Farne Deeps pelagic 25/07/2012

This was our first time on a trip such as this and so we really didn't know what we would get to see. Much to our extreme delight we were honoured to be in the company of 50+ White Beaked dolphins who were very inquisitive and came right up to the boat swimming along side us. The experience was breathtaking and the memory will be a cherish one. On the way back we had a further treat with a sighting of two Minke whales which was a truly magical ending to our day as the sun set in front of us. The team were great, sharing their knowledge of sea birds with us along the way. Martin and Alan have a wealth of experience and so much respect for these beautiful creatures. Their passion for wildlife made our experience so much more special. I would recommend this tour to anyone including novice like us. What a fantastic introduction into the world of whale and dolphin watching. Thank you.  

Farne Islands 06/06/2014

Thank you for a wonderful, wonderful day. The dolphins were a massive treat on top of the anticipated puffin extravaganza, and something we just wouldn’t have been able to experience without having you as our guide. We’re looking forward to booking our next trip!

Nb I also wrote up our experience of the day on my blog: http://markontour.wordpress.com/2014/06/09/saying-hello-to-the-puffins/

Farne Islands 26/05/2015

We had a great day out with Martin, but the highlight was certainly the trip to the Farne Islands. The boat got us really close to the cliffs and you could see and smell the birds! Landing on one island let us see and be attacked by the Artic Terns (apart from Hannah, who remained untouched!). The female Eider ducks were so well camouflaged that you had to look really carefully to see them. Everybody’s favourite were the Puffins, which came in and out of their burrows. Hannah overcame her fear of boats and Ben took lots of great photos with guidance from Martin.

Lovely to have the day arranged and someone so knowledgeable as Martin to tell us what we were looking at – a highlight of our holiday.

Druridge Bay mini-Safari 01/10/2013

Had a great day on the 1st, the time flew by. Seeing birds and wildlife anywhere is a treat, but having a knowledgable guide who knows his stuff and where to look was fantastic. Shame I only heard the Brambling and the elusive Corncrake but I've been swotting up on them since. I've been boring anyone who will listen with "saw some of them in Northumberland" everytime a flock of waders pops up on a TV show. And then (to me) an almost mythical Bittern! What a finale with the Starlings. Great time thank you very much. Full day next time. I'll shut up now.

Northumberland Coast Prestige 24/02/2014

Katie and I really enjoyed our trip with you Martin.

How wonderful the yellowhammer looked singing in full sunlight, it would have been easy to imagine we were watching some tropical beauty rather than being in Northumberland in February! The Hen Harrier was a real treat, we’ve had some good sightings of female birds in the last twelve months but to get such good views of a male, again in the golden sunshine of winter, was special.

And then of course there was that starling murmuration. We’ve been lucky enough to travel to many parts of the world watching wildlife but I have never seen anything more spectacular than that, when they flew over us the scale of the flock was awesome.

Thanks for a splendid ‘northern experience’!

North Pennines 22/05/2013

We had a most enjoyable day. We wanted to have a chance of seeing some birds which are exclusive to that area.  Martin did all the driving and stopped at sites he knew to be advantageous along the way.  The weather was good but very windy.  Having never been to the North Pennines before, we found the scenery beautiful and Martin took us along some quite remote roads.  In total we saw 36 different species of birds.  Highlights of the day included seeing several red grouse, most especially a pair of red grouse with 10 chicks.  That was a lovely sight.  We also saw several black grouse and watched 5 of them "lecking".  Among other sighting were golden plover, curlew, snipe, redshank, lapwing, grey partridge and wheatear.  We stopped at Cow Green Reservoir where Martin provided us with a very pleasant packed lunch and then we walked around the area and came across a blue gentian, which we had never seen before, and several other varieties of wild flower.  All in all a really great day, spent with Martin who was very knowledgeable and good company.  If we are in the area again we would love to repeat the experience, maybe in The Cheviots.  Thank you once again for a truly lovely day.

Lindisfarne 12/08/2013

We had a magical day! All of us enjoyed ourselves immensely. Althogh we had planned to visit both priory and castle as well as look at the wildlife, there was so much wildlife to see (or rather: Martin showed us so much) that we only managed to visit the priory. The more reason to come back. The trip was just perfect!

Druridge Bay 24/09/2013

Just wanted to thank you again for the wonderful day we spent with you yesterday. Both Barry and myself thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and we learnt so much about the area and the many different wildfowl (or what I used to call ducks!!) that inhabit the area. We will always remember the final 1/2 hr at dusk when the sparrow hawk flushed out and killed the little Dunlin, it was spectacular to see, but not so good for the little dunlin!

Druridge Bay mini-Safari 23/01/2009

Thank you so much for a really enjoyable mini-safari on Friday morning.   The things we enjoyed were the amazing number of birds you showed us, particularly of course the brambling, the purple sandpiper and the mediterranean gull;  the beautiful scenery and weather;  and especially the informal and very informative commentary you provided.  It was great to be in the area with someone who knows it so well and who wears his immense knowledge so lightly.  It was a really interesting and good fun morning, and we would certainly recommend your tours and would hope to join you again.

Cheviot Valleys Safari 01/06/17

Loved this tour. Finally got to see my bogey bird with the help of Martin’s expert advise.

Food really nice, had tomato soup and brown roll with salad with tuna mayo.

Thank you Martin :-)

Kielder Prestige Tour 17/04/2010

This was a truly wonderful day which was a 70th birthday present for Victor from our son. The door to door service and included lunch was much appreciated as was Martin's extensive knowledge. The icing on the cake was the sighting of the White Stork on our return journey. This tour has made us keen to visit Kielder again for a longer visit. Many Thanks.

North Pennines 13/05/2013

Had a great day with Martin! Very competent, informative guiding and successful as well since my target list was completed :-).  Fanastic to watch black and red grouse from close distance. Beautiful creatures! The Ring Ouzel was amazing too. I also really enjoyed the rough scenery despite the "dynamic" weather conditions.