Together we Trek - Stonehenge Night Trek

Terrain

Despite its location in the UK, the difficulty of this trek should not be underestimated as it includes one long night of hiking. 

The route is predominantly on good paths, but it's the variation of boggy footpaths, rocky sections and grassy fields that provide an additional challenge. You should also consider that all terrain becomes a little bit more difficult when walking at night as your field of vision is significantly reduced.

Does this challenge visit the site of Stonehenge?

This challenge does not include a visit to the site of Stonehenge. We would strongly encourge everyone taking part in the challenge to build in some time to visit this incredible World Heritage Site. Please note that it is highly advisable to book tickets in advance to visit the site.

The trekking route takes us close to the stone circle, but not into the site itself. The stones will be visible from the route.

Please note that this challenge is not visiting Stonehenge for sunrise. The timing of the event has aimed to walk passed the stones as the sun is rising.

Emergencies

Your leading team are trained to deal with emergency situations in remote areas and will be carrying a mobile phone and radios in case the emergency services need to be contacted. The event is not run as a race and you will never be encouraged to walk at a pace ‘beyond your ability’. There will always be a wide variety in people’s walking abilities which will be carefully managed by the leader team. This team will always keep the group together for maximum safety on each peak and set a sensible pace for all to achieve this challenge within 8hrs. If we find that you are unable to trek at all, then we will arrange for you to be escorted back down to the start/finish.

Safety advice

• The terrain on the challenge is often rocky and in wet conditions can be extremely slippery. Please make sure that your walking boots have good grip. Trainers are not appropriate as they lack grip.
• Trekking at night is by its nature a hazardous activity. A powerful, good quality headtorch is absolutely vital.
• Due to extra risks posed by trekking at night we always use a higher ratio of challenge leaders to maximise safety. It is very important that you always listen to your leaders at all points and obey any decisions they make.
• The weather at night can be very different to during the day. Please make sure you carry an additional warm layer, waterproof jacket and trousers and a hat and gloves.
• 8 hours is a long time to be out on a trek, especially overnight. Ensure that you eat lots throughout the night and keep yourself hydrated by drinking lots of fluids.
• Trekking in the dark requires an extra level of care.

Toilets

There will be toilets available at the start and finish point. There will be no toilet facilities during the trek and such facilities will be limited to the great outdoors!

Food & Drink

Throughout the night you will be supplied with snacks, hot drinks and water at the checkpoints. We would also recommend that you bring some of your own favourite snacks to keep you going through the night. 

The drinking of alcohol the night before the challenge is strongly discouraged for your own health and safety during this tough challenge.

Together for Short Lives will be providing a dinner before the challenge and breakfast after the challenge.

Accommodation

No accommodation is provided for this challenge.

Getting There

The event will start and end at the local pub:
The Wheatsheaf
Woodford
Salisbury
Wiltshire
SP4 6NQ

Directions:

Approaching from Stonehenge A303
From the A303 follow signs to the A360 and Salisbury.  Follow the A360 for 3 miles and take the first left on to Church Bottom.  Turn right at the bottom of this road, follow for 0.8 miles and the Wheatsheaf will be on your right.

Approaching from Salisbury
From the A36 Salisbury Ring Road take the A360 towards Stonehenge, follow the A360 for approximately 2.5 miles and at the cross roads turn right on to Camp Hill, at the bottom of camp hill bear left, follow the road for 0.8 miles and the Wheatsheaf will be on your left.

Parking
There is a private car park situated next to the pub.

Challenge Timings

Your challenge begins in the late evening (usually around 8:30pm) with a welcome briefing in a local pub. Here you will get to meet your leaders and listen to the all-important safety briefing. Our trek will begin around 10.30pm. Having trekked through the night we will finish our trek back at the same point that we started from.

You will be walking for approximately 8 hours, which makes your trek a very long night. You can expect to arrive back at the finish at around 7.00am. Delays can happen, and the return time will all depend on the speed of your group, so please do try and book flexible return arrangements.

Responsible Tourism

At Charity Challenge we are committed to sustainable and responsible tourism. We always liaise with the local authorities to make sure that we minimise our impact on the local environment. Our leaders care passionately for the environment and will be keen to talk to you about how you can do your bit to conserve the local area and enhance your experience. We believe that acting responsibly should add to your enjoyment of the challenge so we won’t lecture you about not dropping litter. Instead we’d like to encourage everyone to visit Stonehenge after completing the challenge on Saturday. Stonehenge is managed by English Heritage and full visitor information can be found here. Please note that it is highly recommend that you book your tickets to visit Stonehenge in advance.

We would also like to encourage all our participants to spend a little extra time in the local area. Why not consider booking an extra night in a local B&B, and go out for a meal in one of the excellent local pubs after the challenge? Not only will you be able to celebrate your achievements but you will also be putting more money back into the local area. For extra information, please visit our Responsible Tourism pages, where you will be able to view a list of the other projects that we currently support.

Why book with Charity Challenge?

• The very best Challenge Leaders, who are fully qualified, highly experienced, knowledgeable and fun. They will do everything to help you complete the challenge and have a great time doing it.
• Ethical consideration. For every participant we donate money to a local conservation charity in order to protect the beautiful route that we use. We also do our best to use local suppliers, which helps us to put money back into the local area.
• The highest quality night-time charity trekking experience on the market!

Climate

As you know, the weather in the UK can be highly unpredictable and at times erratic, so being prepared is the key!  

As this challenge takes place at night the temperature can often reach freezing point, even in the height of summer. Please check the weather forecasts up to ensure that you bring clothing suitable for warm sunny walking weather and also sudden wind and downpours should they occur.

Leadership

We employ experienced and fully qualified mountain leaders to accompany and lead you. The leaders are first aid qualified and have extensive experience in leading expeditions throughout Britain and overseas. They will be ultimately responsible for the running of the itinerary and the safety of your group. They will be carrying full safety equipment and mountain first aid kits with them at all times.

Group Size

Our minimum group size for this challenge is 30 and the maximum is 120. There will be one challenge leader per approximately 10 participants and you may find you will naturally walk in smaller groups according to your own pace.

Insurance

We don’t offer insurance for our UK trips, as any medical emergencies would naturally be covered through the NHS. If you wish, you could look into your own policy that covers cancellation for travel within the UK.

Money

During the trek there are not any opportunities to spend any money. The trek will start and finish at a local pub where food and soft drinks will be provided by the charity.

Training

The Together we Trek Stonehenge Night Trek is a long, sustained, overnight event covering varied terrain. Therefore it requires a good level of fitness. The ideal training for this challenge is, naturally, walking in the outdoors. However, if you do not have the luxury of living near the great outdoors, then the stairs at home (or an office block) are a great place to start. Try building in a walk to work if possible, or perhaps at lunch. Most training should be part of an ongoing lifestyle, but if this is not the case then you should begin training 2-4 months prior to the challenge and gradually build up as suggested.

Remember to use the walking boots that you will be wearing on the challenge in order to get them worn in, and take the daysack that you will be using during the challenge.

There is no substitute for walking in the outdoors, over similar terrain that you will face on the challenge, so try if possible to get out on a weekend and train in an appropriate area. It can be a great way to discover nearby places that you never knew existed!

If it is possible for you to practice walking at night with your headtorch then this is also useful. You should progress to training with your boots on from week 4 at the latest, but preferably from week 1. The more you exercise before the challenge, the more you will get out of it.

Also see your Charity Challenge Fitness Training notes.
 

Clothing and Equipment

Equipment of good quality and durability could make the difference between a fantastic challenge experience and an uncomfortable one. For this challenge, a good quality headtorch with spare batteries are vital. A headtorch is much better than a handheld torch as it allows you to keep your hands free. If you do not wish to buy an expensive headtorch just for this challenge then very good quality ones can be hired for the weekend from our partners at Outdoor Hire.

Waterproof and well-worn in boots will be indispensable. The terrain is uneven and can be very rough, so it is vital that you use a strong pair of canvas or leather boots with good ankle support for this challenge, coupled with a pair of good quality walking socks. Sports trainers are not suitable.

As this a night-time challenge the temperatures will be significantly colder. Enough warm layers are vital as are hats and gloves. If possible, try to bring two pairs of gloves and two hats as these can very often get wet. The benefits of a comfortable day sack cannot be underestimated - so make sure that you train with this.

Other essentials are high quality gore-tex waterproof and windproof jackets and trousers, as well as technical/wicking t-shirts rather than cotton shirts. We would like to emphasize that jeans should not be worn on this challenge.

A full kit list for this challenge can be found here. Once you book you will have access to kit discounts with our partners The Outdoor Shop, Outdoor Hire and Cotswold Outdoor.

Level of Difficulty

The Together we Trek Stonehenge Night Challenge is graded as tough because of the added challenge of trekking through the night. This is the perfect challenge for participants who are of an adventurous spirit and an open mind, who have taken part in other trekking challenges and now wish to test themselves in this slightly more challenging environment and with the added challenge of trekking at night.

You can tell your supporters that on your Together we Trek Stonehenge Night Challenge you will be:

• Trekking for around 8 hours, starting before midnight and finishing the following morning.
• Covering 22 miles of varying terrain.
• Tackling the unique challenge of trekking at night. A test for both your physical and mental resolve.