Muddy Boots Walking Holidays

What Muddy Boots Walking Holidays does

Muddy Boots Walking Holidays, trading name of Great British Escapes Limited (registered in England and Wales, company 8464542), is a family-run walking holiday operator founded in 2013 by husband-and-wife team Helen and Matt Coppin. The company designs and delivers self-guided multi-day walking holidays, private guided walks, small-group social walks, and navigation training courses across the Yorkshire Dales and Lake District National Parks, with an operating base in Kirkby Lonsdale positioned between the two parks. The core product proposition is to remove trip-planning friction — handling accommodation booking in country inns and small hotels, luggage transfer, transport arrangements, and producing detailed route notes, annotated Ordnance Survey maps, and on-trip mobile support — so customers can walk independently with confidence. Matt Coppin personally leads all guided walks as a qualified Mountain Leader and NNAS Gold navigation award holder, with Helen Coppin managing customer liaison, routes, and content.

The business operates on a direct-to-consumer model with five revenue streams: self-guided walking holidays (package pricing from £630 per person sharing), private guided walks priced at £100-£175 per group of up to six, social walks at £20-£30 per person (with the 2026 annual membership at £75), navigation courses at £50 per person or £200 per private group, and gift vouchers. Booking is processed through Acuity Scheduling for guided walks and courses, with Stripe handling subscription payments, and the website (Squarespace-built) serves as the primary sales channel supported by blog-led content marketing, Instagram and Facebook presence, email newsletter, and earned media coverage in major UK publications (The Times, The Guardian, The Independent, The Telegraph, Yorkshire Life). Go-to-market is organic and relationship-driven, with no paid acquisition, no external funding, and a customer base that is uniformly individual / couple / small-group travellers — including inbound international visitors from the US and Canada — booked through a high-touch personalised enquiry process.

Operationally the company is a micro-business: the Coppins are the principal staff with a small number of additional employees, and the product is labour-intensive, with Matt Coppin's personal availability as the binding capacity constraint on guided walk and social walk volume.

Name

Muddy Boots Walking Holidays

Legal name

Great British Escapes Limited

Website

https://muddybootswalkingholidays.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Muddy Boots Walking Holidays is a family-run operator founded in 2013 by Helen and Matt Coppin, delivering self-guided walking holidays, private guided walks, social walks, and navigation courses across the Yorkshire Dales and Lake District National Parks to individual leisure travellers and small groups.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Walking holidays and guided outdoor experiences

akta.pro primary industry

Winter & Mountain Guides (Ski, Snowshoe, Avalanche, Ice Climbing) (THAAALAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Winter Adventure Experiences (Ski Touring, Snowshoeing, Dog Sledding) (THAJABAH)

Keywords

• Self-guided walking holidays
• Guided walking tours
• Outdoor adventure travel
• Navigation training courses
• Uk national park holidays

Headquarters

HQ city

Kirkby Lonsdale

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Self-Guided Walking Holidays: Multi-day walking holidays in Yorkshire Dales and Lake District including accommodation booking, luggage transfer, route planning, and navigation materials. Revenue generated through package pricing per person.
2. Private Guided Walks: Personalized guided walking experiences led by qualified Mountain Leader Matt. Pricing per group (up to 6 people) with half-day, longer walk, and full-day options.
3. Social Walks: Small group guided walks (max 12 people) on scheduled dates. Individual pricing per person plus annual membership option.
4. Navigation Courses: Introduction to navigation training courses offered as private bookings or small group events. Pricing per person or per group.
5. Gift Vouchers: Gift vouchers sold for any value that can be applied toward guided walks, navigation courses, social walks, or self-guided holidays.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Muddy Boots Walking Holidays arranges self-guided and guided walking experiences in the Yorkshire Dales and Lake District National Parks. Core products are multi-day self-guided walking holidays with accommodation, luggage transfer, route notes, and Ordnance Survey maps; private guided walks led by qualified Mountain Leader Matt Coppin; and small-group social walks. Supplementary offerings include an Introduction to Navigation training course and gift vouchers redeemable across the product range.

Product overview

Muddy Boots Walking Holidays offers a portfolio of walking holiday and guided walk services in the Yorkshire Dales and Lake District National Parks. The core offerings consist of Self-Guided Walking Holidays (multi-day packages with accommodation, luggage transfer, route notes, and marked OS maps), Private Guided Walks (personalized guided experiences led by qualified Mountain Leader Matt Coppin), and Muddy Boots Social Walks (small group scheduled walks with annual membership option). Additional services include the Contours and Compasses Navigation Course for outdoor navigation training and Gift Vouchers available for any service. The company is owned and operated by husband-and-wife team Helen and Matt Coppin, based between the two National Parks.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Self-Guided Walking Holidays Multi-day walking holiday packages in the Yorkshire Dales and Lake District where customers follow pre-designed routes independently with accommodation, luggage transfer, route notes, and Ordnance Survey maps provided.
• Private Guided Walks Personalised guided walking experiences led by Matt Coppin, available as half-day (3 hours), longer (6 hours), or full-day (8 hours) options for groups of up to six people in the Yorkshire Dales or Lake District.
• Muddy Boots Social Walks Small group guided walks (maximum 12 people) scheduled throughout the year, led by Matt Coppin, offering various difficulty levels and locations across the Dales and Lakes. Individual walk bookings or annual membership available.
• Contours and Compasses Navigation Course One-day practical navigation training courses teaching map reading, compass use, and route planning skills, available as private bookings or small group events in Yorkshire Dales or Lake District locations.
• Gift Vouchers Gift vouchers available for private guided walks, navigation days, social walks, and self-guided walking holidays, or as monetary vouchers of any value redeemable against any service.
• Wharfedale Ramble Six-night self-guided walking holiday in Wharfedale exploring villages including Linton, Kettlewell, and Hubberholme, with hotel-to-hotel walking and circular routes, priced from £630 per person based on two people sharing.

Quantifiable outcome

• Customers consistently report zero instances of getting lost with detailed route notes and maps
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Travel Trust AssociationminorOthersMember of Travel Trust Association, providing ABTA-style financial protection for customer bookings and adding credibility to the business operations.
• Yorkshire Dales National ParkminorOthersFeatured partner of Yorkshire Dales National Park. Listed as recommended walking holiday provider on the official park website.
• Visit Lake DistrictminorOthersOfficial member of Visit Lake District tourism organization, promoting walking holidays in the Lake District region.
• Mountain Training AssociationminorOthersMatt Coppin holds membership with Mountain Training Association (ID: 1298312), the governing body for Mountain Leader qualifications in the UK.
• British Mountaineering CouncilminorOthersMatt Coppin holds membership with the British Mountaineering Council (ID: C671952), the representative body for climbers and hill walkers in England and Wales.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• HF Holidays: Long-established UK walking and activity holiday operator offering both guided and self-guided options across the UK, including the Lake District, overlapping directly with Muddy Boots' guided walk and multi-day holiday offerings.
• Absolute Escapes: Specialist in self-guided walking holidays in the UK and Ireland with hotel-to-hotel itineraries, luggage transfers, and route notes — near-identical product format to Muddy Boots' self-guided holidays.
• Macs Adventure: Specialist in self-guided walking holidays across the UK and Europe with accommodation booking, luggage transfer, and route notes — the closest direct competitor to Muddy Boots' core self-guided product.
• Headwater Holidays: UK-based operator offering self-guided walking and cycling holidays with hand-picked accommodation and luggage transfer, a directly comparable service model to Muddy Boots' self-guided walking holidays.
• Inghams: Major UK operator of Lake District walking holidays, including guided and self-guided formats — directly competing for the same Lake District customer base that Muddy Boots targets.
• Contours Holidays: Self-guided walking holiday specialist covering UK National Parks including the Yorkshire Dales and Lake District, with similar luggage transfer and route note services to Muddy Boots.

Broad incumbents

• Explore: UK adventure tour operator offering small-group guided walking trips across the UK and worldwide; competes for the same guided-walking customer segment but with a much broader product catalogue.
• Exodus Travels: Established adventure tour operator with a broad portfolio including UK walking trips; overlaps with Muddy Boots on guided walking but operates at significantly greater scale and geographic breadth.

Regional players

• Hillwalk Tours: Ireland-focused walking holiday operator offering guided and self-guided trips with luggage transfer; same operating playbook as Muddy Boots but serving a different geographic market in Ireland's upland regions.
• Wilderness Scotland: Scottish adventure and walking holiday specialist using a near-identical service model (local guides, hand-picked inns, self-guided and guided formats) but focused exclusively on Scotland rather than England's National Parks.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Muddy-Boots-Walking-Holidays-105918434270494
• Instagraminstagram.com/muddybootswalkingholidays
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/muddy-boots-walking-holidays

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Muddy Boots Walking Holidays