Contours Walking Holidays www.contours.co.uk
Beauty of scenery
Value For Money
Contours Walking Holidays www.contours.co.uk
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User Reviews
Beauty of scenery
Value For Money
The Forgotten Part Of England.........
.....as described by one of our hosts.
We have just finished walking the Northumberland Coastal Path over 6 days and this will remain one of the most unforgettable walks of my life. We had underestimated the beauty of this area as well as the colours, even cold, grey, windy days presented us with every shade of blue and grey we could imagine.
The accommodation was also beyond our expectations- we were a Swiss group so standards were high. We had a mixture of B&Bs and small hotels, which varied slightly in standard but none enough to warrant any complaints. They all had extremely comfortable beds , were beautifully furnished (very English, which the Swiss liked) and had everything we needed. In some cases more than we needed. . The breakfasts with the exception of one place were magnificent. Kippers became a firm favourite of our oldest member.
The night on Holy Island was remarkable .Having the run of the island after the day tourists have left and before they arrive was very special and getting up early to see the sunrise can be strongly recommended.
All transfers we needed from the path worked well and the taxi firms used were flexible enough to accommodate any slight changes. The friendliness of everyone we encountered will also not be forgotten.
Our luggage was also waiting for us each evening, in some cases already in our rooms.
We can only say ‘Well done and thank you’ to the Contours team for the excellent organisation.
Dear Jenff, thanks for your lovely review and great to hear you enjoyed hiking the Northumberland Coast. We are pleased to hear the accommodations booked for you met your high standards, and we are delighted to have helped you discover this lovely corner of North England (and the wonderful people there). We hope to hear from you and your companions again in the future, to help in discovering another hidden corner of the UK. Best wishes, Contours Holidays.
Beauty of scenery
Value For Money
John Muir Way Accommodations
I recently walked John Muir Way with Contours and they are well named. The walk was fantastic but the accommodations were on the whole, cheap and of an embarrassingly low standard. One place had mold, wallpaper hanging off the walls, a ceiling coming down and old lumpy mattresses. The lodgings were mainly in the worst parts of each town and I'm furious and as a Scot, mortified that tourists are being treated this way. This vacation was very expensive and the cost was not reflected in the standard of the lodgings. I called the company en route and they did attempt to improve the rest of the lodgings which I appreciate. I strongly recommend that anyone planning to do a walking vacation does not use this particular company. It would be cheaper to arrange your own guest houses and you would have decent places to stay. I'm giving 2 stars only because they tried to rectify the problem but honestly, the problem should never have existed. I know some of these areas and there are very nice guest houses that should have been used by Contours.
Dear dougedin. Thank you for your review, and we regret to hear that you felt some of the accommodations booked for you were of a poor standard. We always strive to secure the best accommodation available on our routes, and it is never our intention to secure low quality B&Bs for you. We will investigate the places you have mentioned, and we are glad you found our service prompt in rectifying the night in question at the time. We have been in touch with you separately with regards to feedback for all accommodations. Unfortunately we were not made aware of the other issues therefore were unable to rectify these for you at the time. We look forward to hearing from you again soon. Contours Holidays.
Beauty of scenery
Value For Money
Beware! Full Payment Needed Before Itinerary Supplied!
We paid over £2.5k for a family holiday this year on Contours' 'Hadrian's Wall with a dog' holiday. What we got, with many duplicate nights and taxis ferrying us to and fro to accommodation off the trail (or back where we started that day's walk), was wholly different to what I was led to believe I was paying for.
The standard of most of the accommodation - one notable exceptional which was lovely - could best be described as 'cheap and cheerful' (fine by us!) - but it does mean a significant amount of that £2.5k must have gone on 'organisation' so I would have expected to be significantly better.
We agreed the itinerary with Contours in advance which included one rest day where we would stay in the same accommodation for two nights. At no point was there any suggestion that there might be a significant problem with bringing a dog (and given the name of the tour (ie 'with a dog') we assumed the company would have experience and expertise in this regard . The confirmation letter said they would be in contact if there was a problem. Only after paying the full balance was paid were we able to see where we were staying which did not correlate to where we were walking to and from on the itinerary! On three occasions (one expected) we were ferried bank to a place we'd stayed the previous night. Our rest day lodge was very inconveniently located - despite specifically negotiating a rest day that would be best placed for the famous sites of Vindolanda and the Roman Army museum. It took 40 minutes to walk to the nearest AD122 bus stop (taxis were an option but there aren't that many - we did use one). Very frustrating when we could see other charming and well placed accommodation nearer the route AND having paid handsomely for someone to organise in the back of 'expertise'.
Contours rely on the small print and that they find it difficult to find dog friendly accommodation. To this I say (1) why run a tour called 'Hadrian's wall with a dog' if you struggle to fulfil the most basic requirements and (2) why not call us - as you promised - and check at a time where we would have options (ie to decide not to proceed with the holiday or decide not to take the dog!) rather than taking our money and giving us a disappointing holiday that was much anticipated.
I have been sent £100 in compensation. In my view this is woefully inadequate given the scale of the way we were misled about the holiday. I'm not seeking anything further but do want to forewarn others if they too would have an issue with multiple duplication of nights on trail walking and a reliance on taxis at the beginning and end of walks.
Hadrians Wall itself is sublime! Especially middle 3/4 days :)
Yes, you clearly explain how your holidays work. But you don't adhere to your own conditions. You state that you will contact the client as soon as possible to discuss options when you have to make a significant change to a booked holiday with the option of cancelling with a full refund. You DO NOT do this. Instead you proceed regardless of these significant changes and only inform the client when it is too late to cancel. It's like paying someone to paint your house white and he says if he can't get the shade you require, he will discuss your options before starting. He wants payment first. After paying him he then paints your house black because he couldn't get white paint. Of course, he won't refund your money as the work has been done and you should be satisfied. Why aren't you? It's painted isn't it?
This is like how Contours Walking Holidays treated me and it seems that I am not the only hard done by client.
We clearly explain on our website how our holidays work, and that to secure dog friendly accommodations it may be necessary to transfer you from the trail to your accommodation and back to the trail again the following morning to resume your walk.
Once again we regret that you were disappointed with our service. We have offered our sincerest apologies a number of times to you already via email and also in reply to reviews you have posted.
I agree and commiserate with you. I had the same experience with Contours. They take your money in full and supply you with a final itinerary that is vastly different to the one you originally contracted with them to provide without discussing with you any options, which they state they will do if there are to be any changes. Then, they provide this "new" itinerary only 4 weeks prior to commencement which means if you cancel you will lose 75% of your money paid to them. Almost like blackmail. Leaves you like feeling you have to accept and just put up with it because short of complaining to the Independent Advertising Standards Authority, there is little that you can do to change the immediate situation. Not a great way to start your holiday. I no longer trust them.
However, I have found a much more reputable company offering much the same holidays as Contours.
Absolute Escapes is their name. I have already booked my next holiday with them and how different they are compared to Contours. Excellent customer service and great communications even though I live in New Zealand. Check them out.
Beauty of scenery
Value For Money
West Highland Way Sort Of.
I booked and paid for a 9 day West Highland Way holiday staying at a different location each night with 2 rest days, one at Rowardennan to climb Ben Lomand and the other rest day at Kingshouse in order to climb another Munro. The daily stop overs were clearly laid out in the booking form and I expected the holiday to adhere to that plan. The holiday was scheduled for August 2017 and I had paid in February 2017 stating then that I was aware of the accommodation shortage at Kingshouse and requested they book early to avoid missing out. I live in New Zealand and can only communicate via email due to time differences. They responded saying they had made all the arrangements. They didn't say anything concerning difficulty arranging accommodation so I assumed everything was in place.
4 weeks prior to my holiday starting I received my itinerary via email. Contours had booked me 3 nights in Drymen, 2 nights in Tyndrum and 3 nights in Kinlochleven with my rest days shifted to an alternative location. I contacted the Rowardennan and Inveroran hotels where I should have been booked and they both said they had rooms available on my required date. Contours said both of those hotels had been booked out when they made inquiries and must have had a cancellation since then. I asked them to book me into those hotels which they charged me an extra 90 pounds to do so.
They also made me pay 33 pounds for a half share of a taxi from Kinlochleven to Kingshouse. Of course, I couldn't cancel as I would have lost my entire cost due to the lateness of cancellation which was due to the itinerary only being sent 4 weeks prior to the starting date. All very convenient for Contours.
Contours only seem concerned about money , not customer satisfaction. I have used them twice with a small issue in the first trip but I will never use them again. Their shoddiness detracted greatly from my enjoyment. I no longer trust them.
This is not correct. You are trying to apportion responsibility to me for this mess.
You acknowledged my deposit and provided my itinerary which laid out the proposed nightly stop overs. This was acceptable and I paid the full amount owing early as I wished to finalise arrangements. I raised the point of the Kinghouse Hotel being closed but there is alternative accommodation there and assumed that you would act promptly to secure this.
Your booking conditions clearly state that if you encounter problems finding availability for my chosen dates you will contact me as soon as possible to discuss my options.
You did NOT contact me at all even though you had altered my selected itinerary almost beyond recognition and becoming unacceptable to me. I had even emailed you on the 14th of February asking for some re-assurance that there were no problems and you replied stating that all the arrangements have now been made. Nothing mentioned then about the drastically altered itinerary. I only discovered this when you emailed my finalised itinerary 4 weeks prior to my holiday commencing. Too late to cancel without losing all my already paid money and very difficult to arrange acceptable alternative accommodation.
However, I did make suitable alternative arrangements. The upgraded room at Rowardennan cost 50 pounds not 90 pounds as you state. You failed to mention that you also charged me a 40 pound administration fee to secure a booking at the Inveroran Hotel (which I arranged myself). This then totaled 90 pounds extra. I had also initially paid extra as a solo traveler.
Your conditions also state that if I was required to stay in accommodation off the trail then I would be taxied back to the trail at your expense. You charged me extra to have a rest day at both Rowardennan and Kingshouse and then refused to pay for the taxi back to those rest day locations. You should have informed me much earlier that my rest day locations were changed without my consent. As it was I had to pay 33 pounds for a half share of the taxi which you should have paid in it's entirety. I only did so as I was concerned that you would cancel my holiday and I would forfeit my money.
You were very difficult to deal with, frequently becoming confused with what had already been agreed upon and slow at responding to my emails. You seem to be more interested in extracting money than honouring your contracted obligations.
Your customer service is abysmal and, even now, you don't apologise for your failure to uphold your own booking conditions. Instead you only express regret at my disappointment with your service. I no longer trust you and will not have anything further to do with you. The best service you can offer falls very short of pleasing.
But every cloud has a sliver lining and for my next U.K. walking holiday I have found.a marvelous, competent company offering a professional service. ABSOLUTE ESCAPES. I highly recommend them. Check them out.
Hi,
Thank you for your review following your West Highland Way walking holiday.
We take all feedback and reviews very seriously and can only express our regret that you were disappointed with our service and acknowledge that that you did not have accommodations booked for you as expected in some locations along the trail. We do state clearly on our website that the itinerary you are booking shows our preferred overnight stops, but if accommodation is not available at any one of these locations, we may alter the itinerary slightly. We acknowledge that this statement is quite vague and have plans to improve the information we provide on our website over this winter, especially with regard to itineraries whereby transfers are required from the trail to your accommodations . This should alleviate any surprises when holiday packs are received.
The West Highland Way is a very popular trail and the limited rooms available at some of the remoter accommodations/hotels do get booked up very quickly and far in advance. When you booked your holiday back in January and we enquired at Rowardennan Hotel and Inveroran Hotel for availability for you, they unfortunately did not have any single occupancy rooms available. After investigation by yourself the Inveroran Hotel advised they had received a room cancellation and the Rowardennan Hotel also had a triple bedded superior room available for your holidays dates. We booked these for you as requested and cancelled the other accommodations we had originally booked for you. The single occupancy triple room at Rowardennan however, for two nights, did incur an upgrade supplement which was the agreed £90 charge passed on to yourself.
You advised you were aware that there was no accommodation at Kingshouse. Booking an extra night at this location therefore meant you would not actually be staying at Kingshouse for your planned additional Munro climb on your rest day, but at accommodation nearby that required a transfer to and from the trail, due to the Kingshouse Hotel being closed for refurbishment for the foreseeable future. As a gesture of goodwill however we agreed to pay half of the cost of a taxi for you so that you could return to Kingshouse from Kinlochleven on your rest day for your additional Munro climb. Travel costs for rest days would normally be at customers own expense.
Once again we regret that you were disappointed with our service. We take feedback – both positive and negative – very seriously and we want to ensure that every customer enjoys their walking holiday with us and receives the best service that we can offer.
Contours Walking Holidays
Beauty of scenery
Value For Money
Contours Were Professional All The Way
The trip was very important to us . Comming from Australia everything had to come together and it did thanks to this company. Every correspondence was quickly answered. Our accomadation was perfect and they had selected a good range along the path.Our bags were in our rooms when we arrived. I found it value for money and will go back to them again. They obviously have good a good repour with the accomadation as they all spoke well of the firm.
I have confidence in what they say in their documentation is correct and they were very detailed on what to see along the way.
Thanks
Thank you for your review, we are delighted to hear that you had a wonderful holiday and look forward to being able to book another holiday for you in the future.
Beauty of scenery
Value For Money
Very Unhelpful When It Comes To Cancellation
I needed to call off the holiday after the first day because of a serious family illness. I wasn't asking for any money back so you'd think there wouldn't be a problem, but the staff were really unhelpful. They might have expressed some concern for my plight but there was none. They only did the minimum to help and were not prepared to contact just one hotel on my behalf. Quite annoying really, sympathetic and helpful customer service costs nothing and wouldn't have left me with a bad taste in my mouth. They seem to employ dry administrators rather than customer service orientated people.
If they respond to this no doubt they will quote "t&c", but they weren't prepared to help establish the facts for me so regardless of what they say, my comments stand.
The one night I had was fine and the walk was great.
I wasn't getting any refund and as I was sharing a room there was no need to let the hotels know.
My issue was that I needed to make an insurance claim and whilst I entirely understand that you cannot issue a backdated cancellation invoice, it was not a lot to ask for you to confirm with your accommodation that I had indeed not continued after the first night, but you were very clearly not prepared to do this for me.
Clearly you thought it more important to tell the accommodation one breakfast less was needed, than to help me provide accurate factual evidence to support a claim.
Dear reviewer, We are very sorry to hear that you had to return home after just one day of your holiday due to a serious family illness. For all cancellations we would not expect you to inform any of your accommodations of your cancellation, we will always do this for you on your behalf. We are unable to locate your booking on our database, please could you kindly contact us at your earliest convenience by phone or email with your booking reference so that we can investigate what happened. Contours Walking Holidays.
Beauty of scenery
Value For Money
Excellent Walking Holiday Company
My friend and I walked the Bob Graham Round, organised through Contours.
Absolutely Excellent.
Initial contact via website/email and phone - 10/10
Quality of information provided - 10/10
Maps provided (including hoghlighted route + wet-eather alternative) - 10/10
Accommodation - 10/10
Bag transport - 10/10
Many thanks
Hi,
Thank you very much for your lovely review following your recent Bob Graham Round Walk, we are delighted that yourself and your friend had an excellent walking holiday. We look forward to organising another walk for you both again.
Contours Walking Holidays.
Beauty of scenery
Value For Money
Dales Way
Myself and three friends completed the Dales Way in September 2015. It was a great experience and very enjoyable. Everything went very well and the accommodation was great. We will be booking another holiday with Contours.
Dear 177Hay
Thank you for your lovely feedback. We are delighted to hear that yourself and your three friends had a very enjoyable experience walking the Dales Way and we look forward to booking another holiday for you all in the future.
Contours Walking Holidays
Beauty of scenery
Value For Money
Once More Great Service
For the 6 th time we made use of the services of Contours. And again we were very satisfied with their handling . Excellent accomodation and good handling of our luggage. In remote areas punctual ( and
often welcome) pick ups by the hosts of the accomodation or taxi's . And if you have special requests for instantie as to an adjustment of the program they always try to accomodate us. Next time we will again book with Contours
Dear Silvarq9
Thank you for your lovely feedback following your recent holiday with Contours, we are delighted to hear that you had a lovely time and our services met all your expectations. We look forward to organising your 7th holiday with us, don't forget to claim your loyalty discount when booking.
Contours Walking Holidays
Extremely Rude And Unhelpful
I am in the process of organising a fund raising walk and rang Contours, simply to ask a couple of questions concerning the route I would be walking. I have to say I was quite shocked and disgusted by the response I got.
I politely explained what I was doing and asked if she minded if I asked her advice on a couple of things relating to the walk. The woman I spoke to was extremely reluctant to give me any information, her tone of voice was belligerent and she was rude and very unhelpful, quickly ending the conversation by saying that she was not prepared to tell me anything because it was their business and then cutting me off.
I can honestly say that I have never been been spoken to like that before and it left me feeling quite stunned, especially as everyone else I'd spoken to concerning the walk had been so kind, helpful and supportive in a variety of ways.
After that experience with them I have to say that I would never consider using their services and would suggest to others that they likewise steer clear.
Dear 314Crowley
I am really very sorry for the rude way I spoke to you. Having built up the company over many years, I am very protective of giving out sensitive information as we often have competitors phoning. I sincerely apologise that I was very short with you at the time, however that is no excuse I should have explained this to you in a more polite manner at the time.
Contours Walking Holidays
Q&A
I recently walked the Cleveland Way. A marvellous holiday, but I wish to complete a feedback form. Unfortunately my family experienced laptop problems whilst I was away and everything emailed by them before the holiday has been lost (incl lots of other files).
Is it possible for them to email me a feedback form?
I shall certainly use Contours when I do a future long distance path, everything they organised worked perfectly.
Hi,
Thank you for your question. Online feedback forms are available via the customer Members' Area, which can be accessed from our website. All you need to log in to this is the surname of the lead passenger (the person who booked the holiday) and your booking ID. If you lost your booking ID along with your other files, please give our office a call and we will be happy to help you.
Kind Regards,
Contours Walking Holidays