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Covid-19 Guidelines
The dates we expect tours to resume, what to expect holidaying during the pandemic, and our booking with confidence scheme.
Covid-19 Guidelines
https://contourscycle.co.uk/covid-19
Most legal restrictions regarding Covid-19 have now been lifted in the UK, but as accommodation and restaurant owners look to protect their staff and customers, you should expect some of the now-standard measures to remain, including social distancing, revised check-in procedures, and mask requests.
Face coverings are no longer a legal requirement in most places, but individual businesses may request that you wear them if you are able to. At this time, face covering requirements are still in effect in some healthcare settings in the UK, so be sure to carry one on your person just in case.
As always, we are keeping a close eye on government plans, advice and guidelines at all times. Should major details change, we will contact all affected customers as soon as possible to discuss their options, otherwise any smaller changes will be updated on this page.
Below you will find more information on enjoying a Contours Holiday and what you can expect along the way.
While we are doing all we can to ensure all the involved parties are safe and informed, if you travel while the virus is still active in the general population, you must accept the risks associated with this and follow the appropriate course of action for your holiday group. The risks are of course elevated for vulnerable individuals; please consider these issues carefully before making the decision to travel.
For the general outline of our tours, please refer to our FAQ page, but bear in mind the following changes. These measures are no longer legal requirements, but we encourage you to respect others and adhere to the requests of your accommodation hosts.
Social distancing — Ideally, you should not come within one metre of people outside of your group, including accommodation owners and staff, transfer providers and staff in shops and restaurants, especially if extra precautions such as screens or face coverings are not in place.
You may find that your hosts have replaced their usual greeting and check-in practices with distanced alternatives such as self check-in procedures.
Breakfasts — Bed and breakfast accommodations will be able to provide breakfasts, but these may be staggered to reduce the number of customers eating in their dining rooms at any one time. This may mean that a later departure is necessary. Where possible, your accommodation owners may be able to provide a continental breakfast in your room or arrange to serve your cooked breakfast first, but note that everyone is likely to want the same provision, as everyone will be keen to get on with their day!
Evening meals — Please be aware that, due to potential staffing shortages, capacity may be reduced in some areas, so advanced booking is recommended where possible. Don't worry: if the place you plan to eat isn't open by the time you arrive, or if eatery spaces are limited, we will ensure there are other options available to you, such as takeaways or meals provided by your accommodations.
Luggage handling — All luggage handlers may still have their own guidelines in place to keep contact to a minimum and ensure there is no risk of transmission, either from you to them or vice versa. This may include (but is not limited to) wearing masks, wiping down the handles of your bags before moving them, thorough hand-washing, picking up your bags from an outside spot to avoid contact with accommodation providers, and other measures to minimise contact.
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If you choose to walk, run or cycle on one of our tours, you must understand that you are taking a risk. You are increasing your contact with others, and this carries a responsibility to behave sensibly, taking appropriate measures to minimise the risk of transmission. You should carry hand sanitiser with you for use after touching gates, stiles and anything else that other members of the public might have touched, and use luggage with wipeable rather than fabric handles.
Most importantly, all customers should bear in mind the following responsibilities, which will be sent to you with your tour pack as well.
You should be aware of other people. As already described, many B&Bs and luggage transfer companies will still be taking steps to keep their distance. You must respect these steps, and likewise limit contact with other travellers on the trails, shop owners, or anyone else you encounter on your holiday.
You should carry a suitable mask. The use of face coverings is no longer a legal requirement in most areas, however businesses may still request them, and we encourage our customers to follow the rules of each accommodation and other locations they visit.
There is evidence that these masks, used properly, can reduce the risk of transmission if you are carrying the disease without knowing it. Please respect the staff facilitating your holiday and carry a suitable mask to wear when you arrive at accommodations or other facilities. You do not need to wear a mask when out on the trails and away from busy areas.
You must check the self-isolation requirements in your home and destination countries if you develop symptoms and/or test positive for Covid-19. There is no legal requirement to isolate in the UK if you contract Covid-19, however if you are travelling from overseas, you must check whether or not you will be able to travel if you test positive for Covid-19 or develop related symptoms.
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If you display any symptoms of coronavirus, or test positive for Covid-19, within two weeks of your holiday commencing, you must check both your home and destination countries to determine whether you will be allowed to travel. The typical symptoms to look out for include the following from the NHS coronavirus advice page:
A high temperature — this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
A new, continuous cough — this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)
Any loss or change to your sense of smell or taste — this means you've noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal
If you develop any of these symptoms prior to your tour and find that you cannot travel due to ongoing restrictions in your home or destination country, or that you feel too ill to travel, you must let us know immediately so that we can cancel your booking. You should take out a suitable holiday insurance policy for this scenario. If you have an existing annual policy, we recommend checking the terms and conditions: many pre-pandemic insurance packages specifically exclude pandemic circumstances, and will not cover you should COVID-19 prevent or interrupt your holiday.
If you develop any of these symptoms during your tour, you may need to end your tour depending on restrictions in your home or destination country. If you need to end your tour, please inform us immediately, and travel home as directly as possible. We realise this may be difficult and we are on hand to help you find the best options for travel in this worst-case scenario, but unfortunately we cannot accept responsibility for any costs incurred in such a situation.
We always highly recommend that you take out a comprehensive travel insurance policy that will cover any lost holiday costs in the event that you need to cancel or are unable to travel, whether you are a UK national or traveling in from abroad. We advise you check with your travel insurance provider to see if you will be covered for a cancellation due to Coronavirus.
Unfortunately, most travel insurers would not pay out if the policy was purchased prior to the general lockdown of 2020, but it is now possible to purchase insurance to cover a variety of circumstances. The specifics of your situation will heavily influence this; at time of writing, we are not aware of any policies which will cover you in the event of a government lockdown, but there are options that will pay out if you are unable to travel due to a positive COVID-19 test or a track-and-trace stay at home order.
Guidelines and laws continue to change during these uncertain times, but the Contours Holidays team are constantly checking the guidelines and making all the necessary changes to our service.
By booking at this time, you accept the risk that a local lockdown or COVID-19 symptoms could prevent you from travelling. While we will do our best to postpone or rearrange your tour with enough notice, we will not be able to refund tours that cannot go ahead at short notice as a result of a local lockdown in your area preventing travel, because of a Track and Trace isolation order, or because you display COVID-19 symptoms prior to your tour. This is simply the risk involved in booking at this time. Specialised COVID-19 Travel Insurance is available from a number of providers, which will include cover in these circumstances. We recommend purchasing this.
If the situation changes and it becomes impossible for your tour to go ahead, we will be in touch as soon as possible to discuss the next steps. Please keep an eye on the email account you used to get set up with us, including your junk inbox, and contact us immediately if you have any questions.
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While we do not take responsibility for your travel to the beginning or back from the end of your holiday, you obviously need to be able to make that journey, and we are keen to help.
Public transport is a difficult option right now; it can be challenging to stick to social distancing, or impossible on packed trains and buses. Therefore we would recommend travelling by car if possible. As always, we are happy to help you arrange parking at either end of your tour, but we must stress that we are not responsible for booking car parking, and can only provide information & advice.
You will still need to make one journey by public transport or taxi between the start and end points of your tour — either after leaving your car at the end of the route before you begin your adventure, or back to the start once you finish the holiday — and we will help you to find the best option for this journey. Circular tours avoid this problem, of course, so walkers can check out our list of circular walking holidays for some great options, while runners and cyclists can get in touch for suggestions.
Note that buses in remote areas of the country are often under capacity and therefore social distancing can still be adhered to, and the proper use of masks, regular hand washing and contactless payments will help you minimise the risk of transmission.
For full, up-to-date information on travel into the UK from overseas, keep an eye on the government website. Your home country may also impose additional restrictions on travel, and we recommend keeping up to date with your local rules and procedures through your government's website.
We understand if customers affected by this would prefer to postpone their tours until such measures are lifted, so please contact us to discuss your options. We also strongly recommend keeping an eye on the UK government guidelines, as they are subject to change.
If you travel while the virus is still active in the general population, there is a risk involved which you accept by travelling, and which your accommodation and transfer providers accept by taking your booking. While we will do absolutely everything we can to ensure all involved parties are safe and informed of the proper precautions, we cannot completely eliminate that risk.
If you have any concerns or worries, we are more than happy to discuss them and tell you more about how we intend to keep our tours safe, but we must emphasise: put your health first. To get in touch, find our details on our Contact page.
