Comprehensive FAQs for Your Next Adventure

Large Outdoors is all about creating fun, social, outdoor experiences for adults, and as such all of our trips including accommodation are only available for those over 18 years of age. Some of our challenge walks and Day Experiences do accept under 18s, but these minors must be accompanied at all times by their parent/guardian, as Large Outdoors does not hold an AALA Licence. Please check the top blue section on each experience’s webpage for age restrictions and see our Terms & Conditions for more information on bookings which include under 18s.

Our average age range on Multi-Day Experiences is generally around 35 to 65.

We don’t set an upper age limit - if you’re able and willing to come and join our experiences safely then you’re very welcome to do so.

Large Outdoors is not a membership organisation and anybody is free to participate. To say thank you to repeat customers and loyal Large Outdoors adventurers, we do offer a Rewards Book - packed full of opportunities to nab exclusive swag and special discounts when you enjoy a number of experiences with us. Didn’t get one in the post when you booked, or need one for your travel companion? Just send us a request (with the relevant name and postal address) to hello@largeoutdoors.com.

We are committed to encouraging equality, diversity and inclusion among our workforce and Large Outdoors participants, and eliminating unlawful discrimination. In providing our goods and services, we are also committed against unlawful discrimination of our suppliers, partners and the general public. We treat everyone with respect and we’re a friendly, sociable bunch - we hope anyone thinking of joining in will have the same approach.

Due to the nature of our outdoor and active experiences, we can not state that all are suitable for everyone - as certain medical conditions, disabilities and personal abilities may deem certain experiences unsuitable or ill-advised. However, we will always discuss personal requirements, potential risks and/or additional safety considerations to provide anyone interested in taking part with an honest review of our experiences and their suitability.

Due to the nature of our outdoor and active experiences, we can not state that any or all of them are suitable for everyone - as certain medical conditions, disabilities and personal abilities may deem certain experiences unsuitable or ill-advised. However, we will always discuss personal requirements, potential risks and/or additional safety considerations to provide anyone interested in taking part with an honest review of our experiences and their potential suitability.

All of our walking experiences involve walks of at least 6 miles and with uneven terrain. Some have walks with much higher mileage and more difficult terrain - you can see how we grade our experiences here.

We’d suggest you give us a call or email us with which experiences you are interested in and we can let you know the mileage/terrain for walking activities, or what’s involved for our other outdoor activities, and more information. Then you can make an informed decision about whether this is suitable for your individual ability.

In terms of accommodation - we use various hostels, cottages, B&Bs, hotels and self-catering properties across the numerous trips we offer. All have different layouts and accessibility. Not all properties will have an accessible toilet and/or bathroom. Again, we’d suggest you let us know which trips you’re considering so we can advise accordingly.

On the majority of our experiences, no. We love our four-legged friends and have a couple of office dogs ourselves, but the nature of offering group experiences in the outdoors, as well as the shared accommodation on many of our getaways, means we do not usually allow dogs to join in with their owners. Please check the top blue section on each experience’s webpage to see if dogs are allowed, as there are some exceptions.

Trained assistance dogs:
Of course, to ensure our experiences are as inclusive and accessible as possible, we can allow suitably trained assistance dogs to accompany their owners. If you wish to bring your trained assistance dog on an experience, please let us know in advance of booking so we can discuss the itinerary and any activity/equipment/accommodation, and of course additional safety* requirements or considerations. We need to discuss these elements with you in advance to ensure you are aware of the risks and can consider the suitability of a particular experience for yourself and your assistance dog.
*Many of our experiences include activities in remote locations where evacuation or treatment of an assistance dog may be restricted, or we make use of routes with terrain (e.g. sharp/rocky paths, steep drops, scrambling sections) that may be hazardous or difficult for dogs not used to similar environments.

Absolutely. The majority of our participants are solo travellers and adventurers. It’s our motto after all:
”Large Outdoors - making outdoor adventures sociable.”

Plenty of fun, laughter and numerous long-term friendships (and a few marriages!) have begun on Large Outdoors trips since 2008, so there’s no need to feel worried about your first experience, or indeed trying a new type of outdoor activity, with us. There is never a single supplement on our getaways, although choosing the ‘Single Room’ options (where available) will cost more, due to the nature of the higher costs we are charged by accommodation providers for those room types.

Anyone can request to join the Friends of Large Outdoors Facebook group and use it to see what we’re up to; look for travel and car share buddies; ask others about their Large Outdoors adventures; or share photos from a recent trip. We also set up WhatsApp groups for people who have booked Multi-Day Experiences, so you can get in touch with other participants in advance and share photos etc.

We use different types of accommodation across the vast range of experiences we offer, e.g. hostels, guest houses, hotels, country inns and cottages/lodges. Please check the blue header section on any Multi-Day Experience’s webpage to see which type of accommodation it is based at and check out the Accommodation section on each page for more information.

Different accommodations offer different room types (see more information below), facilities and amenities - for example, some of the hostels we stay at do not provide bedding.
So, make sure you carefully check the webpage (see Accommodation and What’s Included sections) before booking, as well as the emails your receive from us after booking.

ROOM & BED TYPES:
Much of the accommodation we stay in has Shared Room options. Where these room types are bookable, you will see the options 'Bed in a Shared Male Room’ or a ‘Bed in a Shared Female Room’ (subject to availability). These are a a great, cost-effective option for solo travellers, individuals, and groups of friends (see SHARING WITH FRIENDS below).
If you book a ‘Bed in a Shared Male Room’ or a ‘Bed in a Shared Female Room', you’ll be sharing a room with other participants who have booked the same option. Bathrooms are shared - sometimes separate to the rooms and sometimes en-suite. Shared Room sizes vary from venue to venue and you could be sharing with just one other participant (typical on our Signature experiences), but generally you’ll be sharing with multiple other participants in ‘dormitory’ style rooms. Beds may be traditional single beds, or a bottom bunk or top bunk in a set of bunk beds.
We can not allocate particular beds dependant on individual preferences for Shared Rooms (but you can always bring along some treats to bribe/persuade your room mates to negotiate!).

Other Room Types - Some of the accommodation we stay in offers alternative room types, such as Single, Double, Twin, or Twin/Double (this could mean a bunk bed made up of double bed with a single over it, or it could be a ‘zip and link’ type bed, which can be made up as a king-sized double or separated into two single beds).
Some of these room types may be en-suite, but others will make use of shared bathrooms (see BATHROOMS & EN-SUITES below). Please make sure you carefully check the webpage for any experience you are interested in (see Accommodation section) before booking.

SHARING ROOMS WITH FRIENDS:
If you make one booking for a group of people, choosing the Bed in a Shared Male/Female option, we will do our best to accommodate you in the same room(s), subject to bed and room availability at that particular accommodation. You may still be sharing with additional participants who have booked a Bed in a Shared Male/Female Room, depending on the room size.
If you and your friends have made a series of separate bookings but prefer to be in the same room, simply email us with the details and we’ll help wherever possible, subject to bed and room availability at that particular accommodation. You may still be sharing with additional participants who have booked a Bed in a Shared Male/Female Room, depending on the room size.

BATHROOMS & EN-SUITES:
Rooms may make use of shared bathrooms, or they may have en-suite bathrooms. If en-suites are guaranteed, then this information will be included in the blue & white booking box on our webpages, e.g. Single Room (en-suite), Twin Room (en-suite).
Bathroom facilities will always include a toilet and sink. Bathrooms may have a shower; a bath with handheld shower attachment; a shower over a bath; or a shower and a separate bath. We try to include as much information as possible on our webpages, so please make sure you carefully check the webpage for any experience you are interested in (see Accommodation section) before booking.

Yes, we can supply a vegetarian or vegan meal on any of our Multi-Day Experiences which include meals*.
However, you must inform us of dietary requirements at least 7 days before your booking start date - after this deadline we cannot guarantee we can supply suitable meals. Simply complete the dietary section during the booking process as required.

If your dietary needs have changed since you made your booking, please complete a Dietary Requirements & Medical Details Form.

*Not sure if the experience you fancy includes meals? Check the What’s Included section on the webpage for each experience.

Sorry, we are unable to offer Halal or Kosher meals, but we are happy to supply a vegetarian meal on any of our Multi-Day Experiences which include meals*. However, you must inform us of dietary requirements at least 7 days before your booking start date - after this deadline we cannot guarantee we can supply suitable meals. Simply complete the dietary section during the booking process as required.

If your dietary needs have changed since you made your booking, please complete a Dietary Requirements & Medical Details Form.

*Not sure if the experience you fancy includes meals? Check the What’s Included section on the webpage for each experience.

Unfortunately, we are generally unable to cater for a wide variety of diets or food preferences due to the nature and cost of our catered trips and/or the use of shared kitchens. However, we can offer vegetarian meals, vegan meals, provide meals with gluten* free ingredients and/or provide dairy** free meals - these options can be selected when booking. 
You must inform us of dietary requirements at least 7 days before your booking start date - after this deadline we cannot guarantee we can offer suitable meals, so please check with us if you’re making a last-minute booking.

If your dietary needs have changed since booking, please complete a Dietary Requirements & Medical Details Form.

*GLUTEN FREE INGREDIENTS:
Due to the nature of shared kitchens and the risk of cross-contamination, we cannot guarantee that the meals we provide with ‘gluten free ingredients’ are suitable for participants with coeliac disease.

**DAIRY FREE MEALS:
Due to the nature of shared kitchens and the risk of cross-contamination, we cannot guarantee that the ‘dairy free’ meals we provide are lactose free, or suitable for participants with a lactose intolerance or lactose allergy.

FOOD ALLERGIES - please detail severe food allergies via the ‘Medical Details’ section upon booking (you can update this via the Dietary Requirements & Medical Details Form after booking).
The food prepared and provided by Large Outdoors may contain any of the following 14 allergens: celery, cereals containing gluten (such as wheat, barley and oats), crustaceans (such as prawns, crabs and lobsters), eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs (such as mussels and oysters), mustard, peanuts, sesame, soybeans, sulphur dioxide and sulphites and tree nuts (such as almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, brazil nuts, cashews, pecans, pistachios and macadamia nuts).
This also applies to additives, processing aids and any other substances which are present in the final product.

If you are consuming food prepared and provided by a third-party establishment (e.g. restaurant, hotel, tearoom etc.) during your Large Outdoors experience, it is your responsibility to ensure you inform food servers/staff directly of your dietary requirements and/or allergies. Only where Large Outdoors is ordering and paying for food prepared and provided by third-party establishments (i.e. it is included in the monies you have paid to Large Outdoors, as outlined by the What’s Included section on each experience’s webpage), will we pass on the Dietary Requirements you have provided to us, as per our Privacy Policy. Even in these cases, for your own safety, we ask that you inform food servers/staff directly of your dietary requirements and/or allergies.

Some of our hotel-based experiences, or those which involve dinner provided by the accommodation or at local eateries, do offer more choice or a little more flexibility catering wise. This is typical of the experiences in our Signature collection, but there are others too. Do check the What’s Included section on each experience’s webpage to see what meals are provided and feel free to contact us if you’d like to check whether a particular experience could be suitable for your dietary needs.

If you follow a particular diet or have food allergies and wish to bring and prepare your own meals on our hostel-based experiences or those where we’re using self-catering kitchens you may be able to do so, but please check with us regarding this and the kitchen’s suitability before booking.

This differs with each experience we offer. Please check the What’s Included section on the webpage for each experience you are interested in.

The majority of our hostel-based trips and others using self-catering kitchens will refer to ‘home-cooked set 2-course dinners’ - this means that the dinner menus are set for each trip, so there is no choice available. There may be two different varieties/meals being served at dinner time, but this does not mean a choice will be offered. Meals are prepared based on the dietary requirements indicated by all participants (e.g. a vegetarian/vegan option and a meat option, both of which may use gluten free ingredients, or just one may). To avoid waste and to enable us to offer the trips at the price we do, we will only cater for requirements indicated in advance, e.g. we will only cook enough vegetarian meals for the number of participants who indicated this as their dietary requirement when booking/in advance.

Unfortunately, we are generally unable to cater for a wide variety of diets or food preferences due to the nature and cost of our catered trips and/or the use of shared kitchens. However, we can offer vegetarian meals, vegan meals, provide meals with gluten* free ingredients and/or provide dairy** free meals - these options can be selected when booking. You must inform us of dietary requirements at least 7 days before your booking start date - after this deadline we cannot guarantee we can supply suitable meals, so please check with us if you’re making a last-minute booking.
If your dietary needs have changed since booking, please complete a Dietary Requirements & Medical Details Form.

*/** Due to the nature of shared kitchens and the risk of cross-contamination, we cannot guarantee: that the meals we provide with ‘gluten free ingredients’ are suitable for participants with coeliac disease and/or that the ‘dairy free’ meals we provide are lactose free, or suitable for participants with a lactose intolerance or lactose allergy.

ALLERGENS: The food prepared and provided by Large Outdoors may contain any of the following 14 allergens: celery, cereals containing gluten (such as wheat, barley and oats), crustaceans (such as prawns, crabs and lobsters), eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs (such as mussels and oysters), mustard, peanuts, sesame, soybeans, sulphur dioxide and sulphites and tree nuts (such as almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, brazil nuts, cashews, pecans, pistachios and macadamia nuts). This also applies to additives, processing aids and any other substances which are present in the final product.
If you are consuming food prepared and provided by a third-party establishment (e.g. restaurant, hotel, tearoom etc.) during your Large Outdoors experience, it is your responsibility to ensure you inform food servers/staff directly of your dietary requirements and/or allergies. Only where Large Outdoors is ordering and paying for food prepared and provided by third-party establishments (i.e. it is included in the monies you have paid to Large Outdoors, as outlined by the What’s Included section on each bookable experience’s webpage), will we pass on the Dietary Requirements you have provided to us, as per our Privacy Policy. Even in these cases, for your own safety, we ask that you inform food servers/staff directly of your dietary requirements and/or allergies

Please check the Location & Meeting Time section on each experience’s webpage to see what time and where to meet, as this differs with each experience we offer.

Please check the What’s Included section on each experience’s webpage to see wether transport is included, as this differs with each experience we offer.

For our Multi-Day Experiences without any transport included, we aim to walk straight from the door of the accommodation as often as possible. However, sometimes the best walks or activities are a little further away and we need to drive to the start/end point. For these occasions, we encourage our participants to car-share, so that we fit into as few vehicles as possible and are more environmentally conscious. If you are a driver, if would be very helpful if you would consider volunteering for this if required - you might make a new friend along the way! But please note that car sharing is not compulsory, and is carried out at participants’ own risk where undertaken.
Please also remember to bring some loose change and a credit/debit card to pay for local parking charges (which often support the maintenance of the handy car parks we use and help protect the beautiful areas we visit).

Please check the What’s Included section on each experience’s webpage to see whether you need to bring bedding and/or a towel, as this differs with each accommodation we use.

As part of the social hostel or cottage/lodge-based experience, there will be a small amount of helping-out required - from being asked to strip your beds on departure to doing your own washing up (but don’t worry, you’re off the hook when it comes to cooking!). This helps us keep our trips affordable and is a great way to get to know your fellow participants…the best parties are always in the kitchen, right?!