United Kingdom

UK Tuk Tuk Adventure

Explore some of the UK's most beautiful countryside from the comfort of..... A TUK-TUK.

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Overview

Welcome to the UK Tuk-Tuk Challenge! It’s finally happening folks. The finest vehicle known to man has crossed the Himalayas, traversed central and Asia, navigated Europe, swam across the channel and is now here in the United Kingdom. That’s right, there are now tuk-tuk’s living and breathing right here in the UK. Our next job is to stick a bunch of them together and drive them across some of the most beautiful scenery England and Wales has to offer, drink the finest ales in the land all in the company of the most elite drivers this country has ever produced. Obviously the ale drinking and tuk-tuk driving wont be done simultaneously (did we need to mention that??). See, we love rickshaws and we love adventures. So we thought we’d take our extremely successful rickshaw rally format – in which, you drive around a country as part of a team and complete challenges to accrue points – and apply it right here in the UK. It’ll kick-off from somewhere central, then wind up, down, under and around this incredible little island, before eventually arriving back somewhere else central, like a big, fat, self-drive boomerang. And there it is. The UK Tuk-Tuk Challenge is born. Are we good or what?

Highlights

Legs and Challenges

Legs and Challenges

The Challenge is broken up into various driving legs. Each team gets a road map and a daily navigational sheet, which they’ll use to get from A to B each day. The winning team isn’t the team that finishes first, it’s the one that accumulates the most Challenge points. How do you get points? By nailing various challenges, we set you along the way.

The Tuk Tuk

The Tuk Tuk

Ah, the humble Indian rickshaw, or “Auto” as they’re sometimes known as, is the original tin can on wheels. These are standard issue, Indian-made, british modified (off course we’ve gone and added seatbelts) rickshaws. And they’re freak’n awesome!

Accommodation

Accommodation

Getting dirty when you have a nice bed to look forward to is fun; getting dirty when all you have to look forward to is more dirt is no fun at all. That’s why we like to look after you after a hard day on the open road: We’re not going all downton abbey on you but it will be very clean and have very comfortable pillows. Step aside Lenny Henry, we’re coming for you. Premier Inn it is all the way (maybe). What say you? We’ll also chuck in a world famous English breakfast each day for good measure. Oh, and did someone say country pub? We will end this all with a banquet fit for the queen in quaint English pub.

Sponsors & Partners

Mechanical Support

Mechanical Support

We are delighted to be working with our good friends over at Tuk Tuk UK who will be providing us with a support vehicle and expert Mechanic for the duration of the Challenge. There really is only one place to look if you ever need to buy a tuk-tuk in the UK and that is the one and only TUK TUK UK! Needless to say, if you whisper the words Large Minority to them they might even give you a little discount.

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 Charity Partners

Charity Partners

We are delighted to be supporting the Rosie May Foundation. To see all the amazing work they do (allot of it tuk-tuk related) hop over to their website and check them out. We will be donating 10% of all registration fees to them and on top of that, we at Large Minority will not be taking any profit from this event, any excess funds that are left over from running this event will be transferred to the Rosie May Foundation 14 days after the event.

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Route Planning

Route Planning

We would like to extend our thanks to James Warren for his time helping us create a fantastic route. If you would like to see more of James’ adventures on a tuk-tuk you can check out his page right here.

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Schedule

Previous

Next

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DAY 1

Start

Checkpoint: Shrewsbury

Accommodation: Albright Hussey Manor Hotel

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DAY 2

Distance Travelled: 120km

Checkpoint: Abergavenny

Accommodation: The Kings Head Hotel

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DAY 3

Distance Travelled: 130km

Checkpoint: Aberystwyth

Accommodation: Premier Inn

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DAY 4

Distance Travelled: 120km

Checkpoint: Shrewsbury

Accommodation: Albright Hussey Manor Hotel

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DAY 5

Departure

From: Shrewsbury

What's Included

What's Included

Daily route briefings and road map.

Accommodation for 2 people (4 nights) in double or twin rooms. 1 room per team.

Welcome feast & 4 delicious locally-made breakfasts.

UK Tuk-Tuk Challenge logistics & legal stuff (mechanics, support team, local permissions, fun challenges & prizes).

Welcome pack (t-shirt, event bag).

10 % contribution to the Rosie May Foundation.

Awards ceremony & farewell gathering.

Rickshaw spare parts and repairs or recovery.

Fuel.

Lunches and extras.

Dinners on all days except first and last night.

Tuk-Tuk start or finish delivery.

UK Adventure

Why the UK?

Our UK Tuk-Tuk Challenge does exactly what it says on the tin. It’s in the UK. It’s challenging (somewhat). And you drive rickshaws. A great big UK adventure is pretty much guaranteed. But really, there’s so much more in the tin than that: there’s castles, cattle grids and sheep, plenty of sheep. If that sounds like your particular cup of tea, read on.

UK Adventure

You'll Be Staying Here

Albright Hussey Manor Hotel

Albright Hussey Manor Hotel

The Kings Head Hotel

The Kings Head Hotel

Premier Inn

Premier Inn

FAQs

Ah, the humble Indian rickshaw, or “Auto” as they’re sometimes known as, is the original tin can on wheels. These are standard issue, Indian-made, british modified (off course we’ve gone and added seatbelts) rickshaws. And they’re freak’n awesome!

They’ve got three wheels (don’t ask us why), an open frame, a canvas roof with drop down sides, a cabin for the driver and two seats in the back. Oh, and an engine: a 4-stroke beast that is probably slightly more powerful than a horse.

Rickshaws have a few advantages: they’re durable, easy to use and very forgiving. They’ll happily handle almost any surface, climate or level of abuse. Their cruising speed is a tasty 35kph (22mph). Their cruising altitude is about one foot.

Warning: Rickshaws can easily roll and flip if not handled correctly. We take safety really seriously on these challenges, and you should know there are inherent risks involved, including potentially life-threatening situations.

Specifications*

  • Engine: 4 stroke engine – 205 cc
  • Petrol tank: 6 litre normal capacity plus 1 litre of reserve
  • Average petrol consumption: 1 litre approx 20 to 25 Km’s
  • Top speed: About 40mph (down hill)

*ALL TUK-TUK’s WELCOME: While this is written with a focus on the classic Bajaj, ALL tuk-tuk’s are off course welcome. So if you have a classic Piaggio Ape or even the zippy Thai tuk-tuk’s the more the merrier!

How does it work?
For a comprehensive answer, go and Google ‘internal combustion engine’. But here are the side notes.

  • The accelerator is found on the right.
  • The clutch and gears are located on the left.
  • The main break is actioned by your right foot.

It’s worth remembering that the UK Tuk-Tuk Challenge is just that – a challenge. This not a race. Also, it’s not like Cake’s seminal 90s hit The Distance. Speed should not be your priority. If anything should be, it’s probably fun.

A team is made up of either 1, 2 or 3 people. One Rickshaw per team. One room per team if you’re paying for accommodation.

Yes you can. Reach out to us on info@largeminority.com to discuss your options. If you choose not to book accommodation the entry fee will be £200. This will cover a donation to our partner charity and only costs to run the event.

Yes, the entry fee for a solo team in 2020 will be £450.

We are very aware that we are living in unprecedented times right now. Dare we say, a whole new world. We will of course be taking all the necessary precautions in regards to social distancing and a full risk assessment will be completed inline with up to date and current COVID-19 guidelines from England and Wales before the start of the challenge. For up to date information please visit the government website.

Yes, our friends over at Tuk-Tuk UK can arrange this for you. Just let us know and we will provide you with a quote.

Yes, we have arranged this service with a lovely man called Steve to do this for you in the week prior and week after the event for a very reasonable fee. Reach out to us on info@largeminority.com for details and a quote. Guideline prices for 2020 below:

  • 0-100 mile radius: £175.00 return
  • 100-150 mile radius £190.00 return
  • 150-200 mile radius £210.00 return
  • 200-300 mile radius £260.00 return
  • 300+: contact us.

Yes.

Yes, we just ask that if you do you make a small contribution of £50 per day to cover the mechanical support. Anything left over we will donate to the partner charity.

Don’t worry, you don’t have to strap suitcases to the roof of your tuk-tuk. We’ve got a luggage truck that will follow us around. Each morning you’ll load it up with your heavy bags, and each night we’ll hand it back at our hotel. Job done. Simples.

We will have a team of mechanics following (in the loosest possible definition) our route. We encourage you to fix your own breakdowns but we will only be a phone call away should you need our help.

Spares need to be paid for by you.

In true Large Minority fashion we will be adding in a few ‘challenges’ along the way. These are all optional and no teams are obliged to participate in them. There will be daily prizes (maybe a free beer). Challenges are usually a combination of photographic, video, physical (not very), cultural, social and language based themes. Think Race Across the World meets Amazing Race and then take out all the annoying video cameras and scripts. There you have it, all in the name of good old fashioned fun.

Definitely! We love to see teams going the extra mile to raise money for charity. If you need more info on this, just let us know.

Easy peasy. Here’s how:

  1. Sign up.
  2. Pay your initial deposit.

Once you’ve done all that successfully, we’ll send you an email with lots of exclamation marks confirming your team’s availability.

14 days before the Challenge.

That´s up to you. There will be no fixed route but only a suggested one, you’re as free as our macaw.

A fine local pub will be suggested by us each day but stopping and lunching will be completely optional.

We try to stick to the original route and accommodation as much as possible, but they can be subject to change from time to time, especially with the current uncertainty surrounding COVID-19.

  • Only 10% deposit required to signup.
  • Outstanding amount is required 45 days before the start of Challenge.
  • 45+ days before the challenge starts: Loss of deposit
  • 44-30 days before the challenge starts: 50%
  • 29 days or less before the challenge starts: 100%

For more information please refer to our Booking Terms & Conditions.

UK Tuk Tuk Adventure

United Kingdom·4 nights

FROM$0