Coronavirus

*Update 01/09/2022

We are continuing to monitor the latest guidelines and with the situation as it is, we have amended our measures as follows;

  • Equipment will continue to be cleaned and sanitised before and after every use
  • The wearing of face masks will be down to personal choice
  • Guests are asked not to attend if they have COVID or are poorly
  • Continuing our ‘No Worries’ booking policy if you are unable to attend due to an uploaded positive COVID test

 

*Update 05/03/2022

Following the government’s most recent announcement, all remaining legal restrictions have been removed inline with the ‘Living with COVID’ plan.  However, we always would want to ensure that our guests and staff feel safe and comfortable on our activities and are able to enjoy them without concern.  So just for now, we will continue to employ some of our COVID measures as follows;

  • We will ask our guests to complete our COVID questionnaire before attending
  • Guests will be asked not to attend an activity if they are ill
  • The regular use of hand sanitiser will be encouraged during our activities
  • Equipment will continue to be cleaned and sanitised before and after every use
  • Face masks may be worn where appropriate
  • All staff and guests are requested to take a Lateral Flow Test before attending an activity
  • Continuing our ‘No Worries’ booking policy if you are unable to attend due to a positive COVID test

For the time being, we feel it is right to be sensible and cautious, and we will review these measures over the coming weeks.

 

*Update 19/07/2021

With the restrictions being lifted today we wanted to update you on our plans.  Our guest’s and team’s safety will always be our priority, so for the time being we will be keeping many of our COVID measures in place which includes;

  • Asking our guests to complete our COVID questionnaire before attending
  • Regular use of hand sanitiser
  • Equipment to be cleaned and sanitised before and after every use
  • Face masks may be worn where appropriate
  • Staff continuing to test regularly using NHS Lateral Flow Tests and we will ask all our guests to complete a test prior to their activity
  • Continuing our ‘No Worries’ booking policy if you are unable to attend due to a positive COVID test

With restrictions lifting and responsibility now being placed personally, we feel a duty of care for all our guests and staff members.  We feel that for the time being, this is the right way for us to move forwards and hope that it will enable you to feel safe and comfortable when booking with us.

 

*Update 17/05/2021

We’re now running all our walking holidays, outdoor courses and guided walks once more. As our activities are formally Organised Participation Events run by Qualified Instructors, then we’re exempt from legal gathering limits. However, to ensure social distancing then our group sizes will be limited to a maximum of 10 participants per guide/instructor until 19th July 2021 (with the exception of school groups).  At this point the government will be issuing an update regarding restrictions.

Our guides are currently testing twice a week using NHS Rapid Lateral Flow Tests, and are fully vaccinated.  We also continue to operate subject to our Covid-19 Code of Practice.

During these uncertain times it is important that you know that you can still book your activity with us with complete confidence.

If we need to cancel an activity due to Covid restrictions or you are unable to attend your activity due to Covid then you will be offered a free transfer onto another scheduled activity in the future.

Thank you for your continued support.

 

*Update 23/02/2021

From the 29th March (all being well) we will be able to offer our courses and outdoor experiences once again.  We will be in contact with all customers who had their course/ activity postponed to invite them to re-book on a date of their choice.

Our walking breaks will be available from the 12th April if booking self-contained accommodation. After the 17th May we will be able to offer all accommodation options once more and things will begin to look more normal hopefully.

As accommodation will not be available until after the 12th April, we ask that travel for our courses and experiences is kept to a minimum for the time-being and customers should refer to the guidelines in their area on safe travel requirements.

Our courses, experiences and walking breaks are able to be booked now via this website and our ‘No Worries’ booking policy remains in place for our customers peace of mind should a booking need to be postponed or amended for any reason.  We appreciate that our customers need flexibility at this time and our guarantee ensures you can book with us in complete confidence.

We would like to remind our customers that we will continue to operate safely at all times and will have strict Covid procedures in place for as long as they are required.  Your well-being remains our number one priority.

 

*Update 06/01/2021

Following the latest government announcement, we will continue to offer 1:1 activities only and per our previous guidelines. All our group activities are postponed and customers booked onto any of our upcoming courses and events will be contacted by a member of the team. Our ‘No Worries’ booking policy remains in place to guarantee the highest levels of customer care and ensuring our customers feel reassured and confident booking with us.

We will issue another update when the restrictions are reviewed mid-February.

As always, thank you for your support – it is hugely appreciated.

 

*Update 06/11/2020

In line with the new national government restrictions, we can confirm that all group activities have been postponed for now until the 2nd December 2020.  As an Organisation with strict Covid-19 operating procedures in place, we are able to continue to provide 1:1 courses and guided walks providing these are local to both the customer and our staff.  Use of public transport is to be avoided.

At these uncertain times we would like to remind clients of our ‘No Worries’ booking policy, ensuring our clients flexibility and peace of mind when they book with us (please see below for further info.).

Hopefully normal service will be resumed from the 2nd December onwards.

 

*Update 14/09/2020

An update on our current position regarding the new ‘Rule of Six’ government guidelines on social groups.

The activities we offer currently fall under ‘Organised Outdoor Physical Activity Events’ and are subject to strict Covid-19 procedures, policies and risk assessments. As such, at present, we are exempt from the current restrictions and we are still able to operate with larger groups in line with our procedures, if we choose to.

However, we want to ensure we continue to provide our courses, experiences and adventures as safely as possible, to give you peace of mind and for you to fully enjoy your time with us.  Therefore, for the time being, we have decided to keep it small and personal and limit our group numbers to just 6.

Creating an environment where you can escape, relax and feel at ease on one of our adventures is extremely important to us. We want you to enjoy your time outdoors and to feel secure in the knowledge that we are doing everything we can to look after you and facilitate wonderful experiences.

The health, safety and well-being of our guests has always been and will always be our number one priority.

 

Covid-19 Update 31/07/2020

Adventure Planning & Advice

At Pied A Terre Adventures we are always delighted to welcome our clients on their adventure, course or experience.  Over the last few months, we all have had to personally make changes and adjust to a world with Coronavirus.  As we gradually re-open we want to ensure your needs are respected and those of the communities we visit.

Please feel free to contact our office on +44 (0)1403 788994 and speak to our Adventure Director, Richard Betts to discuss any questions and personal requirements you may have.  We want you to feel comfortable and to get the most out of your adventure in the Great Outdoors.

 

Our Assurance to You.

While the world might feel a little uncertain and you may be a bit nervous about your adventure, we completely understand and respect how you feel.  This is why we have made a number of adjustments to ensure that we are at all times prepared, and that we are constantly monitoring and revising our operating procedures to manage any changes to the situation.

 

Book with Confidence

We accept that plans change more so than before, so we have introduced a “No Worries” policy which increases the flexibility in our terms to ensure that you can book without concerns up to 31st December 2021.

So, for added peace of mind, you can now:

  • Change your booking without penalty up to 4 weeks before departure/ your activity date.
  • Make up to 2 changes per booking.
  • Change your booking without penalty up to the day of departure for a COVID-19 reason (please refer to our COVID-19 Booking Commitment within our Booking Conditions).

The small print…

  • Any changes are subject to availability.
  • If the rebooked adventure costs less than your last booking we will refund the difference.
  • If the rebooked adventure costs more than last booking we will add the difference to your final balance.
  • We advise all our clients to ensure that they have suitable and adequate travel insurance to cover all aspects of their adventure. The Association of British Insurers has a useful Q & A which has some good questions to ask your own insurer.

 

Travel with Confidence

As we re-open our adventures, the safety and wellbeing of our clients, leaders, partners and suppliers is our priority, and has always been so.   All our adventures, experiences and courses will only open (and remain open) providing they meet our Adventure Open criteria and as defined in our 5 Stage Adventure Status.

We have carried out and continuously update our risk assessments and as a result we subsequently introduce changes as to how we can best help our clients escape into the outdoors.  Acquiring the Industry Standard “We’re Good to Go” means that Pied A Terre Adventures has followed government and industry COVID-19 guidelines, has a Risk Assessment in place and a process to maintain cleanliness and aid social distancing.

 

Activity Changes

We have introduced the following changes for all our adventures which will enhance your enjoyment of the experience without compromising on the fun of your time escaping into the outdoors:

  • Smaller group sizes typically between 6-12.
  • Support social distancing.
  • Reduce use of any shared equipment where safe and feasible.
  • Flexible route changes to minimise time spent in areas which may be busy.

Safety Operating Procedures

To help manage everyone’s safety while on an adventure we have made some important changes to our experience joining process.

  • We will be asking you to complete a Medical Declaration Form (COVID Questionnaire) and sign our updated Participation Form.
  • We will ask you to add some additional personal protective (PPE) items to your kit and backpack (face covering, hand sanitiser, tissues and disposable bag).
  • We will continue to adhere to social distancing guidelines for the duration of your activity, thankfully this isn’t difficult within the countryside locations we visit.
  • Face coverings will be worn when required and regular hand sanitising/washing will be in practice.
  • We ask all our clients to notify the office immediately if they are tested positive with COVID-19 within 21 days following their activity. We will then notify all people who also attended on the same date.
  • We will hold your contact details to support the NHS Trace and Test procedures.

Please ensure you follow all government guidance on travel, and we recommend currently travelling by car for now. We ask that you do not attend the activity if you feel in any way unwell beforehand – please notify us as soon as possible.  If you present with any signs of illness on arrival you will respectfully be asked to leave and return to your main residence in line with government guidance if safe to do so.

Cleaning of Equipment

All equipment used or borrowed will be thoroughly cleaned using products rated BS EN 1476 and BS EN 14476 after each use.

 

Coronavirus Updates

We are continuously monitoring UK Government, public health, governing body (BAIML, MTA & NNAS) and industry advice as well as information from our destinations.  We use this information to assess the risk and make decisions on the adventures we can operate.  Each adventure, experience and course are risk assessed and its operational status is updated.

Adventure Open

This is the risk assessment criteria on which we base our assessment on a particular adventure, experience or course running.  Depending on the outcome of the assessment, we may change the operational status or implement additional control measures for our guides to implement.  The outcome of the Adventure Open process decides the Adventure Status.

Adventure Status

The Adventure Status is the operational state of our Adventures.  The status is decided by the outcome of two measures: The Adventure Open assessment and then where in our 5 stages of opening the activity resides (Stage 1 = lockdown, Stage 5 = fully open globally).

 

We hope you find this information useful and that it gives you confidence on how we are managing the current situation.  Hopefully most of our procedures are relatively straight forward and easy to follow and most likely you will be living by many of these already.  We are well connected within our industry and throughout our local communities who are all ready and looking forward to welcoming you, just as we are.  We very much look forward to seeing you soon.