Lands End To John O'Groats cycling trip

Environment

Cycling has the minimum impact on the environment and is one of the greenest activities you can undertake as well as being a good low impact way of keeping fit. For this UK trip we to reduce carbon emissions we encourage our clients to travel by train to and from the start and finishing points. We limit our group size to 16 as we feel larger groups, especially the huge charity events that do this trip, have too big a disruption and impact on the environment

By the very nature of our trips - walking, trekking, cycling - our clients are caring about the outdoors and usually very aware of environmental issues so we don't have to try too hard to encourage a sensitive approach. On all our trips though our clients are encouraged not to use plastic bottles of water but to purify and refill bottles, to take away all litter or dispose of it carefully, and we suggest they offset their carbon emissions when they fly.

Community

Throughout the trip we use local suppliers and produce when buying our lunch provisions and choose local hotels and bed and breakfast establishments wherever possible. We support Sustrans, the national cycle path network organisation, and use their routes whenever we can. Nick Mitchell, our cycling operations manager and lead guide is currently working with Sustrans to develop a Lands End to John O'Groats route using only the National Cycling path network. From the time we began, in 1988, we have had agreements in place with our international partners to ensure the proper treatment of local staff, equipment, clothing, insurance, limited carrying loads etc.. We are a long standing members of campaigning organisation Tourism Concern and the IPPG (International Porter's Protection Group) which acts to secure porter's rights. As far as our UK office is concerned we took the decision several years ago to stop producing printed paper brochures, most of which we were aware ended in landfill. Potential clients are now directed to our website for all our information. Any paper we use is recycled or reused where possible. We always turn off electrical equipment overnight.