Inside Trek’s Andrew McGowan shares the secrets to holidaying sustainably
Andrew MaGowan started Inside Trek to offer personalised hiking and trekking experiences and encourage people to explore the beauty of Northern Ireland sustainably.
Andrew is no stranger to the eco-conscious mindset and spends time re-learning the landscape, communities, and people of Northern Ireland to truly get to the bottom of what it means to love the land place and people. For him, that is the secret to sustainable tourism.
With eco-tourism and sustainable tourism now a major talking point within the industry, all of Inside Trek’s tours are undertaken with sustainability in mind.
What does Inside Trek offer?
These unique tours cover some of Northern Ireland’s most spectacular hikes, walks and trails as part of their exclusive and tailored tours across the land built by giants. Inside Trek tours can range from two hours to ten hours in duration and the hikes are combined across as many activity days and rest days as is required. All tours are hand-picked by local experts creating a multi-activity experience for the guest that can take in anything from the Antrim Hills, Belfast, the Mournes or the North Antrim Coast.
Inside Trek began its journey in 2020, and after many stops and starts this past year, is reopening for shorter half-day and day long tours in 2021 with the aim of offering multiple day-tours with local hotel partnerships across Northern Ireland from next year.
The tours are bespoke, and exclusive to each guest with the itinerary tailored to each group. Starting price for a half-day tour is £50 per person, with a full day hike going from £85 per person.
Andrew on Sustainable Tourism
Andrew comments, “For me, sustainable tourism is about balancing the respect for community, the land, and the local people while still providing a positive experience for guests.”
“It’s not just about plastic pickups or making donations on behalf of Inside Trek to environmental charities – all of which we do– it’s also about fostering that respect in our guests for where we come from, our impact on the land and our surroundings, and the trace we leave behind.”
“On our bespoke tours, designed by the guests to suit their desired challenge level, stories of the environment, the heritage, the ecology, the histories all make up a big part of the storytelling experience we offer to our guests. Everything from the locally made hiking gear from the outdoor shop down the road in Ballymena, to the emphasis on living more purposefully, we like to think our tours leave guests with a new attitude and a new awareness.”
To get in touch with Andrew about your next giant bespoke tour email andrew@theinsidetrek.com or visit www.discovernorthernireland.com to find out more.
