Most Inspirational Moment
The views were just incredible, photos do not do the mountains justice. I could have happily stayed on another week to continue doing more amazing walks.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Our two group leaders - Martin and Albert were both superb. They were both excellent guides, very friendly, helpful, informative and good sense of humour. On the week we did, Martin led the Level 3 walks, and Albert did Level 5. Both were excellent leaders - giving enough attention to everyone in the group, and helping those who may have been struggling. We had a good briefing every evening after dinner for the following days plans which gave plenty of information for both levels. Neither let the weather dampen their spirits and were happy to continue regardless, which we all appreciated.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Its a fantastic trip, very well run, and both level 3 and 5 are great walks. Even in August, make sure you take all-weather clothes as during the 6 days we were there, we had 25C sunny days, as well as rain, and even snow with -7c wind chill !! But you will always wear walking boots as you'll need good solid support. Almost everyone on the trip had one or two walking poles each and they are really useful for both up and down hills. It is worth bringing waterproofs, warm layers, warm hat and gloves just in case !
There is normally a stop or two each day to buy food/drink when needed, but worth taking at least 1.5ltr of water and some snacks.
Suggestions
The hotel was just right for our needs - great location for town and bus stops. Plenty of food at breakfast and dinner, and lovely biscuits provided when we returned back from our walks. Very helpful staff, and rooms were always cleaned well.
The only downside was the rush when breakfast and dinner first open at 7:15am and 7:30pm. The hotel was full with our group of 20, plus a very large group of Spanish. Therefore there was always a queue for the restaurant to open, always a rush to grab all the food, and it made it feel unnecessarily rushed and uncomfortable.
On the days we were catching the 8:14 bus, it felt very rushed to join the queue for breakfast at 7:15, so it would have been better if it could have opened at 7am.
Likewise, it might have been better to stagger the dinner times for different groups as it was so rushed to get in at 7:30 for the salad bar.
As all the mains came with veg served on a large tray by the waiters, it usually meant we got very little veg - usually 3-4 pieces which did not feel enough.
A few people commented that the twin rooms were 2 separate mattresses, but joined together on a wooden base and could not be separated. Not ideal for 2 friends, or even 2 strangers sharing a room.
These were just very minor points for some feedback, but it would not stop us recommending the hotel, the trip, or Exodus.
