Contours Holidays
Contours Holidays is a UK specialist operator founded in 1996 that designs and delivers self-guided walking holidays across 80+ trails in England, Scotland, and Wales, serving individual walkers and small groups with pre-arranged accommodation, daily luggage transfers, and bespoke route packs.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1996
- HeadquartersBonsall, Matlock, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Contours Holidays does
Contours Walking Holidays Ltd (trading as Contours Holidays) is a privately held, UK-based specialist tour operator founded in 1996 by Karen Simons and headquartered in Bonsall, Matlock, Derbyshire. The company designs, sells, and operates self-guided walking holidays across England, Scotland, and Wales, with a catalogue of over 80 trails ranging from two-night short breaks to multi-day routes such as the White Peak Way, South Wales Coast Path, North Wales Coast Path, and Llŷn Coast Path. Each package bundles pre-arranged nightly accommodation, daily luggage transfers between stops, and a custom tour pack containing maps, guidebooks, and GPX files for digital navigation, supported by a 24/7 phone line. The company also operates a sister brand, Contours Trail Running Holidays (contoursrun.co.uk), and offers accessories including gift vouchers and a tiered loyalty scheme (bronze through pearl).
Contours Holidays firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Contours Holidays
- Legal name
- Contours Walking Holidays Ltd
- Website
- https://contours.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1996
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Contours Holidays is a UK specialist operator founded in 1996 that designs and delivers self-guided walking holidays across 80+ trails in England, Scotland, and Wales, serving individual walkers and small groups with pre-arranged accommodation, daily luggage transfers, and bespoke route packs.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Contours Holidays industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Walking Holidays & Outdoor Adventure Tourism
- NAICS
- Tour Operators (561520), Tour Operators (56152)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Hiking, Trekking & Backpacking Tour Operators (THAAADAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Adventure & Expedition Travel Agencies (THAKAFAB), Multi-Activity & Expedition Packages (Guided Adventure Trips) (THAJABAL)
Keywords
Where Contours Holidays is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bonsall, Matlock
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Contours Holidays business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Walking Holiday Bookings: Primary revenue stream from self-guided walking holiday packages. Customers pay a non-refundable deposit of £250 per person at booking, with full payment required 6 weeks before departure. Prices range from approximately £261 per person for short breaks to over £1,700 for extended multi-day tours.
- Group Discounts: Discounts offered for groups of three or more travellers booking together, providing an additional revenue stream while encouraging larger bookings.
- Trail Running Holidays: Sister brand (Contours Trail Running Holidays) operating on separate website (contoursrun.co.uk), offering similar services for trail runners.
- Gift Vouchers: Gift vouchers available for purchase on the Contours websites, valid for two years as partial or whole payment against any Contours holiday.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Short Walking Breaks (2 nights) |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Multi-Day Walking Holidays (4-12 nights) |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Deposit and Payment Structure |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Contours Holidays product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Contours Holidays sells self-guided walking holiday packages across the UK. Each booking bundles pre-booked nightly accommodation, daily luggage transfers between stops, and a custom tour pack containing maps, guidebooks, and detailed route notes (with optional GPX files for digital navigation). Customers choose from over 80 trails and customizable itineraries, ranging from two-night short breaks to multi-day National Trail expeditions, and book directly through the company website or telephone.
Product overview
Contours Holidays operates as a specialist self-guided walking holiday provider offering over 80 exceptional trails across the UK, including England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The core product is the Self-Guided Walking Holidays service, which provides comprehensive packages including nightly accommodation, luggage transfers, and custom tour packs with maps and guidebooks. The portfolio includes the Classic Trails collection, Dog-Friendly Walking Holidays, Stile-Free Walks, Short Walking Breaks, and Two Night Breaks. The company also operates a sub-brand called Trail Running Holidays (contoursrun.co.uk) for trail running adventures. Additional offerings include Gift Vouchers and a Loyalty Discount Scheme with bronze, silver, gold, and pearl tiers. Specific notable trails include the White Peak Way (92-mile circular route through Peak District), South Wales Coast Path (114 miles), North Wales Coast Path (78-80 miles), Llŷn Coast Path (111 miles), and Meirionnydd Coast Path (62 miles), among many others spanning coastal, inland, and national trail options.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Contours Trail Running Holidays: A dedicated brand offering self-guided trail running holidays in the UK, operating from www.contoursrun.co.uk
Products and services
- Self-Guided Walking Holidays Core product: self-guided walking holiday packages across 80+ UK trails, bundling pre-booked nightly accommodation, daily luggage transfers between stops, and a custom tour pack with maps, guidebooks and route notes (plus GPX files for digital navigation). Sold to independent leisure walkers who want a multi-day walking experience without joining a guided group.
- Trail Running Holidays Sister-brand product line of self-guided trail running holidays across the UK, operating from contoursrun.co.uk with a logistics model similar to the walking holidays business.
- Gift Vouchers Two-year-validity gift vouchers that can be redeemed as full or partial payment against any Contours holiday purchase.
- White Peak Way Standalone bookable trail: a 92-mile circular walking route through the Peak District National Park from Buxton through seven dales, typically walked over 6-12 nights with strenuous difficulty.
- South Wales Coast Path Standalone bookable trail: self-guided walking holiday along the Wales Coast Path from Swansea to Chepstow, 114 miles over 8-11 days.
- North Wales Coast Path Standalone bookable trail: walking holiday from Chester to Bangor along the Wales Coast Path, 78-80 miles over 5-8 days.
- Llŷn Coast Path (Llyn Coast Path) Standalone bookable trail: walking holiday around the Llŷn Peninsula from Bangor to Porthmadog, 111 miles over 10-13 nights.
- Meirionnydd Coast Path Standalone bookable trail: self-guided walking holiday from Porthmadog to Machynlleth along the Wales Coast Path, 62 miles over 4-6 days.
- Castleton Two-Night Break Standalone bookable short break: single-centre mini getaway based in the Peak District with a range of mileage options (15-28 miles) over 2 nights.
Quantifiable outcome
- 50,000+ holidays delivered since 1996
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Contours Holidays
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Contours Holidays technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Contours Holidays partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.
- FeefominorFeefo provides independent customer review collection and display services. Contours Holidays displays Feefo reviews on their website and has earned Feefo Gold Trusted Service Award 2025, helping build customer trust.
- Towergate Travel (with AXA Insurance UK plc)minorTowergate Travel arranges Travel Regulation Insolvency Protection Insurance underwritten by AXA Insurance UK plc, providing financial protection for customers in the event of Contours Holidays becoming insolvent.
- Information Commissioner's OfficeminorContours Holidays is registered with the ICO in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018 (GDPR). Reference number A8271437.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Contours Holidays competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Walkers' Britain: Walkers' Britain offers self-guided walking holidays across the UK and Ireland with similar accommodation and luggage transfer services. It targets the same independent UK walking customer and competes head-to-head with Contours on National Trail packages.
- Macs Adventure: Macs Adventure is the UK's largest self-guided walking and cycling holiday operator, offering a comparable portfolio of UK and European self-guided trips with luggage transfers, accommodation booking, and digital tour packs. It is the closest direct competitor to Contours in product model, customer base, and distribution.
- Wilderness Scotland: Wilderness Scotland operates guided and self-guided walking, trekking, and wildlife holidays primarily in Scotland. While more guided-tour weighted, it competes for the same UK walking-holiday customer and overlaps on Contours' Scotland trail portfolio.
- Headwater Holidays: Headwater Holidays provides self-guided walking, cycling, and activity holidays across the UK and Europe with pre-booked accommodation and luggage transfers. It targets the same independent, experience-led traveller segment as Contours with overlapping product mechanics.
- Ramblers Walking Holidays: Ramblers Walking Holidays (formerly Ramblers Worldwide Holidays) is a long-established UK guided and self-guided walking holiday operator serving a similar demographic. It offers both guided group tours and self-paced options, putting it in direct competition with Contours on UK trails.
- Sherpa Expeditions: Sherpa Expeditions offers self-guided and guided walking holidays in the UK and worldwide with luggage transfer services and pre-arranged accommodation, overlapping directly with Contours' core product on UK trails such as the Coast to Coast.
Broad incumbents
- Exodus Travels: Exodus Travels is a large, established adventure tour operator offering guided walking, trekking, and activity holidays worldwide. While primarily guided, it overlaps with Contours on UK self-guided product lines and represents a broader incumbent that competes for the same active-travel customer wallet.
- Intrepid Travel: Intrepid Travel is a global adventure tour operator with a broad portfolio including UK and Ireland walking experiences. It is a broad incumbent that competes for the same adventure-minded leisure traveller, although its core offering is small-group guided rather than self-guided.
Regional players
- Country Walkers: Country Walkers is a US-based active travel company offering guided and self-guided walking holidays worldwide, including the UK. While geographically distinct, it targets the same premium active-travel customer and competes for international walking-holiday bookings.
- Hillwalk Tours: Hillwalk Tours specialises in self-guided walking holidays in Ireland, with comparable operating mechanics (luggage transfers, pre-booked B&Bs, route notes). It is a strong regional parallel to Contours and a likely competitor for cross-border UK and Ireland walking itineraries.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Contours Holidays social profiles
Digital presenceContours Holidays compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Contours Holidays financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Contours Holidays leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Contours Holidays funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Contours Holidays M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Contours Holidays
What does Contours Holidays do?
Contours Holidays sells self-guided walking holiday packages across the UK. Each booking bundles pre-booked nightly accommodation, daily luggage transfers between stops, and a custom tour pack containing maps, guidebooks, and detailed route notes (with optional GPX files for digital navigation). Customers choose from over 80 trails and customizable itineraries, ranging from two-night short breaks to multi-day National Trail expeditions, and book directly through the company website or telephone.
Is Contours Holidays a public or private company?
Contours Holidays is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Contours Holidays founded?
Contours Holidays was founded in 1996. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Contours Holidays based?
Contours Holidays is headquartered in Bonsall, Matlock, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Contours Holidays make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Walking Holiday Bookings are the primary driver. The others are group Discounts, trail Running Holidays and gift Vouchers.
Who are Contours Holidays's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Walkers' Britain, Macs Adventure, Wilderness Scotland, Headwater Holidays, Ramblers Walking Holidays and Sherpa Expeditions. Broad incumbents are Exodus Travels and Intrepid Travel. Regional players are Country Walkers and Hillwalk Tours.
Does Contours Holidays have an API?
No public API is recorded for Contours Holidays.
What industry is Contours Holidays in?
Contours Holidays's product category is Walking Holidays & Outdoor Adventure Tourism. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAAADAA, Hiking, Trekking & Backpacking Tour Operators, with a secondary code of THAKAFAB, Adventure & Expedition Travel Agencies. Its NAICS code is 561520 and its SIC code is 7900.