What Our Clients Said
More recent comments may exist on individual holiday pages.
April 2013. Christina from USA took some Sketching tuition but was a bit unlucky with the weather.
Hello Jeni,
finally I have time to send you a long overdue THANK YOU from the other side of the world for the wonderful time I had with you teaching me how to see colors and shapes. I am still astounded how colors do come together and so intrigued by it that I am going to sign up for a course in color theory at the local college. Thank you also for showing me the little pueblos hidden away in the Alpujarras. I often think of that region. How very beautiful, indeed, that region is I can only marvel over. Some day soon, I hope, I will visit again at a time more suitable. I left Capilleira on a Thursday for Nerja. Got there on a rainy afternoon and - did not recognize it anymore. I felt like Ryp Van Winkle returning to his town after a 100 year sleep. Found a lovely Hostal in the old town and left 2 days later to spend the rest of my time with friends in Velez. Warm regards, Christina.
- Tags: about, alpujarras, clients
February 2013. Marion and Jon from Singapore took a guided walk as part of their Spanish Honeymoon trip !!
Dear Jeremy,
Jon and I would like to thank you SO VERY MUCH for the extremely memorable, relaxing, history filled hike through the Alpujarra that you took us on, on the Feb 18th. That day as predicted ...... would be our highlight of our honeymoon in Spain.
It was a wonderful experience having your company, and Sammy's (the hotel dog...ed.) as we walked through the majesty of the Alpujarra and took in the many breathtaking vistas.
You gave us an insight to the Alpujarra region from centuries ago till the present, and your depth of knowledge about the Flora, inhabitants, culture, and artefacts we encountered increased our appreciation of everything we saw and experienced.Thank you for generously sharing your passion for the Alpujarra with us and being so patient with us as we stopped every few steps to take pictures of the Almond Blossoms, herbs, etc, and the many beautiful views.
We will definately recommend your hikes to others visiting Spain! We were discussing what we would like to do when we next come back to Spain, and we agreed we'd set aside 2 days for Hiking through the Alpujarra with you again.
Thank you too, for the excellent recommendation of Hotel Los Berchules as the accomodation during our stay in the Alpujarras, we thoroughly enjoyed our stay there and will cherish the fond memories of Alejandro and Wendy's sincere and gracious hospitality. We felt so at home, enjoyed their company and Alejandro's masterful cooking.
Thank you for such beautiful and happy memories of the Walk.
God Bless Jenny and Yourself,
walkAlpujarra - Jeremy
October 2012. Tom1444 of Scotland Reviewed our GR7 trek
“Wonderful walking holiday.”
The scenery and panoramas in the Alpujarra are spectacular. We walked approximately 9 miles a day, down deep valleys and up again, through rocky gorges, along watercourses and mule paths, through forests and white, hillside villages.villages, and it was breathtaking. We had a rest day in the middle but we could have had it at the end. We hadn't done as much walking before but we trained a bit beforehand and we were fine. Our walking poles were invaluable. The maps and notes we were provided with were great and the accommodation was welcoming and comfortable. Our luggage was driven to our next destination each day. I would highly recommend this holiday.
October 2012. William L. from london Reviewed our GR7 trek.
“Friendly and Welcoming”
Having never seriously hiked before we feel incredibly lucky to have found Jeremy and WalkAlpujarra. He met us on arrival in a small town in the hills and took us through very patiently all we needed to know. Considering the price the accommodation was great and the detail of the walk information impressive. I would highly recommend this small company with a personal touch.
June 2012 at 14:26 | HUGH & HARRIET DEVLIN
JEREMY
J. GEDDES
October 2011. Sarah and Marie-Noelle walked our GR7 holiday and added on 2 days in Granada. Thank you to Sarah for taking the time to send such a full report!
I just wanted to say a big thank you on behalf of Marie-Noelle and myself for organising a really excellent holiday. We loved the hiking, loved the villages and are both a lot fatter thanks to wonderful food and drink.
Your trip notes were great. We learned an important lesson on the first walk - of how it's easy to make landmarks and points on a map 'fit' what you are seeing.... resulting in us going way off route. As a result, we dedicated an hour or so each evening to going through the notes in detail and noting key points on the map so that we paid close attention during the next day's hike. Sometimes it felt like a giant treasure hunt, which was fun. And we thoroughly enjoyed being taken through so many villages and took advantage of many of the bars!
We also really enjoyed the places we stayed in. The one disappointment was our final accommodation in Bubion, which was such a huge contrast to the wonderful Casa Sonia where we'd stayed the night before. We were in a very small room, at the top of the stairs, with very little space even to put our luggage. I did ask if we could be moved to a bigger room but that wasn't possible. I assumed, at the time that this was because the other rooms were booked, but there was actually only one other couple staying there. As we couldn't speak Spanish and our hosts no English, it may have been that none of the rooms were any bigger or better. Breakfast too was poor in comparison to all the other places - just coffee and white toast whereas everywhere else had also offered fresh fruit, yoghurt, fruit juice and sometimes cheese. It would have been fine for one night along the way but not a great end for two nights.
Having said that, we enjoyed our explorations of the area on our full day there and had a couple of excellent evening meals in the restaurants you'd recommended.
Casa Sonia was definitely the highlight in terms of accommodation. Sonia herself was a wonderful host and cooked a fabulous evening meal which was superb value with the wine she included. Our room was enormous and beautifully renovated and was off a wonderful, large terrace with comfortable chairs and great views to the mountains. Staying there was a real joy and we were very tempted to phone you and see if we could spend 2 nights instead of one!
We also thoroughly enjoyed Granada and our visit there was greatly enhanced by the walking notes you provided. They were excellent, informative and really got us exploring areas we otherwise wouldn't have found. Needless to say we still managed to get a bit lost in some of the back streets of the Albacin, but that was all part of the adventure. The hotel was very comfortable and the receptionist incredibly helpful with information about getting buses, to airports, places to eat etc.
So... definitely a trip I'll be recommending to others. Thanks again to both of you for your excellent organisation and support.
Best wishes ..........Sarah
May 2011.This group of 4 friends from Dorset UK, walked 5 stages the GR7, and stayed 2 nights in Busquistar for a circular walk.
On behalf of myself, Mike, Andy and Jim thank you for looking after us so well last week. This was about the eighth walk abroad we have had in the last 7 or 8 years. We all agreed that it was the best. Everything about it was absolutely spot on from your meeting us upon arrival in Malaga, the accommodation which you arranged, each of the walks and the detailed, interesting and helpful notes which accompanied us on our journey to the taxi which arrived at 6.30am on the dot to take us back to the airport on Monday. You even managed to keep the rain away-well, just about!
We would have no hesitation in recommending you and Jeni to others. Indeed, if anyone would like a testimonial/reference you are very welcome to put them on to me.
April 2011. A&M travelled from London, looking for flowers and were not disappointed.
"We did an extended version of the GR7 independent walk in April and we had a wonderful holiday. The walks were varied and interesting, and the detailed route-finding notes were excellent. The scenery was amazing, especially the valleys with rushing rivers and streams, the trees in new leaf, terraced hillsides with stone farmhouses surrounded by blossom trees, and spectacular views of the snow-capped mountains.
There was such a lot to see on the walks. Each day's walk notes point out interesting features of the landscape, architecture, etc ., to be seen along the way, so you don't miss anything! We particularly liked walking beside the ancient irrigation channels, and stopping by the stone threshing circles which made perfect picnic spots.
We chose this holiday in the hope of seeing Spring wildflowers, and we were not disappointed! We saw loads of plants, many of them new to us - we enjoyed photographing them and trying to identify them. Because the walks went through very varied terrain and different altitudes, we saw a wide variety of Digitalis oscurus - Spanish rusty Foxgloveplants. At the start of the holiday we saw beautiful Mediterranean flowers such as cistus, phlomis and lavender. In the walk from Yegen, the violet cabbage Moricandia was growing in the dry rocky cliffs, together with sticky-leaved snapdragons and pink convolvulus. Later on we were excited to find Spanish rusty foxglove, yellow Ophrys and tassel hyacinth. Two "local" shrubs we had never seen before were the "vegetable hedgehog" blue broom, Erinacea anthyllis, and the tall shrub Adenocarpus decorticans with brilliant yellow gorse-like flowers and surprisingly soft leaves. The hillside above Timar was covered with white cistus and yellow broom. In the green Trevelez valley we saw white narrow-leaved helleborines and several kinds of Euphorbia.
Higher up on the hillside Prunus prostrata and helianthemums (pink and white) were in flower. On the way to Busquistar we walked through Pyrenean oak woods (mentioned in the walk notes) and found some orchids, including early purple orchid Orchis mascula, a few tiny white Neotinea maculata and a creamy-white orchid which we thought was a Dactylorhiza.
We were very pleased with the hotels, and throughout the holiday we enjoyed some delicious evening meals. In the first hotel the breakfast was a surprise – a very lavish buffet with four kinds of homemade jam! Another hotel was a beautifully-furnished old house, and our room opened on to a veranda with a fantastic view. In Trevelez we had a rooftop room with a terrace, and also a little balcony at the back with a view of the street below, where we saw farmers pass by on horseback. The breakfast was very good there too. The restaurant La Fragua was excellent. We can also recommend the wonderful old-fashioned baker in Trevelez .
We are grateful to Jeremy for his helpful advice about extending the standard itinerary, and for all the planning and organisation that made this holiday a success.
A&M London
May 2010. Leslie & Tom Bisseger, from Ontario, made a combined walking with one of our train journeys, visiting Andalucian cities.
Thank you for helping us have a wonderful vacation. The hiking will be a highlight of our memories. The remainder of our trip was great, the accommodations and train travel worked out very well. If you would ever like us to provide a reference for your services, don't hesitate to ask!
April 2010. Volcano ash problems stranded Rachel and Caroline, they had an enforced extra stay before we managed to arrange road transport for them.
...from Rachel and I to say a big Thank you for all your time and help getting us home and for organising some great extra days walking. We loved the valley walk about Treverlez and searching for giants! Well, by that stage Rachel enjoyed lying in the sun!!!! We began to feel very much part of the village by the time we left, enjoying tapas and beer and working our way through the menu at the restraunt.
Sally and Justin from New Zealand, fell foul of the Iceland volcano ash after their self-guided walk.
Dear Jeremy, We had a lovely train trip from Granada to Barcelona overnight but then got stranded - however it is a lovely city to spend some extra time in. So thank you for such a memorable holiday. It is such a beautiful part of Spain and we had such a fantastic time on the walk. I show friends and family my photos and really enjoy seeing their look of disbelief that I actually walked there! Its a great feeling ! Thank you also for your care and superb notes - we felt very well looked after. April 2010
Nicola and Richard came on a semi-guided holiday to Granada and the alpujarra
Dear Jeremy,
Just to say how much Nicola and I enjoyed our trip to Spain and to thank you for the excellent organisation, recomendations for walks, food, places to visit and for your good company especially on the memorable walk over to Capileira.
So far have managed to keep track of both mobile phone and sun glasses since our return. Next time Cordoba and/or Seville? Thanks again and all good wishes, Nicola and Richard.
March 2009
Anne-Claude and Jacques came on the Self-led GR7 holiday and added a visit to Granada in October 2008.
Dear Jeremy,
We thank you so much for the great week of walking in the Alpujarras that you organised for us. We apreciated especially your reliability, your accuracy in the organisation, the excellent notes, maps and adresses you provided to us, as well as your knowledge of the area. We enjoyed a great (sunny) week walking and discovering the Alpujarra without any trouble of organisation - and without carrying our luggage ( great luxury!). At the same time, we had the impression to be on the way on our own. We can recommend travelling with you in that marvellous area . Maybe discovering Yorkshire with you next year !
With our best regards
Anne-Claude and Jacques Perrin
Denis came on a semi-guided week in June 2008.
Dear Jeremy and Jeni,
My trip to Trevélez was so very enjoyable, largely due to the excellent guiding and help which Jeremy provided. You were so attentive and flexible as well as being such an amiable walking companion.
With my thanks and best wishes to you both.
Denis
Daphne and Geoff came on a semi-guided basis to walk and paint. April 2008.
Dear Jeremy, just a belated line to thank you for your efforts in ensuring that our holiday last month went so well. The thoroughness of the organisation and attention to detail were obvious and helped to ensure the enjoyable and stress-free holiday that both of us (and especially me!) badly needed. I very much enjoyed the walks with the luxury of 1:1 guidance and I know that Daphne enjoyed her art lessons as well. I would also mention that the choice of hotels was excellent. My best regards to you and Jennie, Geoff Richards.
Gary, Mary, Jackie, Dave. Took a guided walk in March 2008 and followed it up by walking self-guided using our information. He has also posted some great photos.
Hi Jeremy,
Thanks for meeting us in March and guiding us on our first walk. We had a great time. We really enjoyed the walk with you and especially the lunch and companionship in the bar, which was special. All in all we had a great time and I'd definitely like to return at this time of the year and do more of your walks. All the walks we did went well and we had no significant route finding issues.
Roy organised a guided week with walkalpujarra, for his Ramblers regional group in September 2007
Many thanks for all your efforts, and those of Jeni and Anton to make the walk such a huge success. ....... it was a zero risk strategy .... to organise a walking holiday with you in charge of the walking and you and Jeni in charge of the lunches and other things that made the whole experience effortless - except the walking of course. All the best, Roy.
Just to say a big thank you for a superb week's walking with Roy and Lauren. It was a thoroughly enjoyable week, exceptional value and well organised.
Ann and Don.
Jeremy and Jeni, just to say thank you for a great holiday. I know that a lot of preparation goes into as successful a break as the one you organised for our group. I have attached small jpegs of some of my pictures, I hope that they will be useful to you. Jeni have you considered a painting holiday organised in a similar fashion. I know a number of budding artist who would be interested.
Regards to you both, Roger.
Bill and 3 friends came on a Granada walking break. March 2007
Jeremy, Sorry not to have got in touch before now following our return to the UK. Thank you for being such an attentive host to Caro, Glen, Jane and I during our time with you. We did enjoy the experience although we still find it hard to believe the amount of snow that greeted our departure! Granada was a great pleasure and we thought the Alhambra quite spectacular and we hope to return some day to both you and the city. Bill
Dave, Lynne and a couple of friends came on a semi-guided inn-to-inn walk in April 2007, then 2008, then 2009.....
I just wanted to say a quick thank you for the great walk you planned, (and part accompanied us on), last week in the Alpujarras – we all had a really great time – including Ian once he had shaken off his Nepalese bug!! I am sure we will be in touch before too long to help us plan another walk or two – and one day we'll get up to see the 'siete lagunas'. Dave and Lynne.
Anthony and a group of 12 colleagues took a guided week in October 2006, then 2007 then 2011...
"As you know, I enjoyed the walking with the IBM party in October immensely - so much so that I am taking on the job of arranging a return visit for next year. .....would you be willing to put up with us again? I expect that there will be a rush to sign up for the next visit, as word of the success of this year's trip has spread far and wide."
Anthony Macdonald Smith.
Bob, Jane, Chris and Liz came on a guided mini-break - April 2006
Dear Jeremy,
Just a quick note to say thank you very much for the walking experience in the Alpujarras. We thoroughly enjoyed our time there and look forward to visiting with Liz and Chris again. We now have the photos you forwarded - they are great and a will be added to our collection. I attach one for you as a memory of our special meal In Cástaras.
Best regards,
Jane and Bob Williams.
André and 11 friends from Belgium asked us to organise a self led walking tour of Granada and the Alpujarra. they arrived with none of their luggage. All but 1 case arrived later at their first hotel. The remaining case went on a world tour and said it had a great time too. - April 2006
Dear Jeremy and Jeni,
After a good flight and with all our luggage, we arrived friday at time in Brussels. We want to thank you for the excellent service. We really had a very nice week, very beautiful walks and clear and intresting descriptions : a holiday with a personal touch. We'll recommend "WalkAlpujarra" to all our acquaintances. We contacted Iberia at the phone number you gave us. They knew about your fax and... they called us back with the good news that the missing suitcase was located in Malaga. Meanwhile they delivered it at Marleen's house!!!
Dulcie and her friend Beryl took some guided walks with us in May 2004
I was very impressed with your www and I am sure you will do well. It is well laid out and very well described Thought you would like to see a couple of my digital, pictures I was very pleased with most of the pictures I took - the scenery helps of course!. Good luck for next season.
Jonathan,Ralph, Margaret and Jeni were part of a walking club who took one of our fixed centre guided weeks in May 2004.
Thank you very much for ringing to make sure we were on the bus OK. It turned up spot on time. My main reason for mailing you was to thank you both on behalf of all of us for arranging such a smashing week in the Alpujarras. We really did have a full and varied week of walking sustained by good food (especially at lunchtime, be it picnicking or indoors in Castaras). The scenery was quite stunning and lived up to how you described it beforehand.
.......Regards, Jonathan.
Thank you for leading us on our Alpujarran walking week. I thought it was a beautiful area, sometimes magical and it was a real pleasure to have you as our leader. I appreciated your calmness and consideration, Jeremy, and allied to Jeni's wonderful lunches - bliss - what a team! It was a really lovely holiday. Thank you both.
All the best,
Jeni Whitaker (flower Jeni), (from sunny Cheshire)
Margaret and I greatly enjoyed our week with you (even though a few more degrees F or C might have been nice. We thought you were a first-rate leader, probably the best we have ever had, and most tolerant of our individual foibles. Your organisation was superb.... routes, coaches, bars....as were your knowledge of the area, walks, food, language etc. I have a feeling we will see you again.
Regards, Ralph
Fiona came on a guided walk in October 2003
We are now back in sunny but not so warm England! Thank you once again for a fantastic day, one that will stay with us for a long time....
unfortunately sad news is that we accidentally deleted all the photos of the day (and most of the holiday) - so there are no pictures of the smiley goats to send you. One of the risks of digital cameras! We have come to terms with this by deciding we'll just have to come again!
Fiona Smith.
Hilary and her friends travelled from the USA in September 2003, as a honeymoon treat, and did a variation of our self led GR7 walk.
Just a quick note to say thanks for all of your help in organizing our walking tour of the Alpujarra. Everyone enjoyed themselves. The itinerary was great - between the siete lagunas and the Trevelez-Berchules walk, I believe even our most fit walkers were sufficiently challenged! The notes and book were great. Also, the champagne for Beth and Mike was very thoughtful of you. Thanks for making the trip special for us.
Best personal regards, Hilary Spann.
Carol and Jim of winchester used our guide book to arrange a DIY holiday in April 2003.
....... from a week's holiday in the Alpujarra where we used Jeremy Rabjohns Holiday Walks book extensively. We felt we must thank you and he for this excellent publication which greatly enhanced our enjoyment of this quite lovely area. Jeremy's route descriptions were faultless and made the walks quite easy and consequently even more enjoyable than we had anticipated. We picked up his comments on where we might find orchids on Walk 21 at Puerto Juviley and there they were, exactly as he had said. This was a particular joy to me as an enthusiastic flower photographer. Walking with such an expert was great.
Sincere regards,
Carol and Jim Watson, Winchester.