Talks

  Sherborne is so full of history. Paul brought it all to life. Sherborne Walks is a must do in Sherborne. My son and I thoroughly loved it.

  Paul, our guide, was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic.
He had plenty of visual aids to support the historical facts he shared with us.
You could ask questions at any... read more point and he answered them well.

We have been part of life in Sherborne for more than 40 years and saw things we were not previously aware of, what an eye opener! Also, buildings that we have often wondered about had their original purpose explained and you could clearly see the historic building behind the modern facades.

The shell house was a total delight, what a treasure hidden right in the middle of town. We must have walked past it hundreds of times over the years and not realized it was there. We heard about it from a friend who came on a previous walk and so we booked the next available tour.

Highly recommended.

  Great tour in Cornwall - Paul Birbeck was our guide for an HF Holidays Discovery Tour in Cornwall, based out of St. Ives. My group spent 5 days with him doing a little bit of... read more everything - bus trips, walking in towns and cities, coastal walking, and boat trips. There are a number of thing that made Paul an excellent guide. First of all, he prepared for each day by reviewing for himself what we would be seeing, making sure any gardens or museums were open as scheduled, and finding some relevant readings from local histories to share with us on the bus. Each day had a theme, e.g., archaeology, ecology, food, and industry, and each day built on what we had seen or talked about on the previous days. This was a special challenge during a rail strike week, since the group went from 7 to 11 to 18 over the first three days, but Paul pulled it off, and also learned all of our names and a bit of our backgrounds. He showed flexibility throughout, adding unscheduled interesting stops if we had time, and finding ways for the several people with mobility challenges to have a good time even though they might not be able to do all the walking. He shared his passion for the countryside and people of Cornwall and was an engaging and personable host. Paul was an outstanding guide - highly recommended.

  Top Notch! - What a superb experience it was to be guided by Paul of Sherborne Walks through the stunning landscapes of Cornwall. We toured through many parts of Cornwall both inland and... read more coastal. Along the way, we learned so much from Paul about the geography, history and livelihood of the area. Paul was only too happy to share his extensive knowledge of Cornwall. It was a priviledge and a pleasure to have Paul as our Guide. Thank you Paul for the welcoming experience.

  Hometown tourists! - We thought it would be fun to be tourists in our own town and send our staff on a tour of Sherborne. We were in two groups and were each... read more given a really interesting tour which included loads of information about the Abbey and buildings in town, with lots of stories thrown in. The groups were a real mix of ages and Julia kept everyone engaged and we received really positive feedback. Thank you very much - we will definitely we recommending you to our guests.

  This was a visit toThe Shell House in Sherborne but it was so much more. Although I have lived in the town for over 30 years I had not heard... read more about it before as it is in private grounds. Paul was an excellent guide, he told us a great deal about the history of the town during the Georgian and Regency periods until we finally reached the our goal. The shell house itself was both beautiful and fascinating. A Grade One listed building, it is well worth a visit on the few occasions it is available for viewing.

  Thank you for a superb walk. It was so interesting and informative. I have lived in the village for 15 years (just a newcomer!) and have been on walking tours... read more here before but this was by far the most informative.

John Ferretter

  Our guide was excellent --- informative and a pleasure to walk with. We knew nothing about Sherborne and he revealed what a wonderful town it was.

  A very interesting morning learning and seeing so much about the Sherborne Bombing. I thoroughly enjoyed the walk and look forward to taking part in other walks.

  Our guide was excellent --- informative and a pleasure to walk with. We knew nothing about Sherborne and he revealed what a wonderful tow