately, they were unaware of this issue and are sorry this was not resolved during your stay. We will continue to work closely with the hotelier to ensure they deliver the high standard of accommodation our customers expect.
Despite these issues, we hope you had an enjoyable holiday overall.
We would like to thank you for choosing headwater this summer; we look forward to welcoming you on another of our holidays in the future.
Kind regards,
Headwater Customer Service team

Mr Bellis
Walking the Camino de Santiago
30/09/2016

We had a very enjoyable trip, with great walking in beautiful locations, meeting interesting people, eating some delicious meals and we appreciated having our luggage transported!

Mr Ward
Catalan Classic Walk
26/09/2016

Excellent holiday with varied scenery. The 1+ rating is about right. The walks are too long for a 1, but the terrain is not difficult.The timing of the arrival of the plane into Barcelona gave insufficient time to make the scheduled train so we had to wait an hour for the next one.

Absolutely brilliant, all the walk instructions easy to follow and the hotel acomodation and scenery magnificent.

Mrs Feely
Catalan Coastal Walk
22/09/2016

As with all Headwater Holidays experienced so far the Catalan Coastal Walk was a great experience,. The walking was challenging but the notes provided were meticulous and at the end of each day it was a joy to experience the comfortable, characterful hotels in interesting locations. I can't fault Headwater's meticulous arrangements.

Absolutely fantastic, superb hotel a jewel in the island, delicious food well prepared, excellent staff. Beautiful hotel! So many varied and interesting walks away from the tourist areas. One of the best holidays we have had!

We will be returning one day to complete the other walks around the island. Just wish we had been able to stay longer.

Ms Nicolson
Catalan Coastal Walk
12/09/2016

Catalan Coastal Walk has it all: wonderful walks, stunning scenery and fabulous hotels - one of the best!

Mrs McMillan
Walking in the Sierra de Gredos
11/09/2016

A very comfortable stay in a lovely hotel with good walking on varied terrain in mountains close to Madrid yet unknown to us before we arrived.

Mrs Reeves
Walking in the Sierra de Gredos
11/09/2016

Excellent holiday in little known area of Spain.

Mrs Norman
Walking in the Sierra de Gredos
11/09/2016

Very varied walking in a lovely area. The walks were of the right length with good descriptions. We had good advice from Teresa. This was not an area we would have gone to without you as we had never heard of it. In September it was quiet with very few other tourists Spanish or British. We had one cold day but otherwise it was good walking weather.

Mrs Duguid
Hidden Valleys of Cordoba Walk
10/09/2016

A fantastic location with plenty of variety in the walks. If you want a break from walking there are opportunities to visit to local towns/villages, or to relax at the hotel. Be prepared to deal with high temperatures, even in September!

Mrs Johnson
Walking in the Sierra de Gredos
04/09/2016

Overall - excellent.

Mrs Watson
Walking the Camino de Santiago
03/09/2016

We thoroughly enjoyed the entire set-up of this holiday. Our companions in the group were friendly and good company. The walk was spectacular with some of the more boring bits done by vehicular transfer. We were also extremely luck with the weather, it only rained once for 5 minutes! We felt a real sense of achievement when we arrived in Santiago de Compostella.

Mr Tait
Catalan Classic Walk
30/08/2016

A beautiful area of Spain particularly the coastline with some wonderful accessible walks . Longer walks can be challenging on the warmer days !

Mrs Wright
Walking the Camino de Santiago
26/08/2016

Anyone of reasonable fitness can walk the Camino, but maybe you should consider grading your Camino walking holiday. One grade for people who are not really used to walking distances and another grade for people who have come to walk at least 25 - 30 km per day. Most of the walkers had booked hotels and albergues in towns and villages. Walkers like to meet up with each other in the evening and share experiences. At one place the hotel pick up was 1 hour 15 minutes late from the agreed time, with no apology or

Mr Ezra
Catalan Coastal Walk
25/08/2016

The Catalan Coastal Walk holiday was really good, with interesting walks, stunning scenery, pleasant accommodation and great food. We would certainly return to a couple of the destinations we visited on the way. The walking was not too onerous and we were normally quicker than the expected time to be taken, even without rushing. The hotels were all welcoming and comfortable, with a discernible rising in quality of accommodation from one location to the next. The taxi arrangements were superb, with our driver, Fransisco, always early, cheerful and helpful. However, there are always some bug-bears, but these are merely small tweaks that could have made our personal experience better. Mainly, the notes were not to our taste and often needed re-reading, others may find differently. Also the location of the first and last night's accommodation, although nice enough, seems to be at odds with the holiday's overall description of 'coastal'.

Headwater response:
Dear Mr Ezra,
Thank you for taking the time to write in with your post-holiday feedback. It was great to read you had an enjoyable holiday overall. We were however sorry to read, that you found issues with some of the route notes. Please be assured we check all of the routes and notes seasonally. We will keep your feedback in mind when we do our next update. In closing, we would like to thank you for choosing Headwater for your summer holiday; we look forward to welcoming you on another of our holidays in the future.
Kind regards,
Headwater Customer Service team

Mr Paterson
Walking the Camino de Santiago
30/07/2016

Quite demanding. 9 days is a long walking holiday.

Mrs Chapman
Catalan Classic Walk
18/06/2016

A very well considered walking route with accurate and detailed route notes which helped to make the holiday very enjoyable. We opted to stay an extra night in one of the suggested hotels which worked out very well. We liked the independence and choice of pace the holiday presented even though we had the full back up of Headwater representatives there if we had needed them. The rating of 1 boot + for the Catalan Classic tour was appropriate as was the 'at a glance' write up in the brochure. Overall this walk/holiday fulfilled our expectations and introduced us to a lovely part of Spain.

Mrs Bibby
Catalan Coastal Walk
12/06/2016

Brilliant!

The Catalan coastal walk is challenging in parts, particularly when the weather is hot, but it is spectacular and the route notes were great (with one or two exceptions, see below) The hotels were all quite different, each lovely in its own way and the restaurants that were pre-booked offered varied and interesting menus.I would thoroughly recommend the holiday.

Last year we walked in the Venito and we think the walks and accommodation in Catalonya are even better than those last year.

Thank you Headwater.

Despite one of us not being able to walk very far we still had a lovely time. The hotel was in a lovely place and was a most relaxing place to stay.

Mr Cheek
Catalan Coastal Walk
06/06/2016

We enjoyed our holiday however I must point out certain issues. The notes on page 3 of your Catalunya brochure are unclear - you have tried include notes for several holidays in one go using commas which results in it making little sense. In the first two lines you do not make it clear that you are talking about two different stations (Airport Terminus and Passeig de Garcia). I think you should investigate alternatives to having to wait at Passeig de Garcia station - it is busy, hot, no facilities, you are not allowed out of the station and we waited one and a half hours for the train. I think you should also give more information as to where to get off, it was luck we spotted the Viajuiga sign and managed to scramble off the train. Trail notes badly written and in parts not clear, there were two instances of them being totally wrong. Page 23 2nd para arriving at junction we could not understand which path to take so opted for the road route which says follow to Cala Joncois NO just the opposite is correct. Page 25 second column 3rd para on reaching T junction turn right NO turn left and at next T junction turn right. There are no road signs to help you.

We thoroughly enjoyed this holiday in Menorca. The weather was extremely hot all week so we often shortened the walks which is easy to do as many of them are linear walks. Although most of the walks are coastal there is plenty of variety. The hotel is absolutely lovely, in such a peaceful location with beautiful gardens. We had a very warm welcome on arrival and the service throughout the week was consistently good. All the staff were helpful and polite and nothing was too much trouble. Our accommodation, the gardens and all public areas were kept spotlessly clean and the food was good and plentiful.

Mr Godsall
Hidden Valleys of Cordoba Walk
28/05/2016

We were very pleased with the walking routes and overall package, plus interesting days out in Cordoba and Malaga. The hotel in Zuheros was slightly 'simpler' than we'd normally choose but they worked so hard to provide excellent service; taxi was great too. A well planned holiday in an area we would not have discovered apart from through your brochure - we rate Headwater highly.

Ms Feist
Walking the Camino de Santiago
28/05/2016

A very good trip. Where scores have been less than excellent this is because I think the hosts could welcome guests with an offer of drink after a day of exertion - including making tea/coffee available. At times the hosts were not visible and when they appeared it felt awkward asking for a service of this kind with the exception of Pazo Santemaria and Casa los Semoza (the latter had a bar). Some of the accommodation may not be conveniently located so meant waiting around to be picked up. An arrangement whereby the guest could have a taxi as he/she arrived at collection point would be better. Also in some places it was cool/damp weather and bed linen felt a little damp. Heating not always switched on (noticeable feature when one is tired) and I had to ask at one place for it to be put on as I was quite uncomfortable. However, luggage was always transported exactly which was reassuring. Blanca the guide in Leon was excellent and Headwater have made a very interesting programme of accommodation - full of interest/quirky and beautifully located. Thank you.

1/ Never give up the Morvedra Nou; one of the most relaxing and enjoyable hotels we have stayed at. We had a junoir suite with a patio overlooking the pool - the best in the house.

2/ I know this was only a grade 1, but any experienced walker could have done a lot more. We spent some spare time on the beach. Would not be so good at high season, would be too hot and crowded.

3/ 'Would you take another holiday with Headwater?' - I think we have done them all. at least at grades we can manage now. I am well in the 80-90 bracket - not in your age scale! - but I think we started with Heaswater in 1998. I have all the notes and paperwork in boxes in the attic.

4/ I was worried about French Air Traffic Control industrial action, but we were notaffected.

Headwater response:
Dear Mr Emerson,

Thank you for taking the time to complete your post-holiday questionnaire. Please be assured we value all of the feedback we receive and use this to help us continue to improve and develop our holidays for future customers.

It is lovely to see you continue to enjoy your walking holidays with us; we value your loyalty dearly and look forward to welcoming you on your next holiday.
Yours sincerely,
Headwater Customer Service team

Mr Cross
Catalan Coastal Walk
27/05/2016

Definitely a two--boot walk, especially the day to Almadabra Park hotel, which was the longest and had some quite hazardous sections on the coast path.We were in late May and had some disappointing weather, and there was no question of swimming in pools or on beaches. Hotels were good, although the dinners at the Monterey/Porto Christo were poor - dinners and breakfasts at other hotels and restaurants were good. Francisco our taxi driver did the job OK but he speaks only Catalan and a little French.

Mrs Robertson
Catalan Coastal Walk
25/05/2016

Excellent holiday. Be sure to carefully check the travel details if you have requested any changes or non-standard arrangements.

Beautiful Island and walks. Morvedra Nou is a lovely small hotel. The staff are extremely friendly and helpful. The breakfasts were very good, continental style with plenty of choice. The evening meals were a bit hit and miss unfortunately. You are given the menu in the morning and there is a choice of two of each of the courses. Choose wisely!

Mr Weymouth
Walking in the Sierra de Gredos
22/05/2016

I am really happy with Headwater in all aspects except, perhaps, the standard of accommodation (at times). Although, in this instance, you do advertise that the hotel's accommodation will be a standard room, there are no definitive descriptions of standard compared to other rooms/prices. The room we were offered would have 'sufficed', but when staying for a length of time I think it is evident that a more comfortable room with more amenities would make the holiday that much more of an enjoyable experience. That is difficult to deduce from your literature. (We upgraded at El Milano Real as soon as we arrived).

When using your company in the past (on Inn-to-Inn walks) there have been other instances where we have felt a little let down by the quality of hotel.

Mr Shortman
Hidden Valleys of Cordoba Walk
21/05/2016

We had a wonderful weeks walking, the hotel was in a lovely hill top village. The walking was good in wonderful scenery with beautiful wild flowers and birdsong.Antonio and his staff looked after us really well and we also enjoyed our day trip to Córdoba. This was our twelfth trip with yourselves and one of the best.

Mr Abrahams
Catalan Coastal Walk
21/05/2016

Excellent concept well executed

Peaceful location, excellent coastal and inland walking away from the crowds

The Morvedra Nou was the kind of friendly, family run, quality hotel that we always hope we'll find but all too rarely do. The rooms may be compact for some people but we were very comfortable, especially given the spacious private terrace. The food was good, fresh and well presented. We were very happy with the choice of two dishes each day, though would have liked the chance to try the cheese for which the island is famous - either as an alternative to dessert or as an extra small course. But we would thoroughly recommend the hotel and the programme of walks, which were all surprisingly different, considering this is a small island. It was our first trip to Menorca and we found the holiday perfect for those who like an active morning and lazy afternoon!

The holiday notes for Coastal trails of Minorca were pretty accurate. Overall we found the island delightful and at this time of year absolutely stunning with all the wild flowers in full bloom. Very easy to get around and not too crowded. We also were blessed with the weather which was in the low 20 C range

Mr Dodds
Hidden Valleys of Cordoba Walk
14/05/2016

We thought Zuheros and the HotelZuhayra were both charming and beguiling - extraordinarily peaceful and calming - we were very sorry to leave and it took us some time to grow accustomed to the comparative mayhem of Granada . The taxi arrangements in Zuheros were quite remarkably efficient hts off to Maria and her brother - we would return to Zuheros tomorrow if we could = perhaps a progressive walk around these white villages might the na idea

Mrs Feerick
Walking the Camino de Santiago
14/05/2016

The Camino is a wonderful experience. The walking can be challenging so you need to practice before your holiday. The accommodation was mixed, breakfast tended to be a disappointment. The star of the show for us was Rectoral de Goian. A wonderful place with great food and a sincere welcome. Overall the accommodation is lovely and given the standard that some of the pilgrims use it is pure luxury. The bag transfers and pick ups ran like clockwork.

Mrs Lewis
Walking the Camino de Santiago
13/05/2016

We are 2 female friends and booked single occupancy of rooms. We felt hotels were well chosen and variable, but all interesting and overall comfortable . We got a bit sick of the Pilgrim 10 euro menu, but also had some superb meals. The walking was excellent, and easier than we had expected. We enjoyed the independence of being self guided. There were a few minor faults in the daily walking guide and we have offered to come in and point them out. We live in Chester and decided to Travel from Liverpool to Madrid and spend a night there rather than at Heathrow. We did find that the schedule on Day 1 was a bit over-heavy. Everyone was exhausted that night. But, overall this was a Brilliant holiday! And May was a very good choice this year.

Mr Kaye
Catalan Classic Walk
08/05/2016

Outstanding food in lovely hotels. Top class local support, advice and guidance. Stunning walks through fascinating medieval villages, shady forests and patchwork quilts of colourful fields.

Dr Sinclair
Walking in the Sierra de Gredos
05/05/2016

This is a beautiful part of the world, and the hotel and service were magnificent. Sadly we had terrible weather, with heavy rain each day, further snow on the peaks and biting cold wind. The paths up the mountains were often streams of water and fields little more than bogs. We had gone prepared for variable weather as it was mountainous, but not freezing cold and near constant rain. Teresa and her staff were very accommodating and the food was great. We did see a wild boar, mountain goats and fantastic birds and had a good rest

Ms Burrluck
Catalan Classic Walk
01/05/2016

A pretty perfect holiday. Headwater were very well organised and my reps, Brian and Olivia, were totally fantastic - helpful, very efficient and totally reliable. I was walking on my own and they texted me to ensure I had reached my destinations safely. The walks were wonderful and the instructions very clear. Everywhere I turned there was a picture postcard view. This is a wonderful area of Spain to visit - I did the Catalan Classic Walking holiday and walked every day, even though I didn't have to but there was so much I wanted to see. Wonderful that there was always hot water for a good soak in the bath when I got back to my hotel. I didn't want to come home although, to be honest I couldn't have kept up the walking for many more days.

Mr Hamilton
Walking in the Sierra de Gredos
01/05/2016

This was a hub Hotel walking holiday enabling us to select the walk to suit the daily weather with the expert and sound advice of the Rep Teresa (hotel owner). Having car hire we were able to spend the rainy day in Salamanca - where the sun shone! The first week in May found us trudging through snow on one walk and waltzing through spring flowers on another. All great fun. Ibex herds added to the entertainment on one of the walks. The Blue Book was up to date with additional helpful comments. Hotel staff were superb as was the cuisine and the views from the hotel.

Mrs Steen
Catalan Classic Walk
29/04/2016

An excellent walking holiday with a well chosen itinerary and beautiful scenery. Standards of food and accommodation were very high. We all had a great time.

Mrs Ritchie
Catalan Classic Walk
09/04/2016

We enjoyed this holiday enormously although we spent quite a bit more than 5 hours on the walks between hotels so we didn't take the recommended walks on the days in between. The first walk is the hardest.

Ms Bartlett
Hidden Valleys of Cordoba Walk
09/04/2016

I could not fault the hotel staff, who were all very friendly and extremely helpful. The walks were beautiful and April proved a lovely time of year with all the spring flowers.

Mr Hilary
Walking the Camino de Santiago
09/04/2016

A few suggestions

a) Update your travel notes to refer to the actual kilometre-markers which are now in place

b) Arrange the final leg so that your clients have the option to be in Santiago for the midday pilgrim service in the cathedral

c) The staffing of the Casa de los Samozo was a source of great amusement, somewhat lacking experience, but all was still delivered

d) Hotel Petit Palace was noisy but the location was perfect

But overall the holiday surpassed our expectation and we will certainly consider Headwater again

Mrs Champion
Walking in the Sierra de Gredos
06/04/2016

A very beautiful and undiscovered part of Spain. Well worth a visit. Great hotel locations, good food, very good service. We would love to visit this area again.

Mrs Moysey
Hidden Valleys of Cordoba Walk
04/04/2016

A most enjoyable holiday - the organisation and transfers worked well and the hotel was a 'gem', friendly and relaxing and with helpful staff. The walking notes were easy to follow although care was needed on some paths where stony. Overall splendid walks in beautiful scenery with many spring flowers.

Mr Johnston
Hidden Valleys of Cordoba Walk
02/04/2016

Outstanding walking area. Thoroughly enjoyable.

Pro Mitchell-Borts
Walking in the Sierra de Gredos
25/03/2016

Teresa was extremely helpful. The hotel was lovely and the food was plentiful and delicious.

Hotel absolutely first rate - fantastic tranquil location; we were very well looked after; food was simple but good. Menorca delightfully quiet when we visited (October) but weather perfect for walking. Walks were straightforward if perhaps a trifle short. We skipped the town walks and added two other walks of our own that I would recommend

1. Santa Galdana to Saint Thomas via GR 223, returning along coastal path - just be aware that to leave Cala Trebaluger you need to use a cave passage.

2. Cala Tuqueta to Plagues de Son Saura (out & return via coastal path - we did not find the green route marked on the map but we did not spend much time looking).

Mrs Fairclough
Hidden Valleys of Cordoba Walk
04/10/2015

Very enjoyable. Felt like we had seen and experienced the real Spain, not touristy and commercial. We speak no Spanish and very few people spoke English but we got by and all the meals were wonderful, trying different things. The walks were very good some more challenging than others. We did go wrong but never too badly. Not sure if the mistakes were due to vague directions or just misinterpretation of instructions (we easily go wrong in England!!)

Beautiful location of hotel - truly rural. Lovely swimming pool area. The lounge and bar area were comfy and inviting. Our room (junior suite) was very good.The walks were varied and all enjoyable. Wildlife was abundant. October was a great time to go as the crowds had gone and we had excellent weather.

Pro Davies
Catalan Classic Walk
28/09/2015

The holiday was disappointing. Onward travel from Barcelona airport was so awful the thought of having to make the return journey hung over the rest of the period, such that I changed my flight and went home a day early, using bus rather than train. If you use Passeig de Graca station you need to supply the timetable - there is no way of identifying if you are catching the right train (and there's a train every 2 minutes) and it is an awful place to wait.

Mr Munden
Walking in the Sierra de Gredos
27/09/2015

A fabulous quiet and beautiful area of Spain but within easy reach of some great cities. El Milano Real is a perfect base for the many and varied walks on offer through this unspoilt National Park with its great food and wine and accommodation. The highlight for us was a 'birding' walk with a local biologist who was just superb. The only down side was that we didn't get maximum benefit from Teresa (and Paco whom we didn't see at all) but on the other hand all their staff were excellent. Had to book our own hotel in Madrid as Headwater's was strangely booked although available through booking.com!

Mrs Ashcroft
Hidden Valleys of Cordoba Walk
26/09/2015

Excellent in every respect

Mrs Donnison
Hidden Valleys of Cordoba Walk
26/09/2015

The team at the hotel couldn't do enough to help. A decent range of walks nothing too strenuous but just right in the unseasonably high temperatures.

Cordoba was a stunning place to visit so would strongly recommend this on the free day. We enjoyed having the extra days in Granada as a counterfoil to the tranquility of Zuheros.

Mrs Griffiths
Hidden Valleys of Cordoba Walk
24/09/2015

A delightful area, away from the usual tourist spots. An attractive, friendly hotel and village. Varied walks with lovely long-distance views. Care needed on the stony tracks and paths after a prolonged period of dry weather.

Mrs Satterthwaite
Catalan Classic Walk
23/09/2015

Great fun. Our reps were extremely helpful. We will definitely do another walking holiday.

Mr Taylor
Hidden Valleys of Cordoba Walk
19/09/2015

From the first contact with Headwater until we left our Hotel the service was excellent. The Hotel was small, comfortable and the staff very friendly. The walking notes were fantastic, and the walks took in some most wonderful scenery. Cannot fault the holiday at all. Thank you.

Mrs Hickling
Hidden Valleys of Cordoba Walk
16/09/2015

Lovely village and some good walking. The vultures were impressive. Maybe more attractive in spring when the flowers are out. All the trvel arrangements worked flawlessly. The food at the hotel was very variable and a little disappointing at times. The walking was all in quite a small area and there was some repetition of sections. But overall it was a very enjoyable trip. Staying in a single location is definitely more relaxing than moving on every day. The bat cave in Zuheros was an amazing place, and a visit to Granada was definitely worthwhile. We were lucky too that our visit coincided with the cheese festival in the village

A fascinating area of Spain with varied landscapes from rugged mountains, to terraced hillsides with vineyards and fruit trees, gently flowing streams, Pine woods and open flat plains with Evergreen Oaks. Also abundant wildlife with dozens of bird species, wild mountain goats, Black cattle, and horses. Ancient walled cities and quaint villages. All within two hours of Madrid.

Mrs Johnson
Catalan Classic Walk
14/09/2015

Really enjoyable week with everything thought of and attention to detail. Excellent route notes.

Mr Jamieson
Hidden Valleys of Cordoba Walk
12/09/2015

Well-chosen walks in a scenic area with classic limestone features. Can be rocky and stony underfoot in places, but all walks within Grade 2 definition. Arrangements at Hotel Zuhayra are excellent; Antonio was always helpful and the staff went out of their way to provide good, friendly service.

Mrs Macleod
Hidden Valleys of Cordoba Walk
12/09/2015

Excellent holiday; very interesting area of Spain to visit. The walks were varied with spectacular scenery. The hotel was well located and there was often something going on in the town square in the evening. Hotel staff friendly and helpful and the food was very good. I know the Spanish eat late but the 8.30pm evening meal was the only downside particularly when we wanted to have an early breakfast so we could start walking before it got too hot. Since Headwater clients have their own menu maybe an earlier sitting could be considered.

Mr Christy
Hidden Valleys of Cordoba Walk
12/09/2015

A really excellent week - well organised and planned, allowing us to concentrate on the splendid walks. I hadn't been on an organised walking holiday before, but I will certainly try some more of these trips in future, since they allow you to get to places that you might not try on your own.

Mrs Bathe
Following St James' Way
11/09/2015

This holiday provides a stress-free camino experience for those who either do not wish to or cannot carry a full back pack. Accommodation and meals are of a significantly higher standard than is available in the hostels and dormitories along the route. As well as completing the 100km required for the compostela, it combines some interesting earlier sections of the camino as a bonus. The guided tour of Leon provides an excellent introduction to the camino combined with the visit to the impressive Cathedral and other historic buildings. It is well worth extending the holiday to spend two nights in both Leon and Santiago de Compostela.

Mr Sadler
Catalan Classic Walk
10/09/2015

The representatives Katie and Jim made the holiday truly wonderful. They were extremely helpful with nothing too much trouble.

Menorca is a lovely island, incredibly pretty and very easy to get around. The Morvedra Nou hotel is in a perfect setting if you want peace and quiet. The gardens and pool area are so relaxing, the bird song is the only thing you'll hear! Unfortunately, we were unable to upgrade at the time of booking, to one of the larger rooms, and although our room was spotlessly clean and had a sunny patio, we did find it on the small side. Not a big deal as we were out walking most days. The walks were excellent, sometimes really off the beaten track, great wildlife and fabulous scenery, quite a few 'wow' moments as we came round a headland or walked through the gorge to the caves. Our only gripe, was the food. Breakfast was fine, plenty of choice but dinner was very hit and miss. There was no comparison to the food photos on the hotel website, and the portion sizes and combinations were very strange. Sometimes the starters were far too big, and the main course would be just a large piece of meat/fish with one small potato if you were lucky (no veg). There was only one evening out of ten, that we both enjoyed the whole meal, which was so disappointing. Honestly, neither of us are fussy eaters, but we have never left so much food on our plates, and not once did anyone ask us about it.

Mis Smith
Catalan Classic Walk
06/09/2015

This was our first Headwater walking holiday, and it has definitely lived up to our expectations. We thoroughly enjoyed the mixture of walks, as well as the cuisine and rest day activities. Jim and Katie are excellent reps, and definitely contributed to our memorable experience. Many thanks!

Mrs McInnes
Walking the Camino de Santiago
05/09/2015

This is my 10 th Headwater holiday,this time I convinced three friends to walk the Camino de Santiago with Headwater.

Our group of four were very pleased with Headwater and are looking at more holidays with them.

Mr Gagnon
Walking in the Sierra de Gredos
04/09/2015

This holiday was superb. The scenery was unspoilt mountainous terrain and pastoral along the river valleys. Well away from tourist areas. A good variety of walks ranging from easy to quite challenging, with very accurate walking notes. We did Rio Tormes, Laguna Grande, Villages of the South to name a few. Saw 45+ species of birds. Weather in September was cool at night but got into low twenties in the afternoons. Typically 7 degrees warmer on the south side of the Sierras. We took the ferry from Portsmouth to Santander and drove down - very pleasant. The hotel was great and Teresa was a wonderful hostess.

Mr Russell
Catalan Classic Walk
03/08/2015

I joined this vacation basically to walk through some lovely countryside and to see a lot of historic buildings in Spain. That was pretty much what I got. But in addition very enjoyable stays at the hotels where the staff all spoke great English and were really helpful. The guides made some very useful suggestions that saw me undertake day 2 hikes on day 1 and 2 . Good advice for the middle of summer and it enabled me to get back in time about 3.30 to enjoy the wonderful situation of Castell de Emporda. The Coastal phase was beautiful and after the completion of the hike and I stayed a few more days at Begur.

Mrs Bush
Walking the Camino de Santiago
11/07/2015

We loved this walk. Accommodation on the whole was as good as it could be given the isolated nature of some places. We were particularly impressed with the helpfulness of staff at Headwater when BA cancelled our outward flight the evening before our journey so we didn't miss any of our holiday. The arrangements went very smoothly. The weather in mid July was very hot-unusually so according to locals- so if you suffer from the heat, earlier or later might be better!

Mrs Coonan
Catalan Coastal Walk
21/06/2015

Jim and Katie Illingworth, the Headwater reps, were absolutely fantastic - the best we have ever had; from the postcard we received a few days before our trip to their solicitous and detailed advice about the routes, the travel arrangements and thoughtful attention to detail e.g. Katie suggested that we buy a multi pack of bottled water which could be transported with our luggage every day. In addition as we experienced a heatwave during our trip, they suggested ways of shortening the walks to make them more manageable. They also recommended excellent restaurants when an evening meal was not included giving us lots of choices. Francisco, the taxi driver who transported the bags (and us on some days as it was so hot and we didn't want to walk) was delightful despite his lack of English and our lack of Spanish!

Mrs Wakefield
Catalan Coastal Walk
18/06/2015

Wonderful variety of walks and scenery with comfortable hotels and good food.

Mr Collins
Catalan Classic Walk
16/06/2015

A good mix of scenic, coastal, country and historic town locations for both walking and overnight stays. Introduced us to a lesser known area of Spain. While most of the walking had excellent scenery and moderate challenges, some sections were slightly tedious on tracks/roads rather than paths. However these were marked walking routes on the published maps, and it is difficult to see what alternatives were viable to get you to the next place of interest. No gain without pain! Walking instructions were excellent throughout.

Mr Collingham
Walking the Camino de Santiago
06/06/2015

Well organised; great choice of places to stay with walking well directed and right amount of effort per day. The Camino is not the most beautiful route we have walked but communion with fellow travellers made it feel special.

Only comment would be O Coto. Finished short walk to Casa de la Somoza by lunch and really not much to do that afternoon. While the hotel was adequate it was not the sort of place you could amuse yourself in for an afternoon. The common parts were a bit gloomy. We went for a walk! that afternoon.

A pity about baggage handlers' strike in Madrid, main problem was that we had our walking poles taken from us in Stansted in spite of the fact that my husband had checked with Ryanair that we could get them through security. This is categorically not true. We had to store our poles in Stansted at cost to ourselves and buy poles in Leon.

Another good Headwater holiday. We loved the island, the walking and swimming in the sea, but should have gone in May, June was a bit too hot for us and we were surprised how busy the beaches were. It was different getting a car at the airport and driving ourselves to the hotel and, once we had learned how to negotiate the narrow roads to and from the hotel, we loved having the opportunity to explore more of the island and plan our own sightseeing each day in addition to the walks. The hotel is a gem and being able to return to this tranquil country retreat each day and relax on your own terrace or swim in the pool before going for dinner made the holiday for us. The accommodation, food and service were all excellent. There was so much choice for breakfast including local cakes and pastries and in the evenings we enjoyed a good selection of Menorcan dishes served by friendly, attentive and helpful staff.

Mrs Lawrence
Walking the Camino de Santiago
30/05/2015

A superb holiday experience that we will always remember. Headwater's advice & organisation was faultless.

Interesting and active. Enjoyment of meals could be improved by more choices on the menu(at least three including salads). If necessary in a smallish establishment these could be pre-booked in the morning.

HW selection of hotels is VERY GOOD and we always enjoy their slightly off beat locations and warm atmosphere. We know that other HW guests will be like -minded people we can engage in friendly conversation and exchange anecdotes about each walk with in the evenings.

Mrs Crowther
Catalan Coastal Walk
23/05/2015

Met our needs brilliantly. Superb scenery. High level of service and comfort.

Mrs Moxham
Walking the Camino de Santiago
16/05/2015

This is a classic walk which also includes extra interest such as a tour of Leon and the ability, due to transfers, to stay in some lovely establishments. This part of Spain is very beautiful and we walked through lovely little villages and farms. The flowers, particularly on the first day, along the way were stunning. Lots of places to get snacks and drinks. The Camino is so well signposted that there is very little need to consult notes and maps so it is easy to enjoy the walking.

Mr Howard
Walking the Camino de Santiago
16/05/2015

Excellent experience. A privilege to walk through such a beautiful and little known part of Spain!

Although we had to look after ourselves the notes and guidance we were given were excellent. Sensible notes about our airport arrival, car hire, hotel, and walks told us everything we needed to know.

Ms Clark
Catalan Coastal Walk
15/05/2015

Fantastic walking area if you like wild, remote stony terrain. Incredibly windy at times and also challenging steep downhill sections if these are not your forte! Superb coastal and inland scenery. Great to have suggested walks for free days especially as the weather wasn't really good enough for swimming and relaxing. The local taxi driver was great, carrying on the luggage and when we finished the last day's walking early we phoned him and he picked us up. He also helped us sort out an earlier train to Barcelona. We had the same reps in Tuscany last year and once again they were brilliant, providing extra route notes and e mailing changes. The initial briefing by phone worked well and we were delighted when they joined us for our last evening meal. They really go the extra mile to make things go smoothly. The hotels were all excellent and we liked the variety in the evening meal arrangement. Adding on 2 nights in Barcelona was the icing on the cake. The hotel there was of a lower standard, a very small room,but we did expect an ensuite room and not one with a bathroom down the corridor. We would have liked to have known this in advance and been given the chance to upgrade. Overall, a memorable holiday!

Mr Sutherland
Walking the Coastal Trails of Menorca
13/05/2015

Excellent accommodation and staff. Food variable from excellent (breakfast mainly) to indescribably bad for some meals/courses in the evening. English translations of menus were unhelpful. ('Meat Soup' turned out to be a bowl of pasta shells in a chicken stock. Marinated fish was a mystery). Wines excellent. Walks were great.

Headwater response:
Dear Mr & Mrs Sutherland,
Thank you for taking the time to complete your post-holiday feedback. We were pleased to see that you had an enjoyable holiday overall. Although, we are sorry to see that you did not enjoy the meals at dinner. Ordinarily, this hotel receives good feedback in this area, however, we realise that we cannot allow our standards to slip, and therefore we will monitor the feedback we receive for the meals to ensure we are delivering the high standards our customers have come to expect.
Thank you for highlighting this feedback to us.
We would like to thank you for traveling with Headwater and look forward to welcoming you on another of our holidays in the future.
Yours sincerely,
Headwater customer service

Mr Huddart
Walking in the Sierra de Gredos
10/05/2015

The warmth of the welcome at El Milano Real was exceptional. Teresa was knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the area and the walks. She advised us about matching walks to the weather. The food was outstanding in quality and presentation. The route notes were exceptionally accurate. This was one of our best walking holidays ever.

Mr Jackson
Catalan Classic Walk
09/05/2015

First time and we loved it.

Mr Woodgate
Walking the Camino de Santiago
09/05/2015

My 2nd camino walk holiday, a different personal experience but excellent, Galicia & Spain at its very best, Headwater organisation & bag moving en route is superb hassle & worry free,

Mr Small
Walking the Camino de Santiago
09/05/2015

Casa Rural santa maria-would have been helpful to know that he would pick up from the town as the extra km was not good on a v hot day.La Posada de Muriel-the hosts had changed! The breakfast of one piece of toast was not enough for a long walk and certainly could not be described as a buffet! Pazo Santa Maria-should have informed us of the most direct way to get to it as it is also a bit out and at least a 20min walk from the track as described.Rectoral de Lestedo-it would have been very helpful to have known that there was no option of drinks(tea, coffee or anything else for the three hours before the meal,which was poor.It would be useful to suggest that walkers go into the cafe about a km before the accommodation as going back doesn't seem sensible and we were ok with water (from the tap)

A most enjoyable week spent on a delightful, unspoilt island with comfortable accommodation and varied and interesting walking opportunities.

Driving on the smaller roads in Menorca can be challenging at times, particularly the fairly long stretch between Ciutadella and the hotel which is narrow,

winding and lined with unforgiving limestone walls - make sure you insure your hire car excess!

Ciutadella is a delightful town to explore and the Menorcan people are charming and very helpful to visitors.

Mr Williams
Walking in the Sierra de Gredos
02/05/2015

Very good holiday, we were made to feel very welcome at the hotel El Milano Real. Good mixture of walking options, some fairly challenging. Worth visiting the south side of the Sierra de Gredos for quite different climate and flora.

Mr Newmarch
Walking in the Sierra de Gredos
02/05/2015

A great week from start to finish. Excellent hotel. In particular Teresa the hotel owner, whose local knowledge, weather reports and enthusiasm were invaluable. A beautiful location to explore with varied and interesting walks.

Mrs Clifton
Walking in the Sierra de Gredos
26/04/2015

A holiday for not-too-serious walkers but definitely one for foodies.

Very friendly and helpful staff at the Hotel who took an interest on what we did each day. Delightful scenery, good weather and interesting walks at thee right level of difficulty.

Mr Cameron
Catalan Coastal Walk
21/04/2015

Excellent holiday and a lovely area of Spain with great food and wine

Mrs Darwin
Walking in the Sierra de Gredos
19/04/2015

Wonderful location with excellent and varied walks; lots of interesting birds and flowers; the hotel observatory was a bonus. Teresa's local knowledge and advice were excellent

A really good holiday. Excellent Hotel and walking in a very quiet area. Will email some more detailed commets direct.

A really excellent holiday in a relatively unknown but attractive location, with a superb hotel and a very helpful and knowledgeable hostess, and a good choice of walks. But for goodness sake improve the return directions to the airport - saying 'reverse the outward route' is hopelessly inadequate for negotiating the motorways of Madrid!

Mr Beal
Catalan Classic Walk
08/04/2015

On our holiday we found the attention to detail and the help from the reps was outstanding. The detailed route notes in particular were very helpful and made the walking a pleasure. We will definitely travel with Headwater again.

Ms Thornton
Hidden Valleys of Cordoba Walk
07/04/2015

My fourth Headwater walking holiday but the first based in one place. Loved the small, friendly hotel, and the flexibility to chose our walks according to mood, weather and stamina. Also the chance to take day trips to Cordoba and Granada.

Mrs Barber
Hidden Valleys of Cordoba Walk
21/03/2015

Excellent holiday with good and varied walks and lots of interesting limestone scenery. Hotel was a welcoming base with friendly helpful staff and lovely food.

Mrs Maingay
Hidden Valleys of Cordoba Walk
18/10/2014

Very pleasant. And we enjoyed our visits to Granada and Cordoba,the latter easily done by public transport

Mr Cumming
Hidden Valleys of Cordoba Walk
17/10/2014

All aspects of booking and organisation went without hitch.

Taxi arrangements and driver were again excellent!

Mr Ruffler
Walking the Camino de Santiago
11/10/2014

I have a friend who is doing this trip next year and I have recommended your company

Mrs White
Walking in the Sierra de Gredos
09/10/2014

This was our first walking holiday since we were teenagers and our first holiday without children. It was an excellent introduction. Good quality accommodation, a beautiful area and well guided walks. Sometimes the notes were a little unclear and we deliberately avoided a couple of walks that other travellers had said were difficult to follow but we only lost our way on one of the walks and think this was because there had been substantial recent tree felling and logging that obliterated the tracks. Our host Theresa was excellent and took her responsibilities very seriously in ensuring we were safe and happy. We also had the pleasure of meeting other headwater guests and spent some meals and walks together which was an added bonus. In summary, a well organised and enjoyable holiday.

I did find the notes back to the airport from the Gredos mountains very difficult, as it said 'reverse your original notes from Madrid Airport'. I thought this very lazy as we were taking many motorways and A roads and they were not clear to start with. There was plenty of space on the page and it felt as though we were being ignored at this stage.

The combination of a fine hotel location, dramatic countryside and superb food made this a unique holiday which brought us new and welcome experiences. We chose walks that ranged from beautiful countryside rambles to testing mountain ascents. In view of the excellent local advice, it is easy to tailor the nature and difficulty of the walks to your own abilities and inclinations. In addition, the gastronomy was first class.

Mr Curwen
Walking in the Sierra de Gredos
28/09/2014

The Gredos is a wonderful location for walking holidays and Milano Real provides and excellent base. This holiday offers lots of walking options from dramatic high level mountain views to idyllic river valleys resounding with tinkling cow bells and trickling streams. We had a fascinating day in Salamanca when we fancied a change from walking and the journey through the mountains added to our enjoyment of the day. Last but by no means least, Teresa and Paco were superb hosts and nothing seemed to be too much trouble to make sure we enjoyed our stay. We will definitely be back.

Mr Dyer
Following St James' Way
26/09/2014

We would like to say how fantastic the man was who gave us the mini-moke ride from our hotel back into Portomarin and how hard our hostess (Maria) worked to keep everybody happy in the Casa de los Samoza.



The food in Rectoral de Goian was amazing! For the world's best bread and butter pudding go to O Muino de Pena>

Mrs Potts
Catalan Coastal Walk
24/09/2014

Varied walking, great countryside and wonderful, welcoming accommodation with excellent food. An ideal holiday with real feel good factor

Mis Rodgers
Catalan Coastal Walk
21/09/2014

Enjoyed the whole holiday. Walking and hotels were great and the scenery was fantastic. Enjoyed barcelona and the trip to the Dali House. Overall a good variety of experiences in the time.

Ms Morgan
Catalan Classic Walk
20/09/2014

We had a wonderful holiday. The walking was a dream and took us to so many beautiful places we had never heard of. Two of the hotels were a bit basic for accommodation and we would have liked to have the option at Hotel Rosa to upgrade to a suite if we had known. Garbi first day the room was basic but on the last night we had a great room, much larger and with a view. Will be back....

Mrs Hughes
Following St James' Way
19/09/2014

Overall it was a great holiday. We throughly enjoyed ourselves.

Mrs Holmes
Catalan Classic Walk
16/09/2014

An interestingly varied holiday with wooded hills, inland country and scenic coastal walking, giving a good taste of the area. We particularly enjoyed walking via some of the beautiful mediaeval villages included in the route of the second walk. Also, we really appreciated having route notes for some suggested 'rest-day' walks, especially as this holiday is relatively short. The three hotels were also quite different and all had a charm of their own - we thoroughly enjoyed each one. This holiday would suit those looking for variety and a balance between activity and rest. The walks were well constructed, with some challenging sections, but not too exhausting, so there is a sense of achievement at the end of the day and tired legs are soon revived by a gentle swim and a good dinner! Thank you, Headwater, for a great holiday and we hope to be back for another one.

Mrs Roderick
Hidden Valleys of Cordoba Walk
15/09/2014

This was our second visit to Zuheros. The Hotel Zuhayra is the perfect base for a walking holiday. All the staff are friendly and helpful and the evening meals provide a wide range of well-cooked local food. The walks are challenging enough to feel that something has been achieved at the end of the day.

Wonderful hotel in a beautiful, tranquil setting, with friendly, helpful staff. Close to some of the best beaches on the island.

Mr Grant
Catalan Coastal Walk
12/09/2014

We enjoyed the rest days and some parts of the walks were very enjoyable with spectacular landscapes. However, overall we felt that the holiday was not exactly as described. It is called a 'Coastal Walk' but it is, in fact, rather a tough mountain hike as the walks focus inland in dry arid and often rather inhospitable terrain. The holiday description states 'once you begin walking clockwise around the peninsula, the sea is your constant companion'. The sea is not your constant companion, as for the most part, it is far off and out of sight. There are no villages at all (bar one small one just before El Porta de la Salva) on the walks, pretty,'cute as a button' or otherwise. A lot of people would enjoy this but it could be clearer in the holiday description. A lot of the climbs and descents are steep and rocky and in one place you do have to do a small bit of rock climbing. The trails are often on loose rocks and stones and narrow.There is quite a lot of scrabbling required. I think this should have been flagged in the holiday description with better photos. I would have rated the holiday difficulty at least as a '2 boot +.' Cadaques is certainly the highlight but all the hotels were excellent and welcoming. Recommend the restaurant 'Can Rafa' in Cadaques.

Mr Banham
Catalan Classic Walk
08/09/2014

Interesting and varied walking through delightful countryside with visits to and refreshment stops in beautifully preserved historic villages. Each day culminated in a stay in excellent accommodation, the highlight of which was the 3 nights we spent at Castell d`Emporda.

Mr Petch
Catalan Coastal Walk
08/09/2014

Couldn't fault it. Even the weather was excellent. Looking forward to next year's brochure.

Lovely location, great hotel, wonderful support from hotel staff in our 'hour-of-need, varied walks and opportunity to visit an historical Spanish city.

Mr Lewis
Catalan Coastal Walk
04/09/2014

For us aged 79 and 74 the walks were challenging but we very much enjoyed our holiday in a beautiful area of Spain.

Mr Heald
Walking the Camino de Santiago
30/08/2014

It was an excellent holiday and very well planned so that we had a good morning sightseeing in Leon*, walked the best stretches of the Camino and had an attractive balance of accommodation.



* We were a bit concerned about starting the 1st days walk so late in such heat (30c+), but we managed it!

Dr Worthy
Walking in the Sierra de Gredos
23/08/2014

El Milano Real walking holiday was the perfect combination of fantastic walks, outstandingly delicious food and a warm welcome.

The service and level of advice was great.

A beautiful place with some stunning walking in the mountains.

Mr Bird
Catalan Classic Walk
12/07/2014

See comments on rail travel, and specifically Headwater's absence of advice. Naturally people from the UK expect a similar experience to using the rail at home, and while this assumption would be valid for rail travel in France, Germany, NL etc, Spain was very different.

Headwater response:
Dear Mr Bird,
Thank you for taking the time to complete your post-holiday questionnaire. We were pleased to see that you scored your holiday overall as good to excellent. However, it was disappointing to see that you encountered issues navigating the Spanish rail system. We would like to apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused.
In order to improve the experience for future customers, we have been working closely with our local agents. With this in mind, we are pleased to advise you that for the 2015 season we will be pre purchasing all Spanish rail tickets. This should alleviate the time spent queuing and ensure a smoother trip through the Spanish region. Whilst we realise this does not help you personally. We do hope that it goes some way to show we take your feedback seriously.

Yours sincerely,
Headwater Customer Service Team

Mrs Wakefield
Catalan Classic Walk
02/07/2014

We really enjoyed this holiday. Moving from hotel to hotel provides much variety. There was a real problem getting drinks especially at the castle hotel. A welcome drink immediately on arrival at the hotel should be offered especially as people are very tired and thirsty after a long walk in the heat.

Also the communication at the Castle Hotel needs to be improved, e.g. no one told us where to go for dinner when it was not outside as on the first evening.

However, we really enjoyed the holiday in spite of these little things.

Mrs Simpson
Following St James' Way
20/06/2014

It was hard work covering the average 12 miles/day. We enjoyed the 8 mile day with some 'free time' in the afternoon and felt very at home at Casa de la Somoza that afternoon. Enjoyed the company of the other 4 Headwater walkers we ate and walked with. Exciting to arrive at such an interesting and varied accomodation with such a variety of ambience and fare.

We were told on the 'phone when booking that we needed to get the 6.30 flight from Stanstead in order to have time to catch the train from Madrid to Leon. In fact it only took a short time by taxi to the station where we waited 4 hrs for the train. 2 hrs extra in bed and 8.30 flight would have got us off to a better start!

Thank you arranging all the accomodation and transfer of luggage which worked so well. Loved Leon and found it such a generous place - we kept being given little extras, whether from market traders or patisserie.

Route instructions generally good, but not clear that we needed to walk almost to the railway station to find the Hotel Roma at Sarria. That was a long last k.

Also the last k to Pazo Santa Maria directions could have been clearer with more detail.

Mr Smith
Walking the Camino de Santiago
14/06/2014

We were blessed with decent weather, and so enjoyed this 160km. very much. We found the O Munio De Pena a bit of a gloomy place, with Javier nowhere in sight until 8.30 that evening! The only other mild carp we have is at Sarria, where that last km. through the town was hard work. Could a pick-up closer to our entry into the town be considered?

Also, going into Arzua, the Pazo told us that if Headwater had told us we could have phoned the Pazo for a taxi from our entry into the town to the hotel for 4 euros! This could have been very valuable info. as we were being chased by a thunderstorm at that time! We also recommend the taxi back to the starting point next day.

Mr Mcleod
Catalan Classic Walk
12/06/2014

Enjoyable. In the inland parts the villages were lovely with less interesting walking, but the coastal walking was great.

A very good hotel on a lovely Island which provided an excellent base for a walking holiday on routes which were varied and not too 'testing'

A lovely hotel (small and family-run) in a beautiful landscape. All food locally sourced as much as possible. We chose to pay extra for a better room, more spacious and with private terrace and a beautiful view, that was well worthwhile. I don't think we would have been happy in standard accommodation.

Mr Gower
Catalan Classic Walk
01/06/2014

Great walks. Plenty to see and do. Vegetarians beware.

Headwater response:
Dear Mr Gower, Thank you for completing your post-holiday questionnaire and for the feedback you have provided, we have discussed your comment regarding vegetarian meals with the hoteliers. As a result of this they have advised us they will ensure a better variety of vegetarian meals are available for future customers. We are sorry for any disappointment this may have caused you during your holiday and were pleased to see that despite this you had an enjoyable holiday.
Yours sincerely,
Headwater Customer Service team.

We loved the island, the walks and the hotel. The staff were all very friendly and helpful, just a little disappointed with the food at dinner: usually it was fine and occasionally good. Had our best meal on the way home at Meson Galicia in Es Mercadal near the car park with excellent views of mount Torro.

Mrs Evans
Catalan Coastal Walk
31/05/2014

Fantastic holiday - very good walks and directions. Only niggle was the train journey in Spain as instructions about tickets not clear. Ticket booth at Barcelona closed so ended up buying wrong ticket and then having to pay again on train. Again on return journey not enough detail about buying ticket and when I rang rep unfortunately he did not know so made journey slightly stressful! Overall a very enjoyable holiday

Mr Royce
Following St James' Way
30/05/2014

Our pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela was a magical experience, and spiritually uplifting. We encountered so many memorable characters and different nationalities along the way, all with different stories and experiences, which will endure as we reflect on our journey in the years to come.

Mrs Wylde
Following St James' Way
23/05/2014

Please see above comments - it was a wonderful experience walking the Camino but I was disappointed with the seesaw quality of the places we stayed - a couple lovely, several really miserable. Food poisoning episode only helped by the fact that there was a doctor on the trip who helped me. The venue seeemed unconcerned. Really spoiled the last few days of the holiday.

Headwater response:
Dear Mrs Wylde,
Thank you for taking the time to complete your post-holiday questionnaire following your holiday this summer to Spain. Firstly, we were sorry to see you felt this holiday did not live up to your expectations with regards to the standard of some of the accommodations and the walk ratings. Please be assured that we have discussed your feedback in detail with our local agents, he will in turn discuss with our local suppliers and measures will be put into place to improve where necessary. We were also sorry to see that you were unwell at the end of your holiday; our agent was also disappointed to hear this and advised us that had you mentioned this to him he would have most certainly arranged onward transportation for you. We have not received any further complaints regarding sickness over this period or throughout the rest of the season. Our agent has advised us that food poisoning is a very rare occurrence in this region as the suppliers are used to dealing with high volumes of pilgrims and all of the food is prepared fresh daily. However, we will continue to monitor the feedback we receive, and will ensure it is cascaded back to the suppliers should another incidence be reported. We were also sorry to see that you felt the accommodations were poor in places. Due to the amount of walking done on this holiday, we try to use accommodations which are on or close to the Camino and because of this the accommodation standards can vary, as reflected in our brochure and web page ratings, however, please be assured that we do realise how important it is to maintain our high standards of accommodation and service, and we do appreciate we cannot afford to let our standards slip. With this in mind, our agent continually monitors any feedback received and provides feedback to both Headwater and the specific suppliers as appropriate. He also advised us that there are newer Albergues being built, however, these do not comply with our standards as most of them offer shared facilities and are mostly dorm type rooms with bunk beds and this is not the type of accommodation we feel is suitable for our customers. In closing we would like to thank you for your constructive feedback.
Yours sincerely,
Headwater Customer Service team

Mrs Brown
Catalan Coastal Walk
19/05/2014

Does what it says in the brochure - 7 days of interesting sights without using cars or trains - organisation during walk flawless.

Mrs Currie
Catalan Coastal Walk
19/05/2014

Excellent walking with fantastic scenery. All accommodation of high standard. Walking definitely 2 boot.

Mr Daines
Walking in the Sierra de Gredos
18/05/2014

A great holiday in an off the beaten track location.

Mr Fairweather
Walking in the Sierra de Gredos
18/05/2014

The Hotel El Milano Real was an excellent base for a walking holiday as several walks could be done directly from the hotel. The food was usually good, sometimes excellent but occasionally disappointing: the wines were generally very good and also very reasonably priced. The weather during the week was unseasonably cold, which spoiled our enjoyment of the highest climbing - we were unable even to attempt Morezon - but the superb walk to the Mirador was completed in very pleasant conditions and we were glad it wasn't too hot. The area is rich in flora and fauna, and May is a good time of year for observing it.

Mrs Price
Catalan Classic Walk
17/05/2014

We really enjoyed our Headwater walking in the Catalan region. The walking was a great combination of inland and coastal routes. The mediaeval villages were lovely and at this time of the year not overcrowded.

One or two of the walks had some challenging sections, particularly the suggested more interesting route to Begur on Day 4. We are older walkers and although experienced and fit we thought that the long relentless climb should come with a little more warning of the steepness. The weather was perfect for us but on very hot days this section of the route would be very demanding.

Otherwise the descriptions of the walks and the routes themselves were helpfully detailed and informative.

Menorca is a really beautiful island and relatively unspoilt. May was ideal weather for walking and it was very quiet. The best walking by the sea that we have ever done. A week was not long enough so we will return1

Mrs Clifton
Hidden Valleys of Cordoba Walk
17/05/2014

Hidden Valleys of Cordoba: a week at the charming Hotel Zuhayra in the pretty white mountain village of Zuheros in mid-May was all that six 70 somethings could wish for. Headwater certainly have a hit on their hands here. Very attentive, helpful staff, good regional food and wine, excellent, if strenuous in parts, walking and wonderful scenery. We added on two nights in Granada at the comfortable, centrally situated Hotel Dauro II from where it was an easy coach ride back to Malaga airport. Headwater's arrangements for our travel and stay were excellent.

Mrs Rathmell
Catalan Coastal Walk
17/05/2014

All was very efficient and the walking instructions were excellent

Ms Summers
Following St James' Way
16/05/2014

Everything extremely well-organized - comfortable and interesting accommodation. Would thoroughly recommend Headwater.

The hotel is in an excellent rural location. Menorca in May is ideal for walking. It's not cheap but is good value if you can afford it.

Mr Thompson
Catalan Classic Walk
13/05/2014

We enjoyed the holiday but did find some of the walks challenging. The accommodation was good but the quality of the food at the Hotel Rosa was outstanding.

Mr Robertson
Catalan Classic Walk
12/05/2014

First try at a walking holiday and enjoyed it thoroughly. Would certainly recommend it.

Mrs Langleben
Walking the Coastal Trails of Menorca
02/05/2014

We are seasoned Headwater clients and have been more than happy with all the holidays we have taken with the company.

Mr Flanagan
Catalan Classic Walk
27/04/2014

A wonderful mixture of healthy exercise,beautiful scenery, fantastic food and friendly people.

Dr Evans
Following St James' Way
25/04/2014

The accommodation was variable between wonderful and very simple.

We were suprised by how few vegetables we were available both in the accommodations and in restaurants.

At the end of some of the walk sections the instructions/directions were less clear and this was a problem when you are tired at the end of a days walking.

We were part of the party with the Raeburns were there was a muddle about our tour of Leon which we missed out on. That shouldn't have happened.

Mrs Grundy
Catalan Coastal Walk
13/04/2014

Headwater holidays always live up to the descriptions in the brochure. Well planned walks, mainly excellent food and accomodation.

We had a great holiday. Well done Headwater.

Mrs Evans
Walking the Camino de Santiago
12/04/2014

This was a great holiday. It's the walks are fairly straightforward, but there are some long days. The arrangement by Headwater worked like clockwork. The hotels are well-chosen and generally of a good standard. Our favourites were the 2 rectorals and Paze Santa Maria. This was a great way to explore the Camino de Santiago.



Mrs Wilson
Walking in the Sierra de Gredos
30/03/2014

I can't fill in the travel section because we were air/self drive. There are some comments I would like to make

1 The map situation was dire.You say in the walking notes that the map you provide is the 'Sierra de Gredos 1:25000. You gave us a map which was an area to the South West of where we were in Hoyos de Espina. We should have been given the correct map and it is 1: 50000 not the above. As you point out the other map (Parque Regional de La Sierra de Gredos) which is 1:25000 only covers the Plataforma area.

2 The spa was not open until the Friday of our stay and that should have been made clear in the notes/brochure.

Otherwise we loved it, the hotel was lovely and food delicious (also v good wine list) and will probably book again next year

Mis Bursey
Walking in the Sierra de Gredos
23/03/2014

Only the weather let us down.... The hotel was delightful and the staff really helpful; the food was execllent and certainly pleantiful with the breakfasts well deserving of the description 'amazing'. Snow and rain prevented our walking as we had hoped and there is little else to do in the immediate vicinity but lots of beautiful places to see if you are prepared to drive (and the roads are surprisingly good).

Mr Hunter
Walking in the Sierra de Gredos
28/10/2013

Visit the Sierra de Gredos. It is a beautiful and unspoilt part of Spain

A good holiday as usual. Hotel lovely, excellent breakfast but evening meals rather unusual and could be improved. Delightful staff, very nice rooms, good local wines. Walking directions good except for one when the map was not accurate and made for a very long walk back to our car along a very busy road. I can provide details on request.

Mis Norton
Walking in the Sierra de Gredos
29/09/2013

We thoroughly enjoyed our week in the Sierra de Gredos, which is a beautiful, uncommercialised region that is excellent for walking. Teresa was a mine of information, not just on the walks but also on the weather in different parts of the region and even on what wine to have with dinner! The hotel staff were friendly and attentive. The food was wonderful and there was plenty of it! Overall, a great holiday.

Great friendly hotel with excellent food - Theresa was full of local knowledge particularly on the weather (which wasn't brilliant when we were there in early October) where she was spot on. Good walking (particularly the higher walks) and the instructions for the walks excellent. We would recommend this holiday. One small criticism a map from the airport to the hotel would have been useful as the instructions were not very clear or take your own sat nav.

Great holiday,due to very good accommodation and beautiful island

Mrs Hawkins
Catalan Coastal Walk
24/09/2013

Well chosen area for walking.Very good self guiding notes and helpful and efficient rep.Excellent choice and standard of hotel. Just everythig we expected of Headwater. Thank you.

Overall a good holiday, Menorca is unspoilt and spotlessly clean. The walks a very well marked, just follow the Cami De Cavalls marker posts which are everywhere. In hindsight, we probably should have gone at a different time of year (we went end Sept) as the temperature got to 30 deg on most days, and as the walking was mainly costal there was not much shade. We also felt a bit overdressed walking across “nudist” beaches in our walking boots, back packs and sun hats! The hotel is very nice, with friendly and helpful staff. The only drawback is that there is not a communal bar where you can meet fellow guests for a pre dinner drink so there is not much of a social atmosphere. You just sit down, eat and go! A shame as the hotel has so much to offer. Our recommendation would be to go out of season, when the temperature is lower, the beaches empty and the scenery greener.

Mr Hutton
Walking the Camino de Santiago
21/09/2013

Good mixture of walking, history and culture which in combination produced an excellent break

Menorca is a beautiful island and the Hotel Movedra Nou is a delightful rural hotel and sanctuary away from the commercialisation of many of the coastal villages and small towns. The food was excellent and true Menorcan country cooking involving many different types of fish and numerous vegetables.

This Headwater holiday was different to our previous ones as we were provided with a car at Mahon airport for our use during the week. This had the impact of helping us to see more of the island and walk in more distant places although the negative point was that walks either involved a 'there and back' walk, or we needed to catch an expensive taxi to get back to our starting point. The maps provided were poor although by day 4 we were bequeathed an excellent map by a fellow Headwater traveller which improved things considerably. [Map now passed on yet again] This map 'Menorca Tour and Trail - Super Durable by David and Ros Brawn' is available on Amazon today at £8.99. I would recommend that Headwater send their customers this map as it gives a much better mapping of the coastal path that the walks are covering. The walking was a little tricky as the 'coastal trail' was often bumpy and rocky making it difficult to get any rhythm into our walking. Some of the walks need reviewing as they are out of date to current local developments. Several of the walks ended in very commercial areas which was disappointing after walking beautiful coastal routes. The Menorcan trail was popular and busy - we often shared it with other walkers, joggers mountain bikers and horse riders. Several walks involved some beach walking which involved picking your way through sunbathers!

Summary, great hotel and food - considerable daily driving miles - walking limited on rocky paths - maps need improvement.

Mr Hogarth
Walking in the Sierra de Gredos
17/09/2013

Excellent for walking with a good variety of walks at various lengths and levels of challenge. Hotel location and village very good.

Food excellent and a vegetarian well catered for.

Mrs Barnish
Walking in the Sierra de Gredos
15/09/2013

This was a fabulous holiday in an area that was totally unknown to us. The landscape was stunning, the walks varied and the location ideal for visits to the cities of Avila, Salamanca, Segovia , Madrid and Toledo - all on empty, excellently- maintained roads. The hotel was exceptional with amazing food and service. We would thoroughly recommend this holiday for all the experiences it offers but would suggest booking a minimum of 10 days to ensure you able to fit everything in!!

Mis Callaghan
Catalan Coastal Walk
14/09/2013

This was a lovely holiday. The walks were quite tough and in particular the walk from Cadaques to Roses was demanding. The scenery was stunning and hotels very comfortable. Alan's guide notes were excellent. Overall a thoroughly enjoyable holiday in a beautiful location

Mr Arscott
Walking the Camino de Santiago
14/09/2013

Enjoyable expierence

Would you please update this website to remove the spelling errors - it's very annoying! (Note use of too instead of to and during is incorrectly spelled)

Mr Wiblin
Walking in the Sierra de Gredos
08/09/2013

The owners of the hotel really went the extra mile to makes us welcome. Their service was excellent and the quality of the food was superb, dealing with one of our party with a wheat intolerance with ease.

We have just enjoyed our second wonderful holiday at the Milano Real. The walks here are very varied, with scenery that ranges from green and leafy woods and meadows to impressive wild and barren terrain. The hotel is very friendly and welcoming and the food is superb, from the imaginative and unusual breakfasts, to the a la carte 3-course picnics to the tempting and varied evening menu, eaten while watching amazing sunsets. We strongly recommend this holiday!

Dr O'Brien
Hidden Valleys of Cordoba Walk
07/09/2013

Exhilarating walks in magnificent mountainous landscape with dramatic views; hotel a 'home from home' in authentic village Spain looked after by genuinely kind and courteous staff; vegetarian food was outstanding here with a careful choice offered for each evening (a first on the continent!). Local driver was punctual, good driver and always cheerful. Local people were a really significant part of making this holiday so enjoyable. There was sufficient of historical and architectural interest locally, from neolithic caves to nineteenth century railway history, to interest us without needing to go elsewhere.

Dr Tudor
Walking the Camino de Santiago
07/09/2013

Overall it was a fantastic holiday - one of our best ever. We loved the Camino itself and our holiday was enhanced by the 6 others in our group.

Our stay in O'Cebriero was horrid, as the community was celebrating its local saints day and the hotel/pub was in the centre of the long festivities, including lots of pulpo (octopus) being prepared, boiled and eaten and an amplified band striking up at midnight. Understandably on such a big occasion it took quite a while before we could access our rooms, and it was not possible to get our cases through the crowds for a time either. Unfortunately the refuge at the quiet end of the village was fully booked otherwise we would have stayed there instead. Headwater should warn clients arriving on that day what to expect.

Mr Goodall
Catalan Classic Walk
04/09/2013

The holiday overall exceeded our expectations. The Hotel Castell d'Emporda in particular is in a stunning location with exceptional service and quality. The food at the Hotel Rosa was excellent. The walking instructions were exemplary and Alan and Linda could not have been more helpful.

Mrs McKinstry
Catalan Coastal Walk
02/09/2013

The Catalan Cooastal Walk guides you through an area of outstanding beauty which remains unspoilt by tourism.

An excellent holiday. All the travel arrangements involving air travel and car hire were excellent. The Hotel El Milano Real was excellent and the food superb. Teresa was an excellent host. Scenery excellent. The waymarks on some of the walks need updating and an indication of the distances between waymarks would be helpful. Also distances on the route from Madrid to Hoyos del Espino would be helpful.

The Sierra de Gredos region of Spain is an outstandingly beautiful area of mountains, valleys and rural villages. It's an easy 2-hour drive from Madrid and the hotel El Milano Real in the village of Hoya del Espino can barely be faulted. In particular, the range and quality of the food on offer is of the highest order. Also, the views from the hotel of the Gredos range are breathtaking. The walking is varied from fairly demanding, to reach the higher areas with magnificent views, to idyllically rural along lovely river valleys.

Mrs Winward
Catalan Coastal Walk
31/08/2013

use headwater and plan a holiday to fit your needs and wishes.

Mr Pearce
Catalan Coastal Walk
30/08/2013

Excellent walks but in places were much more demanding than 'leisurely.' Good mix of hotels. Generally good food. Roses was very much at the Costa Brava end of holidays but the rest was good. It was a bit disappointing to find so many extra costs - the train from Barcelona to Garriguella & back - the £59 for a relatively short taxi ride from Garriguella to Figueras for the train home (although the taxi people - Francisco & Maria - were very reliable). With a few exceptions the guidance notes were reliable - the optional walk at El Port de la Selva had loads of mistakes - I have pointed this out to the rep. Overall though it was a good experience & I would recommend it.

The Sierra De Gredos is a fantastic destination in July/August and the Hotel El Milano Real in Hoyos Del Espino is a perfect place to base the holiday. The weather on the north side was perfect for walking, blue skies all week - high 20's near the hotel and low 20's in the mountains. The food and service in the hotel was excellent and everyone was very friendly. This was our first Headwater holiday and I hope that the other destinations can live up to this one.

Mrs Jones
Walking in the Sierra de Gredos
21/07/2013

We particularly like Headwater holidays as they take you to unexplored regions of countries which are unspoilt by tourism and overcrowding. We extended our holiday and stayed in Segovia for a few days which we loved and we had the opportunity to go to Salamanca for a day.

The holiday was everything we had hoped it would be. The notes provided on how to get to our destination, general useful information and the self guided daily walks themselves were very well put together and most helpful. The variety in the scenery of the walking itinerary each day enhanced our enjoyment of the trip as did the hotels which were individual, characterful and were perfect after a long day walking. Our Rep was knowledgeable and helpful and was available at the end of a mobile when additional assistance was needed in following the walking notes. The experience completely lived up to its claims and our expectations.

Mr Archer
Catalan Classic Walk
06/07/2013

The holiday was exactly as described. The route note were absolutely perfect, we did not go wrong on the wrong route once

Mrs McLaughlin
Catalan Classic Walk
30/06/2013

I really enjoyed the holiday. The local rep was excellent as were his directions. He'd obviously put a lot of work into them. The walks were very enjoyable and varied. The Castle Emporda which was the highlight. The hotel in Begur was OK but the location in the town centre was great and the restaurant of higher quality.



Mr Lindley
Catalan Classic Walk
28/06/2013

good experience well supported both by headoffice and at the resort. hotels were well chosen for quality of room and food. walking varied and interesting and routes accurate. let down by one hotel on one night which we will take up with the customer service team.

Mrs Hales
Catalan Coastal Walk
26/06/2013

Although we enjoyed the walking we found some of it challenging, and yet we are quite active walkers. It is not what we expected as a leisurely classification.

But the whole area was beautiful and enjoyable.

Mrs Crookes
Walking the Camino de Santiago
15/06/2013

Felt could have walked further each day, especially in order to reach Santiago more comfortably to experience the pilgrim's service (we walked the final 21kms in 4 hours in order to do this) plus that last part is the least interesting part of the walk. Appreciated the care taken to make the first 3 days so interesting - very glad that started at Leon and not at Sarria - and very glad that stayed way out of Sarria as it's a rather depressing town! Found the trek down to the resort at Portomarin a pain - felt had arrived, at the river, then found had another good up and down km to do to reach the entrance. The manager/owner offered to drive us the next morning, which we all appreciated. All the taxi and other drivers were excellent, on time, friendly and efficient. Would especially like to mention Blanca, the guide in Leon; such a lovely and enthusiastic person with immense knowledge - we were expecting to be bored, but were totally immersed and hope to go back. We all agreed that it would be useful to have a list of taxi and other drivers' phone numbers as we often arrived 2 or 3 hours before pick up time. O'Coto was a pleasant hotel, it was just a pity that was sandwiched between 2 busy roads with a car dump nearby. It was also a bit damp, tho the owners put the heating on for us (we know they are new owners so maybe will be making improvements for next year), and was difficult to dry our washing - which we all did as were staying 2 nights there. I am being very pernickety here, as overall we enjoyed the holiday immensely and have enthusiastically recommended it to our friends.

Mr Neilson
Walking the Camino de Santiago
08/06/2013

We thoroughly enjoyed the walking but preferred the days when the accommodation was actually on the Camino. The inconvenience and waste of time waiting for taxis in unpicturesque places at the end of a day's walking was irritating. Similarly starting a day with a taxi ride to get back to the Camino from remote accommodation was unsatisfactory.

Menorca is ideal for walking with a diverse landscape and the whole island being relatively low- lying. The landscape is interesting, the coastal paths are really lovely and you are never more than 3 hours from a watering-hole! People are friendly. Driving on the island is very easy. Headwaters walking itinery was well-planned and descriptions excellent, even going so far as the tell you which cafe's will order a taxi for you. Coastal walking is particularly lovely as you have a light breeze coming in from the sea and plenty of opportunities for a cooling dip or paddle. Inland, there are castles and ancient monuments to explore. Hotel Morvedra Nou is a perfect base, being quiet and luxurious, an ideal spot to relax after a day (or a morning) walking

Not your fault but one of the landowners appears to have gated off one of the walks. When I get a spare moment, I'll write to you about it.



Overall a superb holiday.

Mr Bostock- Smith
Catalan Classic Walk
02/06/2013

The holiday was excellent. We were fortunate with the weather and the walks were good. It is a simple task to calculate the costs of the basics in the holiday particully hotel prices. We are therefore paying a significant premium for the convenience and support of having a local guide & his imput into the walk instructions.. What you charge is of course up to you and many will no doubt be happy to pay this premium for the reassurance it provides but we would not regard it as value for money

Mrs Molyneux-Carte
Walking the Coastal Trails of Menorca
31/05/2013

Dinner at the hotel Morvedra Nou was generally not good. Fish was the best option. However the staff were delightful and made up for the cooking somewhat. Breakfast was good but if we should go again we would probably prefer to go B&B and take our chances with the A La Carte menu. We did not try A La Carte this time as we felt the standard of the half board dinner was poor and didn't bode well for the A La Carte. However some other guests tried it and said it was reasonable. It would be a bit of a trek to go elsewhere for dinner so some improvement is needed. In spite of this we would happily go again.

Mr Davis
Catalan Coastal Walk
25/05/2013

Excellent holiday. Walking notes by Alan were excellent and to a point that a map was unnecessary.

Mr Monck
Following St James' Way
24/05/2013

Headwater had thought of everything and it's attention to detail that counts on a holiday like this. Thank you !

Mrs Whybrow
Catalan Classic Walk
19/05/2013

The holiday was a chance to explore a region in depth and to do walks into deep countryside, which we could never have done without your detailed route notes. Lovely scenery, flowers, butterflies and birds. Some of the walks seemed quite long! - but worth the effort.

Mrs Hilditch
Catalan Classic Walk
16/05/2013

Whilst we have had the most brilliant holiday as it was an old school reunion, considering the time in advance it was booked it seemed that the cost did not really reflect our expectation. We paid well over £1000 for a four night trip that did not seem very well tailored to our needs mostly in terms of transfer arrangements. We felt that for a group our size there could have been better transfer arrangements. The walking was very well organised and well marked and our guide whilst he clearly was not used to such a large group of opinionated women (!) he ensured that our needs were met.

Dr Hand
Catalan Classic Walk
13/05/2013

My sister and I were looking for a walking holiday which neither of us had done before.

This was one of the best holidays I have ever had. The superb organisation from start to finish resulted in an almost totally stress free time.

The walks were very thoughtfully planned , varied and a total delight. The scenery and views were spectacular. The area is unspoilt and full of history. The hotels and food were a real pleasure.

The local knowledge meant that every aspect of the holiday was chosen carefully to maximise enjoyment.

You just couldn't do this yourself.

Grilled rep on way back about which holiday to do next.

I would highly recommend this trip

Marie Hand

Holiday was exactly as described, accommodation, food, service all very good. Headwater staff were excellent when required.

Mrs Tromans
Catalan Classic Walk
05/05/2013

A very relaxing holiday in superb locations with varied walks & interesting local historical interest. Away from the usual tourist spots. Manageable walking for those not used to walking great distances & very helpful & knowledgeable local rep.

Menora is a beatiful island and as it had rained the week before our arrival (beginning May) the wild flowers were fantastic. If you're a birdwatcher there is also a lot to see (and hear) - spent a great half hour one evening after dinner watching a Barn Owl coming and going between the trees and the hotel grounds. Morvedra Nou Hotel is a delightful, converted farmhouse, very peaceful location. Victoria and all her team made us feel really welcome and couldn't have been more helpful. The daily dinner menu was a great way to sample Menorcan cuisine.

Mr Robson
Hidden Valleys of Cordoba Walk
27/04/2013

An 'independent' Headwater Holiday can be adjusted to suit individual capacity, especially as one grows older! We wanted to go to this particular area but no longer operate at two boot level. So we used the notes, Antonio's advice and good public transport services to visit Cordoba and Granada, to tweak the holiday, enjoy the Subbetica National Park fully as well as two historic cities.

Mrs Winward
Catalan Classic Walk
21/04/2013

A fantastic holiday. Alans notes made the self guiding really easy. There was a lovely mix of different types of walks i.e. woodland, coastal, villages. Alan did his very best to plan the walks away from any main roads en route so we had a lovely, safe views and vistas. The Castella D'Emporada was one of the nicest hotels that we have stayed in, in the world. The food in both hotels was excellent. The bags arrived before us, as if by magic at each hotel. This is a beautiful area.

The Sierra de Gredos holiday was very enjoyable. The hotel's normal clientele are weekend visitors from Madrid; a bit like the Lake District for the Midlands. The food (breakfast, packed lunches and dinner) was excellent, though quite different from British food.

The walking was very good, but we were glad we had come in April as there is very little shade.

Mrs Scott
Catalan Classic Walk
13/04/2013

This was a most beautiful part of Spain and completely unexpected. As we were the first guests of the season our hotels and destinations were not at all crowded. People had time to stop and chat. The weather for walking was perfect at this time of year.

Although this was a 'soft' holiday, we found some of the walks quite challenging either in length (Castell d'Emporda to Begur) or difficulty (Cami de Ronda between Begur and Lafranc), but we took our time and shortened walks by taking the odd taxi (phone numbers thoughtfully provided by Alan). We have had many wonderful holidays over he years, both in Europe and elsewhere, but have never been so reluctant to leave an area.

Ms Clough
Walking the Camino de Santiago
06/04/2013

Fantastic, it was everyting I hoped it would be and more!

Mr Barber
Walking in the Sierra de Gredos
24/03/2013

The Sierra de Gredos has something for everyone who enjoys exploring the outdoors - from river banks to pine forests; from open heaths and alpine terrain. To have these in such a small area makes for a wonderfully varied break.



Combined with a comfortable and relaxing stay in the Hotel El Milano Real, we wondered why it took us so long to try this Headwater break!

Mrs Douglas
Hidden Valleys of Cordoba Walk
09/03/2013

We were forewarned from your office that the Spanish weather was unusually wet and our flight was 1 hour late due to adverse weather in the UK but Antonio waited at the hotel until after we arrived with up to date information and advice about the walks. I myself was 'indisposed' for three days so Antonio gave my husband a choice of alternative walks which avoided all the streams and rivers that had become too dangerous to cross. The packed lunches provided were excellent and the staff were very helpful and considerate and nothing was a problem to them. The taxi was prompt and very carefully driven by Maria. Altogether, considering the weather etc

the hotel and staff were excellent and

and the food was superb with choices which always included at least 1 vegetarian option for my husband.

A holiday which was thoroughly enjoyed.

and can be recommended without qualms.

Chris Douglas