Frequently asked questions

How do I get tickets?

Tickets are sold through the Student Union.
You need to have an account set up with them to buy your ticket.
If you are not a University of Manchester student, you need to make an associate member account with them.

pricing

Tickets are cheaper if you are a member with us.

Day Trips are £16.50 for members, £23.50 for non-members
Weekend Trip prices depend on the specific trip but they are usually around £60 - £70 for members and more expensive for non-members.
We also run special holiday trips, one in December and one at Easter. You can find more information on these on the Instagram closer to the dates.
We also do challenge hikes, the Welsh 3000s and the Yorkshire 3 Peaks, these are the same price as weekend trips but the hikes are very challenging.

Ticket Releases

12:00 pm Monday for Day trips
7:00 pm Monday for Weekend trips (Including challenge hikes)

IMPORTANT

As demand is so high to come hiking with us, you need to be on the Student Union's website ready to buy the ticket as soon as they come out. We usually sell out in around 2 minutes!

How do you accommodate for different skill levels?

On Day Trips, we accommodate different skill levels by offering 4 hike levels. These range from Hike 4, for people new to hiking, to Hike 1, for more experienced hikers. Each hike level has two hike leaders who will guide you on the route and help if there are any complications, ensuring you're in safe, experienced hands while hiking with us.

We recommend that first-time participants choose an easier hike than they might expect. This allows you to get a sense of our difficulty levels and what it's like hiking with us. To sign up for a specific hike number, we'll take your name on the coach after announcing details of each hike, allowing you to choose the most suitable one for you.

It's worth mentioning that our hikes are peer-led, meaning we're not legally responsible if you hurt yourself. However, injuries are very rare if you follow proper precautions and have the right equipment. You can read here the Equipment list.

Hike 1 and 2 sometimes involve scrambling, which is outdoor rock climbing usually without safety protection. If you're interested in these hikes, make sure you're confident on the mountain and can prove to us with prior experience that you're capable.

Remember, the mountain can be very dangerous, so please be careful!

What equipment do I need?

You will need ankle support boots, suitable trousers (No Jeans!), waterproof coat and some lunch! There is more equipment you can take to be more comfortable on the mountain, you can read here the Equipment list.

How does the winter trip work?

Our annual Christmas Trip to Nethy is taking place from 13th-18th of December this year, and will be an incredible week filled with merry-making, socialising and fabulous winter walking! It’s our biggest trip of the year.

Attendance at a winter skills evening on Wednesday 27th November at 7pm, in University Place, is mandatory. You will also need to bring either B1 or B2 boots, as we will be fitting crampons, which are required for winter mountaineering.

Tickets will cost £180 and we require a £75 deposit (remaining balance to be paid in 2 weeks), you will join us for 5 nights on the adventure of a lifetime in Scotland’s beautiful Highlands. We are staying at Cairngorms Lodge this year.

Included in the price is: Transport, accommodation, food (breakfast, lunch and dinner), winter kit (ice axes and crampons) and a winter skills training day.

We will be leaving Manchester at 8am on Friday 13th December. If you are unable to set off at this time, please email:

hiking@manchesterstudentsunion.com

We will also be arriving late back to Manchester on Wednesday 18th December, depending on traffic.

How long are the hikes?

The coach leaves Manchester around 8:30 am and we finish hiking around 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm depending on what time your hike ends. Usually we have time to relax at the local pub while we wait for all hikes to finish. Perfect time for a pint and some chips!

How do weekend trips work?

We leave Manchester on Friday around 6:00 pm from Ackers Street or Fallowfield Sainsbury's parking and drive to the hostel. You will be assigned to a van beforehand. We sleep in a shared room with your other fellow hikers with individual beds, we do not camp on club weekend trips, however for some hostels you will need sleeping bag. We will then have two days of hiking and come back into Manchester late on Sunday. For information on what to bring to weekend trips, you can refer to the Equipment list.

Can I do my own route?

Unfortunately not. We run 4 Hike levels with a variety of interesting routes accommodating for different skill levels. We do not allow for people to individually do their own routes.

How does Membership work?

Membership can be bought for one term or two terms of the academic year. Membership gives you access to cheaper tickets and BMC insurance. If you are thinking of hiking regularly with us we strongly recommend you get Membership, however if you want to come for only a couple hikes a year it is possible to come on the hikes without Membership. For more information see the Membership information.

Do I need experience hiking?

No experience needed! We run a variety of hikes and we want everyone to experience the great sights around the UK, you do need any experience hiking. You do need ankle support boots, suitable trousers (no jeans), waterproof coat and some lunch! You can read here the Equipment list.

How many people go on trips?

We take one coach which holds around 60 people for Day Trips. For Weekend / Challenge trips we take around 35 people but this depends on what hostel we will stay in.

Where do you go hiking?

We go hiking in North Wales and in the Lake district! We go to a variety of locations which you can see in the Schedule.

How does the coach work?

There are three locations that the coach picks up people from, you will get an email about these locations when you buy a day ticket with us.

The locations are:

Fallowfield campus 8:00 am
Student union at 8:10 am
Weston Hall at 8:20 am.

Be sure to get to your stop early and aim to be there 15 minutes before to make sure the coach can leave on time.

For the return journey, the coach will drop off people in that same order, so Fallowfield, then Student Union, then Weston Hall. This will be around 8pm, however this time varies as different hikes finish at different times.

I am not a UoM student, can I still go?

Absolutely! You will need to make an associate member account with the Student union and you can come hiking with us as well as join any other UoM society!

Should I go if I don’t know anyone in the society?

Come along! Hiking is a great place to meet friends, you will spend a whole day with your hiking group and get to know new people from all sorts of backgrounds. People in the society are really friendly, come along!

How safe is it to go hiking?

It is very safe as long as you are following your hike leader's instructions and if you are unsure of anything, let your hike leaders know as soon as possible. Be sure to research what equipment you might need to go hiking. Injuries are very unlikely if proper precaution is taken. You can read here the Equipment list.

Hiking is too expensive for me, is there any support?

Yes! The student union has an access to recreation grant that you can apply for!

How do I get involved with how the society is run?

You can join our committee meetings every monday! Details are posted on the Instagram about when and where. Usually the meetings are hosted at the Students Union at 8:00 pm in room 2.2

How do I stay updated on events happening with the society?

The best way to get up to date information is the Instagram, here you can find all the latest information on the socials and upcoming hikes.

UMHC HISTORY

UMHC turns 20 this year (2024). In 2004, UMIST (University of Manchester Insitute of Science and Technology) and the Victoria University of Manchester merged, forming The University of Manchester. As a result the UMIST Hiking and Mountaineering Club and Manchester University Hiking Club merged. The merging process involved pulling together two clubs who did the same thing (i.e. go hiking) but in different ways, and numerous meetings took place to "work out how to do it": to maintain traditions and events of both clubs, ensure the club was accessible to all in the "new" university and most importantly, make sure we could all keep going hiking and making friends with others who shared an interest in the hills and outdoors.

After the merger there were still two distinct campuses, one for each of the two (formerly separate) universities, hence there were 2 positions for many of the committee roles, to have a rep from each campus. To keep parity, the Chair was from the old UMIST club, Andrew Nelms and vice-chair the old Manchester club, Mark Owen. (Link to full post)