Booking Conditions

When you make a booking you enter into a contract on behalf of all your party with Walk Awhile Ltd on the terms set out in these conditions of booking, along with any other information provided to you by Walk Awhile on our website or in our literature. Please read these terms and conditions carefully, if you do not agree with them, do not make a booking with us. Nothing in these terms affects your statutory rights. By making a booking you agree on behalf of yourself, and your party, that all participants have read and agreed to these conditions, and accept the use of their personal data in line with our Privacy Policy.

Holiday contract being subject to the jurisdiction of the Courts of England and Wales. No variation shall be of any effect unless in writing and by the authority of Walk Awhile Ltd,

1. Insurance

It is your responsibility to travel with adequate travel insurance and you must provide details of your policy to us upon request. Walk Awhile requires that you be properly insured, in advance, for your holiday for cover in case of cancellation, curtailment, repatriation or personal accident. If you cancel your holiday we will not refund any insurance premiums or flight payments paid on the holiday. Please see section 8 below regarding Covid-19.

2. Our responsibilities

Walk Awhile holds ‘Tour Operators and Travel Agents Combined Liability Insurance’ and will accept responsibility for death, injury or illness caused by negligent acts and/or omissions of us, while acting within the scope of our responsibilities in the provision of any part of your travel arrangements in the itinerary, that we are contractually obliged to provide. We will, accordingly, pay to an affected participant such damages as might have been awarded in such circumstances under English law. However damages are not payable where any failure is due neither to any fault on our part or a supplier of any part of your travel arrangements or is attributable to you or unforeseen or unavoidable actions of a third party unconnected with the provision of your travel arrangements or unusual and unforeseeable circumstances (force majeure) beyond our control, the consequences of which neither we nor our suppliers could avoid. Examples include war or threat of war, riots, civil strife, terrorist activities, industrial disputes, natural or nuclear disaster, fire or adverse weather conditions, level of water in rivers or other similar events beyond our control.

Walk Awhile will not accept liability for any damage caused by customers to accommodation or taxis used during the period of the holiday

3. Pricing

Prices are as advertised on the Walk Awhile website. We will advise you of the full cost of your holiday before your booking is confirmed. Prices shown are per person based on double occupancy and include luggage transfer and breakfast. Single occupancy supplement applies for sole room occupancy when walking as part of a group. There is a Solo Walker supplement (for walkers who are not part of a group), per night. Group discounts are available.

We will not make any changes to the price of your holiday after we have confirmed your booking, unless you request any changes as specified below. Walk Awhile reserves the right to amend the advertised price of unbooked holidays if necessary for us to absorb additional costs levied during the holiday season.

Upgrade charges may apply if you request alternative accommodation.

4. What is included

a) A marked up copy per group, of the map of the route, and guide book(s) plus itinerary, accommodation details, directions to accommodation, taxi contacts, advice on evening meals and route information, preparation advice and support contact details will be provided.. Walk Awhile will send one copy of the relevant Map and guide book per group in advance, by request, on receipt of the final balance. Overseas customers will be charged postage, and may opt to purchase their own copies of the guidebook(s) if preferred. A reduction can be made per booking where no maps or guidebooks are required.

b) Taxis back to the Trail. Included in the price is taxi from accommodation to a point on the trail when requested in advance, and as specified in our itinerary. We reserve the right to pass on additional costs where taxi services are requested for journeys not covered in our usual itineraries. Taxi service to Leeds Castle is included for North Downs Way Walkers on request.

5. Payment

When you book your holiday you must pay a deposit of £100 per person. This will be paid directly to Walk Awhile Ltd. and is non refundable (other than in the circumstances set out in Section 9), unless Walk Awhile cancels, makes a substantial change to, or is unable to, or refuses to make the booking. On receipt of your deposit we will book your accommodation and provide a personalised itinerary. The balance of the price must be paid no later than 42 days (6 weeks) before departure. If you book within this period you must pay the full holiday price at the time of booking. If the balance is not paid in time we reserve the right to cancel your holiday, retain your deposit and apply cancellation charges as set out in section 5.

CREDIT or DEBIT CARD - We accept major credit and debit cards online. Transactions are shown in Pounds Sterling. We do not access or store credit card details nor do we share customer details with any third parties.

BACS - We accept payment direct from bank to bank, however due to currency fluctuations we request that overseas customers pay by card through the Stripe Secure Payment system. We will provide details of our IBAN and SWIFT numbers when we send you the booking confirmation if applicable, and will make a subsequent adjustment if the payment received does not match our advertised rates.

6. If you change your booking -

All amendments and transfers after payment of the deposit will be subject to a minimum amendment fee of £50, plus any additional costs associated with the change. Any request to change arrangements must be made in writing by the person who made the booking not later than the date on which balance of the original holiday price is due for payment.
If, after your booking has been confirmed, you wish to transfer to a different holiday or departure date, we will make every effort to satisfy your requirements.. The transfer to a new holiday must be made at the time of the request otherwise it will be treated as a cancellation (see section 9 regarding amendments due to Coronavirus).

7. If you cancel your booking
Should you, or any member of your party, decide to cancel your holiday booking you must advise us in writing, either by letter or by email. To cancel by email, please email walk@walkawhile with your booking reference. A cancellation will take effect from the date that written notice is received. As we incur costs in cancelling your arrangements you will have to pay the applicable cancellation charges shown in the table below – these show the proportion of the full holiday cost, including VAT. Please see section 2 above regarding your responsibility to take out insurance cover.

42 days or more before arrival date: Deposit only
More than 28/less than 42 days before arrival date: 50% of the price
0 days - 28 days before arrival date: 100% of the price

8. Coronavirus – Covid-19

If you have paid in full for your holiday and subsequent governmental advice is not to travel from your country of origin (outside the UK) or from within the UK, or hospitality venues including accommodation are closed by government order, then Walk Awhile will offer the option of a full refund or postponement at the same price (for the same itinerary).. In the event that a holiday has to be abruptly cancelled due to restrictions we reserve the right to pass on any non-refundable costs that we have incurred (e.g. accommodation cancellation at less than 24 hours notice due to lockdown in your area of origin).
Walk Awhile requires that you get travel insurance that includes cancellation or curtailment costs should you be personally affected by Covid 19, due to illness or self isolation. If you are not sure if you are covered by any existing policies then please speak to your travel insurance provider.

9. Accuracy of information
The information and prices in our packs and website have been carefully checked and we believe they are correct at the time of publication. Occasionally changes and errors can occur and we reserve the right to make changes; if this occurs we will advise you before your booking is confirmed. We feel it is right to point out that advertised facilities may be subject to change by the various suppliers concerned. There may be occasions when an advertised facility or activity is not available during your own holiday. This may be due to weather, operational or maintenance reasons.
10. If we alter your holiday plans

There may be occasions when it is necessary to make minor alterations to itineraries. The itineraries are statements of intent only, and do not constitute representations or undertakings that they will be carried out, and changes to them will not constitute material alterations. Nevertheless Walk Awhile will endeavour to the best of its abilities to ensure that published itineraries are maintained. Walk Awhile will notify the participants, or in the case of group bookings the company or organisation to which Walk Awhile has agreed to provide services, of any changes to the itinerary. We will, if practicable, advise you before departure, but we are not obliged to do so or to pay you compensation. A minor alteration is any alteration apart from a major alteration as defined below.
A major alteration would involve changing your tour, offering accommodation with a lower rating, or changing your overnight location materially. If a major alteration occurs, we will advise you as soon as is reasonably possible. You will then have the choice of accepting the alteration, taking an alternative holiday (and where this is of a lower price, we will refund the difference), or withdrawing from the contract and accepting a full refund of all monies paid.

11. If we cancel your holiday

If we have to cancel your holiday, (other than for reasons outside our control) you will have the choice of taking an alternative holiday (and where this is of a lower price we will refund the difference) or withdrawing from the contract and accepting a full refund of all monies paid. See Section 9 above regarding Coronavirus cancellation policy.

12. Complaints
If you have a complaint during your holiday you must notify our management or representative of Walk Awhile immediately and they will do their best to resolve the problem. Should it not be possible to resolve your complaint there and then, you should write to our office Walk Awhile, Applegarth, South Street, Boughton Under Blean, ME13 9PE, within 28 days. All complaints that are received are thoroughly investigated and guests are kept informed. Sometimes investigations can take time, especially when awaiting a response from suppliers. We aim to settle all complaints amicably.

13. Passports, Visas and Health

It is your own responsibility to check that your passport, visa or health certificate is in order. We cannot accept responsibility for any delay or expense incurred through irregularities in your documents.

14. Special Requests

Walk Awhile is not obliged to meet special requests unless we have agreed as such in writing. If you have any special dietary requirements it is important to state these at the time of booking. For your own protection, you should obtain confirmation in writing from us that your request will be complied with (where it is possible for us to give this) if your request is important to you.

15. Your participation on the holiday
Participation on our walks and activities requires an appropriate level of fitness. We reserve the right not to accept participants on our walks and activities if, in our opinion, this would compromise the safety or enjoyment of an individual or the group as a whole. While Walk Awhile makes every effort to ensure the holiday will be as safe as possible, it is essential that one member of the party has map reading skills, and you follow advice given verbally and in written information provided, exercising caution in places where the trail/National Trail crosses or follows any roadways.

We reserve the unconditional right to refuse a booking or to debar a person from a holiday in the event of conduct which in our reasonable opinion is likely to cause distress, damage or annoyance to guests, employees, property or to any third party.

If you return home early from your holiday (or are unable to take part in the activity), we cannot refund the cost of any services you have not used. Depending on the circumstances you may be able to claim on your travel insurance.

If you or any of your party do not take up your accommodation on the date of arrival shown on your confirmation, it will be offered for re-letting subject to the policy of the accommodation provider.
Parents or guardians undertake to accept full responsibility and supervision of and for their children at all times. We do not accept bookings from unaccompanied children under 18.