Commonly asked questions from previous and potential participants which we hope will provide answers to your initial queries
For full details of all of our challenges, please visit loros.co.uk/bucketlist. To request a trek brochure, let us know you would like to attend an information evening, or find out more information about our treks, or how you can get involved with your own challenge, please email challenges@loros.co.uk, or call us on (0116) 231 8431.
See below for answers to some of your most frequently asked questions.
An English speaking doctor will normally accompany you on the trek at all times and will be able to treat most injuries, along with altitude sickness, which may or may not affect you. Should the very worst happen and you need to be airlifted out to a local hospital there are provisions in place, and there is the added support of two staff being on call back in the UK throughout the duration of your trek.
Yes, you should purchase your own travel insurance. Global Adventures offer their own travel insurance for circa £65, however, more affordable options can be found online. Other insurance policies can be found online for around £30, but we cannot vouch for individual providers.
You can sign-up online via the individual trek pages on loros.co.uk/bucketlist, or at the relevant information evening where we will also have paper registration forms on hand. For those who are worried about affording the registration fee this can also be split in half over the course of two months if required.
Getting used to walking two or even three days in a row is the best training you can do. Factor in local hills like Beacon Hill and Old John in Bradgate Park to get used to ascent. The Peak District is also only 90 minutes away. LOROS Fundraiser Adrian Walker also organises regular informal LOROS training walks throughout the summer, which you are welcome to join. For more information on these please email challenges@loros.co.uk.
The distances and height gain for each day vary from trek to trek; however, any person of average fitness should in theory be able to complete the challenge. Many of the treks can be at altitude though and are by no means an easy challenge – we recommend you undertake training walks or runs over the next 12 months to prepare yourself to be as fit as you can be at the time of the trek.
Most costs will be included, however any airport taxes or trek permits will often cost extra (circa £200). Similarly, you must organise your own vaccinations should you need them. You can find all the details of what’s included and not included for each trek in the challenge brochure. To request a brochure please email challenges@loros.co.uk.
Global Adventures will send you a welcome pack, and our fundraising team will get in touch to see how we can help you out and send you a fundraising pack. Once we have the makings of a LOROS group signed up, then we will look at organising a get together locally in the months running up to the trek – be it one evening for a walk or just a short meet to get to know some of the others who will be trekking alongside you. In addition Global Adventures will normally set up a Facebook group for all those trekking on the same challenge, and if you are happy for us to do so, we can also put you in contact with other LOROS trekkers.
Most treks will see you accompanied by a number of guides, cooks and porters. A guide will always be at the rear of the group so you will never be on your own. With more than 20 places on each trek however, it is likely that at least one of those taking part will be of a similar fitness level to yourselves.
If you can’t make it then you are always welcome to give our fundraising team a call to discuss anything about the trek. Alternatively, if you’d like to come into the Hospice to go through it in more detail then our Challenge Events Coordinator will be more than happy to meet you and show you around.
Your registration fee is non-refundable, however our provider, Global Adventures, often runs each trek on a couple of different dates and you are more than welcome to transfer to a different date.
For each trek there is an initial registration fee, normally in the region of £349. You can then choose one of two options. You can pledge to raise a minimum sponsorship between £2,000 and £3,500 depending on the trek you are interested in, in which case LOROS will cover the cost of your trek. Or you can self-fund the trek by covering the cost yourself (normally in the region of £1,200 to £1,750) and you are free to raise as much sponsorship as you like.
Often no specialist kit in particular. A solid pair of hiking boots that you are well used to wearing, along with waterproofs, are the main items not to forget. A good sleeping bag is recommended, however these can often be hired locally for a nominal fee to save you transporting them.
We wouldn’t recommend signing up any later than 6 months before the challenge date. Between 9 and 12 months beforehand is ideal. Whilst places on the treks are limited and they do fill up, this gives you plenty of time to put your fundraising plans in place, so that you needn’t worry about it and can focus on enjoying the challenge when it finally comes around.
We organise a free information evening for all of our overseas treks between nine and twelve months before each challenge, where you can meet our challenge provider to get an idea of what’s involved, ask any of your questions and meet those who are also interested in taking part. To find out the details of these or to let us know if you’d like to attend, please email challenges@loros.co.uk.
