This was our third Headwater holiday, the route and hotels were very good with plenty of options for eating. The Majorca cycling lanes are wonderfully relaxing and in spring there is a lot of col... See more
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They organised/planned everything for me. Kept me informed. Looked into and adapted all changes etc I wanted to make. Responded to my emails quickly ie either that day or next day. As a solo female... See more
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Headwater were terrific from start to finish and our trust in them was complete. From planning with Stephanie to local support from Marta we were able to enjoy the experience of cycling our way ar... See more
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We had an wonderful trip to Peru. We chose the private guide option, rather than the group tours of previous holidays, and wondered whether it would be worth the expense: it proved well worth the mone... See more
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Company details
Written by the company
Since 1985, Headwater Holidays has expertly planned independent and self-guided holidays, perfect for those who love to explore breathtaking destinations at their own pace. With over 300 trips in more than 30 countries, we specialise in cycling and walking holidays, as well as canoeing, cross-country skiing, and multi-activity adventures. From scenic UK breaks to breathtaking European escapes and further afield, our holidays are designed for active travellers looking for authentic experiences. We take care of all the details—flights, transfers, luggage handling, charming local accommodation, and meticulously planned routes via our navigation app—so you can simply enjoy the journey. Whether you're cycling through vineyards, walking along coastal trails, or opting to do all on a multi-activity adventure, Headwater active holidays ensures a seamless and enriching experiential travel experience. Perfect for those who appreciate freedom with support, our trips offer the best of both worlds—independence with expert planning. Our goal is to create unforgettable experiences that perfectly align with our customers' expectations—seamlessly delivering tailor-made holidays with the ease and simplicity of an off-the-shelf getaway.
Contact info
Unit 1, CW9 5HB, Northwich, United Kingdom
- 01606720021
- headwater@customerservices.com
- www.headwater.com
4.3
Excellent
117 reviews
Replied to 100% of negative reviews
Typically replies within 1 week
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I was planning an anniversary trip for…
I was planning an anniversary trip for my wife and me, but unfortunately I was disappointed by communication from management, found to be unhelpful and left feeling undervalued. Based on my experience, I would have expected a more professional and considerate approach.
March 13, 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Headwater Holidays
Thank you for sharing your feedback.
This platform is intended for reviews based on direct customer interactions with our holidays or booking services. We are unable to identify a corresponding customer enquiry or booking linked to the experience described.
We remain committed to delivering a thoughtful and professional experience to all our genuine customers.
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This was our third Headwater holiday
This was our third Headwater holiday, the route and hotels were very good with plenty of options for eating. The Majorca cycling lanes are wonderfully relaxing and in spring there is a lot of colour. Distances were very comfortable although not as many cafes en route as in Italy. Having three days where we could please ourselves or go on recommended circular rides is very relaxing in only having to repack half the number of times.
We had problems with our gear shifting and the local rental company came and fixed my wife’s bike, but mine still required subsequent attention which I organised direct, the company was 500 metres from our hotel.
Transport including flights, transfers and luggage moving was all very efficient.
But for the bike this would have been 5 star.
April 2, 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Headwater Holidays
Thank you for taking the time to share such a detailed review, and for choosing to travel with Headwater again — it’s lovely to hear this was your third holiday with us.
We’re delighted that you enjoyed the routes, hotels and the relaxed pace of the Majorca cycling, particularly the quieter lanes, spring colours and the flexibility of the circular ride options. It’s great to know the distances felt comfortable and that the logistics, including flights, transfers and luggage movement, all worked smoothly.
We’re sorry to hear about the issues with the bike gear shifting. While we’re pleased the local rental company was able to provide support, we completely understand how frustrating it is when a bike doesn’t perform as it should on holiday, and we appreciate you sharing this feedback with us, we will follow this up with the local agent.
We hope to welcome you on another Headwater holiday in the future.
Another top quality holiday with…
Another top quality holiday with Headwater in Arctic Lapland. Hotel Yllas Humina provided excellent accommodation and outstanding food, including many local delicacies.
There are facilities for a wide range of winter sports, with miles of beautiful, well groomed trails for x-country skiing.
March 22, 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Headwater Holidays
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We’re delighted to hear you enjoyed another top‑quality holiday with Headwater in Arctic Lapland. It’s great to know that Hotel Ylläs Humina exceeded expectations, particularly the accommodation and the excellent food showcasing local specialities. We’re also pleased you were able to make the most of the superb winter sports facilities and the beautifully groomed cross‑country ski trails. We hope to welcome you back on another Headwater holiday in the future.
very well organised trip
very well organised trip - excellent local partners.Headwater office very easy to contact with queries
March 21, 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Headwater Holidays
Thank you so much for your lovely review. We are so pleased to read that you enjoyed your trip and you felt everything was well organised from the Headwater team to the local partners. We hope to welcome you back on another Headwater trip in the near future.
A wonderful and well organised walking holiday
A great holiday, everything was well organised. Excellent walking itinerary and lovely accommodation.
March 9, 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Headwater Holidays
Thank you so much for your lovely review. We’re delighted to hear you had a wonderful walking holiday and that everything felt well organised throughout your trip. It’s great to know you enjoyed the walking itinerary and the accommodation too.
We really appreciate you taking the time to share your experience and hope to welcome you on another holiday soon.
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Headwater holiday: Seville to Cadiz
Headwater communication is excellent. We really enjoyed our holiday. It was very well-organised and updates and assistance was always close at hand. The majority of our hotels were excellent: a real treat. The app was excellent albeit heavy on battery. The places we stayed in again were mostly lovely interesting historic towns. Seville, Carmona, Arcos and Cadiz are all great places. We found some of the cycling a bit too straight and flat. Leaving a large city like Seville is never going to be great and it wasn’t. But we also had some lovely rides. We also appreciated the taxi ride when one of the routes was waterlogged!
March 1, 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Headwater Holidays
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your feedback about your Seville to Cadiz holiday. We're delighted to hear that you enjoyed your trip and found our communication, organisation and support helpful throughout. It's great to know the app, the route updates, and the majority of your hotels helped make the experience special.
We’re also really pleased that you loved exploring such beautiful towns and cities along the way – Seville, Carmona, Arcos and Cadiz are certainly memorable highlights.
Thank you as well for your constructive comments about some sections of the cycling. We appreciate that terrain and scenery can vary across a linear journey, and your insight is really valuable as we continue to review and refine our routes.
We hope you left with plenty of great memories, and we’d love to welcome you back on another Headwater holiday soon.
Great organisation, planning, knowledgeable and professional.
They organised/planned everything for me. Kept me informed. Looked into and adapted all changes etc I wanted to make. Responded to my emails quickly ie either that day or next day.
As a solo female travel I felt safe using this company.
My suitcase was exactly where it should be every hotel stop. Accommodation at every stop they used was fantastic. Headwater even supplied an excellent guide book/Camino Pilgrim Stamp Booklet that was waiting for me at my first hotel.
March 1, 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Headwater Holidays
Thank you so much for your lovely review. We’re delighted to hear how well supported you felt throughout your trip, from the planning and communication through to the accommodation and luggage transfers.
It’s especially important to us that you felt safe and well supported throughout your journey, and we’re pleased the guide book and Camino Pilgrim Stamp Booklet helped enhance your experience from the start.
Thank you for choosing Headwater — we’d love to help with another adventure in the future.
Perfect for cross country ski ing and mountain walking
We had a brilliant week at the Park Hotel Bellevue in Dobbiaco in the Dolomites. Headwater staff were very helpful in helping us to choose where to go. The hotel staff were super friendly and the food was superb. Dobbiaco has great facilities for cross country ski ing and we also enjoyed several guided walks with crampons and snow shoes in the mountain forests. On one evening we did a night walk under the full moon around the frozen Dobbiaco Lake. Magical! The hotel gave us a free train pass allowing us to visit some of the nearby pretty towns in the valley. We had a fabulous week and highly recommend this area.
February 28, 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Headwater Holidays
Thank you so much for taking the time to share such a lovely review. We’re delighted to hear you had a brilliant week in Dobbiaco and that the Park Hotel Bellevue looked after you so well – it’s always wonderful to hear such positive feedback about both the hotel team and the food.
It’s great to know you enjoyed the fantastic cross-country skiing facilities as well as the guided walks with crampons and snowshoes. Your description of the full moon walk around the frozen Dobbiaco Lake sounds truly magical – what a special experience. We’re also pleased the complimentary train pass allowed you to explore the surrounding towns and make the most of the valley.
Thank you for your kind words about the Headwater team. We’re so glad the holiday lived up to expectations and hope to help you plan another adventure in the future.
Good documentation
Good documentation. Superb cross-country skiing hotel in Norway.
February 28, 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Headwater Holidays
Thank you for your review. We are so pleased that you enjoyed your cross country ski trip and we hope to welcome you back on another adventure soon.
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Good walking holiday to Cape Verde in…
Good walking holiday to Cape Verde in February 2026. Stunning scenery and we felt we had a taste of the real Cape Verde
February 5, 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Headwater Holidays
Thank you for your review. We’re thrilled you enjoyed the stunning scenery and felt you experienced the real Cape Verde on your walking holiday. We hope to welcome you back on another adventure with us soon.
Cross country skiing in Lapland
Cross country skiing in Lapland. The whole holiday was magical. Headwater were great from booking to departing.
Accommodation was great with wonderful food. Highly recommend
February 7, 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Headwater Holidays
Thank you for your lovely review. We’re so pleased to hear your cross‑country skiing holiday in Lapland was truly magical and that you felt well supported by Headwater from booking right through to departure. It’s great to know you enjoyed the accommodation and wonderful food as well. Thank you for the review – we’d love to welcome you on another adventure in the future.
We had an amazing cross country ski…
We had an amazing cross country ski trip in Venabu, booked via Headwater. Really clear communication from Headwater in the lead up to the trip. I would 100% recommend!
February 7, 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Headwater Holidays
Thank you for your fantastic review. We’re so pleased to hear you had an amazing cross‑country ski trip in Venabu and that our communication in the lead‑up to your holiday was clear and helpful. Your review means a great deal to us, and we’d love to help you plan another trip in the future.
Perfect holiday in the snow
Perfect holiday in the snow. Headwater organised and communicated everything well and Venabu is amazing. Wonderful views and skiing tracks, the hotel feels like a second home, it is unassuming but very comfortable, all the staff are lovely. The food is absolutely delicious. I'd love to visit again.
January 17, 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Headwater Holidays
Thank you for taking the time to share such a lovely review of your recent trip to Venabu. This is one of our most popular holidays, and we’re delighted to hear that you were able to enjoy all that makes Venabu such a special destination. We very much hope to welcome you back again in the future, whether to Venabu or on another of our Headwater holidays.
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We stayed in a lovely
We stayed in a lovely, cosy, hospitable hotel in Norway and did cross country skiing with daily guided outings. The scenery was fabulous, snow amazing and Headwater and the Venabu staff very helpful and friendly.
January 10, 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Headwater Holidays
Thank you for taking the time to leave such a lovely review about your trip to Venabu. We are so pleased to hear you had such a wonderful time and we hope to welcome you back on another Headwater trip soon.
Yllashumina Hotel, Lapland, Arctic Circle Finland
Fabulous Arctic Winter Lapland hotel in Yllas village, Finland. Well run family owned hotel with great facilities within the resort.
December 23, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Headwater Holidays
Hello,
Thank you so much for writing such a lovely review of your time in Finland. We are so pleased to hear you had a great trip! We look forward to welcome you back on another Headwater trip soon.
Headwater poor service
We travelled with Headwater (self guided part of Exodus) to Iceland and found booking process abysmal with countless mistakes. We were charged extra for internal flights on days 2 and 6 which appeared included in the trip notes as they were an integral part of the trip. No written walking notes were included.
July 15, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Headwater Holidays
Hello, and thank you for sharing your feedback on your recent trip to Iceland.
We’re sorry to hear that the booking process didn’t meet your expectations. After your trip, we addressed the concerns you raised and believe we resolved them fully at the time by providing appropriate compensation and reviewing your comments to make improvements for future travellers.
We truly value your input, as it helps us enhance the experience for all our customers.
We hope you’ll consider travelling with Headwater again so we can restore your confidence and deliver the exceptional experience you deserve.
Headwater arranged last minute holiday. …
Headwater arranged a very last minute surprise holiday with good advice, patience and friendliness.
Holiday organisation was great. Clear instructions by app and hard copy detailed and easy to follow.
November 12, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Headwater Holidays
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave such a lovely review of your recent Headwater holiday. It is fantastic to read that you enjoyed the trip, our navigation app and our team. We hope to welcome you back on another trip very soon.
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Just returned from the French Riviera
Just returned from the French Riviera
Great service from Headwater staff,well organised holiday, fabulous scenery,weather ,food and lovely walks
Highly recommended
November 8, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Headwater Holidays
We are so pleased that you enjoyed the French Riviera, it is a beautiful place. We hope to welcome you back on another Headwater trip in the near future!
We love Headwater holidays!
This was our third Headwater walking holiday and yet again, we loved every thing about it. So well organised and thought out. The walks were stunning, albeit a little challenging at times, but we had plenty of time to relax in the beautiful hotels and restaurants en route. We can’t fault our Headwater trips, we’ll definitely go on more, and would highly recommend to anyone who loves a more active holiday exploring the destinations at greater depth, for a more immersive experience.
October 23, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Headwater Holidays
Thank you for taking the time to leave such a lovely review. We are so pleased to hear that you enjoyed your 3rd Headwater trip and cant wait to welcome you back to Headwater in the near future!
Navigation app was difficult to follow, routes were inappropriate
Navigation app was difficult to follow; we got lost and wound up hiking highly trafficked roads...hikes were inappropriate. We did not use the app after the first day, nor did we use the luggage transfer. I asked for a partial refund, and they offered $100 off the next trip I booked with them! No, thanks.
October 31, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Headwater Holidays
Thank you for sharing your feedback. We’re sorry to hear that you felt the app and routes didn’t meet your expectations. After a full review of the points you raised, we confirmed that the routes were accurately described and the app was functioning as intended. We do understand, however, that personal preferences can vary, and we respect your decision not to use the app during your trip.
We truly value your past custom and would love the opportunity to restore your confidence in Headwater. We hope you’ll consider joining us again on a future trip using your Future Travel Voucher.
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