Recently returned from Headwater's… Recently returned from Headwater's 'Highlights of Northern Portugal' walking trip. What a beautiful area! I've never been on a holiday where I saw three distinct regions all in one week. Starting in the Douro wine region, it was incredible to see the vast vineyards and of course taste the wine. Next was the impressive mountains of the National Park before ending on the Atlantic Coast - recommend adding extra nights in Porto. Local agent was fantastic, as was Headwater's service before and after our trip.

Taste of Tuscany Cycling Headwater didn't print my review even though they say they print all reviews unless there are exceptional circumstances so I'll print it here. The booking process was good and they arranged an additional hotel stay in Rome beforehand which was good. However, the accommodation was not what we expected as stated on the website, not the Agriturismo La Pietriccia with wonderful views across to Chianciano, but at the Poggio de Rose apartments 100m down the hill with frosted windows so we couldn't see out even if it was only to the builders yard over the road. The food was disappointing considering it was supposed to be traditional Tuscan fare. However, the wine was excellent and the hotel owner was brilliant - so helpful in planning all our days out. There was another group of guests, walkers, who were going to write a review, that hasn't appeared either??

Breathtaking Switzerland! In July we enjoyed a breathtaking trip to Switzerland with Headwater, from start the finish the trip, the holiday blew us away, from the stunning scenery, wonderful hotels and knowledgeable agents on the ground to enhance the overall experience was amazing. Can't wait to travel with Headwater again soon!

Austrian cycling holiday In summary; cycling down the Danube is a great holiday but don't rely on Headwater to provide a streamlined travelling experience - see below for details. In July this year we went on an Austrian cycling holiday organised by Headwater. I sent them the following feedback on request but had no response from them. The cycling was great and my understanding is that Headwater outsourced the cycling part (bike hire and hotel booking) to a local company (radreisefreunde). That part of the holiday was excellent and all the hotels were great. Our disappointment was the getting to and from the holiday which was the part organised by Headwater. We had the following issues which, although not major, made the travelling section of the holiday into a chore instead of part of the holiday: - We cycled from the Austrian border to Vienna but our flights were booked to and from Munich which meant we had to spend 6 hours travelling back to Munich on the last day. The holiday would have been improved by having flights back from Vienna. - No arrangements had been made for us to get from Vienna to Munich at the end of the holiday. Only when we queried this were train tickets booked. However, seats were not reserved for us so we were unable to sit together for the 4 train journey. Knowing you needed to reserve a seat was the expertise we expected from Headwater. - on arrival in Munich we had to transfer to the main station but that train ticket had not been booked and there were no instructions for whether we needed to or how to. - When we arrived at our first hotel it transpired that our dinner booking clashed with the bike briefing. We were told we had to phone the restaurant to rectify this. We tried to phone all the numbers provided for help but there was no answer and the 24hr emergency number was not a real number. We had to leave a message on the general phone number and did get a response (but not a solution to the clash) - we had booked full board on your advice but were "told off" in one hotel for foolishly choosing that option. It hadn't been made clear to us that it would mean we were on a restricted menu and that we could have easily eaten a la carte each night.

Contrasts of Puglia cycling A great cycling holiday in the south of Italy, it was varied in scenery, from coast to farmland, no wonder it is called Contrasts of Puglia. Same for the accommodation very varied and wonderful hosts at each property, particularly Masseria Salamina Tasty locally sourced cuisine to give us the pedal power for each day. The E bike option is highly recommended. Thank you for a great holiday in the sunshine.