Paul McCaffrey

Paul was very accommodating. We are a high demand group and he handled it all with ease. Paul was easy going to very knowledgeable about the area and history.

Paul was so friendly and personable. His humor is a real gift. He took care in our personal safety and adjusted our walks to meet the needs of the group. He was a wealth of knowledge on the local area and gladly answered our questions. I would enjoy another tour with Paul.

Paul was a great guide, providing excellent information and guidance in a relaxed manner.

I liked Paul’s quiet, relaxed style and sense of humour. He came across as very prepared even though he had been put on the trip at the last minute to replace the original guide.

Paul was one of the best guides I have ever worked with. He went above and beyond to make sure everything was accessible, describing everything in detail, and finding opportunities for me to get hands on understanding of what he was describing.

Paul was pleasant, very knowledgeable, organized and in general did an excellent job. In particular his skill in verbally providing descriptions for the blind participant was extraordinary.

I have already said that I think they were excellent and heroic. I will also say that they were so knowledgeable about the islands and their history. Very professional and helpful and safety conscious about the kayaking portion of the trip. Donald s poetry reading was great. Taking us to the hotel pub ona music night was lovely.

Donald and Paul managed the group really well and did a great job in adapting the programme when the weather prevented us from getting out on the water. Their combined organisation, knowledge, skill and experience was really appreciated.

Very knowledgable and helpful.

Paul and Donald were fantastic!! Fun, interesting and very informative! They were able to pivot our days to fun and interesting activities when the wind made kayaking impossible. Their knowledge of the place was impressive. I learned a lot about Scotland. And the hikes were great!!

We were lucky to have Joe and Donald as our guides. They were always professional and knowledgeable but very down to earth and playful as well. We were particularly grateful for their easy going ways on our car tripping escapades, but I will say that they were very strict in their notion around tardiness (like over 2 minutes is late) which we kidded them about ruthlessly!

Picked up quickly if something was not quite right on the water and sorted it. Understood without comment slight mobility probleme, which meant I couldn't help as much as I would have liked to.

Is the 2nd time i was „guided“ by Paul and it was as funny as the first time. Both Andy and Paul took very good care and i never felt unsecure or not comfortable… absolutely fine !

Paul and Andy were great, couldn't fault them.

Both Paul and Andy were excellent guides. They had to cope with challenging weather conditions and a diverse range of ability - which they did superbly. As someone at the bottom of the ability and experience range in the group, I learned lots and was both supported and challenged. They were also mines of information about the local area and wildlife.

He inspired confidence and altered plans to fit with the range of abilities in the group. Knowledgeable and always willing to help. My only comment would be he sometimes started walking without telling the group!

Paul was an excellent guide and particularly helpful in his communications with me when I had problems with my flight so couldn't join the group until lunchtime on the first day. Throughout the week he was organised, calm, helpful and with a great sense of humour and that meant our group was relaxed and got on really well together. He was very knowledgeable about all aspects of Shetland and I felt that I learned a lot about the island's flora and fauna.

Paul was terrific. Seemingly unflappable. He adapted the scheduled hikes to changing circumstances. Well organized. Kept a pace that worked for the entire group. Is very knowledgeable about the history, geography, flora and fauna of Shetland--which I very much appreciated.

Paul was fantastic, endlessly helpful and patient. If I was going on another Wilderness Scotland trip I would want him to be our guide.

Paul was great. Flexible and unflappable and knew where several incidental sites were (like Bobby's Bus stop)

I think our guide was very good at planning our hikes based on the weather conditions.

Paul was great. He is a good leader. He made sure we were all safe and understood which line to take through the larger, more technical rapids, we would also go first to "demonstrate" where to go, but to also set up safety at the bottom. He was very knowledgeable and made us all very comfortable. Even waiting on the banks of the river under shelter of trees in a good rain was made good with conversation and learning about the land.
When one forgets about the rain one encountered on trip it means the whole trip was very good and led by a great guide.

Paul was great at judging our ability and giving us advice where needed - he was had a great knowledge of the area and the wildlife

Already done previously

Very experienced guide who read the group mindset and finessed the itinerary accordingly and adapted the schedule to take account of the weather.

Paul was excellent and he designed an itinerary to suit everyone in the group

Paul was great. Knowledgeable and interesting with a genuine love of the landscape and wildlife. Switched around the itinerary to suit the weather, so that every day was a fantastic experience. Can't thank him enough for making the trip really special.

Paul was excellent. He was very interactive, knowledgeable and flexible. Hikes were well geared for the group and included explorations that were customized to the group and their interests.

Paul was great. Very enthusiastic about the hikes and wildlife.

Paul catered for the group and provided a range of walks that enabled us to explore the islands and have opportunities to see wildlife.
He has extensive knowledge of the area so was able to include places of interest.
He brought an interesting place to life and helped to show/ share the history, wildlife and island life.
A truly inspirational experience.

We can’t say enough great things about Paul! Our adventures everyday were perfect in every way!!

I really appreciated Paul's flexibility in planning for weather issues. He went out of his way to adapt to the vagaries of the forecast and keep us dry!

Paul really took care of us well. He always made sure we were comfortable with each activity. He is also very knowledgeable of Scottish history and shared many stories about our travels and destinations. Paul made this trip everything I had hoped for!!!

Guides attentive to the needs of the group as far as possible and able to respond quickly when the sea became lively. Also, offered useful tips on technique throughout the trip.

Both Mike &Paul were on the quiet side, but very helpful and well organized.

I liked how each evening they reviewed the course we just finished and then presented the following day’s ride. Even though the route was somewhat new to them we all had great spirit and energy despite rain, hail and wind ha ha. Our guides motivated us and gave us choices to be in the van but gave us confidence that we could all ride the distance. They made good executive decisions when appropriate on the course changes.
As I said before, Paul and Sam are very knowledgeable and professional. Paul had “safety” first checking that all our bike lights were lite. Sam was keen on helping whenever needed with transportation, bike repair, food choices and snack preparation. They are awesome and I would ride with them again.

Paul was our guide for the Outer Hebrides. See my comments in the first comment. Will say it again: Literally--Paul is a perfect person all around the best.

Paul did a great job with patient and excellent knowledge.

Paul appears shy but once we got to know each other he is a relaxed guide with quick humour.

The hikes were all varied and our guide was keen to share the routes on the map beforehand and afterwards which was really useful.

Paul was an excellent, friendly and knowledgeable guide who looked out for everyone.

Paul McCaffrey lead us in an assertive, fun and zen-like manner. He went the extra mile by innovating on rainy days, and also when we had to catch a later ferry out of Stornaway. He’s exceptionally intelligent, and his enthusiasm for wild life and beautiful places was contagious. I especially liked how well he understood maps and the area, and how he briefed us beforehand and reviewed our antics and progress after the fact as well. Paul is an outstanding guide and kept his chin up among the eight of us ornery women.

Paul was a superb guide: knowledgeable, patient, calm. He always went the extra mile to make the day interesting and enjoyable. He successfully chose walks/exhibitions that were rewarding even when the weather was challenging.

The guides were extremely helpful and approachable, and good fun. I was very happy that we were able to get out onto the water each day given some of the windier days we experienced, and was very impressed with the way the guides dealt with this in ensuring we were given both the best oppostunrity to get out, whilst also ensuring that we only did so if we were competent enough to deal with the conditions.

Paul was knowledgeable, personable, professional and with a lovely chuckle. I am indebted to him for helping me on the Coffin Road without making me feel like the idiot I was. It couldn't have been easy for him to lead around three women. I hate to think of his nightly conversations with his wife!

Paul was great, kind, interesting and always positive.
Perfect guide.

Friendly, efficient, knowledgeable and mostly on time!!

Paul is an extraordinary guide! He clearly had an understanding of everyone's individual ability and balanced our activities accordingly. He was encouraging and helpful when I hesitated to cross a stream in heavy wind, promising me the scenery would make it would trying - - and it was! Paul was very knowledgeable of the region's history and conditions, making all hikes interesting, in addition to the stunning scenery. We all greatly appreciated his good humor and reliability.

The conditions were challenging at times but Paul made the right calls.

Paul was brilliant and helped the trip run smoothly.

Paul rocked! Witty, skilled, kind, kept a good eye on those of us who were a little slow, flexible and communicated clearly about changes in the agenda. He was encouraging without being reckless.

Met the requirements of the clients and the weather

Both Paul and Andrew were clearly very experienced. Their teaching styles complemented each other well, and they made us feel incredibly safe. Had a great time out paddling with them!

Paul & Andrew.....The Best

please see previous comments. Both Paul and Andrew were excellent and shared their obvious enthusiasm for kayaking and appeared to enjoy the trip as much as the clients. They were professional but fun, and were good at teaching us all the skills required. They worked hard to make sure it all went smoothly - and did not even get an evening off from us as I expected from the website.

Both Paul and Andrew were great and worked well together.

Paul McCaffrey was excellent. Professional, informative, interesting and he changed the trip plans when they needed to be. In an evening he relaxed and was very good company.

Paul was a great guide . He quickly assessed our needs and abilities and adjusted accordingly. More than happy to take us to the Harris tweed exhibition which was a bonus. Can’t fault him in any way.

Paul 's attention to detail and care of guests exceptional.He included clients' different interests and was a compendium of local knowledge.

Both Paul & Andy were excellent. They instilled great confidence in us as we hadn't done much canoeing in a Canadian previously and so the expert tuition at the start of the trip was much appreciated.
Andy really helped my wife Nikki overcome some fears of white water when we took a slight detour to reduce the amount of lochs needing to be portaged.
Paul was also great and prepared to go the extra mile to ensure we had a great adventure, learning many new skills along the way.

Paul and Andy are very knowledgeable

The guides kept the trip enjoyable and provided alternative paddle when too risky to stay with the original itinerary.

By any measure, Paul was outstanding, but especially given the circumstances of his appointment to lead the trip when our original guide was unable to take part at short notice. Paul led us with just the right mix of a) careful concern for our safety and wellbeing, both in terms of our survival "in the wild", and in the face of covid, and b) charm and good humour, both of which he deployed to great effect, particularly on the day we walked along the banks of the River Oich in torrential rain. His sensitive reading of the different fitness levels and stamina of the group was faultless, and I think everyone in the group appreciated his willingness to change plans based on the situation we were in and how everyone was feeling. I would very gladly follow Paul on another trip!

Paul was just great. It was a pleasure to have him with us and we all enjoyed his company. He was very knowledgeable and I am sure we all learnt a lot. The walks were all amazing and it was really good not to have to worry about where we were or where we were going as he had it all in hand.

Paul was excellent and was a pleasure to be with - we’re only sorry he couldn’t dine with us at the hotel but understand that the restrictions made this impossible. He managed our group beautifully and accommodated our differing levels of energy and stamina. Thank you for finding us a replacement guide and thanks to Paul for cutting his own holiday short to guide us!

Paul and Ali were amazing! They made our trip so incredible, and I am so happy they were our guides.

Did a great job In difficult and challenging conditions, including one person who should have been given better advice on the condition s they may face facilities etc

Paul was outstanding. He was astounding well informed on a whole range of things - history, environment, geology, archaeology and bird spotting. His enthusiasm was infectious and it encouraged us to be as active as possible. On the other hand, he was flexible and sensible. For example, one morning on Rousay Is., he abandoned part of a walk when it was blowing a gale. On another occasion he he nimbly organised a tour of a spectacular water mill even though it is not at all "wildernessy".
He was very entertaining to talk to and all the group enjoyed his company.
I would definitely go on another Wilderness walk if Paul is in charge.

Our guide Paul was patient, entertaining, inspiring and careful, and an absolutely excellent driver.

Our guide Paul McCaffrey was great. He was flexible and catered for the interests of the group. He was a very good driver and when necessary made the correct decision in relation to the safety and comfort of the group - eg he curtailed the route of walk on an extremely windy day.

Good planning with the camping spots and 2 nights in each place while also getting to the extremes of the Summer Isles.

Paul was terrific — super accommodating, personable, knowledgeable and attentive to the group.

Paul was an excellent guide! He was very knowledgeable, experienced and had a quick dry wit. His backing up skills while traversing a hilly winding road are bar none!

The guides were excellent, very friendly and extremely knowledgeable. I was extremely happy with them. The only small piece of improvement that I could possibly think of is that the guides could check in on the second day with everyone again that the footrests have been set correctly on the first day, or wether the position can be improved now that people have sat in the boat for half a day.

Paul is an excellent guide!! Changed the plans due to weather conditions so everythig was at it best.Listened to our wishes. Overall very pleased with our guide!

Paul was great at adjusting the hikes to accomodate weather conditions and to add stops requested by us (the Diana Mackie gallery was wonderful)

I think this is where Wilderness excelled - we were lucky (?) enough to have two excellent guides both with different styles but were entirely complementary . Donald in particular added to the trip with his knowledge of the area and Scotland in general whilst Paul's geology / geography commentary was almost as good .

Very flexible both regarding weather and responsive to desires from the group. Personal, but not too much.

Kayaking instructions were really helpful, I learnt a lot in a few days, patient, good help, very, very considerate, full of warm humour as well
always concerned about safety and also about the environment (they even put away the leftovers of a fire somebody else had left on a loch island we had our lunch!!!)

Both guides - Donald and Paul - were excellent in their own way - Donald clearly had a lifetime’s experience on the water and was a reassuring presence in rougher conditions, witty with his stories, and generally all round great guy. Paul had excellent local knowledge of both the history and landscape of the region, not to mention all the different sea creatures we came across. They were both excellent instructors and very good company, and kept an eye out for everyone in the group. Very efficient at organising us too!

Paul was great! Very patient and informative.

We really enjoyed our guide, Paul very knowledgeable about all our activities, local culture and history. Wonderful guide.

As noted before, Paul McCaffrey is truly excellent. One of the best guides we've ever had -- and we've taken at least 10 guided vacations in the past 5 or 6 years.

Paul was a whizz, great fun, great route guidance, cheeky on making every walk sound shorter though!

Paul was a perfect fit for our group! His experience with the area and commitment to making each day a great one was obvious, and we all enjoyed getting to know him.

Paul was marvelous (see earlier comments). We would hike with him again anytime! He did a great job at interacting with each of us and we all felt he was the glue that held the whole group together. He had to make a very last minute adjustment to our schedule due to wind and rain and came up with a great plan so no one felt the impact.

Both Paul and Myles were excellent guides. They were technically very capable and also helped managed the group dynamic and kept people engaged. I would happily recommend both of them as guides.

Very knowledgeable in all aspects of canoeing, the outdoors and many interesting subjects surrounding their ecperiences. They loaned out their personal gear to make sure we had everything we needed if we forgot our own.

These 2 guys did a super natural work!!
Myles seems to be born for this job - also when river Findhorn decided not to give us access and (just to please us in addition) have extremely low water - he arranged and managed everything to make the trip go on. Great...
And then Paul! His canoeing capabilities are only topped by his great fine type of humour, that I would book to have at my breakfast table every day (if that would be possible ;-) It didn't even stop, when he got in trouble with his car. Also this problem was solved without having any influence on us or on the trip. ....

Paul was brilliant. I could not fault him.

Paul was very good! We all enjoyed his knowledge. He was able to tailor the hikes to our abilities.

Paul was 100% committed to our having an extraordinary experience in the Highlands - appreciating its history, fauna and flora, geology ... just everything. He exceeded our expectations at every turn. And, his encouraging words enabled us to push ourselves to meet the demands of a Level 7 walk and to realize the beauty that awaits those who go for it!! Sincere thanks and gratitude to you, Paul.

Paul was so good and so much fun!! He did an amazing job accommodating us when I wanted to do the harder hikes when the others weren’t as keen. He was so very focused on ensuring we were happy and above all safe. We put our trust in him completely and took great care of us. Our “guest” guide Ian was also great and he’ll make a great permanent guide. Thanks to Paul this trip was outstanding from start to finish.

Paul was an outstanding guide for our trip. He had many different ways to explain the kayaking skills we needed. I think we all gained a lot more confidence as the week progressed.

Paul was fantastic. Very intuitive to clients' needs and desires, made a big effort to get to know everyone, tailored every day to suit everyone's ability and wishes, a good balance of coaching and paddling. Brilliant.

Paul is great, a real asset. He works tirelessly and with a good nature.