Terms & Conditions

The Ancient Trails Company

Terms and booking Conditions

1. Making Your Booking & Contract

In order to make your booking, the booking form must be completed by the party leader who must be over the age of eighteen. This is done by:

i. Sending a signed booking form to us; or

ii. Completing a booking form over the telephone with us.

We welcome phone calls to discuss bookings

On completion of this form you are confirming that all members of the party agree to abide by the Terms and Conditions set out in this document. A contract will exist between the client (you) and The Ancient Trails Company (us) as soon as the confirmation invoice has been issued. This Contract is governed by English law and in the unlikely event of a dispute both parties agree to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts at all times.

When completing the booking form, you are required to provide full details which truly reflect your personal information and the fitness of all members of the party to participate on the activity.

On completion of the booking form you declare that the information provided is accurate.

2. Payment

A deposit of 20% of the total holiday price must be paid upon booking. We must receive the balance, including any additional costs, no later than eight weeks before departure. If full payment is not received on the due date, we reserve the right to treat the booking as cancelled and apply cancellation charges as set out in clause 7. Should you make your booking within eight weeks of departure then the full cost of the holiday will be due immediately.

3. The Cost of Your Trek

All itineraries clearly state what is included and excluded in the price of each trek. Upon completing a booking form, you agree to the published itinerary and the price of the trek.

4. Cancellation by The Ancient Trails Company

In the event that we have to cancel your trek we will offer an alternative date or full refund within 28 days, unless the following applies:

a) Fault of the client

b) Force majeure

5. Alterations & Changes by The Ancient Trails Company

We will do the very best to ensure the treks are provided as booked.

However, our treks are planned months in advance of promotion and are occasionally subject to changes. In the unlikely event that a ‘significant’ change is made, then subject to clause 6 below, you will be given the option (to be exercised by giving notice to us in writing within 14 days of notification of a significant change) of

a) accepting the change; or

b) cancelling your trek, whereupon you will receive a full refund.

A ‘significant’ change is a change in dates, a change to another trek route or a significant change to the route of the selected trek.

In the event of minor alterations and changes made by us, no refund or compensation will be given and if you cancel the trek the provisions of clause 7 will apply.

A minor change or alteration includes any change which is not a significant change.

If we are aware of changes prior to booking, we will inform the Client before a booking is made.

Please note that we do not accept responsibility, under any circumstances, for travel undertaken prior to the commencement of the trek.

6. Force Majeure

We regret that we cannot offer refunds or compensation in the event of cancellation or alterations as a result of force majeure. Force majeure is defined as war, threat of war, riot, civil strife, industrial dispute, strike, lock-out, government action, terrorist activity, natural or nuclear disaster, fire, flood and adverse weather conditions.

7. Cancellation by You

Bookings may be cancelled, by written notification, at any time prior to the departure date. The cancellation date will be taken as the date that written confirmation is received by us. For this reason, we recommend you email adventure@theancienttrailscompany.co.uk . Cancellation charges are expressed as a percentage of the total trek price and are payable to The Ancient Trails Company. Cancellation charges are as follows:

a) 14 days or less before departure 0% refund.

b) 30 -15 days before departure 50% refund.

c) 31 – 56 days before departure 80% refund.

d) The deposit payment of 20% is non-refundable after a booking has been confirmed by us unless we are responsible for the cancellation as outlined above.

8. Alterations & Changes by You

Should you wish to make changes to your trek after confirmation, we will use our best endeavours to make the requested alterations, although we provide no guarantee that this will be possible.

An administration charge of £25 per person will be implemented by us on each occasion when an alteration is made at your request. If you choose to change your dates you must call us and agree an alternative date. Failure to do so will be seen as a cancellation.

We reserve the right to charge for any additional costs incurred by either us or our suppliers in making changes requested by you.

9. Liability

In completing the booking form, you and all members of your party accept that being in the vicinity of ponies poses risks. Whilst in the vicinity of the ponies all members of the party must comply at all times with the instructions of the Horse Handler – if children are unable to take instruction it is considered they may pose a risk to themselves or others and may be asked to leave the group with their responsible adult. It is a condition of your booking that you accept our instructions when handling ponies- if we consider you are endangering or may endanger the safely or welfare of any persons or horses including yourself, you will be asked to leave the trip. In the event of such circumstances, you will not be entitled to any refund or compensation.

On completing the booking form, you accept that we require you to sign separate acknowledgment and personal liability forms before the trek. Refusal to sign such forms may result in your not being allowed to participate in the trek. In those circumstances you will not be entitled to a refund or compensation from us.

Our responsibility for loss or damage suffered by you:

We are responsible to you for foreseeable loss and damage caused by us. If we fail to comply with these terms, we are responsible for loss or damage you suffer that is a foreseeable result of our breaking this contract or our failing to use reasonable care and skill, but we are not responsible for any loss or damage that is not foreseeable. Loss or damage is foreseeable if either it is obvious that it will happen or if, at the time the contract was made, both we and you knew it might happen, for example, if you discussed it with us when you booked your holiday.

Our responsibility for any foreseeable loss or damage suffered by you which is caused by us is limited to the cost of your holiday (less any insurance premium), except in the case of death or personal injury. We are only responsible to you for the services we have agreed to provide to you, as included on your booking confirmation. We will not accept responsibility for services or facilities which do not form part of our agreement or where they are not advertised in our brochure or website. Your statutory rights are not affected by anything in these terms and conditions.

We do not exclude or limit in any way our liability to you where it would be unlawful to do so. This includes liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence or the negligence of our employees, agents or subcontractors; for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation; for breach of your legal rights in relation to the services we’ve agreed to provide to you.

We will not be responsible or pay you compensation for any loss or damage suffered by you if it results from:

the acts and/or omissions of the person affected; or
the acts and/or omissions of a third party unconnected with the provision of the services we’ve agreed to provide to you; or
Events beyond our control (see clause 6).

You must notify us of any complaint or claim you have in accordance with the complaints procedure set out in clause 14 within 14 days of your trek, giving full details of the complaint. We will acknowledge receipt of your email within 14 days and then begin any investigation we feel is necessary. After a further period of up to 21 days we will contact you with the outcome of our investigation. If you do not comply with this requirement, we will not accept any responsibility for the matter giving rise to your grievance, having been unable to put it right immediately or to investigate it at the relevant time. It should also be noted that the complaint must be made by you the customer and not by a third party.

We will not be able to enter into correspondence with you if the subject of complaint has not been brought to our attention at the time of ocurance. If you accept a payment by us it will be on condition that the complaint is closed.

We are not liable for business losses. We only supply the products for domestic and private use. If you use these products for any commercial, business or re-sale purpose we have no liability to you for any loss of profit, loss of business, business interruption, or loss of business opportunity.

In the case of lost and/or damaged luggage or personal possessions (including money), our liability is limited to £25 per person. We recommended you take out adequate insurance at the time of booking.

10. Travel Documents & Arrangements

The Ancient Trails Company is not responsible for travel arrangements to and from your destination. It is your responsibility to ensure that you have all the necessary documentation for your holiday and The Ancient Trails Company will not have any responsibility or liability towards you for any failure on your part to comply with requirements current at the time of your departure or any losses or costs incurred by reason of any omission on your part.

11. Delays

The Ancient Trails Company will not offer any assistance in the event of a delay at your outward or homeward points of departure. Please refer to your carrier for assistance.

12. Behaviour

You accept responsibility for loss and / or damage caused by you or any member of your party, including children. Full payment for any such loss or damage must be paid directly to us immediately. If you fail to do so, claims, including legal costs, may subsequently be made as a result of your acts or omissions. Any injury or loss caused by your behaviour is not our responsibility.

We expect all clients to behave with consideration to other people. If, in our opinion, or in the opinion of any other person in authority, you or any member of your party behaves in such a way to cause or be likely to cause distress, danger, or annoyance to any third party or causes damage to property, we reserve the right to terminate the trek arrangements of that person without notice. In this situation, our responsibility towards that person (including any return transfer arrangements) will immediately cease and we will not be responsible for meeting any costs or expenses that that person may incur as a result. We will not make any refunds or pay any compensation in the circumstances described.

13. Requests, Concerns, Complaints.

If you have an issue with or are unhappy about any aspect of your trip, you must immediately inform us so that we can endeavour to put it right. We accept calls 24 hours a day on our emergency mobile number 078258 77308. Please note failure to report problems at the time that they occur will invalidate subsequent claims.

If you are still not satisfied, you are required to notify us in writing to our office

address; 262 Malmesbury Park Road, BH88PR

14. Pets.

Except for registered assistance dogs, sadly we can no longer accept dogs. Supporting documentation to evidence a dog is a registered assistance dog must be available for inspection prior to and during your trek. Dogs must be kept on a lead under the control of a responsible adult at all times whilst trekking and wear a collar with an identity tag. You must clean up after your pet. Pets should not be left unattended in campsites. If a pet is causing a nuisance or damage you will be required to remove it from the trek and/or campsite. Please note, many of our routes go through fields with livestock roaming freely; at times of year there will be lambing and ground nesting birds etc. – please carefully consider whether this trip is suitable for your dog before making your booking.

Some breeds of dog, including those listed in the Dangerous Dog Act, are not allowed so check with us when you book.

15. Children.

All children must be supervised by parents or another responsible adult throughout the holiday. Treks are not recommended for children under 8 and for the full participation of all, consideration must be taken at booking with regards to fitness to participate and ability to follow instructions.

16. Smoking.

Smoking and use of E-cigarettes are not permitted in any tented accommodation. If you do smoke in your accommodation you will be required to pay an additional fee of £80 for deep cleaning. Use of illegal substances will be considered a breach of contract and you will be asked to leave in accordance with section 12.

17. Your personal possessions.

You are responsible for your personal possessions - we aren’t responsible for any loss or damage to these. If you leave personal possessions behind at the end of your trek we’ll try to return them but are not responsible for them. We recommend any valuable items be carried on your person and not packed on the ponies and that you have adequate insurance in place.

18. Website & literature accuracy.

We have taken every care to make sure that our website and literature is up to date. However, we can’t accept responsibility for any errors or the results of these. Photographs of accommodation are examples only.

19. Disabilities, Medical and Dietary Needs

We are not a specialist disabled holiday company, but we will do our utmost to cater for any special requirements you may have. The nature of the activity requires a moderate level of physical fitness. If you or any member of your party has any medical problem or disability which may affect your booking, please provide us with full details before you make your booking so that we can try to advise you as to the suitability of your chosen arrangements. We may require you to produce a doctor’s certificate certifying that you or a member of your party are fit to participate. If we are unable to properly accommodate the needs of the person(s) concerned, we will be unable to accept your booking. If full details are not provided at the time of booking, we reserve the right to cancel and impose applicable cancellation charges. Failure to disclose your true fitness level may lead to you being unable to take part in the trek entirely. If in doubt, please ask us!

If your trip includes a hamper, or you are adding one as an extra, it is essential you inform us of any allergies or dietary requirements, which we will do our best to accommodate.

20. Data Protection Policy

So that we may process your booking and ensure your travel arrangements run smoothly, we need to use the information you provide such as name, address, experience and any specific requirements.

We take full responsibility for ensuring proper security measures are in place to protect your booking.

We will not pass your details onto third parties not connected with your trek. The information may also be received by security or credit checking companies, public authorities such as customs, immigration, if required by them or as required by law. Unless informed otherwise by you, we may use your information to provide you with future offers and information.

21. Conditions of Suppliers

Please note that all services are provided subject to the conditions of the relevant supplier. Some of these conditions may exclude or limit the suppliers’ liability to you, usually in accordance with the appropriate international conventions which apply to the services provided by such suppliers.

22. Trek itineraries and length

We write a sample itinerary for each trek which can be found on our website. As the majority of our treks are tailor made this itinerary may be subject to change.

23. Gift Vouchers

Gift Vouchers are valid for 12 months. We will try to be as flexible as possible regarding dates during this 12 month period but please note bookings are taken on a first come first served basis. Gift vouchers are non-refundable and cannot be exchanged for cash value.

24. Trip Participation and Client Responsibility

You agree to accept the authority and decisions of our employees, instructors/guides and agents whilst on trip with us. If in our opinion, your health, level of fitness or conduct at any time before or during a trip is endangering or appears likely to endanger your health or wellbeing or any third party (including any other clients) or the safe, comfortable or happy progress of the trip, you may be excluded from all or part of the trip without refund or recompense.

25. Clothing and footwear

The majority of our trails are over uneven ground and often through relatively unmaintained areas where brambles, nettles and other hazards exist. It is essential for your own well-being and the progression of the group as a whole, that you dress appropriately in good walking footwear, long trousers and have appropriate waterproofs and sun wear. Due to the damage a horses’ hoof can cause, it is essential that all party members wear shoes with strong uppers – walking boots are ideal.

26. The Ponies

The ponies have a strict upper weight limit of 60kg, therefore we have a limit of 15kg per person and recommend you carry your own day bag/sack for any luggage in excess of this and for fragile & valuable items. Bags will be weighed before loading on the ponies.

27. Weather

With the exception of extreme weather conditions, all trips will go ahead regardless of weather. If, in the assessment of the Party Leader, it is deemed unsafe for the trip to go ahead we will offer alternative dates or a credit note.

28. Fire

We provide fire pits wherever possible – it is considered unsafe and therefore a breach of the contract for any fires to be lit outside of the firepits. You are responsible for your own fire safety, and we may seek costs for any damage caused by your negligence. It is your responsibility to ensure the fire is out before leaving it.

28. Lastly, and most importantly, this is wild camping!

Our sites are, by definition, undeveloped and therefore pose a variety of risks and hazards – uneven ground, rabbit holes, old trees and compost loos etc. It is essential that all clients understand that they are responsible for their own safety.