Outdoor Professionals

In Wales, outdoor professionals meet up, in various guises, as WATO, as SWOAPG, as AHOEC, and perhaps also there are Welsh contingents of the BMC and Activity Alliance and British Canoeing and such like, who also meet on a regular basis. Some have powers and some don’t. We believe that a little power not necessarily corrupts, but it certainly seems to go to heads…

Don’t recommend a footpath to clients as you could be liable for any injury!

Yes, if you are an accommodation provider or attraction I’d advise against recommending any walks to your visitors. You see, the professionals that meetup up in their advisory groups regard all activities in the outdoors as their domain with the use of such to be overseen by them. And if you recommend a walk and there is an injury, based upon the Welsh Government’s position, you could be liable!

WATO Overreach

WATO advise the Welsh Government and the Welsh Government, being the incompetents that they are, don’t dig deeper, and so accept the advice and implement suggested protocols. Those protocols go way beyond UK law and see the Welsh Government impementing another nanny state policy which results in the ludicrous outcome that walking on a public footpath with a professional guide is an adventure activity and therefore dangerous to life and limb. It is this acceptance of the vested interests inherent within WATO guidance that has led to ALL guides, walking festivals and tour guides that offer a bit of a wander in the countryside being removed from the Visit Wales website and so making redundant the search bar which suggests ‘Try Wales Coast Path’. This returns nothing of use to the visitor wanting a guided walk in Wales.

Adventure Activity In Wales Is Dangerous

Wales Outdoors have been working in tourism in Wales and beyond for thirty years. We’ve been adventure activity professionals, a licensed provider, and an industry leader and innovator. But we won’t have anything to do with the industry now.

Adventure Activity provision in Wales is dangerous. There, I’ve said it. Gorge Walking is a disgrace, with the technical advisors allowing inappropriate footwear out of operational and financial convenience to the provider. This woeful provision, according to the Mountain Rescue Teams, is the main cause of injury within gorge environments.

I was recently contacted by a Devon based coasteering business that was building a national website of coasteering provision. They wanted me to be included but I had to decline, having stopped coasteering provision a few years back. I told them I could not recommend anyone as I believed coasteering in Wales was dangerous. They agreed, they had searched but could not find any suitable business to include, suitable being a safe and best practice level of provision.

Why Is It Dangerous?

I was the only coasteering provider in Wales that guaranteed a staff ratio of 1:8 and a beach life guard and mountain leader present for all groups. I also provided boots for the activity and used watersport helmets. Most coasteering providers in Wales ask clients to turn up in old trainers have a staff to client ratio of 1:12 or more, use a mish mash of climbing helmets (I’ve even seen cycling helmets) and none guarantee mountain leaders and beach life guards present.

I complained to the fledgling NGB, now the National Coasteering Charter, and they outrageously said that for economic reasons they would not be pushing for businesses to work to the standard that Wales Outdoors set. This is why adventure activities in Wales and likely across the entirety of the UK are dangerous.

The outdoor professionals sign off those businesses and work to less than best practice standards themselves whilst at the same time they accumalate repeat business as technical advisors and consultants. And they invariably do this with that ‘I’m better than you’ attitude.

I guess £££’s is a driver and ethics often are laid to rest when looking to pay the mortgage, human nature, right? But I don’t quite get the soulless and self important considered words that fall from the mouths of those who have invested their time in something that ought to be joyful, be it mountains or caves or oceans.

I’ll be following up this post with another looking at all of those occasions when I’ve been on an attempt has been made to see me turned over by colleagues and another looking at all of those occasions when external factors have destroyed my business. Both of these posts will have relevance to the soulless outdoor leaders of Wales.

The Law (AALS)

'Trekking is journeying on foot, horse or pedal cycle or skiing over terrain which is moorland or more than 600 metres above sea level; and from which it would take more than 30 minutes travelling time to reach any accessible road or refuge'

Exemptions:

'1. Age of participants

If the provider only offers activities to people aged 18 or over.'

'6. Parental exemption.

If each young person is accompanied on the activity by their parent or legally appointed guardian. There is no exemption where children are accompanied by other responsible adults, regardless of their relationship to the child. Accompanied means taking part or being close enough to do so.'

The WATO Advice

“Adventure is where the focus is on engaging with the natural environment in a physically challenging manner where skill and an element of risk are central to the experience and the participant seeks to appreciate the aesthetic qualities of the natural environment in a peaceful manner.”

WATO also state the guide must remain within 30 minutes of their vehicle.

I asked Paul Donavon the chair of WATO why the discrepancy between UK Gov advice of 30 minutes from a road or refuge and WATO’s directive of 30 minutes from the guides vehicle and he pompously said ‘because that is what we discussed’.

I know why they discussed this and advised the Welsh Government to go far beyond the UK Gov’s position. Vested interests. Payment for inspections of small businesses. This is quite a shameful state of affairs.

The Welsh Government Interpretation

Assurance will depend on where the guided walks are taking place. If the guided walk is within 30 minutes of the vehicle or equivalent then there is no need to be assured.  The walk could be for longer than 1 hour as long as you are within the 30 minute reach of the vehicle.  Assurance is in place to provide safety assurances and those offering guided walks will need to ensure that they consider the environment and terrain they are operating in, even if within a 30 minute parameter as some relatively accessible locations still provide challenging environments e.g. sections of the coast path, waterfall country etc.  Where guided walks extend beyond 30 minutes of the vehicle or equivalent, are coastal (excluding urban areas), lowland, moorland, hill or mountain (as defined by Mountain Training United Kingdom & Ireland) the provider will be required to be accredited/assured if they wish to be listed on visitwales.com.

I’ve asked Visit Wales way back in the middle of August 2023 (I also asked this in 2022, 2021 and 2020) to explain why they have adopted this policy which is overreach for sure and to date have not had a response.