Reviews

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

Here at Exodus we thrive on feedback from our customers. It’s the only way we can ensure our trips continue to be the best they can be. So, for the real tales, twists and turns of the trip you’re interested in, look no further than the reviews from our previous travellers.

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142 Reviews

4.8 out of 5

David Bennett

Reviewed August 2019

Good

This was our first trip with Exodus and was excellent in some ways and a little disappointing in others.
The hotel was excellent, clean if small rooms, superb staff and food of the highest quality. Arrangements at the beginning and end of the trip were smooth with no transfer problems.

The disappointment of the trip was the walking which for three days lacked any inspiration as we trudged through rolling hills or woods with very little views. The Cares Gorge walk was excellent as was our final day where we actually walked in the high mountains. More of this was needed. We cannot understand why we were not actually in these high mountains more.

Most Inspirational Moment

The Cares Gorge walk which was not only long but also spectacular. The food every night was of the highest quality but the salmon dish stood out.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our leader was very pleasant with good knowledge of the local area. He catered for the diverse walking abilities of the group very well and I always felt safe with him. His English whilst adequate was not fluent and so frequently he misunderstood us or took rather too long to give us information as he searched for the correct word. We thought it rather poor that he did not eat with us on the first night when information could have been imparted.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Choose your walking grade carefully. We spent 7hrs walking 7miles one day which was ridiculous!

Suggestions

We will be going with Exodus again but will research the walking grades and itinerary a lot more before booking.

Anthony Dickinson

Reviewed August 2019

Walking trip feedback

Stunning limestone scenery and whilst we got close to the highest mountains we were a little dissappionted we could not get closer and maybe stay a night in one of the Refugios as part of a linear route. Not sure our trip merited a ‘challenging’ rating.

The hotel staff were helpful and the food was superb throughout. Could do with fans in the rooms and/or flyscreens on then windows to keep out the nasty biting bugs.

Most Inspirational Moment

The walk over Pene de Main to Bulnes with views to El Narranco and Torre Cerredo and the wonderful walk down Canal del Texu. A good day out. The wlak of the Carres Gorge on day 1 was also a highlight.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Friendly, helpful and knowledgeable.

Advice for Potential Travellers

We did the trip in July but maybe the weather would be less mixed in September of early October. The downside is you would see less flora than in June or July.

Kerry Clough

Reviewed July 2019

Beautiful and peaceful Picos

Spent a glorious week walking the unspoilt, peaceful and beautiful Picos. The weather was perfect for walking with only 1 day of light drizzle, breaking the otherwise dry and sunny week. We did a mixture of walks ranging from summiting twice at just over 2000 metres above the tree line through to a coastal walk to Llanes. Alfonso our guide was a true man of the mountains, born in the Region and with a real love and passion for the Picos as well as having a really calm and peaceful persona. The hospitality and home cooking at the hotel was excellent throughout the week and each day you can admire the glorious views of the Picos over breakfast and dinner, cloud cover permitting. I felt throughout the week that I was off the beaten track as the area is so large and un-touristy that on most days you don’t come across many other walkers, with the exception of the Cares gorge which was busier, but not in an unpleasant way. I loved the whole week.

Most Inspirational Moment

Summiting at 2000 meters on a warm sunny day and admiring the glorious 360 degree views of the Picos. The only sound was the wind blowing and we sat there watching vultures and buzzards high above us searching for prey down below.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Alfonso was superb. He was born in the Region and his love for the mountains shone through. He has a calm and peaceful nature and his knowledge of the local wildlife, trees and flowers was excellent.

Advice for Potential Travellers

If you love unspoilt mountain walks away from the crowds, good food in the evening, a well run and friendly hotel with excellent views of the mountains, then go. Everything is made so easy for you and being based in the same hotel all week makes for a really relaxing, stress free week. Walks start at 9 and finish by 5 so there’s plenty of downtime before dinner at 7:30 to do your own thing. It’s a 5 minute walk into the quiet town if you want to do more walking and absorb the local way of life.

Colin Spence

Reviewed July 2019

Wonderful trip to the Picos

Our Third trip with Exodus and certainly our best. Magnificent scenery and some great walking. Combined with a hotel with a beautiful setting and Michelin star quality food.

Most Inspirational Moment

The final walk with a spectacular summit

Thoughts on Group Leader

Nachos was excellent with great knowledge of the local environment. He took great care to ensure we were all safe and ensured everyone in the group was made welcome. Also a great sense of humour!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Try and incorporate some Hill walking in your preperation!

Suggestions

Don’t hesitate book this trip and you will not be disappointed

Malcolm Duesbury

Reviewed July 2019

Walking the Picos de Europa - a very special part of Spain

We all think that Spain is an arid country with every town heaving with tourists, music blaring from every club, drunks roaming the street !!
Well think again. The Picos de Europa is the northern mountain range in Spain, with lush flora; fantastic gorge and mountain views; small villages and hamlet, and a so very different part of Spain.
We spent the last week of June on this trip and enjoyed every minute.
The hotel may only be 1 star, but is comfortable, has fantastic buffet breakfasts (cereal, fruits, drinks, meats, cheese, bread, etc), ample packed lunches (with choices of baguette filling, chocolate and muesli bars), and sublime 4 course evening meals (with 3 choices of main course).
The tour leader Nacho (Ignachio) was extremely proficient and friendly, ready with useful information and, very much, part of the group. The variety of landscape, local flora, long gorges, wonderful mountain peaks lead to some great experiences and unbelievably beautiful views.
One of our best Exodus trips so far, and so close to the UK

Most Inspirational Moment

Scrambling up to the peaks on day 7 to the summits of Mancondiu, meeting Chamois enroute, and taking in the unbelievable views in all directions

Thoughts on Group Leader

Nachio (Ignachio) was a great tour leader, kept everyone well informed, gave timely advice on the need for water, appropriate clothing, electrolyte and mineral replacement (isotonic additives), suntan lotion, and the need for 'pacing' the walks to avoid exhaustion. He juggled the programme to suit both the prevailing and forecast weather, and ensured everyone stayed safe. He was very much 'part of the group'.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The weather can be unpredictable, and whilst we did not need to layer up, nor did we need wet weather gear, the humble umbrella can be a useful bit of kit to be used in rain or searing sunshine. The tour leader on both this trip, and previously in Austria, have recommended one as almost essential. Trekking poles, and stout walking boots are very suited to the terrain. There are very few ' mountain huttes' for toilet facilities ( so a 'toilet' kit - hand sanitiser etc. is useful) and few places to buy drinks en route in this part of Spain. There are quite a few opportunities to fill water bottles from springs, and whilst we were assured that the spring water is safe, some people might feel safer using water purifier systems. You do need to make sure that you have sufficient bottle capacity (about 2 litres) so that it will last betwenn refills. We did canoeing on the free day; it was 40 euros per person, includes transport to and from the hotel, a packed lunch, canoe or kayak, double ended kayak paddles (no single blade paddles available, nor left handed paddles) and gives you between 3 and 4 hours of paddling with many opportunities to 'beach' for a break. The river has a few very tame grade 1 'rapids', and you are paddling with the current. The river can be very busy at the launching ramp, usually the school trips, but soon thins out a you progress down stream.

David and Jennifer Douglas

Reviewed June 2019

An Amazing Week Walking in the Picos de Europa

We spent an amazing week in the Picos de Europa from 25th May to 1st June 2019 and both enjoyed it immensely. Even though our fitness levels were different, we were both able to benefit from the varied levels of the walks, some of which had optional climbs at a more challenging level. The scenery was stunning and was further enhanced by our leader Ignacio/Nacho’s local knowledge and ability to judge the walk to suit the weather. This ensured we gained the most benefit from the scenery as some walks would have otherwise been spoiled by the mist due to their altitude. We enjoyed the many sightings of vultures, eagles, Asturian Mountain Cattle, goats, sheep, horses and chamois. The family run hotel Torrecerredo was very much understated as the food and service were exceptional with a very homely atmosphere. It is a credit to Jim and Pilar for such a well run hotel. We were presented every evening with a four course evening meal of Michelin Star quality. Picnic lunches were individually prepared to order and wrapped for us ready to take on our walk. The staff at the hotel were extremely friendly and accommodating. The beds were very comfortable and the hotel also offers a laundry service which most of the group availed of. We were very fortunate to be part of a fantastic group of 16 people who got on extremely well together and encouraged and supported each other throughout the week. The hotel bar was great to relax in after a day’s walking with a bottle of local cider, beer or gin and tonic.

Most Inspirational Moment

For me (David) it would have to be the climb to the top of Mancondiu peak at 2000m as you had to scramble to get to the top where the view was magnificent.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader, Ignacio/Nacho was exceptional in every way and was humerous, informative, patient and helpful. He was genuinely a very nice person who looked after everybody irrespective of their ability. He was able to evaluate everybody's individual strengths and weaknesses and advise accordingly.

Advice for Potential Travellers

A few weeks practice hill walking with walking poles beforehand would make the whole experience more enjoyable. Don't hesitate to book this holiday as we both found it amazing and thoroughly relaxing.

Mark Brookes

Reviewed May 2019

Picos de Europas

What a fantastic trip, loved it. Probably the best group I’ve ever walked with, stunning location and not what you would normally associate with Spain.

The Hotel Torrecerrado was brilliant, lovely family atmosphere, Jim and the gang were excellent and couldn’t do enough for us.

The food was sensational, high end restaurant quality, innovative and delicious.

Wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this trip to others.

Most Inspirational Moment

Tackling my fear of heights, did a couple of scrambles, walked through a stunning canyon with a properly vertical drop, a good few metres down, but the group and guide were great, really looked after me.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Nacho was great, really entertaining, spoke a lot about the history of the area and very considerate to the not so able members of the group, possibly to the detriment of the fitter people within the group as it was hard to walk at our own pace, but this is a minor detail.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The walk is graded as a moderate 3, but in my opinion it was slightly more difficult in certain places, possibly a 3-4, which some of the group struggled with. Oh and take some ear plugs, most of the cows have bells which can get a bit tiresome when your trying to sleep at night, but please do not be put off by this.

Rachel Speight

Reviewed May 2019

Pico's May 2019

An amazing trip assisted by the complete gelling of the group…everyone put in 100% from day 1 to make it a great success

Most Inspirational Moment

Climbing the peaks with the encouragement of the group and the tour leader...….amazing views and sense of achievement

Thoughts on Group Leader

Superb!! Well informed and aware of the local environment - ensured that everyone was safe at all times and answered all questions and queries Nothing was too much trouble

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take ear plugs for the cow bells if you are a light sleeper!!!

Matthew Butcher

Reviewed May 2019

Food was excellent

Food was well above the standard I expect. Well presented and varied menu. Lovely views and good company. Shame we had rain on the gorge walk

Most Inspirational Moment

Walking over the snow drifts

Thoughts on Group Leader

Managed the various speeds of the walker well

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take walking sticks. First time i used them but made life much easier

Dave Johnson

Reviewed May 2019

Fantastic experience!

The Picos de Europa is a great National Park to experience wonderful mountain ranges at a moderate hiking grade. We were very fortunate to have an excellent tour guide in Nacho who really looked after us and filled the days with great facts on the local area and wildlife.
The walking group was a wonderful mix of ages and backgrounds and we bonded from Day 1.
The hotel accommodation was good but I have to highlight the excellent customer service from Jim/Pillar and their team. The food each night was simply fantastic…4 courses which would grace any London establishment. Also, a great bar to socialise in after the walks!
Thanks everyone!

Most Inspirational Moment

Taking in the wonderful mountain range of the Picos.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Nacho was a great group leader...full of wonderful local facts, history and knowledge of the surrounding wildlife.

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