Self Guided Walking in Puglia: From Lecce to Matera

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This was our first self guided walking holiday. It exceeded our expectations - excellent varied and interesting routes, interesting and comfortable accomodation, friendly people throughout, wonderful breakfasts to start the day and great local evening meal recommendations. The transfers all worked beautifully and we enjoyed the train journeys. The walks were very peaceful; we especially loved the wildflowers, olive groves and vineyards. (The final gorge walk into Matera was not much fun - very congested and slippy - we were anxious about falling despite our walking poles and boots. It was a holiday weekend and the suspension bridge was newly opened so may usually be quieter.)

Margery Bell, 26 Apr 2024

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Very good. Great tour - so varied. Beautiful part of Italy.



Nadia Turner, 21 Apr 2024

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One thing that really stood out was how flexible and understanding the team were with our requirements. My wife was suffering with morning sickness and her capacity to do the full itinerary was really compromised. The itinerary itself allowed for a bit of a pick-and-choose approach but I was really impressed with - and appreciative of - the quite late notice change of pick-up times and drop off points.

Edward Noel, 5 Apr 2024

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The app is terrific; it's clear that great care has gone into it's creation. Occasionally it was a little wobbly in orienting itself and a few yards behind us (as it were) in navigation, so we had to wait a few moments for it to catch up. These are minor points however, it's great!

Philip Warley, 14 Mar 2024

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The overall holiday once in Puglia was fantastic. The local partner was excellent, the walks and accommodation hit the mark. The walking level was spot on and the options worked well. Using local trains also worked well. All transfers and pick ups worked like clockwork. More work is needed in the outbound flight arrangements. The choice of hotel in Milan was poor - nature (old), location and price. The whole flight combo to get to Brindisi or perhaps Rome / Bari needs thinking through. The original return flight had a 24 hour stopover in Rome which we had changed. With a 5 hour connection, no stopover is needed.

Paul Armitage, 5 Mar 2024

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We have had over 10 holidays with Headwater and always enjoy the walks and the hotels. It gives us a flavour of the country we are visiting.

David Cameron, 31 Oct 2023

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The locations and walks were interesting and varied. Accommodation was good.

Ian William Crook, 13 Oct 2023

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Nav app was excellent, different accommodations brilliant, choice of route itinerary was also excellent for varied scenary and interesting holiday.

David Croxall, 22 Sep 2023

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Everything went according to plan and we were very satisfied overall. The accommodation was excellent and the transfers went smoothly. There were a few minor issues that I have listed below.

David Meaden, 19 Sep 2023

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Probably the best organised holiday I have ever been on. And I'm a travel agent! Less than a week before we were due to travel our holiday had to be cancelled due to damage caused by extreme weather in Greece. We had trains and hotel booked in Gatwick for the night before departure and Headwater moved heaven and earth to get us an alternative going on the same day so our arrangements weren't ruined. They did it within 24 hours, at no extra cost and boy was it a good alternative. The accommodation we had was outstanding, quirky, high standard and very different, the walking was varied through some lovely countryside and along the coast. The app worked perfectly, especially when we managed to miss a turning, it got us back on track very efficiently. The local transfers were by suited chauffeurs in large Mercedes which was a bit above and beyond. I can't say enough good things about Headwater, this was a fabulous trip and we will definitely be doing another. Thank you.

Jaclyn Wood, 16 Sep 2023

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Well planned and organised. The only disappointment was that we were told the Tibetan bridge in Matera was closed, which it wasn't. The final walk Matera would have been much more interesting if the bridge had been included (although we can understand why it wasn't).

William Phillips, 12 Sep 2023

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Everything went well with all aspects of the holiday.

Martyn Thomas, 6 Sep 2023

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Enjoyed holiday and booking went smoothly - the tour round Puglia was good and well thought out. Staff at Headwater were good and very helpful.

Would also like thanks passed to your agent in Italy for their excellent service.

Hugh Williams, 6 Sep 2023

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We enjoyed the holiday very much but didn't always get on that well with the navigation app or the printed notes.

Zoe Kavanagh, 4 Sep 2023

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This holiday provides a great opportunity to see some of the main highlights of the Puglia region, visiting many sights of historical interest, a good standard of accommodation, nice manageable walks, and very efficient transportation (apart from some unpredictable Italian train services).

FAGAN, 28 May 2023

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The walking holiday in Puglia was exactly what we expected and hoped for. Using the GPS system we were able to walk at our own pace and enjoy the beautiful wild flowers, scenery and the varied walks that made up the tour.

Almost all of the accommodation was very good although our stay in Ostuni left a lot to be desired.

We were generally very happy with the organisation and planning that had gone into the visit.

RAWLINS, 21 May 2023

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As an experienced walker I enjoyed being able to do interesting and varied walks in an area that I didn't know at all. The tranport of luggage meant we could take a bit more than we normally would which was a bonus.The app was excellent and worked flawlessly. The descriptions of the walks were accurate and they were largely off the road. Spectacular wild flowers.It was good to have coastal walks then inland ones. It would have been good to have some options for extended walks. We did an extra section at Otranto towards the lighthouse that was spectacular. The accomodation was varied and interesting though we did have issues at one hotel with lack of hot water and heating. These were responded to appropriately by Headwater. The towns we stayed in were interesting especially Matera and Lecce. The additional information given about each site was useful and we followed some of the recomendations for restaurants. We would certainly use Headwater again and indeed visit Puglia again.

FARRELL, 10 May 2023

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Varied and interesting itinerary, with a good mix of private transfer, train and walking. The accommodation was excellent, especially my trulli in Alberobella. The local agents, Slow Active, were excellent, always on time and ready to help. Matera was an amazing city to end the holiday with, and I'm glad we had several days there.

Ms Harrison, 24 Apr 2023

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Good varied walking - each day was different. Beautiful places to stay. In Fuente Heridos, there is a vegetarian/vegan restaurant called “Veg and Veg”. The food is really good and interesting, and it is run by an enthusiastic couple who told us all about the food. We had one of the best meals of our trip, and we are not even vegetarian. Thoroughly recommended, particularly as a change from the general pork-based cuisine of the area

Mr Evans, 3 Mar 2023

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Excellently organized holiday where most things worked well let down by the occasional flaw. For example the B&B in Lecce claimed not to be aware of our early arrival, whilst the initail briefing was of little added value party coz the guide admitted to being distracted by events elsewhere. The wealth of overlapping, sometimes conflicting, documentation does not always instill confidence. The walking app can be a little quirky but overall works very well particularly the off route and proximity alerts, making guidance very easy.

Mr Head, 5 Oct 2022

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A very lovely holiday staying in beautiful cities in a variety of different types of accommodation. The walks were varied and well explained.

Mr Salisbury, 17 Sep 2022

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We enjoyed our holiday in Puglia. All the hotels were good except the one in Alberobello which wasn’t a brilliant location and the breakfast was average.

We didn’t go to Otranto as the train times weren’t great. The driver at Alberobello was lovely and extremely helpful.

Ms Jones, 13 Sep 2022

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A great holiday as long as you are happy to find your own way around places and have a good level of fitness. Very well organised and efficient.

Mrs Walker, 10 Sep 2022

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We loved our holiday. The arrangements worked very well, although changing planes in Munich seemed to involve numerous checks of passports and boarding passes. The Ostuni Palace was of the highest possible standard and so it took quite an adjustment to settle into Palazzo Rollo where the room was much more basic. Everyone was exceptionally kind and helpful. Taxis worked well and so did the train journeys.

Mrs Williams, 10 Aug 2022

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A first walking holiday booking with headwater proved most enjoyable and I regret not having discovered the company nor the concept of walking holidays in my younger years

Dr Thomson, 26 Jun 2022

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A lovely holiday in a quiet, unspoilt part of Italy.

Dr Eaden, 30 Apr 2022

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Walking in Puglia is a great way to see the area, as there is time to see both the countryside and the beautiful towns.

Mrs Woodruff, 29 Apr 2022

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Comfortable hotels in prime locations and still the opportunity to hike and walk and have an active yet luxury holiday feel.

Mr SCHOONBAERT, 26 Oct 2021

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Excellent holiday with efficient service and great transport. Good choice of locations and good walks with good route notes. A very enjoyable holiday.

Mrs Pring, 8 Oct 2019