Supporting Trash Free Trails

Here at Adventure Tours UK, we’re always on the lookout for that next step in our environmental responsibility journey. We can’t help it, it’s who we are.

Earlier this year, our team got together to decide which cause we’d like to support and get involved in. Trash Free Trails shares our passion for responsible travel and is doing great things in the outdoor industry, so the team was in complete agreement. They’re the one. So, without further ado let me introduce you…

Who are Trash Free Trails?

Trash Free Trails is an environmental non-profit organisation on a mission to reduce litter on trails and in our wild spaces by 75% by 2025, and re-connect people with nature through Purposeful Adventure. Powered by an incredible group of people who volunteer their time to protect, promote and share trails. They are all about giving people positive reasons to do positive things, reinforcing helpful stuff that people do, rather than pointing the finger or blaming people when they get it wrong. The way it should be.

They are passionate about understanding the issue through research, finding solutions, and inspiring all who love the outdoors to help clean up the trails and wild spaces we treasure, and that wildlife call home.

As well as their mission to reduce litter, alongside that is to reconnect people to nature. As you know by now, this is something close to our hearts – connecting each of our guests to the wild landscapes we visit and making sure we have a minimal impact.

So you can see why Trash Free Trails were the obvious choice for us to get involved with and help however we can.

Purposeful Adventures

Trash Free Trails mission is to encourage and empower each other to DO IT OURSELVES. We only have to look amongst the rich undergrowth to see it is littered with crisp packets, sweet wrappers, and drink bottles. This single-use pollution is destroying ecosystems in our woodlands, which is why we have partnered with Trash Free Trails to empower individuals to protect our wild spaces. It starts by simply picking up a piece of discarded rubbish whilst out on a ride – something everyone is capable of.

The ‘leave no trace’ message isn’t cutting it anymore. If it was, Trash Free Trails wouldn’t exist! It’s time to switch up our thinking. Embrace #LeaveAPositiveTrace instead! We can all make a positive difference each time we ride, run or roam by removing and reporting the trash that we see. This is the foundation of purposeful adventures.

As riders, runners and roamers, we delve deeper, and more often, into our wild spaces than most, and we can no longer ignore what we are seeing in every forest or mountain summit that we explore. So when you’re out on the trails, don’t just quietly pick up that crisp packet and pop it in the bin, shout about it, and most importantly, reward yourself for those efforts. All too often it’s forgotten that protecting the places we love can be quite hard work, so whether it’s a cup of hot chocolate, a carefree blast on a beautiful piece of singletrack or even a catch up with friends, you’ve earned that.

Sadly like our oceans, our trails and wild landscapes are becoming riddled with single-use plastic pollution. Did you come across drinks bottles, gel sachets, dog waste bags or food wrappers on your last adventure?

Through an interconnected series of empowering and impactful community-led initiatives, the Purposeful Adventures project will inspire a volunteer army of riders, runners and roamers of all ages, who are ready and able to donate their time, passion and talent to the protection and promotion of their wild spaces.

Responsible from the Beginning

Responsible travel is at the heart of Adventure Tours UK. We have a strong desire to ensure the impact of our business and our guests is a positive one. We’re passionate about our UK roots and we want to share the raw beauty of the UK’s wild spaces with adventurers from all around the world, for generations to come.

We are a team of outdoor lovers. It’s what makes us feel alive. Whether it’s mountain biking, trail running or simply walking the dog, we get out into the hills every day to feel the sun on our skin and the wind in our hair. Okay sometimes it’s rain (or snow) on our skin, but either way we don’t care because we’re outside in this incredible playground we call home.

Our world is precious and we have a duty to look after it. And so responsible travel isn’t an option or a ‘nice to have’. It’s an absolute must. And as a responsible travel provider it’s our job to make our adventures sustainable.

Turning trips into Purposeful Adventures

Last month we were delighted to be invited to the first ever Purposeful Adventure Festival, joining other forward thinking brands like Patagonia and Trek Bikes to immerse ourselves in the places we’re seeking to protect. We also attended the State of Our Trails Summit, becoming a part of the planning for the future.

In support of Trash Free Trails, we’ll be raising awareness of their mission across our social channels, encouraging more adventure lovers to get involved. We’re most excited to incorporate trail cleans on our adventure holidays across the UK, like our Mountain Biking North Wales and 14 Peaks Experience breaks and Trail Running trips. On trips like these, your guides will show you how to log the litter you pick up which will enable Trash Free Trails to scientifically monitor problem areas to better understand the causes, prevalence, impacts and potential solutions to single-use pollution.

The added bonus is that by pausing to consider how we can contribute to the places that we visit rather than simply consuming them, we deepen the connections we make and enhance the sense of awe and wonder that feeling adventurous gives us!

Get involved

The joy of litter picking and logging is that you can start today! Whether you’re taking a walk through the park on your lunch break or joining us on an adventure this summer, you can log any litter you collect here and make a difference!