Sustainability and Foot Trails
At Foot Trails, we care deeply about the countryside and the communities of South West England. This corner of the UK is our home, and we love spending time in it as much as our guests do.
Which is why we do our utmost to preserve and protect this beautiful landscape, support local communities and minimise the impact of our business activities in this idyllic part of the South West.
Our guests play an amazingly valuable part in this journey. Here are just a handful of the things we and our guests are doing by choosing Foot Trails.
Working with others who share our ethos and values
We establish strong ties with local partners and suppliers who share the same ethos and values as us. Companies that are firmly embedded in local communities, provide important local jobs and care about the countryside as much as we do. We have worked with the vast majority of our inns, drivers and other suppliers for years, and monitoring, maintaining and strengthening these relationships is a key part of the work we do. By choosing Foot Trails, you, our guests, are helping to support an important part of the local community and key providers of local jobs. You can also be sure that the people we work with care about you and your holiday as much as we do.
Circular economy
Every guest or group who walks with us receives a Walk & Explore Box that contains everything you need for your walking adventure in South West England. We use responsible methods and materials to produce these boxes. Each one is made of recycled material, and we use recycled paper to pack our trail cards and maps. We also encourage our guests to leave their Walk & Explore Box and any unwanted content with their inns at the end of the walk so we can reuse and/or recycle the contents.
Respecting the countryside
Through our extensive trail guides, notes, guides and nature identification cards, you’ll learn about rural England, its history and ways. This makes for a richer walking experience, one where you are immersed in the nature and culture of the rural South West. It also fosters a greater respect for our countryside and communities.
In each of our Walk & Explore guests can learn more about the countryside and the different organisations (& farmers!) who act as custodians of the natural & working environments, and the history and culture, of South West England.
Public transport
We make it easy for you to travel using public transport should you wish. We’ll help you find the best public transport routes to and from your walk, and will support you with booking local taxis, and any other queries you may have in the run-up to and during your trip. In short, we do everything we can to take the stress out of navigating unfamiliar public transport systems and booking platforms for a more relaxed, stress-free holiday.
Protecting the landscape
We take you off the beaten path to walk in peaceful countryside away from busy national trails. This helps reduce overcrowding, soil erosion and vegetation damage, protecting the wonderful countryside of South West England. It also means you discover a more authentic side of rural England. Our grass-roots approach immerses you in peaceful, tranquil countryside, enabling you to truly switch off from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
Supporting local communities
We want you to experience the culture of England first hand, which is why we weave in as many local inns, cafes and shops, who also serve their local communities, as possible. In the evenings, when you sit down to enjoy an evening meal at your host inns you’ll be among the local community, getting unique insight into the culture and people of South West England. We believe this provides a unique and much more enjoyable experience.
Environmentally friendly printing
To dramatically reduce our environmental impact, our promotional materials are printed digitally on FSC® certified paper using a CO2-neutral press powered by 100% renewable resources and achieving zero-waste to landfill. Our printer’s print production systems are registered to ISO 14001 and ISO 9001. They are a B Corp certified business and a SEDEX member.
Giving back to the community
Foot Trails pays a monthly membership fee to a social business that supports community entrepreneurship in Somerset. This enterprise supports educational programmes, events, and partnership projects that have a meaningful impact on local communities in Somerset. This includes initiatives to build skills and confidence for those not engaged in mainstream education or work as well as projects that create practical solutions to global challenges and local issues at grassroots level. Through our support here, we strive to give back to the community in which our business is embedded.
Reducing our carbon footprint
In June 2024, Foot Trails purchased an electric pool car. From June 2024 to 8 April 2025, this car has been driven 7807 miles by our team to visit guests & suppliers, travel between the different Foot Trails offices and drive to check routes in Somerset, Wiltshire, Dorset and the Cotswolds. Helping us to further reduce our carbon and impact on the environment.
Dreams of walking in rural England?
We are always delighted to hear from you.
Contact us using our online form.
