'IN EVERY WALK WITH NATURE, ONE RECEIVES FAR MORE THAN HE SEEKS' - JOHN MUIR
In October 2008, a young Irishman named James Byrne decided to go hiking, or hillwalking as it is also known in Ireland and the UK, on some of Ireland’s best-loved walking trails. His motivation was simple, to re-connect with the great outdoors.
He had visited many of Ireland’s beauty spots previously by car. Experiencing them on foot proved to be life-changing. Hiking amplified his emotions – anxiety about an emerging blister on his foot before a long walk turned into satisfaction when he reached his destination. Put simply, he was hooked.
AND JUST LIKE THAT, HILLWALK TOURS WAS BORN
After two months of hiking, James reflected on the moments that had stood out for him: the remoteness and beauty of the trails; the gratitude he felt when he was warmly received at a B&B or guesthouse, the disappointment when he occasionally felt unwelcome; the relief at not having to walk too far for an evening meal after a long hike, etc.
It was then that he decided to put his first hiking tours together, keeping these highlights (and lowlights) at the forefront of his mind. His goal was simple, to make sure that his customers would have the best possible hiking tour experiences and that itineraries would be offered to suit all fitness levels.
FROM THE FIRST TOUR TO TODAY
2009: Our first hiking tour was arranged from James’s bedroom on a laptop and was taken on the Beara Way
2011: With James and Anthony now working from an apartment they shared, our first hiking tours in Scotland were added
2014: Having graduated to our first office and with a growing team of 10, we started to organise our first hiking tours in England
2017: With 18 team members now on board, we sold our first tour outside of the UK and Ireland, the famous Camino de Santiago pilgrimage in Spain
2024: Now having grown to a team of 30 and having focused on adding additional UK & Ireland trails for a number of years, we decide to add our first tour in Portugal on the Rota Vicentina Fishermen’s Trail. Hillwalk Tours has now provided happy hiking experiences for over 25,000 customers covering over 20 trails and still remain focused on offering the best possible hiking tour experiences to customers with a range of itineraries to suit all fitness levels
CREATING EXPERIENCES THAT MAKE PEOPLE HAPPY
“Creating experiences that make people happy” is our core purpose and what we work towards every day.
We do this of course by helping our walkers have the best possible experience on their hiking tours.
However, this mission extends beyond just the walkers who take to the trails. It means that we also want to ensure that the many suppliers who make our tours possible, from the B&B hosts to baggage transfer companies to local taxis and so many more, have happy experiences working with us and are treated fairly and as partners.
It means that for our colleagues also, we aim to make working at Hillwalk Tours a happy experience. We’re privileged to have a friendly multilingual team that offers personalised customer support whether you’re already on a hiking trail or just dreaming about a hike that you’ve had on your bucket list for years. We hire people who care about what we’re doing, support them and provide the flexibility for them to enjoy a positive work-life balance.
SUSTAINABLE TOURISM IS KEY
We try to create happy experiences for our B&Bs too, and the restaurants, shops and taxi companies that serve our walkers. These are often small businesses located in isolated areas that have been left behind by urban migration and a lack of investment in rural regions. Their warm hospitality and friendly welcomes epitomise the magic of a Hillwalk Tour and we’re dedicated to helping keep these rural communities alive.
We are blessed that so many rugged coastlines, towering mountains, sandy beaches and quaint villages are accessible to walkers and we want to keep it that way. As more and more people take to the great outdoors, our collective mark on the environment increases. Litter, damage to vegetation and water pollution are just some of the results. Protecting the environment is not something we just preach about, but it’s something we practice too, by supporting the ideals of Leave No Trace. We believe that the Leave No Trace ethos can have a tangible impact on nature conservation which is why we encourage all of our walkers to make it hard for others to see or hear you and to LEAVE NO TRACE of your visit.
