About us
We are BACKABUSH, much copied but still the original and best hiking and outdoor activity Meetup group!!!
Who are we and how did it all begin?
Backabush is London's longest established hiking and outdoor adventure Meetup group. Our group was originally created back in 2002 (actually before we were on Meetup) by a multinational group of friends who loved hiking and wanted to get more out of our weekends and holidays. We wanted to share our heartfelt passion for the great outdoors and enthusiasm with others. For some years Backabush was an informal, unincorporated association managed by the founders for the benefit of its members.
Our group grew rapidly in those early years and in 2008, following legal advice we decided it would be wise and prudent to become a registered company to protect our organisers and our members. Following this review and the formation of the limited company, our members can now pursue their legitimate activities and aims with complete peace of mind.
Why do we do it?
We love the outdoors! The primary motivation is fun (not profit) which means that our trips offer exceptional value for money. We continue as a group with the same ethos of organising events and trips for the benefit of our members. This is what we love and we are passionate about what we do. We will always endeavour to be budget conscious and price our activities only to cover necessary expenses.
What do we do?
Over the years we have hiked and explored the National Parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty in Britain and abroad. It may all have started years ago with a few hiking friends gathering for a weekend in a scruffy camping barn somewhere rural and pretty but it has developed a lot from there.
Backabush has been hiking and enjoying outdoor adventure for well over a decade now and over this time we have organised literally hundreds of hiking trips throughout Great Britain. We have enjoyed visits to the Lake District, Snowdonia, Scotland, the Brecon Beacons, the Pembrokeshire Coast, Cornwall, the Peak District, the Yorkshire Dales, Dartmoor, Exmoor, the Lincolnshire Wolds, the Cambrian mountains, the Wye Valley, the Forest of Dean, the North York Moors, the New Forest, the South Downs, the Malvern Hills, the Shropshire Hills, the South Downs, the Cotswolds, the Chiltern Hills, the Jurassic Coast, the Gower Peninsula, the Pennines, the Isle of Skye, Loch Ness, Ben Nevis, Glen Coe, the Isle of Arran, Glen Shiel, Torridon etc, etc, etc.
National trails and long distance paths in Britain are another favourite of ours and to date we have completed the full length of Hadrian's Wall Path, the West Highland Way, the Cumbria Way, the Herriot Way and Wainwright's Coast to Coast. Although we have yet to complete the full length of many we have also enjoyed hiking sections of the Cotswold Way, Pennine Way, Offa's Dyke Path, Limestone Way, Allerdale Ramble, South West Coast Path, Great Glen Way, Monsal Trail, South Downs Way, Ridgeway, Thames Path and many, many others.
We were also trailblazers when it came to offering exciting outdoor adventures overseas. Back in 2009 we organised our very first foreign trip when we headed down into Africa to climb Mt Toubkal, the highest summit in Morocco. Next we trekked in Nepal, climbing over a 5000+ metre pass linking the Langtang and Helambu valleys. Since these early treks we went on to organise things like via ferrata holidays in the Italian Dolomites, or hiking trips to the French Alps and Jura mountains. We also love 'hut to hut' trekking and have so far completed every step of the Tour du Mt Blanc, summited Monte Perdido in the Ordessa National Park and trekked for days in the French Pyrenees to reach the awe inspiring Cirque de Gavarnie. More recently we even organised trips to Slovakia to seek out winter snowshoeing in the High Tatras and gorge scrambling in the Paradise National Park.
There are many other adventures we could mention. No other Meetup group offers adventure like this!
How do the logistics work?
We know our members are busy people so we do our best to provide a complete package for you. Backabush will research the locations, the hikes, book the accommodation and make a plan for all the meals. If you do not own a car we will help you to find transport or a lift share. You just need to communicate with the organiser who will help to co-ordinate things with you.
With a little co-operation from our members it all works very well and allows us to keep offering new locations and new hikes, year after year. Although we might return to some amazing National Parks quite regularly we always endeavour to find new venues and plan entirely new hikes. If you check out our past events you will see that we offer unrivalled variety in the locations we visit.
What are the hikes like?
On every Backabush trip we try to provide a choice of hikes each day. Obviously we will choose from the most beautiful and best loved hikes in any given area. These hikes tend to be of various length, duration and difficulty. The idea is that each person can choose the hike that best suits their fitness, experience and interests.
It is true that Backabush has a reputation within the Meetup community for offering longer and more challenging hikes but we always also offer more moderate options for those seeking a more relaxed day outdoors. Generally speaking we would say that anyone who can hike for 10 miles in hilly terrain should be fine on our trips. If you have any concerns please don't hesitate to contact us to ask questions.
What about safety?
Safety is always our number one priority. Although we can never make the outdoor environment entirely safe there are many steps that can be taken to minimise risk. Our team of outdoor activity leaders have many, many years of leadership experience and have received extensive outdoor training. Between all of our leaders we have years of military experience, ambulance work or mountain guiding.
Our principal leadership team are qualified Mountain Leaders trained at Plas-y-Brenin (the National Mountain Sports Centre) in North Wales and Winter Skills trained at Glenmore Lodge in Scotland. We regularly update our first aid qualifications and carry the required emergency aid equipment for wilderness situations. Some of us have taught or assisted on micro-navigation training courses and all have excellent route finding skills regardless of visibility or weather.
Additional our experience extends to high altitude mountaineering in several continents, be it summiting 6000+ metre peaks in the Andes, conquering the highest mountains in Africa or completing month long high altitude treks in the Himalayas.
We take our 'duty of care' of very seriously and are trained to deal with outdoor emergencies. Sometimes we hire in specific skills as necessary in the form of fully qualified instructors for things like rock climbing, caving, coasteering, kayaking, horse riding, ghyll scrambling or technical mountaineering. For some foreign trips we will either provide logistical support for safe self guided mountain trekking or hire International Mountain Leaders as deemed necessary.
Who joins our trips?
Although most people in the group are in their 20s, 30s and 40s age is not an issue to us - a fun loving and adventurous nature is more important. It is not uncommon to have over a dozen different nationalities represented in a single gathering.
Our groups of hikers and outdoor adventurers vary in size but on every trip some people will be regulars and some first timers. Its a great way to make new hiking friends and you need not worry about coming alone as you will always be made to feel welcome.
What we all have in common is a love of all kinds of outdoor activity including hiking, trekking, hill walking, mountaineering, scrambling, camping, canoeing, canyoning, kayaking, rock climbing, scuba diving, caving, coasteering, mountain biking and just about anything else that offers some outdoor adventure.
We are a very active bunch!
We hope YOU will join us sometime soon.
Positive vibes!
The Backabush Crew & Hiking Team
Contact Geoff & Nathan
backabushxplorers@yahoo.com
nathancapay@googlemail.com
Featured event
AUG 25 - SEPT 1 (BANK HOLIDAY) – THE KUNGSLEDEN – TREK THE SWEDISH ARCTIC
Join Backabush to trek into the Arctic, stay in remote cabins and relax in woodfired saunas with glacial valley views.
Cost - £749. Group size – 14. Accommodation - 1 Hostel (twin rooms), 2 Serviced mountain stations and 4 remote mountain huts.
Lying within the Arctic Circle, the King's Trail runs through Sweden's most beautiful mountain scenery, traversing the land of the Samí people and the midnight sun. Listed as one of the "World's Best Hikes" by National Geographic, the trail passes through a magnificent and ever-changing panorama of snowy mountains, deep glacial valleys, open fell, expansive lakes and alpine forests.
Our six-day hut to hut route is about 105 kilometres long and will take us from Nikkaluokta to Abisko, passing by the rugged Laponia mountains and traversing the Tjäktjavagge, a 30km glacial valley with magnificent views along its entire length. The terrain is beautifully stark and remote, however benefits from a network of scenically located ‘fjällstugor’, Swedish staffed wilderness cabins with self catering kitchens, and traditional saunas.
We have secured bookings for our group in one of these charming cabins each night. All provide comfortable dorm rooms with beds and bedding (you will need to bring your own sleeping bag liner). Most of the cabins also have a small shop where you can buy basic supplies like expeditions meals and other non perishable food. We will also stay in a larger 'Mountain Station' at either end of the trail where we have the option of a delicious 3 course meal at the restaurant and a breakfast buffet in the morning.
Sweden benefits from a much milder climate than most other regions that lie so far north due to the moderating influence of the Gulf Stream. In summer we can expect predominantly high-pressure weather systems bringing stable weather.
Swedish Lapland is often referred to as Europe’s last great wilderness and is home to a remarkable group of wild animals including brown bear, wolferine, arctic fox, moose and many others. This is also Sápmi, home of the Samí people whose close relationship with the reindeer has underpinned their existence sine the last ice age.
ITINERARY:
Tue 25 Aug – Arrival in Kiruna, overnight in a Kiruna-based hostel
Wed 26 Aug – Bus to Nikkaluokta (1.5hr), start of the trek - Nikkaluota to Kebnekaise (17.9km). Breakfast & Dinner incl.
Thu 27 Aug –Kebnekaise to Sälka (24.4km)
Fri 28 Aug - Sälka to Tjäktja (12.5km) (short additional hike to peak with amazing views possible from hut)
Sat 29 Aug - Tjäktja to Alesjaure (13.1km)
Sun 30 Aug – Alesjaure to Abiskojaure (20.3km)
Mon 31 Aug - Abiskojaure to Abisko (13.3km). Our final destination is Abisko where we have our final night of accommodation at the Abisko Turistation. Dinner incl
Tue 1 Sept - From Abisko trains run back to Kiruna for our journey home. I will provide details of exactly what transport options to book from Abisko to connect with recommended flights.
DIFFICULTY:
The trek does not involve technical mountaineering and elevation profiles are moderate however some days will be demanding due to their length and rocky trails. You will need to have a good level of hiking fitness, capable of walking a maximum of 15 miles (24.4km) with up to 500m ascent/descent.
We will also need to carry our clothes and toiletries for the 6 days of hiking as well as some limited food supplies. This means we need to be prepared to carry bags weighing up to around 12kg at the start of the hike.
WHAT'S INCLUDED:
- A guided trekking experience
- 2 x 3 course evening meals at the mountain station restaurants
- 1 night hostel accommodation (breakfast incl) in Kiruna at the start of the trip (shared twin rooms)
- 4 nights Swedish mountain hut accommodation (shared rooms)
- 2 nights in the larger serviced mountain stations (shared rooms)
- Logistical planning and support (advice on flights, trains, buses, food supplies, equipment etc)
- Financial protection in accordance with the Package Travel Law 1992
WHAT'S NOT INCLUDED:
- Flights & airport transfers
- Bus transport to the trailhead from Kiruna to Nikkaluokta (around £20)
- Public transport from Abisko to Kiruna Airport after the trek
- Meals not specified in the itinerary
- Sleeping bag liner
- Travel insurance with remote rescue cover.
TRAVEL:
Recommended connecting flights with Scandinavian Airlines (Operated by SAS Connect) to Kiruna:
Outbound - Tuesday 25th August:
SK 1530 London Heathrow LHR 06:40 – Stockholm Arlanda ARN 10:05
SK 1042 Stockholm Arlanda ARN 11:40 – Kiruna KRN 13:15
Inbound - Tuesday 1 September:
SK 1045 Kiruna KRN 13:45 – Stockholm Arlanda ARN 15:20
SK 533 Stockholm Arlanda ARN 18:20 – London Heathrow LHR 19:55
If you choose to book alternative travel you will need to arrive in Kiruna on or before Tuesday 25th August.
HOW TO BOOK A PLACE ON THIS TRIP:
To confirm your place on this trip use online banking. Your RSVP is not enough to reserve a space on this trip. Please use KUNGSLEDEN as your payment reference. The account details are:
Account Name: BACKABUSH XPLORERS
Sort Code: 090127
Account Number: 22440622
The following "terms and conditions" apply to all trip reservations:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ngc5A61k76qb6HGMeTK96AVaXn0565yPS9p42IPzIy8/
Only payment secures your place. Please email nathancapay@googlemail.com as soon as you send payment so that we can confirm everything with you.
Upcoming events
12
- £619.00
THE LYSEFJORD CIRCUIT, HUT-TO-HUT IN NORWAY
Location not specified yetLysefjord is one of the most beautiful places in Norway. Its huge granite cliff face reflects the light unusually more than its neighbours which is how it earned its name, meaning the light fjord.
Nights - 7
Accommodation in mountain cabins, guesthouse & hotel
Cost - £619Our plan is to complete a full lap of the Fjord on The Lysefjorden Rundt Trail in 6 hiking days. The trail is 52 miles and has almost 6000m of ascent, staying in a mixture of mountain cabins and hostels along the way. This is a very challenging trail, not due to distance but because it involves alot of very steep up and down on slippery, exposed trails often aided with cables so you must have confident footwork and a good head for heights to the join this trip.
There are so many highlights on this stunning tour of the fjord. As well as the incredible Norwegian views and landscapes, we will see;
- Pulpit rock or Preikestolen, a vertigo inducing cliff top plateau 600m above the water
- The hanging boulder of Kjeragbolten
- The 4444 steps of the Florli staircase, the longest wooden staircase in the world
- The infinity pool of Fantapytten, where the brave can take a plunge!
ITINERARY
Arrival Day - Fly into Stavanger and check into our hotel.
Day 1 - 12.5kms, transfer 1.15hr to the trail-head and hike to the fjordside hostel at Florli
Day 2 - 18.5kms, 1600m ascent. From Florli to the self- service Langavatn mountain hut via the Kjerag plateau including the 4444 steps
Day 3 - 12.5kms to the top of the Oygardsstolen zig zags past the famous hanging boulder. Accommodation in the village at the Lysebotn lodge.
Day 4 - 20 kms. Transfer to the road end then hike to the unserviced Bakken Gard Hut. This is a long day and finishes with some basic scrambling aided with cables.
Day 5 - 15 kms and 1500m ascent & descent. A narrow and exposed trail undulating heavily. Accomodation at the renovated Priekestolen basecamp hostel.
Day 6 - 9 kms to our finish at Høllesliheia via the infinity pool of Fantapytten. Transfer 45 mins back to Stavanger back to the comfort of our hotel
Departure day - Catch a flight home or travel onwards to keep the adventure going in ScandanviaThis is not the Norwegian wilderness, the Lysefjorden Rundt connects popular sights and beauty spots where we will be sharing the trail with plenty of others. The privilege as a hiker, however, is to walk the stunning trails in between the busy areas, over the rugged hill tops to the mountain cabins where we will leave the tourists behind.
ACCOMMODATION
In Stavanger we have booked comfortable twin hotel rooms and in Lysebotn, Florli and Preikestolen we will be in hostel type accommodation with restaurants at our accommodation or nearby.
The Langavatn hut is a 'self-service' cabin, which means they have an unstaffed food store where we can buy provisions but we will need to cook them ourselves.
The Bakken Gard hut is 'unserviced' which means we will have to carry in our food for that nights dinner which can be purchased the day before. There is a fully equipped kitchen for us to use.
We will need to bring a sleeping bag liner for use at all the huts, duvets are pillows are provided but no bed linen.
Please note that although we always try to allocate seperate male and female dorms, due to the mixture of accommodation that this trip requires it will not always be possible.
DIFFICULTY
There are two main challenges on this trail, the vertigo and the ascent. There are some steep and exposed sections on the trail so if you don't have a good head for heights then this trip is not for you. We also need to be prepared for lots of up and down on steep trails, our biggest day has 3000m of elevation change. We will also need to carry our clothes and toiletries with us on the trail as luggage transfer is not possible.
WHAT'S INCLUDED
- 6 days of guided hiking on the Lysefjord Rundt
- 2 nights shared twin room hotel accommodation in Stavanger
- 2 breakfasts at our hotel
- 5 nights accommodation in mountain huts or hostels in shared dorms
- Financial protection in accordance with package travel regulations
WHAT'S NOT INCLUDED
- Flights
- Travel Insurance
- Meals
- Bus transfers in and out of Lysebotn (approx £18pp for each bus)
- Taxi transfers from Stavanger to the start of the hike and back from the end point - I will organise these and let people know a rough cost closer to the time.
- Luggage transfer (not possible on this trail)
TRAVEL TO STAVANGER
Saturday is the only day without direct flights from the UK to Stavanger so this trip will start and finish on Friday. Here are the recommended flights. If you would like to book alternative flights please make sure to be in Stavanger on Friday 31 July. We will be back in Stavanger at around 18.00pm on the 6th August.
Outbound - Friday 31 July
Norwegian DY1335
Departs London Gatwick 10:30
Arrives Stavanger 13:10Return - Friday 7 August
Norwegian DY1334
Departs Stavanger 08.45
Arrives London Gatwick 09:50HOW TO BOOK
To confirm your place on this trip use internet banking. Please use NORWAY2 as your payment reference. The account details are:
Account Name: BACKABUSH XPLORERS
Sort Code: 090127
Account Number: 22440622The following "terms and conditions" apply to all trip reservations:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ngc5A61k76qb6HGMeTK96AVaXn0565yPS9p42IPzIy8/Only payment secures your place. Your RSVP is not sufficient for us to hold a place for you. Please email nathancapay@googlemail.com as soon as you send payment so that we can confirm everything with you. Thanks. :)
14 attendees - £619.00
THE LYSEFJORD CIRCUIT, HUT-TO-HUT IN NORWAY
Location not specified yetLysefjord is one of the most beautiful places in Norway. Its huge granite cliff face reflects the light unusually more than its neighbours which is how it earned its name, meaning the light fjord.
Nights - 7
Accommodation in mountain cabins, guesthouse & hotel
Cost - £619Our plan is to complete a full lap of the Fjord on The Lysefjorden Rundt Trail in 6 hiking days. The trail is 52 miles and has almost 6000m of ascent, staying in a mixture of mountain cabins and hostels along the way. This is a very challenging trail, not due to distance but because it involves alot of very steep up and down on slippery, exposed trails often aided with cables so you must have confident footwork and a good head for heights to the join this trip.
There are so many highlights on this stunning tour of the fjord. As well as the incredible Norwegian views and landscapes, we will see;
- Pulpit rock or Preikestolen, a vertigo inducing cliff top plateau 600m above the water
- The hanging boulder of Kjeragbolten
- The 4444 steps of the Florli staircase, the longest wooden staircase in the world
- The infinity pool of Fantapytten, where the brave can take a plunge!
ITINERARY
Arrival Day - Fly into Stavanger and check into our hotel.
Day 1 - 12.5kms, transfer 1.15hr to the trail-head and hike to the fjordside hostel at Florli
Day 2 - 18.5kms, 1600m ascent. From Florli to the self- service Langavatn mountain hut via the Kjerag plateau including the 4444 steps
Day 3 - 12.5kms to the top of the Oygardsstolen zig zags past the famous hanging boulder. Accommodation in the village at the Lysebotn lodge.
Day 4 - 20 kms. Transfer to the road end then hike to the unserviced Bakken Gard Hut. This is a long day and finishes with some basic scrambling aided with cables.
Day 5 - 15 kms and 1500m ascent & descent. A narrow and exposed trail undulating heavily. Accomodation at the renovated Priekestolen basecamp hostel.
Day 6 - 9 kms to our finish at Høllesliheia via the infinity pool of Fantapytten. Transfer 45 mins back to Stavanger back to the comfort of our hotel
Departure day - Catch a flight home or travel onwards to keep the adventure going in ScandanviaThis is not the Norwegian wilderness, the Lysefjorden Rundt connects popular sights and beauty spots where we will be sharing the trail with plenty of others. The privilege as a hiker, however, is to walk the stunning trails in between the busy areas, over the rugged hill tops to the mountain cabins where we will leave the tourists behind.
ACCOMMODATION
In Stavanger we have booked comfortable twin hotel rooms and in Lysebotn, Florli and Preikestolen we will be in hostel type accommodation with restaurants at our accommodation or nearby.
The Langavatn hut is a 'self-service' cabin, which means they have an unstaffed food store where we can buy provisions but we will need to cook them ourselves.
The Bakken Gard hut is 'unserviced' which means we will have to carry in our food for that nights dinner which can be purchased the day before. There is a fully equipped kitchen for us to use.
We will need to bring a sleeping bag liner for use at all the huts, duvets are pillows are provided but no bed linen.
Please note that although we always try to allocate seperate male and female dorms, due to the mixture of accommodation that this trip requires it will not always be possible.
DIFFICULTY
There are two main challenges on this trail, the vertigo and the ascent. There are some steep and exposed sections on the trail so if you don't have a good head for heights then this trip is not for you. We also need to be prepared for lots of up and down on steep trails, our biggest day has 3000m of elevation change. We will also need to carry our clothes and toiletries with us on the trail as luggage transfer is not possible.
WHAT'S INCLUDED
- 6 days of guided hiking on the Lysefjord Rundt
- 2 nights shared twin room hotel accommodation in Stavanger
- 2 breakfasts at our hotel
- 5 nights accommodation in mountain huts or hostels in shared dorms
- Financial protection in accordance with package travel regulations
WHAT'S NOT INCLUDED
- Flights
- Travel Insurance
- Meals
- Bus transfers in and out of Lysebotn (approx £18pp for each bus)
- Taxi transfers from Stavanger to the start of the hike and back from the end point - I will organise these and let people know a rough cost closer to the time.
- Luggage transfer (not possible on this trail)
TRAVEL TO STAVANGER
Saturday is the only day without direct flights from the UK to Stavanger so this trip will start and finish on Friday. Here are the recommended flights. If you would like to book alternative flights please make sure to be in Stavanger on Friday 31 July. We will be back in Stavanger at around 18.00pm on the 6th August.
Outbound - Friday 31 July
Norwegian DY1335
Departs London Gatwick 10:30
Arrives Stavanger 13:10Return - Friday 7 August
Norwegian DY1334
Departs Stavanger 08.45
Arrives London Gatwick 09:50HOW TO BOOK
To confirm your place on this trip use internet banking. Please use NORWAY2 as your payment reference. The account details are:
Account Name: BACKABUSH XPLORERS
Sort Code: 090127
Account Number: 22440622The following "terms and conditions" apply to all trip reservations:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ngc5A61k76qb6HGMeTK96AVaXn0565yPS9p42IPzIy8/Only payment secures your place. Your RSVP is not sufficient for us to hold a place for you. Please email nathancapay@googlemail.com as soon as you send payment so that we can confirm everything with you. Thanks. :)
14 attendees
Past events
199
