Hi,
Can anyone recommend a tour company (with a similar style to RS) for walking/hiking tours in the U.K.? The kind where you’d walk x amount of miles from one town to the next and the company transports your luggage, sets up accommodations, provides some support, etc. I think there’s many out there,but wondered if any of you have a recommendation since we like Rick’s philosophy and would like something comparable
We use Contours Walking Holidays for self-guided but supported (B&B bookings, daily luggage transfers, guidebooks/maps/walking directions): https://www.contours.co.uk/index.php
What's included? We arrange your accommodation, provide maps and a
guidebook describing the route and transport your luggage between
overnight stops. We take care of every little detail, leaving you free
to enjoy your walk, knowing everything is taken care of.The Holiday Pack Every party who books a Contours Walking Holiday will
receive an extensive Holiday Pack. In this pack, you will receive all
of the information you need to make your walk enjoyable and
worry-free. In it you will find:The relevant Ordnance Survey Explorer (1:25000) or Harvey map(s)
A guidebook (where available) or route notes describing the route.
Advice on getting to and from your holiday by public transport.
A day-by-day itinerary describing each night's accommodation with
either a town plan showing its location or directions to it, together
with details of any transfers arranged.Recommendations on the best places to get evening meals.
Information on places to stop for a drink or a meal during the day.
A list of facilities such as banks, shops, post offices, telephones,
inns and cafés along the trail.Personalised luggage labels.
A comprehensive checklist of what to take with you.
Emergency contact number.
If you want daily guides, HF Holidays gets high marks from Brits I've met on Norway tours. https://www.hfholidays.co.uk/
I can strongly recommend InnTravel. I have walked (and cycled) with them several times in France, and I see they have some good options in the UK.
We recently completed the Two Moors Way (a coast to coast walk through south west England crossing Exmoor and Dartmoor) using Encounter Walking Holidays - they are based in Cornwall and specialise in walks/trails in southern Wales and south west England. I can't recommend them highly enough. They do pretty much all same things that Contour do, and for us they accommodated us asking a) do the route in reverse, b) extend the trip to make the first day a shorter walk and c) shift the whole thing two days backwards to fit in a Friday finish. Could not have been more helpful. And judging by the 'reviews' section on their website plenty of US and Canadian walkers use them, not just us Brits. Just the only thing they can't organise is the weather!
See their website at: www.encounterwalkingholidays.com
For walks further North you'd probably need a nationwide company like Contours. There's also the 'book it yourself' option (there are companies who will just ship your luggage for you) but I realise a little local knowledge helps, which is why I turned our TMW trek over to Encounter.
Have you any specific areas in mind you'd like to walk in/through/round?
Happy Trails!
Ian
We used Celtic Trails for a self-guided walking holiday in Shropshire and Wales and were pleased with their personalized service and professionalism. These were Village-based, not inn to inn, but they do those as well.
We have also stayed with HF Holidays in their Lake District country house and loved it. We plan to use them for more walking holidays. They mostly do holidays based in one of their country houses around the U.K. These would be with a group, not self-guided, but really enjoyed the camaraderie. The walks are chosen for scenic quality and variety, not simply to get one from place to place.
We highly recommend Mickledore Walking Holidays. We've done the Cotswold Way, the Coast to Coast Path, the West Highland Way and the Pembrokeshire Coast Path with them and have been very happy with the accommodations and the informational materials they include.
One thing I forgot to mention is that the best way, in my opinion, to do The Great Glen Way (Scotland) is by using the barges operated by Caledonian Discovery. A fantastic week with your accommodation sailing along with you as you walk! Highly recommended! However it books up really quickly so you need to be on it for 2018 any time now!
Ian
I have taken a couple walking/trekking tours in England with HF Holidays. We stayed in beautiful large manor houses and each day had our choice of a short, medium, or longer walk.
We packed our own lunches for our rucksacks from the very large array of things provided by the manor and we could even order custom sandwiches if we wanted.
here is the link
http://www.hfholidays.com
You can easily plan your walking tour yourself, and save hundreds of dollar. A couple years ago a friend and I walked the Cotswold National Trail, I booked all the b&b’s/hotels along the trail, company to transport our luggage from b&b to b&b. It was so easy.
Thanks all for the great info! Our original idea was to go ourselves and do all the logistical planning, but now we may have a family group going so I don’t want to be responsible for all the planning - hence the request for recommendations!
