
What we’re about
We are BACKABUSH XPLORERS, much copied but still the original and best hiking and outdoor activity Meetup group!!!
Who are we and how did it all begin?
Backabush Xplorers is Britain'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 the from 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 Mountain Leader 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 hope YOU will join us sometime soon.
Positive vibes!
The Backabush Crew & Hiking Team
Contact Geoff & Nathan
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- APRIL 17 - 22 (EASTER HOLIDAY) - THE FISHERMEN'S TRAIL, PORTUGALOdeceixe, Odeceixe£459.00
Backabush is going back to Portugal over Easter 2025 to do the spectacular Fishermen's Trail!
This stunning multi-day coastal walk is a fabulous 4 day journey along the country's untamed and rugged Costa Vicentina.
Nights - 5. Cost - £459 for twin share, £589 for single occupancy room.
We will stay at different guesthouses or hotels each night as we walk village-to-village along the wild coast, covering 48 miles over 4 days. Baggage transfers will be included for our 4 hiking days so we will only need to carry a day pack.
Starting in the village of Odeceixe, this coastal trail winds up and down over dramatic cliffs and along miles of golden sand, connecting a string of pristine beaches. This is Portugal's least developed and most rugged coastline.
At the end of each day we will arrive at another authentic Portuguese fishing village where we can relax for the evening as the sun sets over the ocean, enjoying delicious Portuguese food and wine.
Spring is a great time to hike the Fishermen's Trail. Average temperatures in April are pleasant and well-suited suited to hiking and colourful spring flowers will adorn the trail.
ITINERARY:
Thursday 17 April - We will be meeting in Odeceixe, which is easily reached from Lisbon with a 3 hr 20 min bus ride (see details below).
Friday April 18 - Odeceixe to Zambujeira do Mar, 12 miles
Saturday April 19 - Zambujeira do Mar to Almograve, 14 miles
Sunday April 20 - Almograve to Vila Nova de Milfontes, 10 miles
Monday April 21 - Vila Nova de Milfontes to Porto Covo, 12 miles
Tuesday April 22 - We will travel back to Lisbon by bus (around 2,5 hours) after breakfast in time to fly home on the same day.
DIFFICULTY:
You will need the fitness to cover up to 14 miles each day. The ascent is moderate but a lot of the trail is over sandy dunes which can make the distance more challenging.
WHAT IS INCLUDED:
- 5 nights guesthouse, hotel or hostel accommodation (single sex twin share or single occupancy rooms)
- 3 breakfasts
- A full itinerary of hikes
- A trip organiser
- Luggage transfer for our 4 hiking days (one bag of 15kg max)
- Financial protection in accordance with the Package Travel Law 1992.
WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED:
- Lunches, evening meals and 2 breakfasts
- Flights and airport transfers (see below)
- Travel Insurance
RECOMMENDED FLIGHTS:
Return flights from London to Lisbon are currently priced from just £118! There are many different convenient flight options from different London/UK airports to Lisbon.
It is possible to catch a morning flight to Lisbon on Thursday 17 April and travel to Odeceixe by bus on the same day at around 16:00 (exact April 2025 schedule TBC). Please take into account that it is about 30-40 min by metro to get from the airport to the bus station. There may be a later bus around 17:30 however as the April schedule is not out yet it's best not to rely on this.
We would however highly recommend travelling to Lisbon a day earlier on Wednesday 16 April (or before) and spending a night in Lisbon before catching the bus to Odeceixe . The organiser will advise on recommended Lisbon accommodation and we can meet up to explore this wonderful city before the trip starts.
On Tuesday 22 April we will take a bus back to Lisbon. These leave at various times during the day from 09:00 onwards (possibly earlier, exact April schedule TBC) and take around 2,5 hours. It will only be possible to catch flights departing that day after 15.00.
Bus schedules for the next few months can be checked here on the Rede Expressos website to get an idea of times.
Please don't hesitate to contact the organiser if you need help finding suitable flights.
HOW TO BOOK A PLACE ON THIS TRIP:
To confirm your place on this trip please send payment through online banking and use FISH25 as your payment reference. Your RSVP is not enough to reserve a space on this trip. The account details are:
Account Name: BACKABUSH XPLORERS
Sort Code: 090127
Account Number: 22440622Please email ingridhansen1@gmail.com as soon as you send payment so that we can confirm everything with you. Thanks! :)
- APRIL 18 - 21 - (EASTER HOLIDAY) - STRATFORD-UPON-AVON & THE NORTH COTSWOLDSNeeds location
Join us for an amazing Easter weekend of superb hiking in the beautiful rolling countryside of the Cotswolds and Vale of Evesham.
Number of nights - 3. Group size - 58.
FOR MORE DETAILS VISIT: https://www.meetup.com/backabush/events/302019930/
Not open - MAY 3 - 10 - PUGLIA AND MATERA, SOUTHERN ITALYHotel Adria Bari, Bari£675.00
Join us on a spectacular walking adventure through the heel of Italy!
Nights - 7. Accommodation: hotels & apartments. Cost - £675 for twin share, £799 for single occupancy room*.
This trip in Southern Italy combines the highlights of Puglia with Matera, the magical city of stone, in Basilicata. Our walking trails will take us through rolling countryside dotted with ancient sites and whitewashed villages, along quaint coastal villages and through rugged and rocky hills.
We will meet in Bari, a vibrant port city on the Adriatic Sea and the capital of Puglia, where we will have the opportunity to explore its maze-like old town, before heading to the stunning green expanse of hilly countryside known as Valle d'Itria.
This attractive region’s narrow winding lanes lead from one pretty little village to the next and its wooded slopes, vineyards and endless olive groves are punctuated by the coned roofs of trulli, fairytale-like dwellings with grey-stone roofs, unique to the region.
Two of the most iconic Puglian villages will be our base for two nights each. First the pretty whitewashed hilltop town of Ostuni, followed by Alberobello, the iconic town almost entirely formed of trulli.
We finish the trip with two nights in the breathtaking cliff-side stone town of Matera, a true spectacle and favourite of film directors, with its cobbled lanes, rock carved churches and extensive cave-dwelling districts.
TRIP HIGHLIGHTS:
- Visit two UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Alberobello’s famous trulli dwellings and Matera’s magical cave town.
- Explore the enchanting whitewashed hilltop town of Ostuni.
- Hike over the Itria Valley hills to Locorotondo and Cisternino, two of Puglia's prettiest villages.
- Walk between the quintessential seaside towns of Monopoli & Polignano a Mare with an opportunity to swim in its aquamarine waters.
ACCOMMODATION:
- 5 nights (Bari, Alberobello and Matera) in comfortable hotels (incl. 2 nights in a 4-star hotel).
- 2 nights in Ostuni in lovely apartments.
- Limited single occupancy rooms available* (please see note in comments section).
SUGGESTED ITINERARY:
Sat 3 May: Arrival in Bari.
Sun 4 May: Time to explore Bari in the morning, train/bus to Ostuni, afternoon walk to explore Ostuni and surroundings.
Mon 5 May: Hike from Ostuni to Cisternino incl. possible visit to Agnano Archaeological Park if open (20km, 500m asc, 300m desc).
Tue 6 May: Train to Monopoli, coastal hike to Polignano a Mare (12km), bus to Alberobello (our bags will be transferred for us on this day).
Wed 7 May: Hike from Alberobello to Locorotondo, bus/train back - (17km, 250m asc/desc).
Thu 8 May: Private transfer to Matera, circular hike through Sassi di Matera (15km, 500m asc/desc).
Fri 9 May: Hike near Matera, i.e. in Parco Regionale della Murgia Materana or to Altamura (15-18km)
Sat 10 May: Trip ends, bus/train back to Bari airportINCLUDED:
- 5 nights hotel and 2 nights apartment accommodation in (single sex) twin share or single occupancy rooms* (see note in comments section).
- 5 breakfasts.
- 1 private transfer (Alberobello to Matera), 1 private bag transfer (Ostuni to Alberobello).
- 5 full days of organised hikes.
- Trip organiser.
- Full financial protection in line with the Package Travel Regulations.
NOT INCLUDED:
- Flights and airport transfers (see below).
- 2 breakfasts, lunches and dinners.
- Local train/bus transport to/from the hikes/accommodation (public transport in Italy is very affordable).
- Any entrance fees.
- Travel insurance.
RECOMMENDED FLIGHTS AND TRANSFERS:
We recommend the following flights with Ryanair or British Airways:
Outbound - Sat 03 May
Ryanair FR1905
Stansted 13:05 - Bari 16.50Return - Sat 10 May
Ryanair FR1906
Bari 17:15 - Stansted 19:10OR
(currently also available with Avios)
Outbound - Sat 03 May
British Airways BA2606
Gatwick 13:35 - Bari 17.25Return - Sat 10 May
British Airways BA2607
Bari 18:15 - Gatwick 20:05You are free to arrive in Bari at any time on Saturday 3 May. It's easy to reach our hotel with a 30-min train ride or taxi from the airport. The hotel is located just five minutes walk from the station.
From our final hotel in Matera it will be easy to take a bus/train or share taxis back to the airport.
HOW TO BOOK A PLACE ON THIS TRIP:
To confirm your place on this trip please send payment through online banking and use PUGLIA as your payment reference. Your RSVP is not enough to reserve a space on this trip. The account details are:
Account Name: BACKABUSH XPLORERS
Sort Code: 090127
Account Number: 22440622Please email ingridhansen1@gmail.com as soon as you send payment so that we can confirm everything with you. Thanks! :)