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.
We liked the flexibility of a self-guided trip and everyone we dealt with at Headwater was really helpful.
Our trip to the Dordogne was very enjoyable. The hotels had been well chosen and the routes between them were varied and contained a good level of challenge. We appreciated the app, which was easy to use and stopped us getting lost!
I would specifically like to than Steph Marlowe for her help when we were travelling out on the day French railways had been sabotaged. She kept in touch with us all along until we were safely on the train (3 hours late) from Paris to Lourdes and checked in with us the next day.
The local company Balaguere were helpful and friendly and knowledgeable.
We had a wonderful walking trip, our first together in 18 years of marriage. We would definitely go again. Experiencing the Alsace on foot was so satisfying and it's given us a spur to get a bit fitter and do more walking. The service throughout was excellent.
The trip was excellent - amazing walking with a fantastically accurate GPS powered app, incredible views and food. The itinery was well thought through providing beautiful walks and the opportunity for rest days where needed. Would recommend.
A great company to deal with, and questions quickly resolved. The app, routes and itinerary were great for our Chamonix and Courmayer trip
A great well planned two centre holiday with fab walks and great hotels ( we upgraded the hotels)
Travel/Arrival: Generally good, but why won't Headwater deal with the budget airlines when the route is better suited?
Accommodation: very good to start with..
Food: Amazing!
Locals: Cheerful and helpful. Drivers very flexible.
Routes: Out of this world! However no live tracking of issues/closures? Nor recognition that the Tour de France was on and could affect travel time?
Memories will last a lifetime 🙂
We absolutely loved the booking process, and the holiday was amazing! The views and routes were stunning, and we were able to gorge on the beautiful food every evening. The only thing I would say is the access to the local guide on arrival was difficult and the route required quite a lot of use of buses.
Very enjoyable holiday in the Alsace, beautiful region of France. Lovely medieval villages and vineyards. We found some of the walking more than ‘easy walking’ . Not a problem for us but could be misleading for someone expecting something less demanding. Hotels and food very good and excellent except one hotel we found below standard and were disappointed with it. Some of the villages were deserted and nowhere to stop for a drink or to buy food so make sure you take food and drink with you on walks. Some places and bus driver from Basel airport to train station only take cash.
Excellent customer service, detailed communication and well thought out itinerary that enabled us to get the most out of chosen destination.
Overall a really enjoyable holiday.
Very enjoyable, but see our earlier comments regarding the second driver and the scaling of the maps.
We love Headwater and the way it offers the chance to see a country and countryside slowly and up close by walking. The prices are reasonable, the locations we stayed were all interesting and places we likely would have never found or tried on our own, and the whole experience was satisfying.
Very impressed. Headwater had come recommended to me a few years ago. The walks were just right, and as described; the hotels were all very good; the villages/towns we visited or stayed at were beautiful; the guides were sociable and efficient; and the app was very easy to use. The email correspondence pre-trip was just right.
Good experience - loved the fact that it was not a touristy place and we were encountering French/German culture on the borders the 2 countries. the wine was fantastic too and the walks thru the forests were excellent - great boulangeries to pick up a picnic.
Wonderful location, felt well supported and enjoyed our experience.
Very pleasant and helpful to talk to and arrange the holiday. I will certainly arrange another holiday with them.
From first contact to end of trip Headwater folks on the web and in the field provided top-notch advice and assistance in decision making. It was like having personal service throughout. Interesting walking routes and fine hotels.
The Loire Valley is an historically fascinating place. As others have said, I think a two day stay in Blois is merited. One day for a leisurely visit to Chambord and another day for exploring Blois and its very interesting chateau/ castle. The Hotel Monarche is a disappointing start to the holiday. I think alternative accommodation should be chosen.
The rest of the accommodation was good particularly the Hotel au Charme in Amboise. However, it only does breakfast and the dinner at the adjoining Hotel . Le Clos was uninspiring. We did however come across a real gem of a restaurant by the name of Les Arpents. Incredible food. Apparently, it is full almost every night of the year so it is necessary to book.
We visited six chateaux and found them all really interesting especially Le Clos de Luce in Amboise where Leonardo da Vinci spent the last three years of his life. Some of his inventions are recreated.
All in all a very good holiday accompanied by undiluted sunshine except for one morning.
This was our second self-guided walking holiday with Headwater and, as before, the organisation of transport, accommodation and the itinerary were excellent. The walks were well-chosen with a variety of terrain. Although the written walk details were good, they were unclear in places, so the Headwater app was an absolute necessity. The hotels were all charming, lots of character, lovely outdoor areas and excellent food.
a great holiday once we got there and amazing views and walking. Details of the holiday could have got to us earlier and you need to be more clear with what is expected and additional costs of passes/transport in future advertisements. The hotels were excellent and we would visit again
This was an excellent holiday, with lovely scenery and some very nice hotels and restaurants. There's also something inherently pleasing about a walking trip that takes you between two different countries. It was really helpful to have two walking options each day (one on the coast and one in the hills), meaning that you could select the length and difficulty of the walk depending on how you felt. The route guides were also extremely clear and it was not necessary to rely on the GPS app, although was still a handy extra resource.
Please do take note when someone says they have vertigo problems. I do appreciate it is difficult for someone who does not have that problem to see any difficulty.
We were very happy with 99% of the holiday and our interactions with your staff.
We had a most enjoyable holiday, enhanced by the peace of mind that all would go as planned due to your pre-travel information and the excellent briefing and care from your local partner.
This was our first holiday of this type, we loved the freedom of travelling unguided. The route guidance was excellent and the difficulty and daily distances were just perfect for someone with average walking fitness. The hotels were tremendous, being perfectly located and we could not fault service, food or anything else. The walks were truly superb, blending wonderful strolls through the area's vineyards and gentle climbs through the forests of the foothills. The routes were really well way-marked and so it was easy to navigate. The walks passed through ancient villages and Chateaus and there really were no sections that were anything but breath-taking. Our personal stopover highlights were Riquewihr, a fabulous medieval walled village, and Itterswiller, a tiny village surrounded by rolling vineyards. We will definitely be returning to France again with Headwater.
Once again another fantastic holiday! Amazing organisation, great support throughout. Just one hotel let the whole experience down a little,but this could be due to local culture/personality differences. All meals inlcuded were FABULOUS! Would definatley travel with you again, but would be GREAT if you could take AMEX please. We really trust you to make great selections and trip notes, which goes a long way for us as we are super busy and would not have time to plan all this ouselves. We have really built up a trust with you now after travelling with you 5 times myself!
All very good, excellent introduction to the Pyrenees itinerary.
We had a great holiday. It was relaxing and inspiring to walk among the Burgundy vineyards and amazing landscape of the Cote D'Or. The walking routes were well organised and varied. Navigation was easy with the GPS app. We walked 40 miles over 5 days and climbed 1100m, higher than Mt Snowdon!
Overall very good, we have used your company many times over the years and have always enjoyed our holidays . This trip was slightly let down by our stay in Riquewihr as the restaurant was terrible and really left us with negative view of that part of the trip . Fortunately we have never experienced this on any of your previous trips and I suspect might be due to the subcontractor.
Be aware there is not a lot of shade and no access to water. Coastal walks can be too hot in the summer months. We went at the end of June and it was very hot there were signs on some routes warning people it was too hot to walk. . Using the gps app provided is an absolute must , if using paper instructions we'd have got lost.
The train journeys were really picturesque and added to the holiday experience.. Our local guide was excellent and punctual.
The local agent, Emmanuel, was excellent and also a careful driver. The hotels were generally good, but the first hotel we stayed in ("Port Toga", not "le Bastia") was very good. The level of facilities in the rooms of the hotels was different which is to be expected from 3* hotels. All had AC's that worked, which was good given the temperatures we experienced. The pools at "Belle Vue" and "Le Revellata" were very good; we did not try the one at the Port Toga, and "A Storia" didn't have one.
The app for these walks is a must have. It shows precisely where one is relative to the paths available. The route maps are OK but not clear enough, and the descriptive could be better. The walks were generally quite spectacular, but on unmade and rugged ground, so care is needed along with proper walking shoes. Shame about missing the boat trip to the Loku beach but a storm was forecast.
The holiday was generally very enjoyable despite the heat, and a blister or two. Mr. Norbury - June 2023
Easy walking holiday. Navigating some of the routes was a bit tricky and full use had to be made of the digital maps supplied. The hotels were very good and fairly close to restaurants for an evening meal. English to a certain extent was spoken by hotel staff. If you want to go to the visitor centre at the American Military Cemetary be aware that they won't let you in if you have a knife. I had a small Swiss Army Knife in my rucksack whiich was measured and declared to be too big. Couldn't leave it at reception so couldn't enter. Also having taken a taxi (20 euros) to Omaha I intended to have lunch in one of the 2 nearby restaurants but both were closed. Walked back to Port en Bessin on an empty stomach. Overall a very enjoyable holiday.
The itinerary was tougher than we expected for the moderate description so we will be more cautious in future. If using trains, we would recommend buying tickets on the day so you can catch the most suitable one as the ones suggested by the agent involved a lot of unnecessary waiting around and changes. However, the walking was through beautiful countryside and we visited some lovely towns and villages. A very enjoyable holiday.
So pleased we worked with Headwater. We used them to book our flights and rail tickets too. We found the maps and the GPS app on our phone useful too. it helped to read previous reviews and learn the we could turn our phones on to airplane mode and the app still worked. The towns, villages and coastline were magic. The local guide who met with us and ran us to one of the hotels was terrific and very knowledgeable. There was only one day we felt that the route overlapped with a but we had covered the previous day but only for about an hour. The suggestions for dining were good but the towns we stayed had loads of eating places so we didn't pre book any. Doing this walk the week leading up to the D Day anniversary was extra special as there were lots of events, people etc creating a very heart-warming atmosphere in the towns and at the two cemeteries. As well as enjoying the wonderful scenery we loved taking time to learn about the role Normandy played in history.
A wonderful holiday full of places of interest
Enjoyable, but see below.
Locations, accommodaton, food and general organisation were excellent. 2 of the days were hard/long.
Very well organised. Good routes. Mainly good hotels. Maps etc very good.
Great location and wonderful walking. Just need to upgrade hotels.
A well organised walking holiday to a stunning area of France. All accommodation and local cuisine of a high standard.
Varied walks in a beautiful area of The Luberon with very comfortable accommodation . Fabulous in the Spring with the cherry blossom.
Good walking through beautiful countryside
I enjoyed a varied and interesting walk in Normandy.
The highlights of the trip were the times spent in Honfleur and Bayeux and its well worth tagging on an extra day at each end of your holiday.
The accommodation I stayed in was not as grand as that I experienced during a recent Headwater trip to the Dordoigne but it was more than adequate. The locations of the hotels were generally excellent. While in Beuvron en Huge I stayed at Le Manoir de Sens and just a bit of advice for any future travellers. There is no onsite catering so make sure you stock up on food and drink in the village at the end of the days walking.
The walking was generally interesting, taking in a combination of farmland, villages and coastline. At times the route was a little undulating but it shouldn't present a challenge to a regular walker. One of my objectives was to visit the D-Day beaches and I found the American and British war cemeteries particularly moving.
Overall, a very enjoyable trip.
The holiday was excellent. We had a great time. On balance we would have preferred slightly more upscale accommodation. We especially thought that the Arts et Terroirs hotel in Gevrey Chambertin was extremely dated, and generally disappointing. The staff however were absolutely charming.
We found the printed walk instructions and maps very poor, and had we not downloaded and followed the app we would have got lost countless times. The instructions were too perfunctory and just didn’t do the job. Using the ‘Ride GPX’ app made the walk way easier.
Overall we loved our holiday and hope you will take any criticism in a positive way.
Very well organised holiday and run very efficiently
This was our first "organised" holiday and so a new experience for us. The organisation was excellent, including travel bookings, taxis from hotels to start of walks, and luggage transfer. The hotels were superb, all with character and very "French" (family-owned, no chains). The walk directions were clear and accurate, as were the maps, and the availablity of GPX files was very helpful. The staff at Headwater were very helpful and efficient, and replied to emails and phone-calls very quickly. I would certainly book a walking holiday through Headwater again.
The walking was fine but a bit too much on lanes/roads for us personally. That said I appreciate that this was as much to do with the area chosen as anything else and also the fact that we had to get from A to B. The hotels were all very different and without exception fun to stay in. The only downside was the limited choice/unchanging menus at two of them (already corresponded about). The maps didn't arrive until after we'd left for the holiday and were awaiting our arrival home. Luckily my husband had managed to buy copies as they proved essential at times, although the walking notes were on the whole, very good.
Excellent trip, very well organised, great hotels with lovely swimming pools, just what we wanted and can't wait to book our next holiday with Headwater.
It would have been useful to review the walking notes prior to booking as our first day fell on a Sunday when places were closed, it also meant other things on consecutive days were closed on the days that we were visiting so we could have altered our day of arrival to make the most of our time in the area. Would have requested an upgrade on the first hotel had we known how basic and small the room was, would also have liked the opportunity to explore Blois and its chateau but we were shipped out at 9am the day after arrival. If we'd read the notes we could have requested an extra night in Blois. There was nothing in Chitenay other than the hotel, the days we stayed it was a fixed dinner menu so the only choice was between dessert or cheese - no option on starter or main course. We didn't enjoy the dinners here, but our taxi driver had said it had a very good restaurant - it was a shame we couldn't choose from the main menu on the days we were there. Very helpful local staff at Rando
Lovely walking holiday in Provence - beautiful hilltop villages, vineyards and views. Not too challenging and good to relax by the pool in the afternoons.
We loved our trip to Corsica. The local agents, and particularly Emanuel, were chatty and informative. The hotels were good and the one in St Florent had a huge terrace overlooking the sea - which was very special. The sea swimming was beyond brilliant. A note about the walks however - don't rely on the maps and instructions. They are not 100% accurate but there is an app (so think about data and battery life) ... we used the app - and it stopped us going wrong many, many times. Also - many of the walks are labelled "coastal" but don't be fooled into thinking they're flat or easy - the paths are rugged, so bring robust walking shoes. The walks are stunning, and challenging in places ... but always worth it.
Great places and scenery, pleasant walks, very nice accommodation (except in Blois), delicious food and good fun altogether. Some fine tuning and adjustments in logistics would improve the overall exprience of otherwise great holiday!
The holiday worked well and the routes well planned. However the area is very flat and there was a lot of road or cycle path walking. This region is well suited for cycling but would not recommend for walking. The first walk was particularly long and we had temperatures of above 35 degrees on roads that were reflecting up the heat and little shade. At one point we did not think we would be able to complete the walk because of heat exhaustion. We had run out of water and there was nowhere to get refreshments. I knocked on a door and fortunately a very kind French lady refilled our water bottles. The second and last hotels were exceptional.
Another excellent Headwater experience. This time to rural Normandy. We did not know this area at all and this walking holiday enabled us to explore this beautiful and rustic area. The walks were of good length, the hotels all very good and we had a real opportunity to experience great French cooking in the evenings in the towns and villages in which we stayed. The staff at Normandie Rando (the local tour company) were all terrific. We thoroughly enjoyed our holiday in this little known part of France. Recommended.
The itinerary and the walking distances were good but, unfortunately, I happened to book my trip to coincide with the worst French heatwave for a number of years. By making early starts and benefitting from the coolest parts of the day I managed to complete the entire route. Had the water been a little less extreme the route would have been easily achievable. On the whole the hotels were very good and the accommodation in Carsac and St Vincent de Cosse was absolutely stunning. The hotel in Souillac was a little more functional but perfectly adequate. Souillac has suffered badly as a result of the Covid pandemic and it needs renovation. However, while there and although it was a rest day, I planned my own walk, doing a loop in the hills to the south of the town. This comes highly recommended as I've never seen so many butterflies except in a butterfly house. There must have been at least twenty species almost literally competing for air space. I will be booking with Headwater again.
A most enjoyable holiday even for 80-year olds like us. The walks are realistic in terms of difficulty. The only problem was the unseasonably high temperature but this was tolerable by starting walking at 8.30am and reaching the destination by 2pm.
Great part of France to visit - pretty villages, acres of vineyards and hotels off the beaten track. During the week we covered over 10,000 feet elevation - more than Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike,, Snowdon put together in 5 days walking. The combination of forest walks and vineyards was excellent arriving into villages. Most of the villages have a baker’s shop and cafe, but remember most places closed after 14:00. Not always easy to find lunch, so be sure to take your lunch before you set off.
Very good except for length of walks! But we managed this after first day by getting taxi to drop us into the route a few kilometres.
This was our 7th headwater holiday but the first we had done on foot. Every holiday has been special in one way or another but this one certainly ranked among the best. The walks were excellent, carefully routed to avoid any distances on busy roads and include a lovely range of scenery. We enjoyed the sense of being right out in the countryside and away from the main tourist centres although there were several times when a café or bar along the way would have been welcome (We had to carry drink and snacks with us on each walk although we did find a bar open in Gargas on the first walk.) Coming from a particularly flat part of the UK we were worried about steep climbs but the inclines were generally quite gentle and we managed fine. The weather helped. At the start of October, it was warm and dry but with a cooling breeze. In the summer heat we could have found it more challenging! The route notes were very good, as long as we read the details carefully. We only lost our way once, adding a few extra kilometres to the walk into La Fontaine de Vaucluse.
The hotels were all of a high standard, Each had an individual character, all were very comfortable and the breakfasts were wonderful. We especially enjoyed the Hotel de Poete in Fontaine and the Hermitage at Pernes les Fontaines.
The Headwater rep, Joey, couldn't have been more welcoming or more helpful. He went out of his way to make sure we had the best holiday possible. He was always cheerful and fun to be with.
Our walking holiday in the Luberon was an excellent way to experience the area and
Really Happy with the overall experience - & would recommend Headwater to others
A fine, challenging activity holiday with excellent back-up support re luggage forwarding, through-out the week. Idylic Provencal hotels and villages interspersed among vineyards and Olive groves galore. A region dominated by both limestone and sandstone cliffs clothed with dense forests and providing stunning views of the surrounding countryside.
This was our third walking holiday with Headwater and lived up to expectations. The walking was lovely, although the second one was quite challenging! All the hotels were comfortable and the last two were luxurious, but all had wonderful food. France is not an easy place to be if you are gluten free, as one of our party is, but the last two hotels were particularly good. Taxis too, are scarce and very expensive, if you wish to go out on your rest days. However, the reps (Janet and Andrew) were very helpful and we all had a lovely holiday, and would certainly use Headwater again.
Very enjoyable walks with excellent notes. We are experienced walkers but even we struggled with very high temperatures on Day 4. We were offered the opportunity to swap one day’s walk to canoeing; this is an example of Janet and Andrew ( the reps) going out of their way to tailor our holiday to suit both us and the weather conditions. We thoroughly enjoyed the canoeing and it added a new dimension to our holiday! The hotels were very high quality as we have come to expect with Headwater ( our ninth holiday with you). The only exception was La Terrace in Meyronne where the menu was limited and was the same on both evenings. It gave the impression that we were less important guests and didn’t add to the ambience.
Headwater response:
Thank you for leaving a lovely review. We are so pleased that you enjoyed the canoeing a great alternative to walking in the extreme heat that you were experiencing. Janet and Andrew will be really pleased to read what you have written. I am sorry that the menu in La Terrace was limited and would like to assure you that your comments have been fed back to them.
Kind regards
Customer Services
Beautiful part of Provence to walk in despite it being atypically hot. In view of the high temps, not many hotels offered an early breakfast (07:30) to allow us an early start. If I was to do again then out of main season would be sensible.
Also some popular village restaurants get booked up quickly so having some contact details at the hotels could help smooth these difficulties
Fabulous "Landscapes of the Luberon" walking holiday with Headwater in the south of France. Excellent clean, comfortable and welcoming hotels, great walks with very good, accurate self guided notes amidst beautiful scenery and villages that were a joy to visit and stroll through in the sunshine. Rep was very efficient, friendly and helpful and went out of his way to accommodate us. We added a couple of very enjoyable short city breaks in Avignon and Nice at either end of the holiday. In short a very varied, memorable and wonderful holiday which we really enjoyed.
Walking notes excellent in terms of directions but could have much more detail of places of interests passing through. Hotels never boring, all have character and different. Travel - should be better informed with more options offered inc train.
This was one of the best holiday we've ever had, Provence is amazing, really beautiful and stunning. The hotels were wonderful, as were the walks, really enjoyed them. We would recommend everyone to visit this fantastic region of France and travel with a fantastic holiday company Headwater, as they really have it all so well organised and take good care of you. Thank you to all at Headwater, we shall be planning next summer's walking holiday soon.
Excellent organisation, accommodation, enjoyable walks and fantastic local rep. Would not hesitate to use Headwater again.
If you just want to hike / trek without driving, this is definitely a good choice. However, it would be nice for Headwater to pick a hotel close to the village such that guests can easily stroll around on the rest day rather than book a taxi in order to go some places.
Wonderful area, ideal for walking with hotels of character and many places to visit.
Our first Headwater holiday: beautiful, fascinating countryside, and comfortable, friendly hotels with superb pools to relax in at the end of a day's walking.
Wonderful walking in picturesque varied countryside with many historical features. Ample shade. Hotels luxurious and/or extremely comfortable with delicious food.
Wonderful trip! Everything was so well set up for- transfers, trip notes etc. The walks themselves were stunning, and it was amazing to jump into the pool at the end of the day. A great way to see the Dordogne and experience a different part of France.
Our first trip to Provence. Lovely walking, hotels and food. It was hot!
A picturesque part of France, with vineyards and Lavender fields, Ochre coloured soil, and Rose wines to complement flavourful food. Heaven.
The holiday exceeded all our expectations! Headwater had organised everything perfectly and there were no problems at all. The hotels were all extremely comfortable, most had large grounds for you to spend time in. The swimming pools were a welcome treat after a day of walking. Breakfasts were all delicious, with a large variety of food to choose from. The instructions for the walks were well explained and my daughter and I had no problems following them. We walked through magnificent scenery, and visited beautiful old towns. I would highly recommend this walk and Headwater. I will definitely be travelling with Headwater again in the future.
From the start to the end this was a very relaxing holiday, every day somewhere new to visit, great hotels and swimming pools, and lovely food.
Excellent - well organised - good hotels
Enjoyable walking with impeccable backup. The icing on the cake for us was exploring fascinating villages on the non-walking days.
Very well planned and organised by knowledgable and helpful staff. Route notes generally accurate and helpful, although the wording can at times be confusing and imprecise as can some of the distances between way marks. The degree of difficulty on some days is under estimated and had we not been as fit as we are,we may have struggled with some of the climbs.. The local reps were superb, always charming, helpful, patient and totally reliable. Nothing was ever too much trouble for them. All of the hotels were excellent and two in particular were superb, both in terms of the cuisine and the rooms that we were accommodated in. However, in two hotels the menu did not change from day to day, and therefore, as non meat eaters we were limited to having the same meals on consecutive evenings; particularly as there were no vegetarian options and only one type of fish (which my wife does not like) available. The walk routes were glorious, beautiful scenery, varied terrain, and wonderful spring flowers (particularly many and varied orchids).
An excellent experience in a lovely part of France.
See the inside of the country without the hassle bussel of roads and busy towns plenty of fresh air and excellent hotels and refreshlng swim when you arrive
Easy walking in an attractive area. First class hotels, all with pools.Standard of food in the local restaurants was high. Good to be able to visit Avignon and Marseille as add ons to the holiday. Very hot, even in June this year.
This was our fifth holiday with Headwater - four of them walking holidays. All have been absolutely excellent but this Provence holiday was probably the best of all. The area was spectacularly beautiful and the walks testing enough but not too testing in view of the hot weather we experienced. As ever, the arrangements were superb and the choice of hotels excellent. All of a very high standard with lovely staff, good breakfasts and great swimming pools. Evening restaurants were a mix of Headwater selected and our own choices. We ate and drank well throughout the week. The reps James and Beckie were delightful and helped us whenever necessary. My wife and I were sad to be coming home and will be with Headwater again next year. No better compliment.
Excellent holiday overall. Well organised with great staff. Many thanks.
We have now done 8 walking holidays with Headwater and we have never been disappointed. This was no exception. There were some niggles more to do with the French footpath designations and markers than walking notes, but the region is awesome, the village of Fontaine de Vaucluse stunning. We would return to this region but would come by car as there is so much to see. Having a car means on stay put or rainy days exploration is possible.
There needs to be some more communication with hotels as to willingness to make picnics. It is fine for the notes to say ask them to provide a picnic but if they they don,t and you have not been able to buy food because village has no shop ie Les Imberts then you have a 8 to 9 mile walk with no food!!
Though it is occasionally nice to visit other restaurants we felt having to pay for 4 evening meals with what we have paid for the holiday seems a bit steep certainly compared to some of our previous experiences
Overall we still love the Headwater experience
The holiday is an excellent combination of interesting, good length walks, fine hotels and great food. The lack of restaurant facilities at the Renoir was more than made up for by the quality of the food at the nearby Bistro L'Octroi. The finest food was undoubtedly at the Hotel Les Glycines but all were very satisfactory. There was plenty to do on all the rest days and we would particularly recommend visiting to Marqueyssac Gardens in Beynac, the museums dedicated to the amazing pre-historic finds around Les Eyzies, and lounging by the pool at the Laborderie.
Great hotels and views. Walking infused with smell if hot pine and wild lavender.
Provence is a wonderfully scenic area and walking independently and at your own pace is a great way to experience the history and the variety of views. The Headwater formulae works excellently!
You have improved the standard of hotels used and Laura and Tim looked after us very well.
The booking process was simple and supportive. The holiday exceeded expectation; not something I have said before. The accommodation was superb, food wonderful, welcome huge and help available when required.
Our Headwater walking holiday contained the perfect mixture of beautiful and challenging walks with comfortable hotels and delicious French meals. We felt we were able to escape from the well-trodden tourist trails and really explore the countryside, knowing our luggage was being taken care of and there would be a crystal-clear swimming pool awaiting us at the end of another hot day.
We had two varied weeks in France, interspersed with the 8 day walking holiday. I think we have come to the conclusion that staying based in one hotel (i.e. Kandersteg) is probably better for us than walking from hotel to hotel. We missed having a car on our 'rest' days in order to explore the surroundings. We also found 23kms rather too much for us! We got lost a couple of times following the instructions - better signposting in Switzerland! However, the food, wine and the beautiful countryside was much appreciated. Not often one walks only hearing birdsong and nothing else!
Thanks Headwater for all your arrangements.
Good varied walking, with clear directions. But we were pleased the weather was not hot because, aged about 70, we found the walking days quite full. Timing was as predicted though torrential rain had turned some of the tracks into an obstacle course.
Hotels were excellent, all very special in different ways. Chateau de Monrecours is magnificent, feels very expensive, with a talented chef and friendly helpful Maitre d'.
Monrecours and Les Glycines provided special menus for Headwater, Meysett and Laborderie scored by saying 'here are all our menus, have what you like'!
Nearly all staff spoke very good English.
Varied walking in superb countryside through pine forests, cherry orchards, lavender fields and vineyards, all of which which gave us a wonderful experience of Provence in all its glory
We enjoyed it and had a lot of fun, but it could have been even better with a few tweaks. Some of the walking notes certainly need reviewing as we wanted to enjoy the walking, not stand scratching our heads wondering if we had the right path. An explanation of the GR markers would have been really useful as we had to find out what they meant by trial and error. Also there were markets or events on some days that it would have been nice to know and arrange our days off to coincide with.
As regards hotels the Monrecour was superb, the labourderie very good and the Meysset OK. Les Glycinees we found varied. The location was great, the room ok. The food at the hotel varied from some of the best ever eaten to some of the worst. Our picnic sandwich was inedible. Generally it did not have the same feel as the other hotels. Also tea or coffee making in all hotels would be appreciated.
Lovely locations. There is so much choice of what to do on your spare days.
Although the walks are not too strenuous you do need to have enough food and water with you as there are few places on route where you can stock-up.
Do take your time following route instructions as markers are not always immediately obvious and can become difficult to see or disappear entirely.
This was our second holiday with Headwater and again we had an excellent holiday. It was very well organised and the walking notes were easy to follow. The holiday certainly lived up to its name of being a gastronomic walking tour - the food was delicious throughout and all four hotels were very friendly.
The walking was pleasant but suffered a little in comparison to our first hoiday with Headwater (Umbria) as the Dordogne is a busier area than Umbria.
Our top tip would be to visit Le font de Gaume when staying in Les Eyzies - there are a limited number of tickets issued each day and 52 of these go on sale each morning at 9.30am. The receptionist at the hotel suggested we shoud be there by 7.30am, as September isn't peak season and as she predicted we weren't the first, we joined the very orderly queque as nos 11 and 12; it was a magical experience seeing original paintings that are 14,000 years old.
We came home feeling very relaxed and ready to book another Headwater holiday.
Well organised and did what it said on the can!
Beautiful region of France. Didn't see a soul whilst walking and the hotels were quiet which suited us! Representative was very friendly and helpful.
On this itinerary the length and gradient of the walks are not so suitable for the over 65s - we experienced them as three-boots rather than 2 on account of our age.
Your notes are very well written, congratulations. We never went wrong and rarely used the maps.
The menus on this gastronomic holiday were surprisingly limited - should have guessed they would be though. There was one evening when we could not face the foie gras and duck again so crept out for a cheap Italian despite having paid for the gastronomic bore. We cannot blame Headwater for this, please note.
Throughout the service was very good. The landscape and local attractions were outstanding. The routes were creatively chosen. Thanks!
Wonderful countryside for walking and great walks - with a spectacular meal at the end of every day.
The Dordogne is a very good area for a holiday, with plenty to see and do in all weathers. The Headwater walking holiday is a very good introduction to the many varied facets of the region - geography, towns and villages, food and places of interest. We enjoyed experiencing different styles of hotel - they all have their own individuality - and all looked after us extremely well. The walking notes were faultless and the maps some of the best I've encountered on the nine Headwater holidays I've taken. The rep was very informative and helpful and although we required only the routine service we were confident that if exceptional circumstances arose they would be dealt with professionally.
The Dordogne is a great area for walking with fantastic views and places to visit such as Chateau and cave/rock attractions. Mostly small hamlets along the route and limited facilities for refreshments so a picnic was essential. The walks were very strenuous in places with steep climbs and descents along stony paths. It was the toughest series of walks that we had undertaken (we live in Norfolk but have walked up Snowdon and other hills!) but we did it. Food at hotels in Beynac and Tamnies in particular was substantial and excellent but the walking helped burn off the calories. We flew from Norwich to Toulouse via Amsterdam and it was nice to be home within 40 mins of touching down in Norwich. Headwater helped us find a route to the Dordogne which didn't involve a long trip to and from London and didn't break the bank either.
There should be more information on the routes available early in the process. We had a 23 km walk, which was fine for us but it was not clear that there were any walks of this length and it could cause problems for some guests.
We thoroughly enjoyed our walking holiday in the Dordogne. Accommodation and food were for the most part excellent. Walking notes were detailed and accurate. Our rep. was helpful and very informative.
The accommodation was excellent, it was great having meals already arranged so no need to go in search after a long walk. Walking was as described in the brochure and route notes very good with a couple of minor hiccups. Our rep Claire was 1st class and made some helpful suggestions which added to the enjoyment of the holiday. All in all we had a great holiday and would definitely recommend it.
