The Ceredigion Coast Path

As always, communication with Encounter was easy...questions were always responded to in a timely manner. The description of the tours and the specific daily itineraries made planning easy and provided us a good picture of what to expect day by day. We walked the Ceredigion Coast path...with a climb of Cadair Idris to start our holiday. We started in Machynlleth and ended in Cardigan. Our itinerary was "relaxed"...about 6 to 10 or so miles per day with some extra days in interesting towns along the way...Aberystwith, New Quay, and Cardigan. We enjoyed the variety of the scenery...mountains, rivers and cwms, coastal walking, etc...and the opportunity to learn more about the Welsh culture. A nice variety of small hotels, rooms at pubs, the youth hostel in Borth, and two night in Cardigan Castle. All charming in their own way...well, maybe the room at the golf resort wasn't the most charming, but it was the only place available. We loved the trip...the coastal scenery was spectacular and the path wasn't as busy as the Southwest Coast in South Devon, Dorset, or Cornwall. Fewer tourists in the towns, too. There was a wildness to the landscape that we really enjoyed.

6 September 2023

This is our fourth walk we have undertaken with Encounter. They have provided terrific planning and detailed itineraries. Unlike many other tour companies, the Encounter staff have actually walked these paths and visited the accommodations that they recommend. While I walk on these tours, my wife accompanies me taking public transport between towns and villages. Encounter has planned out this somewhat complex arrangement perfectly, every time. My itinerary made for some long days, often 20 to 28 km. The paths were not busy. Walkers doing the long distance paths were not common; I saw perhaps 2 to 6 people who were doing the long distance paths on a daily basis. Landscape was quite varied from coastal cliffs to woodland. In some areas, the waymarking was not quite frequent as we have found on the SWCP. The detour to walk Cadair Idris was well worth it and not overly difficult (steep but relatively short). The path for the alternative cliff walk at Penderi Cliffs was completely overgrown and I did not venture far on this path. The detailed instructions on the route and in finding our accommodation were excellent. I didn't find the official Wales Coastal Path book particularly useful. From my experience the TrailBlazer series provides better and more useful information. Generally the accommodation was very good. Some of our hotels had air conditioning which proved useful on a few hot days. One of the great benefits of booking with Encounter is that they are completely transparent regarding options for hotels and B&Bs, so that customers can research the accommodation on their own before booking

1 June 2023

We were provided with exactly what we asked for. We have not used any 'walking ' company in the UK before, though we have in Spain - so a bit of an experiment and one which we will certainly repeat. Telephone and  email contact was polite and friendly and personnel worked with us to book for us exactly what we wanted - a 5 day walking trip down the West Coast of Wales. 62 miles over 5 days is not particularly challenging....on the flat...but this path takes you along spectacular paths along cliffs and headlands - the spring flowers were out and the sun shone from the moment we started to the moment we finished - we were very lucky with the weather. This was the first time we had walked in the part of Wales and we were delighted to find that there was only one style in 62 miles, all the other entrances to fields were via very well kept 'kissing gates' (thumbs up to the up keep of these paths). People we met on the way were very friendly and helpful. Even managed to see one of the elusive dolphins which inhabit this part of the coastline. The most challenging section was a 10 mile section which takes you 'up and down' many coves. Our 'strava' registered 3000ft climbing that day. If I had been retired, on our last day, I would have run 'Encounter' and asked them to arrange the next 10 day section around Pembrokeshire. This walk will stay with us for a very long time (in a good way) - would highly recommend it. The walking notes were fine - we did not purchase the maps and guidebooks, we already had these. The information contained was accurate and up to date. Some 'where to eat' recommendations would have been helpful, but these may be contained in the guidebooks which we did not purchase? Two hotels were situated on beach/ sea front, great for falling to sleep to the sound of the waves. The hotel in Cardigan was on the river front - there was a free drink waiting for us at this hotel. One of the best walking holidays I can remember. Cannot wait to do the next sections going south. Encounter was great! Always there when needed (and we did not need them, but was nice knowing that they were there!!) and not too intrusive/ pushy. Well done - great to support experienced, competent and professional organisations which are competitively priced.

28 May 2023

Planning and booking...Easy and straightforward. Receiving a coplete quote and itinerary before signing was great. Walkalongway luggage transfers never missed a beat - luggage was always delivered where it should be. Accommodation - All a good standard - some stood out because of extremely friendly staff or hosts (Castle Inn, Newport) or perhaps a bit of quirkiness (Shoreline, Aberystwyth). I had the route on a hand held GPS which made it easy to check you were on the right track particularly in adverse weather. I always carried a map and compass but rarely needed them. The cliffs along the coast of Wales are spectacular and exceeded all expectations.

1 September 2022

Encounter (again) provided excellent support, both before and during our walk. We greatly appreciated the opportunity to review our accommodation options before they were booked. All of our accommodations were good and most were excellent. We found the walking itself to be pleasantly challenging - hard enough to keep us puffing at times, but never so hard as to be not enjoyable (we are experienced walkers in our mid-60's/mid 70's). We had definite challenges with the weather - of the 24 days we were on the trail, 10 included high to very high wind and drizzle to downpour. We were extremely impressed that Damon contacted us mid-walk to discuss the expected weather (high winds) on the day we would be walking from Aberporth to Newquay, as he was concerned about the very unprotected section between the Urdd Centre and Cwmtydu. We followed his advice to pay attention to the local conditions rather than the forecast, and ended up taking the bus from Llangranog to Newquay, as we felt this was the safest option.Overall, we had an excellent experience. We hope to do at least one more long-distance walk, and will definitely choose a location within Encounter's repertoire, as we know that their attention to detail made the difference between a 'good' and an 'excellent' time.

1 September 2018

I had a wonderful time.
Accommodation was generally very good. The restaurants were generally much better than the pub meals, and didn't cost significantly more. I should have kept names of the best but I didn't think to.

9 May 2018

A walking company that cannot be surpassed for their knowledge of the routes they book and for their personal service. I not only worked with Encounter for the Pembrokeshire Coast this year—every arrangement was perfect—but last summer they handled all arrangements for the entire Southwest Coast National Trail. Damon and his staff do not stop at making the reservations and arranging to have your luggage delivered, they tell you about tide times, route diversions, particular features of each day's walk, things to watch out for, suggest where you might have rest days and what there is to see. Their support begins when you start working with them and continues through your excursion. Truly they are a unique company that knows every step of the way you will be walking. No other company I have worked with that calls itself a "walking company" comes close to Encounter for service and expertise.

20 July 2017