Giant's Causeway Challenge

Why book with Charity Challenge?

• You'll be booking with a globally respected, ​multi-award-winning challenge events company. ​
• The very best challenge walking 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.
• Two night’s accommodation to give you the opportunity to enjoy your accomplishment with your new trekking friends.
• The highest quality Giant’s Causeway charity trekking experience on the market!

Level of Difficulty

The Giant’s Causeway challenge is graded as tough. 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 a slightly more demanding environment. You can tell your supporters that on your Giant’s Causeway Challenge you will be:
•    Trekking for around 12 hours in a single day.
•    Covering a full marathon distance on undulating coastal terrain. That’s 42km!
•    Ascending over 1000m in a single day.

Training

The Giant’s Causeway Challenge is a long, sustained event over 12 hours and covering undulating terrain with some steep ascents and descents. It requires a good level of fitness. The ideal training for this challenge is, naturally, walking with particular emphasis on building up stamina on ascents and descents. However, if you do not have the luxury of living near the hills, then the stairs at home (or an office block) are a great place to start. 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 so try if possible to get out on a weekend and, if possible, train in an area with steep hills to help prepare yourself for the undulating terrain you will face on this challenge. 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 expedition, the more you will get out of it. Also see your Charity Challenge Fitness Training notes.

Group Size

Our minimum group size is 20 and groups are typically made up of between 20-40 people. There will be one challenge leader for approximately every 10-15 participants.

On occasion, we may be able to run a challenge with less than 20 people. This may incur a small group supplement. If this happens, it will be communicated before your invoice or fundraising deadline.

Group Management

This is a leader-led challenge and you will accompanied by our challenge mountain leaders at all times.

We employ experienced and fully qualified challenge walking leaders to accompany and lead you. They hold outdoor specific first aid certificates and have extensive experience in leading challenges 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 first aid kits with them at all times.

Weather

As you know, the weather in the UK can be highly unpredictable and at times erratic, so being prepared is the key! We will run UK challenges between March and November, and although the summer months of June-August should be, in general, warmer, sunnier and more stable in terms of the weather conditions, we all know that this isn’t always the case. Please check the weather forecasts to ensure that you bring clothing suitable for warm sunny walking weather and also sudden wind and downpours should they occur.

Terrain

Despite its location in the UK, the difficulty of this trek should not be underestimated as it includes one long day of hiking, with tough ascents and descents. The route is predominantly on good paths, but it's the variation of loose gravel and rocks that makes this challenge a unique and fun experience. In particular real care needs to be taken when walking along any cliff tops.

Challenge Timings

Precise arrival times and instructions will be sent out 1 month prior to the challenge.

Your challenge begins the evening before the trek and you will need to arrive at the accommodation at Whitepark Bay for approx. 6pm for registration and your safety briefing. 

In order to maximise the time available to complete the challenge we will have an early breakfast before transferring to the start of the trek at 6.30am to ensure we start trekking at 7.30am.

You will be walking for approximately 10-12 hours, which makes your trek a very long day. You can expect to arrive back at the finish at around 7pm. After having time to get clean and refreshed we will celebrate together with dinner before a final night at the accommodation.

Getting to and from the Challenge

We will confirm the event location at no later than 1 month prior to the start of the challenge.
Your accommodation will be provided at the HINI hostel in Whitepark Bay.

We will send across all driving details, plus the address of the accommodation, at no later than 1 month prior to departure.

Accommodation

Accommodation is provided on the night before the challenge in the HINI Whitepark Bay. You will be staying in same-sex dormitory style rooms with shared bathrooms. It's all part of the challenge!

Food & Drink

Breakfast and a packed lunch on the day of the challenge is provided, along with your celebration dinner after the challenge. Breakfast is also included on the final morning before you check-out.

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

We would recommend that you bring along at least 2 litres of water and a few of your own snacks to keep you going throughout the challenge. Additional water and some snacks will be provided at set checkpoints.

Please note that dinner is not included on the first night. There are several pubs and fish and chip shops in nearby Bushmills that we recommend heading to before registration and your safety briefing. 

Clothing & Equipment

Equipment of good quality and durability could make the difference between a fantastic challenge experience and an uncomfortable one. For this challenge, 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. 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, Cotswold Outdoor.

Toilets

There will be toilet facilities both at the start and end of the trek and at set points along the route. Your leaders will make you aware of these. However, in between such facilities will be limited to the great outdoors!

Money

During the trek there are not many opportunities to spend any money. You may wish to bring some money for drinks at the celebration meal. We would advise you should need no more than £20.00, excluding your joining and returning home travel costs.

Safety

Charity Challenge considers the safety of all of our participants and staff to be a top priority, and as such we have set up Challenge Safe, one of the most advanced and thorough safety management systems in the industry. Challenge Safe formalises our ethos when it comes to safety, and brings together the procedures and risk management strategies that we use to audit all aspects of our challenges, from vehicles to accommodation to the challenge activity itself. Your welfare is absolutely paramount!
Here are a couple of important points that you should be aware of:
•    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.
•    The weather on the coast can be very different to inland. Please make sure you carry an additional warm layer, waterproof jacket and trousers and a hat and gloves.
•    12 hours is a long time to be out on a trek. Ensure that you eat lots throughout the day and keep yourself hydrated by drinking lots of fluids.
•    The terrain across the cliff tops can be very loose and rocky and should be taken with care.
•    Cliff tops are extremely dangerous and can be very exposed. please listen to your leaders and stay away from the edges of any exposed cliffs.

Emergencies

Your leadership team is trained to deal with emergency situations and will be carrying mobile phones 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 set a sensible pace for all to achieve this challenge within the planned time frame. A support vehicle will be available at checkpoints for anyone struggling to complete the challenge.

Pre-Existing Medical Conditions

We do not professionally vet your medical details. Please assess for yourself whether you are fit and able to take on the challenge. Please review the detailed Trip Notes and itinerary to get a better idea of what is involved. Please speak to your doctor or specialist if you have any concerns about taking part. If you think that there are things we can do to make the challenge more accessible/comfortable for you, it is your responsibility to let us know, and we will then let you know if we can accommodate your request.

Medical Support

First Aid qualified staff will be provided with the medical details that you give on your booking form but please note that they are on the challenge to support with medical matters related to the challenge environment and terrain itself, i.e. heat/cold, high altitude and so on. They will deal with any incidents and accidents (cuts, sprains, breaks and so on). They are not intended to continue any ongoing specialist medical care that you receive in the UK for pre-exiting medical conditions, and should not be assumed to have any professional experience of your specific medical condition.

If you have any specific needs around pre-existing medical conditions, you should discuss with your family doctor or specialist in advance and can discuss any advice given by them with the challenge leader..

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.

Responsible Tourism

At Charity Challenge we are committed to sustainable and responsible tourism. On this challenge in particular, we always liaise with the rangers at the Giant’s Causeway 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 you to support ‘The National Trust’ who maintain the whole UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Giant’s Causeway, including the excellent footpaths we will be walking on. The National Trust have an excellent website all about their work at the Giant’s Causeway and we would recommend that you check this out before arriving for the challenge. Their website can be viewed here. 
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 more information about accommodation and what else to do in the local area then please visit Discover Northern Ireland.
For extra information, please visit our Responsible Tourism section.