FAQs

No. Most people who book with us come on their own, that’s the whole point of what we do. On a typical trip the large majority are solo bookers who don’t know anyone when they arrive.

You won’t be the odd one out. You’ll be in the majority.

There are usually a few returning faces, and they’re the first to make sure new people feel welcome, they know exactly what it’s like to arrive on your own, because they did it too.

Our Event Leads are there specifically to get the group talking, and the whole weekend is built around it.

It depends on the trip. Weekends are usually somewhere between 15 and 30 people, and day hikes vary.

If you want to find out about numbers, just drop us a message!

Of course. Plenty of people do. You can book multiple spaces in one go at checkout, and we’ll ask for everyone’s details on the participation form.

Most of our trips are reachable by train, and we’ll tell you the nearest station and how to get from there when you book.

If you’re driving, there’s parking at most of our venues. We also put a car sharing message out in the group chat before every trip, so if you’d rather not drive or you’ve got spare seats, that’s the place to sort it.

We’d suggest anything from 5pm onwards. That gives you time to do the final day properly without watching the clock.

If you need to leave earlier than that, tell us before you book and we’ll let you know whether it works for that particular trip.

Arrival and finish times are on each trip page under the itinerary, and we send full joining instructions before you travel with timings and the address.

Yes, vegetarian, vegan, halal, gluten free, whatever you need. We ask on the participation form and our chef works around it.

If you have a serious allergy, we’ll still cater for you, but we may suggest you bring a few of your own bits as well. That’s not us passing the buck, it’s so you’ve got complete peace of mind about what you’re eating in a shared kitchen.

Every meal is provided on our weekend trips, unless the trip page says otherwise. You won’t need to sort food out while you’re with us.

However, we always suggest bringing extra snacks with you!

Yes, and we’d suggest you do. Bring whatever you fancy.

Our hikes are generally moderate, well-trodden paths and established trails, not technical mountaineering. If you can manage a few hours of walking with breaks, you’ll be fine.

We grade the difficulty on every trip page, so you know what you’re signing up for before you book. If you’re unsure whether a particular trip suits you, ask us and we’ll be honest about it.

Most of our accommodation is bunkhouses and lodges, so yes, rooms are shared. We allocate rooms before the trip and we take that seriously, if there’s anything you’d like us to know, just drop us a message.

Please check out the inclusions section of the trip you are looking at. You will need your outdoor gear, suitable for the time of year. We also send a mini kit list before every trip so you know exactly what you need.

For our multi-day trips, you will also need your evening wear, toiletries, and in some cases, a sleeping bag and pillow.

We plan around it. We watch conditions through the week leading up to every trip, and if a route isn’t sensible we change it. Sometimes that’s decided days out, sometimes on the morning.

Trips go ahead in most weather, this is the UK. We’d rather do a shorter walk and have a good day than cancel.

On day hikes, yes.

Not on weekends, though. Most of our venues don’t allow dogs, and on a trip where everyone’s sharing space we can’t assume every guest would be comfortable with one there.

Our trips are adult only. Most of our guests are somewhere between 20 and 45, and a typical trip averages out around late twenties to early thirties.

In practice it’s a mix, and it works, people get on because they’re there for the same reason, not because they’re the same age.

No. You can pay a deposit to secure your place and settle the balance later. We’ll email you about the balance before it’s due.

No later than 28 days before the trip starts. We’ll send you a reminder before then, so you won’t be caught out.

You can pay it at any point before that through your customer portal — the link can be found in your booking confirmation email.

It’s all set out in our Terms and Conditions. If something’s come up, message us and we’ll talk it through with you.

Yes. HELVETII Adventures Ltd is a member of Protected Trust Services, membership number 6542, and we operate as a package organiser under the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018.

More on that on our How we run our trips page.

Our Event Leads are hosts, not mountain guides. They’re trained in Emergency Outdoor First Aid and they’re there to look after the group. Our hikes are pitched accordingly, generally moderate, on established trails.

Where a route is more technical or demanding, we bring in a qualified hill and moorland or mountain leader. And activities like kayaking or coasteering are run by third-party providers who specialise in them.

There’s a full rundown on our How we run our trips page.

Yes, we hold tour operator liability, public liability and employers’ liability. Third-party activity providers carry their own cover in addition to ours.

Our trips are mainly in the UK, and travel insurance isn’t included in the price. We’d always recommend taking your own cover out, it’s noted on each trip page too.

If you’re looking to join us overseas, you will be required to take out personal travel insurance.

It’s only seen by the Event Leads running your trip, and it’s handled in line with our Privacy Policy.