Reviews

Your Words – We tell it like it is! Holiday Reviews by previous Exodus travellers

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37 Reviews

4.7 out of 5

Anne Marie Bailey

Reviewed September 2016

TSO170916 Camino de Santiago de Compostella

This is a walk mainly along roads and tracks. It is well signed and walking is good. You meet many people en route of all nationalities and abilities, young and older. We enjoyed the experience. Lots of places to eat and drink along the way. Lovely countryside, villages and small churches. Santiago is a wonderful end to the walk. Mass in the Cathedral was amazing.

Most Inspirational Moment

An old lady walking very slowly, using sticks, with so much determination. I do hope she made it. Also we saw a group of people on our next to last day paddling in a stream. That was a vision of bliss!!! Unfortunately we had more walking to do.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jose Bartolome was a gentleman, he was very attentive to the group. We were of very differing abilities but he was brilliant with everyone. He looked after our food, wounds and kept up morale when necessary which wasn't often. He even tended other pilgrims blisters etc.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The walk doesn't need mountain boots. Strong trainers would have been more comfortable on this trip. I took boots as advised but my feet got far too hot and I got blisters. Some people walked in sandals but I don't think that is the answer as there are loose stones on the tracks.

Suggestions

Don't think about it any longer. Go and do the Camino.

Margaret Tatam

Reviewed September 2016

Camino de Santiago

Unusually hot for September.Trainers would have been better than boots as lot of road and gravel walking although I didn,t get any blisters.Very pleasant group of 16 some with Exodus for 1st time.food great. Most meals taken in a group .Camino busy but that meant lots of cafes which we enjoyed.

Most Inspirational Moment

Finishing the 18 mile day!

Thoughts on Group Leader

He had not walked the Camino before although he had cycled it .Very pleasant

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take trainers as well as boots.

David Shelton

Reviewed May 2016

Great trip

This trek is very well organised and straight forward for experienced walkers. The countryside is similar to the Cotswolds and there are few hills and no difficult sections. Our guide was brilliant and the walk was well paced – if you can walk 10 miles a day you can do this trek.

Most Inspirational Moment

Arriving in the old town in Santiago and the service in the Cathedral with the "swinging" incense - even if you are not Catholic you will find this a very special ending to the trek.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Hose was the perfect guide - he made sure everyone enjoyed the trek and managed the pace very well. He looked after those with blisters and dealt with any other problems with great professionalism. You won't find a better guide anywhere in the world!

Advice for Potential Travellers

You don't need heavy walking boots as much of this trek is on lanes or hard surfaces - good walking shoes are more than adequate. Everyone in our group was an experienced walker but the hard surfaces caused the blisters - some walked in strong sandals which worked quite well.

Suggestions

This is a lovely trek in a very nice part of Spain. Food and drink are cheap and the distance is not difficult - Santiago is a great place to finish and make sure you go to the Cathedral at the end. As always this is a very good value trip with Exodus and is strongly recommended.

Christopher Moss

Reviewed May 2016

A great walking experience

Starting the Camino in Samos makes a lot of sense, it is itself a lovely setting with a great hotel for the first night, a pause before the walking starts. The walking programme was well planned building up slowly, after a couple of days it was easy to walk 25k, particularly as we were blessed with sunny weather and our group was honestly full of really friendly walkers. Even the hotels, although modest, were at least of Premier Inn standard.

Most Inspirational Moment

Arriving in Santiago at the Cathedral was brilliant, lots of high spirits against the backdrop of the Cathedral and then later that evening, Pilgrims Mass in the Cathedral, anyone would be taken aback, I have never imagined the atmosphere of so many people together in a church!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader was great, a natural, very easy to talk to and he organised the trip really well, even down to making sure we all dealt properly with any blisters on our feet!!

Advice for Potential Travellers

I think you have to keep your fingers crossed that the weather goes your way, a couple of rainy days at the end of the week took the edge off our two days in Santiago.

Alan Gelson

Reviewed October 2015

A well organised and well lead walk along the Spanish end of The Camino

Despite rain for the first three days we enjoyed it immensely.

Most Inspirational Moment

The arrival at Santiago after 90 miles of walking

Thoughts on Group Leader

He was excellent. Concerned for our welfare and great fun.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The walking is easy in that the trail is well maintained and although there are some ups and downs and one long day of 29 kilometres it will be well within the ability of a regular walker.

Suggestions

The hotels and pensions where we stayed were excellent. Clean and quiet with hot water and a goos general atmosphere.

Rosalyn Craig

Reviewed October 2015

Camino De Santiago

We had a great trip, our guide Jose was very helpful and patient. The timing was well planned between am and pm walks for the most part. We found that an hour lunch was too long as my joints would become a little stiff, 30 minutes was more appropriate for me.
Our walking group was not well matched, we could have reached our destination much earlier in the day and would have had time to explore the local area but most days we arrived between 4 and 5 and it did not provide enough time to have a look around.

Most Inspirational Moment

It was reaching Santiago for sure. Seeing all the other pilgrims celebrating their achievement as well as our group was awesome. It was humbling to see people with disabilities struggle through the walk. It was a little disappointing walking through a built up area to reach the cathedral. I missed the pilgrim blessing as I didn't know that we could just show our passports and gain entrance to the cathedral. We were behind a large line up and just gave up our spot.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jose was very helpful and very patient. He made sure that he spent time with all of the people in our group. He encouraged us to walk together as a group. He had a good sense of humor.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Please have your group leader arrange for your pilgrim's passports to be handed in as a group to avoid 16 people waiting in line for their certificate. I was at the pilgrim's office for 7.30 am in the morning for the 8 opening and it still took me an hour for my certificate, later we found that our guide could have had us sign a document and hand in our passports as a group and then one person could have simply picked them up without waiting. The process described is very seamless and time efficient.

Suggestions

We loved travelling with Exodus and will do so in the future, we met many great people. I would like to suggest a little more detail on physical requirements for the walk in order to assist people reviewing the trek to be able to understand the expectations and be able to match their physical ability to the walk requirements.

Ewa Krystek

Reviewed June 2015

Camino de Santiago Trek

What a lovely walking holiday! I enjoyed the beautiful gentle scenery, abundance of wild flowers, the history, the food, wine, meeting people from other countries, the peace of the countryside, the little places we passed through. We were lucky with the weather. Hot but manageable with well planned breaks in little cafes and restaurants so we didn’t have to carry too much. Accommodation was better than I thought it would be. Mainly modern even if simple hotels. We were well looked after by our friendly and conscientious guide Jose who had to deal with a group with mixed walking experience and ability. As we neared S de C ,the trek got busier but not as much as I thought it would and it wasn’t at all commercialised.

Most Inspirational Moment

Being struck by the fact that we were treading in the footsteps of pilgrims through the ages. That these were ancient routes.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jose Manuel was determined that we would ALL finish the trek and enter Santiago together and enjoy the whole experience because it WAS meant to be a holiday. He was very conscientious, friendly and diplomatically dealt with our various problems such as blisters, pace and stamina. He was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the region. Organised our snack, lunch and evening breaks. Kept checking that we were coping with the distances walked.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Make sure that you spent time getting used to regular long walks before you go. You will spent a lot of time on your feet in between breaks and the pace is reasonably fast. Take a couple of pairs of light walking boots ,walking shoes or good trainers to change into so that you don't wear the same footwear everyday. Tackle any discomfort STRAIGHT AWAY. One of our group lost a small toenail by the 2nd day and had 12 blisters by the 3rd! Changing socks at lunch-time was also a good idea.

Suggestions

It may be the low-level end of The Camino but I it was still an achievement to walk the last 125 km. I think most of felt quite emotional when we arrived in front of the Cathedral and realised that we had reached our destination and would soon be saying goodbye to one another. I would recommend it as a lovely trek to do with a group of friends.

Arthur Caves

Reviewed June 2015

A Great Way to Walk the Way

An excellent opportunity to walk the Camiño de Santiago in relative comfort, enjoying the surprisingly varied and striking scenery of one of Spain’s less visited (by the English) areas.

Most Inspirational Moment

Arriving in to Santiago with the group, surrounded by other fellow pilgrims.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Saint José, who kept us in wine from Samos to Santiago made the trip that much more enjoyable.

Advice for Potential Travellers

30km is as far, if not further, than it sounds and depending on your experience of walking in hot weather a light walking shoe or robust sandal might be preferable to full boots.

Fabio Cambiaghi

Reviewed June 2015

Camino de Santiago

I have always heard people talking about the Camino de Santiago as something very special and spiritual. After doing it myself I can only confirm that everything they say about it is absolutely true. It was very nice to walk and chat with the group and get to know other walkers along the way. Such a great experience!!
Buen Camino!

Most Inspirational Moment

Reaching Santiago de Compostela was the highlight of the week for me and sharing the moment with the rest of the group was amazing!

Thoughts on Group Leader

José was a great trip companion and leader. He was fun and professional at the same time,and always ready to help us throughout the Camino.

Doris Birmingham

Reviewed May 2015

Camino de Santiago Trek

This was a very well-organized trek led by Jose, a lively, knowledgeable, and attentive guide. The accommodations were simple, but certainly adequate; the food was superb; and the trek itself beautiful in a quiet way.

Most Inspirational Moment

I doubt I'd describe any moment as "inspirational;" it was overall just a pleasant experience. I did like meeting other pilgrims, some of whom were walking the Camino alone. It is obvious that the experiences they were having were much richer and perhaps more inspirational than can be had trekking with a group.

Thoughts on Group Leader

I can only give Jose the highest praise. He was fun, informed, sociable, and very concerned about the welfare of his group. I fell (in a cafe, not on the Camino !!!) and broke my pelvis four days into the walk, and although there was nothing to be done but to drop out and rest, he did his best to see to my comfort for the rest of the tour.

Advice for Potential Travellers

This walk is not particularly difficult, but the pace is quite fast, and there really isn't time to stop for short periods to savor the gorgeous views or to take photographs. The tour is rated "moderate" and asks for a"reasonable degree of fitness". Such wording is a bit too vague. I am over 70 and am very fit for my age, but as I said, I was a slower walker than most people in the group and always felt a little pushed to increase my pace.

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