Trek FAQ's

Welcome to our all new Trekking FAQ's Page. If you can't find what you're looking for - please just call us!

British Trekking FAQ’s

What should I wear in the mountains?

There are many different fabrics and technologies on the shelves of mountain stores across the country. They all claim to be offering the latest in breathability, comfort and performance. Whilst these products are great don’t feel like you have to break the bank on equipment to participate on one of our challenges. Ultimately weather dependant the key is to wear layers. Starting with a good quality trekking trouser and a thermal t shirt or vest you should also have a number of additional layers to wear over the top as and when you require them. These can come in various formats, fleeces, micro fleece, soft shells or insulated jackets. We would recommend starting of with one of these warm layers on and having another in your pack ready to put on if it gets colder. You should also as a necessity carry with you a waterproof jacket and waterproof trousers.

I have Trainers – will they be ok?

Trainers unfortunately do not offer the ankle support you require in the mountain. For our challenges you need a good pair of walking boots with good ankle support that you have taken the time to break in pre challenge. Trainers also are not waterproof and no one likes wet socks!

What should I take with me on my Trek?

We will provide kit lists for you pre challenge but for a days trekking you should carry as a guide:
• At least 1.5litres of water
• Food for the challenge, Sandwich, snacks (nuts and dried fruit are ideal – try to avoid too many high sugary snacks), a chocolate bar for the summit.
• Warm clothing to put on the higher you get on the mountain or for later in the day. This should include hat and gloves (Even in summer!).

Each morning your leader will brief you on the conditions for day after which will more accurately allow you to prepare for the days trek.

How many times have you done this challenge?

All Adventure Café leaders are hand picked for their technical skills, personality and experience. Are leaders have been working with us for countless seasons and have guided on the vast majority of our challenges. The majority of the time you will find this will be your leader's up-teenth time guiding on your challenge. In the rare occurrence it is your leaders first time on a specific itinerary, we can guarantee that your leader would have significant personal experience it the area.

How did you become a Leader?

All our staff have become mountain leaders through a love of the mountains. They have qualified through the Mountain Leader Training England syllabus. This course is broken down into three sections: Training, Consolidation (six months minimum) and Assessment. At the end of the course there is a pass/fail criteria that is based on technical ability and experience. In the majority of cases this process will take in excess of 2 to 3 years to pass through. Needless to say by the end of the process you are in safe hands. Mountain Leaders are trained to navigate in low cloud, darkness, and poor mountain weather conditions. Feel free to ask your leader about any technical aspect of mountain leading - they're there to help and inspire :-)

How long should we be walking for?

This is of course dependant on your challenge and will be conveyed to you through our pre event joining instructions and again in a pre event briefing. For the majority of our trekking challenges you can expect a long day in the mountains ranging between 7 and 10 hours.

I see a lot of people with walking poles – What do they do and do the work?

Walking poles are becoming more and more popular in the mountains and we at adventure café recommend them especially in descent. They have numerous benefits for trekking. The two main benefits are 1.) They reduce the stress and strain on joints and muscles and 2.) They give greater contact with the ground, and reducing the chance of slips, trips and falls. They can also help to fend off bears☺!

Will our leader be with us for the whole challenge?

Our leaders are there to lead you throughout the challenge. We do not set up check points or leave you alone on the mountain at any time. You will be trekking in a group of ten and will be working as a team throughout. Your leader will never be more than a couple minutes away.

What will the weather be like?

The main mountain areas that we trek in are all on the west coast of the UK. As a result of the prevailing wind and the moisture laden air mountain weather can change very quickly so it is important that you prepare for wet weather before your trek. That being said we do trek during British summertime so we always hope for dry and warm weather. Your leader will brief you at the start of the day so you can better prepare but if you prepare for the worst British weather can throw at you on challenge day you can only be pleasantly surprised with the conditions.

European Trekking FAQ's

What Special Equipment do I need on a European Trek? On most of our European Trek Challenges, we utilise mountain huts (or refuges) at least once during our trek. To this end, we shall require some specialist equipment. Rucsacks are slightly larger, small washkit is carried, change of clothes, and a mini sleeping bag or liner bag.

How much water do I need to carry / is mountain water safe to drink? This depends on the time of year, and precisely where you are trekking. But normally on most of our treks, we come across streams regularly, so carrying 1 - 1.5 litres of water should suffice. You should take opprtunities to fillup during the day - but we would recommend that you pop a purifying tablet in the water to ensure that it is safe (even though mountain water is generally very safe and very tasty - sometimes you can get unlucky with animal waste, or a decaying carcass upstream!).

How high do we trek? Will I get altitude sickness? We trek in Europe up to a maximum of around 3000m, and at this point you could feel the onset of some minor symptoms (shortness of breath / slight dizziness) but nothing to trouble you unduly - especially as we would always be sleeping at a lower altitude. Altitude Sickness starts typically from 3000m-3500m.

Worldwide Trekking FAQ's

What special information do I need to know when venturing outside Europe on Trek?

Health is the key issue. This starts with innoculations, which you will need to have before you go. You then need to take care with what you eat - avoiding anything that night not be properly cooked, or might be carrying untreated dirty water. And you need to look after yourself on what are mostly longer treks - from dehydration, to altitude sickness, fungal infections, and infected grazes, all need to be carefully managed. Then you need to remember at all times that you are often very remote from help - so you always need to ensure you remain fit and healthy. You need to consider local cultural norms, behaving respectfully at all times. And you should be aware of the differences between your economic situation and that of your hosts - which can be huge.

Do Adventure Cafe use local leaders? We are passionate about the countries in the less developed world that we visit. We care for the fragile environments and cultures we visit, and we try to act responsibly at all times. As a result, we employ local leaders, and porters, ensuring we keep a close eye on their working conditions. We send a UK leader in the vast majority of cases in order to ensure that our local staff are well looked after, to ensure there are no cultural misunderstandings, and to ensure that things generally run smoothly.

When you join an Adventure Cafe Worldwide Trek, you will receive a full and detailed joining pack, which will cover in more detail, the issues you need to consider on trek.

If you have any questions in the meantime, please call us on 01823 444246 or email us at info@adventure-cafe.com