COVID-19 UPDATE Resuming our walking holidays

Now that the Scottish Government has advised the tourism industry can resume trading from the 15th July (subject to the continued positive progress on suppressing the COVID-19 outbreak), we now look forward to the day when we can once again welcome visitors from both the UK and overseas.  

At WAS & Make Tracks; despite this announcement, we must remain cautious due to a number of factors which must taken into consideration before our walking holidays can resume to any form of normality, including;

1. Quarantine Rules - currently there is no date as to when the 14-day quarantine rule for incoming visitors to the UK will be lifted.

2. B&B guidelines - accommodation providers will be required to adhere to a number of COVID-19 guidelines and recommendations before they will be allowed to reopen.  Not every B&B will be in a position to reopen immediately.

3. Service Providers - currently it is still not possible to eat and drink at the premises of any cafe, restaurant, pub, hotel, etc.  Clearly these services need to be up and running in order for anyone to partake in a successful walking holiday.  This could change by the end of June, however, will likely be limited to outside eating and drinking only (e.g. beer gardens).  It is worth considering that, during periods of bad weather, the idea of having to dine outside is not something most people will welcome.

4. A number of tourism businesses have not yet committed to reopening on the 15th July through fear of being overwhelmed by travellers desperate for an escape after being locked down for so long.  High volumes of visitors at some locations could have a detrimental effect on a walking holiday (e.g. queuing for a meal at the end of a long day on the trail).  By resuming our own walking holidays a short time after the lockdown restrictions are eased, our hope is that the immediate rush will have eased off, allowing our customers to enjoy a more relaxed walk.  This will also allow service providers time to get used to any new COVID related contingencies within their workplace and premises.

While the tourism industry prepares to resume on the 15th July, we must be completely confident that service providers along each of the trails are suitably equipped and prepared to cope with the high influx of visitors who are likely to travel once the lockdown measures are eased. 

With this is mind, our current aim is to resume those walking holidays which are currently due to start on or after the 1st August, unless, for any reason, it is not possible to do so (e.g. if the 14-day quarantine rule for visitors to the UK is still in place, or if there are not enough service providers in operation on that particular trail).  The safety and wellbeing of our customers is the ultimate priority, which will never be compromised. 

It will, of course, still be an option for customers to reschedule their walking holiday to 2021, where we will be happy to carry forward any deposit paid at the time of booking. We completely understand that some clients may wish to postpone their itinerary to new dates, when the COVID-19 crisis is no longer deemed a threat to society. For existing clients, please contact Ross and the team if you wish to discuss your options.

There will undoubtedly be a number of COVID-19 related contingencies in place for some time to come, which we must learn to embed into society and our way of life until such times as the relevant political and scientific bodies across the World see otherwise.  

We are one step closer to re-opening the gate to Scotland’s wonderful and breath taking countryside.  By acting responsibly, with togetherness and in the best interests of every single individual affected by the coronavirus crisis; we can hopefully make not only Scotland, but also the World, a better place.

Best wishes,

Ross Mackey

Coronavirus Update - UPDATED 22ND MAY

At Walk Across Scotland & Make Tracks, our ultimate priority is to protect the best interests of our customers (i.e. to exercise our duty of care), therefore, it is important that our clients have peace of mind in the knowledge that we are doing our very best throughout this most unprecedented situation.  We are provided with Coronavirus updates from the UK & Scottish Governments on a daily basis and, with this information, we take time to carefully consider how any developments could impact each walking holiday. 

Despite the pandemic arguably now more controlled in a number of countries, including the UK; the global impact of the virus remains a very serious situation.  While the Scottish Government has now implemented a four phase plan and route map for restoring the country to some form of normality, this could still change over the coming weeks.  We must also pay serious attention to the restrictions on those who are arriving from overseas, where the current requirement is to immediately self-isolate for 14 days before heading out into the wider society. It is, therefore, extremely important that we implement measures which are most appropriate to the circumstances.  Given the latest announcements from the UK & Scottish Governments, it remains extremely difficult for us to gauge which walking holidays, if any, are able to take place over the short to medium term.  As the country begins the road the recovery and progresses through each phase, we can only realistically consider future walking holidays upon reaching phase three, at which time most businesses will be allowed to reopen. It is unlikely phase three will be reached until well into the summer.  

We are, therefore, at a stage where measures must continue to be implemented for all bookings, with particular attention to those which are due to take place over the coming weeks.  Having deliberated over the most appropriate course of action, it is with deep regret that we have decided to contact all clients who are due start their walking holiday on and before the 10th July, with a view to offering the following;

1. Postpone and reschedule to a preferred date

2. Postpone to a date to be determined

3. Cancel the walking holiday with the deposit payment used as a credit for a future walking holiday with WAS & MT up to the end of 2022.

Our ultimate priority is to safeguard the health and wellbeing of our customers, while also acting with honesty and integrity throughout this crisis.  With the country on lockdown for the time being and many B&Bs closing until further notice, the logistics behind all walking holidays is becoming more problematic.  Therefore, we have very little choice but to postpone all walking holidays which are due to start on or before the 10th July.  The date could be extended further into the summer, depending on how the situation unfolds over the coming days and weeks.

As a tour operator, we are bound by the rules within the Package Travel & Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018, where we are required to offer clients the opportunity to re-schedule their walk (or cancel if a suitable alternative cannot be found) to a future date.  

We truly have the best interests of both our clients and service providers at heart, therefore, we sincerely hope that any changes or unavoidable postponements can be agreed to the satisfaction of all parties involved. 

We are deeply sorry to any customers who are affected by these postponements, which will no doubt come as a major disappointment.  The coronavirus outbreak has so many far reaching consequences and we must stand together and stay positive to save ourselves and communities alike.

COVID-19 UPDATE

Within the UK, while there is no lockdown, measures being taken to control and eradicate the spread of Coronavirus are beginning to have a profound effect on the livelihoods of both individuals and society as a whole. At Walk Across Scotland & Make Tracks, we are determined to continue operating as close to normality as possible, however, it is important that we take appropriate measures which are in the best interests of our clients, service providers and ourselves as a small business. 

CLIENT BOOKINGS (April & May)
The margins at Walk Across Scotland & Make Tracks are very small, therefore, it is vital for us to consider all eventualities in order to safeguard our long-term sustainability. We have received a number of cancellations for clients who’s walking holiday was due to take place this coming April and May, which is completely understandable – after all, the safety and wellbeing of our clients and service providers is the ultimate priority. With particular focus on existing clients who have not yet cancelled or reschedule their walking holiday, we would ask they heed the following advice;

1. It is very important that you have the appropriate travel insurance in place. If you have paid for the walking holiday in full and subsequently require to cancel the trip less than 21 days before the start date, you may not be entitled to a refund. In this situation, you should check the terms of your insurance policy to ascertain if you are entitled to claim from your insurer (specific terms will obviously vary between policies).  
2. If you do not have travel insurance in place, it may now not be possible to insure against Coronavirus, therefore, serious consideration should be given to your walking holiday, particularly if it is due to start in the coming weeks (i.e. up to the balance due date or 21 days before the start date, whichever is sooner).
3. If your walking holiday is due to start in April or May, please contact us asap so we can discuss your specific situation.
4. We are also offering to reschedule walking holidays to later this year or into 2021. We will not charge an administration fee. The only costs incurred will be to cover any increases in tariffs from our service providers (which is only likely to affect trips moves to 2021).

We wholeheartedly do not want to encourage clients to cancel their walking holiday – and we dearly hope everything is back to normal to at least allow unrestricted travel across the world, however, we also do not want to run the risk of either clients, service providers, our ourselves running into financial difficulty as a result of any misinformation. It is important for us to be fully transparent throughout this period.

TEMPORARY CHANGES TO THE BUSINESS
WAS & MT is a small-scale operation, which is run from a ‘home office’. To an extent, we are in a favourable position which allows us to operate without being affected by the current guidelines. However, there is a bigger picture which is impacting our standard business as usual practices. On a personal level, I have two children under the age of 11 and, with the announcement that schools will close for the foreseeable future, contingencies must be implemented to allow me to run WAS & MT with continued efficiency and professionalism, while also managing family life. 

As a result, from Monday 23rd March, we will temporarily divert all calls to voicemail. There will be no specific office hours, where instead I will continue to monitor emails, voicemails and all other aspects of the business on a continuous basis throughout each day and into the evening. This will allow me to manage all business and personal responsibilities until everything returns to normal.

These are incredibly tough times; however, I am determined that WAS & MT will see this through and continue to organise walking holidays across Scotland for many years to come. 

If you have any questions in relation to your up and coming walking holiday, please get in touch and we will help us much as possible.

Thanks & Best Wishes,
Ross.