Large Outdoors

What Large Outdoors does

Large Outdoors Limited is a privately held UK walking community and tour operator founded in 2008 and headquartered in Malton, North Yorkshire (registered as company number 06959017 in England & Wales). The company organizes fully guided group walking experiences across England, Scotland, and Wales, with a portfolio of nine product lines including multi-day walking holidays (4-7 nights), weekends and short breaks (2-3 nights), wild swimming holidays, car-free trips, introductory rock climbing experiences, day experiences, midweek Monday-Thursday breaks, the National Three Peaks in Three Days challenge, and winter walking trips with provided safety equipment. Trips are structured around five walking grade levels (Leisurely, Leisurely Plus, Active, Active Plus, and specialist formats) with accommodation options spanning shared rooms through private singles, twins, and doubles.

The operating model is direct-to-consumer with no membership requirement: customers browse a trip calendar on the website, filter by destination, duration, and walking grade, then book online either with a deposit (typically 20% for multi-day bookings over £200 made more than 12 weeks in advance) or full payment, with the balance due 10 weeks before departure. Pricing is per-person and varies by trip duration, accommodation type, and grade (for example, the Mountain Walking Holiday on the Isle of Arran starts at £475 per person for a 3-night Active Plus experience). Pre-trip coordination is handled via WhatsApp groups for multi-day trips. The underlying technology stack is modest — an online booking system with trip calendar and client management, a Squarespace website, WhatsApp, email, and live chat — with no mobile app, no public API, and no disclosed AI/ML capabilities.

The primary customer segment is solo adult travellers aged approximately 35-80 who want organized outdoor experiences without needing walking companions, supplemented by outdoor enthusiasts and car-free travellers. The company is operated by a small team of 1-10 employees, has no disclosed external funding, no parent company, and no subsidiaries. Marketing relies on a content blog with walking advice and trip reports, email newsletters, SEO-optimized destination pages, a "Friends of Large Outdoors" Facebook community group, and word-of-mouth from returning customers, many of whom book multiple trips over time and form ongoing friendships with other participants.

Name

Large Outdoors

Legal name

Large Outdoors Limited

Website

https://largeoutdoors.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Large Outdoors Limited is a privately held UK walking community and tour operator founded in 2008 that organizes fully guided group walking holidays, weekends, wild swimming trips, and car-free adventures across England, Scotland, and Wales, primarily serving solo adult travellers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Guided Walking Tours

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

Hiking, Trekking & Mountain Guiding (THAJABAA), Multi-Activity & Expedition Packages (Guided Adventure Trips) (THAJABAL)

Keywords

• Guided walking holidays
• Outdoor adventure tours
• Wild swimming holidays
• Group walking breaks
• Car-free walking trips

Headquarters

HQ city

Malton

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Walking Experience Bookings: Revenue generated from per-person bookings for guided walking trips including weekends, short breaks, and longer holidays. Pricing varies by trip duration, accommodation type, and experience level. Deposit system (typically 20%) available for multi-day bookings made more than 12 weeks in advance, with balance due 10 weeks before departure. Advance Saver ticket types offered at reduced prices with stricter terms.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Large Outdoors organises and delivers guided group walking holidays, weekends, short breaks, wild swimming trips, car-free adventures, and rock climbing experiences across England, Scotland, and Wales. The company handles all aspects of the trip including route planning, qualified guiding, accommodation, meals, and transport, targeting adults aged 18+ with an emphasis on solo travellers seeking a sociable, club-like experience.

Product overview

Large Outdoors is a UK-based walking community and tour operator offering fully guided walking experiences across England, Scotland, and Wales. The company operates a single unified service model centred around guided group walking trips rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. Its core product portfolio includes Walking Holidays (multi-day scenic and mountain experiences), Walking Weekends and Short Breaks (2-3 nights), Wild Swimming Holidays, Car-Free Trips, Rock Climbing Experiences, Day Experiences, Midweek Walking Breaks, and the National Three Peaks in Three Days challenge. Trips are structured around five walking grade levels (Leisurely, Leisurely Plus, Active, Active Plus, and Specialist Formats including Winter Walking, Scrambling, and Wild Camping), with accommodation options ranging from shared dormitories to private single, twin, and double rooms. The company handles all route planning, guiding, accommodation, and transport logistics, targeting adults aged 18+ with emphasis on solo travellers and social, club-like atmosphere.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Guided Walking Holidays

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 16 years operating guided walking trips across the UK

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Wilderness Scotland: Scotland-based guided adventure operator offering walking, hiking, and wild swimming trips across the Scottish Highlands and Islands. Closely comparable to Large Outdoors in guided small-group walking, wild swimming, and Scotland-focused product, with similar adult outdoor enthusiast targeting.
• Inntravel: UK-based slow-travel and walking holiday specialist offering self-guided and escorted walking trips across the UK and Europe. Comparable in adult leisure traveller targeting and multi-day walking holiday product, with overlap in car-free and off-the-beaten-path itineraries.
• Macs Adventure: UK specialist in self-guided and guided walking holidays across the UK and Europe. Comparable to Large Outdoors in UK walking holiday market and solo-adult customer base, though predominantly self-guided rather than fully guided with a leader.
• Country Walkers: US-originated guided walking holiday operator offering small-group walking trips in the UK, Europe, and beyond. Comparable in fully guided small-group walking format, adult leisure traveller targeting, and multi-day itinerary structure, though primarily serving a North American customer base.
• Walkers' Britain: UK-based operator offering self-guided and guided walking holidays across Britain, including the Lake District, Scotland, and Wales. Comparable in UK destination mix, walking holiday product, and adult leisure traveller market, with similar trip durations and accommodation bundles.
• Ramble Worldwide: UK-based guided walking holiday operator offering small-group escorted tours across the UK and worldwide. Directly comparable to Large Outdoors in guided small-group walking format, UK destination focus, and adult traveller targeting, though with broader international reach.
• Sherpa Expeditions: UK-based walking and trekking holiday operator with guided and self-guided formats across the UK and internationally. Comparable in multi-day guided walking offering and adult leisure traveller market, with overlap in Lake District, Yorkshire Dales, and Scotland destinations.
• HF Holidays: One of the UK's largest walking holiday operators offering guided group walking breaks across Britain and Europe. Closely comparable to Large Outdoors in product (guided walking weekends, multi-day holidays) and target market (UK adult walking community), though HF Holidays is significantly larger and operates a members' co-operative model.
• Contours Walking Holidays: UK-based operator offering self-guided and guided walking holidays primarily in the UK. Comparable in UK destination focus and walking holiday product mix, though differs on guided-led format versus Large Outdoors' fully led small-group model.

Broad incumbents

• Exodus Travels: Large UK-based adventure travel operator offering guided walking, trekking, and activity holidays worldwide. Overlaps with Large Outdoors in guided small-group walking and adventure experience market, but operates at much greater scale and breadth with a worldwide portfolio.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/largeoutdoors
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/large-outdoors-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Large Outdoors