Terms of Service - Public Walks

2.1 A booking is made for the walk, date, time and number of places shown in your order. Please check these details carefully before paying.

2.2 The price shown at checkout is the total price for the selected places unless the listing clearly states that an additional charge is payable. Payment must be made using an accepted method at checkout.

2.3 Your booking is confirmed when payment has been accepted and an order confirmation has been issued. An abandoned or unsuccessful payment does not reserve a place.

2.4 You must be at least 18 years old to make a booking. If you book for others, you are responsible for giving them the relevant walk information and these terms.

2.5 Places are subject to availability. We may apply a reasonable limit to the number of places purchased in one transaction.

3.1 Each listing will normally state the date, start time, approximate duration, meeting point, distance, terrain, accessibility information, price and any walk-specific requirements.

3.2 Distances, timings and route descriptions are reasonable estimates. The guide may make a proportionate change to the route, stopping points or duration for safety, access, weather, ground conditions, participant welfare or circumstances outside our reasonable control.

3.3 Churchyards, historic sites, paths and public spaces may include uneven ground, steps, slopes, mud, vegetation, traffic and other ordinary outdoor hazards. Please read the listing and contact us before booking if you are unsure whether a walk is suitable.

4.1 Please arrive at the advertised meeting point at least 10 minutes before the start time. The walk may leave promptly and cannot normally be delayed for late arrivals.

4.2 If you expect to be late, use any contact details provided in the booking confirmation. We cannot guarantee that a late participant will be able to locate or join the group.

4.3 Missing all or part of a walk because of late arrival, travel disruption, difficulty parking or attending the wrong meeting point does not normally entitle you to a refund or transfer.

5.1 You are responsible for deciding whether you and the people in your booking can safely complete the advertised distance and terrain, taking account of any relevant health, mobility or access needs.

5.2 Please wear suitable footwear and clothing and bring any water, sun protection, rainwear, medication or mobility aid you may reasonably need.

5.3 You must follow reasonable safety instructions, respect other participants, local residents, places of worship, memorials, private property and the environment, and avoid damaging or climbing on graves, monuments, structures or historic features.

5.4 Tell us before the walk about any accessibility or other requirement that may call for a reasonable adjustment. We will consider reasonable requests, but the physical character of some historic locations may limit what is possible.

6.1 Suitability for children and dogs will be stated in the individual walk listing. If the listing is silent, please ask before booking.

6.2 Anyone under 16 must be accompanied and supervised throughout by a responsible adult. The adult must assess whether the subject matter, distance, terrain and conditions are suitable for the child.

6.3 Assistance dogs are accommodated. Other dogs may attend only where the listing permits them. Dogs must be kept under effective control and on a lead where requested, and the person responsible must remove any waste.

7.1 Walks normally proceed in light rain and other ordinary British weather. A forecast of rain alone does not automatically cancel a walk.

7.2 We may shorten, alter, postpone or cancel a walk where weather, flooding, extreme heat, ice, high winds, poor visibility, unsafe ground or another condition makes the planned activity unsafe or impracticable.

7.3 We will contact the lead booker using the details supplied with the order. You should check your email, including spam or junk folders, before travelling.

8.1 - seven clear days or more If you cancel at least seven clear days before the scheduled start, you may choose either a full refund of the ticket price or one free transfer to another available public walk.

8.2 - fewer than seven days but more than 48 hours You may request one transfer to another available public walk taking place within 12 months. A cash refund is not normally provided unless we are able to resell your place.

8.3 - 48 hours or less No refund or transfer is normally available for a cancellation made 48 hours or less before the scheduled start, or for non-attendance, unless we are able to resell your place.

8.4 Where a refund depends on resale, it will be made after the walk and only for the number of cancelled places actually resold. This does not limit any refund or remedy to which you are entitled by law.

8.5 Cancellation requests must be sent to info@sowhathappened.co.uk and should include the booking name, order reference and walk date.

9.1 You may give your place to another suitable participant without charge. Please tell us the replacement participant’s name before the walk where reasonably possible.

9.2 A transferred place remains subject to the original booking and these terms. It may not be resold for more than the price originally paid.

10.1 Public walks are leisure activities supplied on a specified date and at a specified time. The statutory 14-day cancellation right that applies to many online contracts will therefore not normally apply to these bookings under regulation 28(1)(h) of the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013.

10.2 Your contractual cancellation and transfer rights are instead set out in clause 8. This clause does not affect any statutory right or remedy that applies where a service is misdescribed, not supplied with reasonable care and skill, or otherwise does not conform to the contract.

11.1 We may cancel or postpone a walk because of guide illness, unsafe conditions, site closure, official advice, access restrictions, insufficient bookings or another circumstance that prevents reasonable delivery.

11.2 If we cancel the walk, you may choose a full refund of the ticket price or transfer to another available public walk. If we make a significant change that materially alters the nature of the walk and you do not wish to accept it, the same options will be offered.

11.3 We are not responsible for separate travel, accommodation, parking or other costs you incur, except where the law requires otherwise. For this reason, avoid making non-refundable ancillary arrangements solely for a walk.

11.4 Where reasonably possible, we will give notice of cancellation or postponement before participants travel, but urgent safety or welfare circumstances may require a decision at short notice.

12.1 A listing may state that the walk requires a minimum number of participants. If that number is not reached, we may cancel or reschedule and will offer the options in clause 11.2.

12.2 We will make any minimum-attendance decision as early as reasonably practicable and contact the lead booker using the details provided.

13.1 We may refuse participation or require someone to leave where their behaviour is unsafe, unlawful, abusive, seriously disruptive, damaging or appears materially impaired by alcohol or drugs.

13.2 A refund will not normally be due where removal results from the participant’s conduct, provided that the decision is reasonable and proportionate. This does not affect statutory rights.

14.1 We will provide the walk with reasonable care and skill. Nothing in these terms excludes or restricts liability where it would be unlawful to do so, including liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud, or your statutory consumer rights.

14.2 Participants remain responsible for ordinary personal care and for belongings brought on the walk. We are not responsible for loss or damage that was not caused by our breach of contract or negligence, was not reasonably foreseeable when the contract was made, or relates to a participant’s business activity.

14.3 Historical interpretation is based on the evidence and knowledge reasonably available. Differences of interpretation may exist, and routes or access arrangements may change after information is published.

15.1 Personal photography is normally welcome where it is lawful, respectful and does not disrupt the group or site. Photography may be restricted at particular locations.

15.2 Please do not make a substantial audio or video recording of the guide’s commentary without prior permission.

15.3 If we intend to take identifiable photographs or video for promotional use, participants will be informed and given a reasonable opportunity not to be included. Personal information is handled in accordance with our Privacy Notice.

16.1 If a problem arises during the walk, please raise it with the guide where practicable so that there is an opportunity to respond. Afterwards, complaints should be sent to info@sowhathappened.co.uk with the booking details and a concise explanation of the issue.

16.2 These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales. If you live elsewhere in the United Kingdom, you retain any mandatory protections and court rights available to you in your home jurisdiction.

16.3 If any part of these terms is found invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue to apply.