UKC

Hi all,

I am just posting here to get some opinion on a potential business idea if you could be so kind!!

I currently run a B & B in Tenby, Pembrokeshire but am thinking of starting a trekking company from the premises.

It would consist of customers coming and staying at the B & B for 3 days and 4 nights, either Sunday to Wednesday or Thursday to Sunday.

On each day, I would take the visitors out in a minibus to various sections of the Pembrokeshire coast path. We would walk the section, stopping for lunch, before being picked up by the minibus in the evening.

We would then return to the B & B and have dinner. The B & B has a lounge area with a log fire where the visitors could then relax etc. or in their own rooms if they wish before going out and trekking again the next morning.

The full package would include breakfast, lunch and dinner, accommodation (obviously), but with no gear included. In the beginning, I would probably only offer the holidays in August (2017) to see how it went.

There are other similar companies in the area but none that offer a drop and return to the same lodgings each night. Also, the B & B only has 3 rooms so it would be groups of 6 at a time. Would a group this small be an advantage from your guys' experience? Would it be worth offering an upgraded package for groups who would like to do it on their own?

As the potential target market, what would you guys be willing to pay for such a trip? Have any of you done anything similar in the past and what was it like? The other companies around here do longer trips than what I would be proposing, with the shortest being 5 days, at a cost of £495. So if I followed this pricing bracket I would be charging around £400.

Any feedback or ideas would be much appreciated!

Greg

Habititabities, Tenby

In reply to GregCaine93:

Hello Greg
I think one question to ask is how much of a need / want there is for accompanied trips along the coastal path. Navigation isn't difficult, it's very well signposted, and not exactly remote, wild country; people might well prefer to have the support (minibus, lunch etc. and a nice b&b to stay in) but walk the path by themselves. Might there be two types of customer - those walking the whole Pembrokeshire coastal path or even the all Wales coast path, and those who want to do 'highlights'? I supect the former would be more likely to want infrastructure at most? As someone who has designs on doing the All Round Wales walk when I retire (which with the way retirement ages are going, may be with my zimmer frame ), being able to have a few days in a good b&b being dropped off and picked up at the same place would be a massive bonus, but I'd prefer to walk by myself.

Good luck with the venture!

In reply to GregCaine93:
I also think you could offer you walking with them as an added extra, I think you would be better that way, for the majority of people give them a nice mini guidecard with lunch suggestions and directions and pick up arrangements for each day. That way you are free between drop off and pick up to get other things done.

It also means you aren't needing an extra driver to shuttle.

I would also offer a posh packed lunch option as some people might like that.

In reply to GregCaine93:
Might seem pedantic, but I would stop calling it trekking, IMO that means something different. It's walking.

In reply to Welsh Kate and marsbar:

Hi,

Thanks for your replies!

I would've said that most people who would be wanting to pay to stay at a B & B while walking sections of the path would be the ones that only want to do the 'highlights', as people walking the whole thing might prefer to stay in b & bs that are dotted along the path.

But then, you're (Welsh Kate) planning on doing the whole thing and you like the sound of the B & B which shows that there are some people who would prefer to have the luxury of a B & B they can return to. I guess there will be a proportion in both types of customer, which is why I think having the option of a guide is a good suggestion! The only issue is when I take a group of 6 people out, and only 2 of them want a guide whereas the other 4 would prefer doing it alone. Any ideas on how I could deal with that?

I think the posh packed lunch option is a good idea too. I think I'm going to try and market it as a more comfortable way of walking the path (hesitant to say luxurious as it's hardly a spa hotel here) so that would fit in well with what I'm trying to market..

Thanks again for your help guys!

In reply to JayPee630:

I'll keep that in mind, cheers!

In reply to GregCaine93:

I think drop off and pickup should be your base offering

Then you can have self guided with notes / maps provided
Or
Guided which includes a lunch stop

Depending on the days you get picked up / dropped off from the previous day's walk end etc.

In reply to GregCaine93:

Most of the national trails have companies that will do luggage transfer and sort accommodation. The feeling of "making a journey" is important and goes away if you go back to base each night.

In reply to JJL:

That thought did occur to me, as personally I am definitely the kind of person who prefers to have the feeling of making the journey as you put it.

That's why I thought that it would be ideal to target people who maybe aren't hardcore walkers but would like to see some of the trail, while also having a comfortable place to go back to each night where they know everything will be sorted out for them.

This makes it as easy for them as possible, and the fact it's in Tenby helps as there is so much to do in the evenings it can offer the best of both worlds. Do you think there are people who would go for that?

In reply to Lion Bakes:

I think that's a good idea. I'm just not sure how I could go about separating the ones who want a guide and those who don't!

In reply to GregCaine93:

Is your B&B dog friendly?

If so I may be interested on a drop off/pick up basis

In reply to JJL:

Another thing that's just occurred to me is that even if there were people who wanted to do the whole thing as a journey, they might still see the appeal as it would be for the areas surrounding Tenby. So they could use it for a part of the trail, i.e. the Tenby area, before continuing on.

As its very close to the end if you were walking southbound, it could also be a nice way for someone who's walked the whole way to finish off the trail

In reply to 3leggeddog:

Yes it is!

In reply to GregCaine93:

Cool, let me know if you start the venture

In reply to GregCaine93:

I think dog friendly is a real plus point, people with dogs might like the stability of coming back to the same place each night without worrying about settling the dog into a new place, or worrying if it is actually dog friendly, or one where dogs are merely tolerated. I would suggest advertising in the dog owning community.

From my point of view, much as it's fun to do a journey, there is an appeal to not having to unpack and repack repeatedly.

In reply to marsbar:

Hi Greg, I manage the YHA in Manorbier and would be happy to have a chat with you to share ideas if that might help.

I think most people on UKC, and probably most of our customers at the YHA are quite capable of finding their own way on the path and wouldn't necessarily want to pay much for a guided service. But you don't need many to make it work, and there are a lot of tourists around now and through the next 6 weeks.

Transport on the coastal path in south Pembs is a problem and it is a pain for walkers staying in Tenby or Manorbier to get transport to or from Bosherston.

I would certainly be happy to advertise your services to our guests if you do get something running next year.

In reply to GregCaine93:

A guide is way more than someone who shows the way, as I'm sure you know. Local history, geology, flora and fauna.... You offer a service and see how it goes. I agree with JLL about some wanting a journey but others (usually with more money) would prefer to leave their stuff in one nice place with people they know, have the option of cutting short or skipping bits on bad weather days and like not have to deal with the hassle of moving anything but themselves.

In reply to GregCaine93:
better to work in conjunction with 3 or 4 other B+Bs along the path. They work their way along, you ferry their bags to their next over night stop and on they go. They can walk bag free, or a little day bag with packed lunch and drinks from you, then stay in a new place every night etc.. No one B+B has a massive drive, they each just ferry luggage to the next leg.

You could provide a posh hamper lunch at a pre-arrange view point mid walk, plenty of chances to add in a little profit for the wealthier clientele.

In reply to GregCaine93:


Well if you have both on the same day you drop self guided on a different section. So maybe self guided walk north, guided walk south and they meet at the same place for pick up end of day.

In reply to GregCaine93:

Pretty much anyone I know of who has tried this angle has come to conclude that the accommodation is the meat of the business and activities are an occasional value-added extra. In other words don't narrow the market for your core product - it's not just trekkers that want beds!

Marsbar - We have decided to target this this year, we are already known as a dog-friendly place but I think we are going to invest in dog beds etc. and an outdoor shower for them – good for us and them as they won’t be jumping all over the beds covered in mud!

Mountain.martin – That would be brilliant... that’s interesting that you say that people struggle with transport around this area. I think judging from these replies it would be best to advertise it as a B & B that’s walker friendly – upon request, shuttles to and from the destination can be arranged as well as early breakfast, posh lunch etc. and transport to the next destination on the trail – obviously at an extra cost.. And if they wanted to stay for a few nights and walk the path the way outlined in my original plan then they are welcome to do so. That would be amazing, thank you so much, I’ll get in touch if we do.

Offwidth – I agree that I think people with more money would prefer all that you’ve mentioned – I also think the added bonus of having somewhere cosy to stay in the night, like a comfortable room with a log fire, would be appealing to a lot of people.

Summo – I think that’s a good idea to suggest to those who are wanting to stay for one night. At the moment we do a minimum of two nights only, so it would have to be cost effective. The complications come when there’s two/three groups all going to different places on the same day – only one car so could provide problems.

Lion-bakes – I get it now, that’s a good idea too, but I guess for that to work the two groups would have to walk two different sections and go in opposite directions.

Jamie B – you’re right of course and that’s why I don’t want to make it into a walker-specific B & B but just offer the service if that’s what people wanted; I think that would be the best way moving forward.. will have to have a think and draw up a proper plan

Thanks again you’ve all been really helpful