What makes our customers keep coming back for more? I Customer stories #1

 We’re celebrating our 25-year milestone, and now is our chance to say thank you to everyone who has contributed along the way – especially you, our wonderful customers, who have returned time and time again.

We always love to hear from you, and any feedback is greatly appreciated and acted upon immediately. We want to ensure that you travel through Europe like a local, as we do as locals ourselves.

For a change, we decided to ask a returning customer about their travels with S-Cape.

Gill Hay, from Durham, (in the northeast of England) and her partner, Martin have enjoyed four S-Cape holidays so far. She kindly gave up her time to answer these questions:

 

What is it that makes S-Cape trips so special?

Gill says:

“We did a few long-distance guided tours in Europe, which were fine but felt like we could be more independent.

I had previously walked part of the Camino de Santiago, and I was hoping to complete it someday. Martin and I planned to do it, but he much preferred to do it by bicycle. So, for our 30th wedding anniversary, we decided to do the whole route starting in France, up and over the Pyrenees and across Spain. This was a huge challenge to mark the celebration, but it was something we knew we could do. The trip was fun going at our own pace, side by side, chatting to other cyclists along the way. However, some of the accommodation wasn’t what we had in mind; and at our age, we need at least a private room. So, for our next trip, we searched for a company who could loan us decent bikes, without a guide, and where they would find us a more comfortable place to sleep at the end of the day. And, that's when came across S-Cape Travel.”

 

 

What was your first trip with S-Cape Travel?

“We always wanted to cycle around Italy, so we found the San Gimignano and Volterra trip in Tuscany which really excited us. And it was great! We stayed in two locations and saw so much, plus S-Cape booked us an extra night in Pisa. Best bits? All of it!”

So what came next?

“I speak a little bit of Spanish (Hola, ¿cómo estás?) and we both loved Spain, so we had to go there. We chose Andalucía as the climate in Spring is perfect. Hotel Huerta de las Palomas (4-star and with a swimming pool) in Priego de Córdoba was where we stayed first of all for a couple of nights. We rode some gentle routes and really saw the sights. We had a free day to visit the local towns and beaches, and we even added in an extra night so we could visit Granada and Córdoba.

The following year, travel plans had to be put on hold indefinity, due to Covid. However, with the help of S-Cape UK, we headed up to the Scottish Isles and cycled around some of the most picturesque parts of Scotland. What a wonderful part of the country. Amazing! We've been back so many times.”

 

 
 

And where did you head once you could travel again?

“Back to Spain! We just did the Camino Primitivo. It was brilliant, we really enjoyed it. I was a little anxious at first about cycling day after day and with those hills, but the distances were short, the scenery was outstanding, and let's not forget the much-improved accommodation just kept me going.

The Camino Primitivo is off the beaten track, and what fabulous views we got to see. It’s not as over populated as the Camino from France, which we were grateful for. It gave us a good chance to meet the local people, and take full advantage of their cuisine. We were made to feel so welcome.”

 

Do you have a routine for your Camino cycle tours?

“Yes! Plan your route the night before, not too far, not too short, and take note of where you might be able to get lunch along the way or wait until you've reached your destination. Don't go to bed too late. Get up fairly early; forget the shower - do that at the end of the day - go to the local café for breakfast or have something ready from the night before; leave your luggage for S-Cape to carry, and get on the road. Feel free to stop at cafés along the way, as it's essential to refuel, enjoy a coffee and relax. We like to stop and take photos along the way so we can share them on social media later on.

The accommodation, in particular during the Camino Primitivo, was really varied: 4* hotels, rural houses, and even some hostels. Occasionally, dinner was included which was an added bonus, especially when there were few other options available.

When we did eat out, there was an abundance of tasty food in the local restaurants. Try the fabada in Asturias, as well as the delicious free tapas you get with your drinks.”

 

What would you say to people who might be nervous cycling Spain?

“You'll find that the road surfaces are in far better quality than back home in the UK. Plus, drivers can be a lot more patient with cyclists; in fact, by law, cyclists get right of way over motorists in Spain, which was a relief to discover. Road signs are much like in the UK, clear and understandable. We used the Camino Primitivo app and found it so useful and helped with navigation by keeping us on track and made sure we never got lost.

You'll be able to rent good quality bikes from S-Cape, much like we did for our Spanish and Italian trips.

 

Do you have a favourite trip?

“ I can’t choose one. They are all different, and brilliant!”

 

 
 

Can you tell first-timers why you keep coming back to S-Cape?

“S-Cape go out of their way to find us quality accommodation, as well as being incredibly helpful along the way to ensure we are able to make the most out of our time there.

The service is just wonderful. If at any time we felt like something wasn't going to be a good fit for us, a quick email to S-Cape and it was sorted. You just can't get better customer service than that.

So, basically, I couldn't recommend S-Cape enough, they were just brilliant in everything they did for us. 

S-Cape are our go-to operator for bike trips. With them we are in safe hands knowing our bikes, accommodation, luggage transfers and routes will be handled for us upon arrival.

 

We guess you’re coming back on holiday soon, then! Where next?

“With S-Cape we’re looking at the Asturian Coast [S-Cape says – we can’t recommend that enough as it’s where our office is based. An amazing part of Spain of course!]

My brother’s thinking of taking his boys to Portugal. It’s probably cheaper than a package trip or comparable and it will keep the boys active and he doesn’t have to worry as everything will be soted for him -bikes, accommodations, luggage transfer and routes.”

 

Thanks so much Gill for your time. And, we look forward to seeing you in Asturias soon!

 

Gill Hays travelled on the following S-Cape holidays:

1. Tuscany San Gimignano & Volterra short – 5 days
2. Andalucía Cycling Trip – 8 days
3. Scottish Islands on ferry and bike – 7 days (unpublished)
4. Camino Primitivo cycling trip - 11 days