Media Release: Challenge yourself to Maggie’s Monster Bike and Hike and then stay in a SYHA hostel

WONDERING what to do with your Bank Holiday weekend in 2012?

Why not enter the Maggie’s Monster Bike and Hike! Challenge yourself to an amazing outdoor adventure in the Scottish Highlands on 5 and 6 May.

The event is a 24-hour team challenge event, including cycling 30 miles and then hiking eight, 23 or 41 miles.

The route takes you past some splendid scenery and ideally located along the route are SYHA Youth Hostels in Glencoe, Glen Nevis, Loch Ness and Inverness offering a ten per cent discount to all Maggie’s Monster Bike and Hike participants.

Keith Legge, chief executive at SYHA Hostelling Scotland, said: “We are delighted to offer this discount to those taking part in Maggie’s Bike and Hike.

“It sounds like a big challenge and we are very pleased to be able to provide a warm comfortable bed for the night.

“Good luck to all those taking part!”

Georgina Bushell, Maggies Centres’ event manager, said: “This is a fantastic deal that SYHA are offering our participants.

“We pull out all the stops to ensure that the Monster weekend is great fun and that each and every one of our participants is well looked after.

“Having a nice place to stay at a discounted rate will certainly add to that experience.

“I hope people will sign up with their friends and families soon and get booked into their SYHA accommodation.”

Visit www.hostellingscotland.com or call the Reservations Team on 0845 293 73 73 for more details. Terms and Conditions apply.

ENDS

Note to Editors:

SYHA is an 80 year-old charity which provides youth hostelling accommodation for the education, health and wellbeing of people in Scotland and beyond.

SYHA currently has a network of around 65 Youth Hostels, including 25 independently-run affiliate hostels.

As a not-for-profit organisation, any income generated from the provision of youth hostelling is invested back into the network of Youth Hostels in Scotland.

SYHA is open to all and offers free membership to young people under the age of 16 along with those in full time education.

We are part of the Hostelling International Network which offers affordable and accessible opportunities to visit locations in 80 countries across the world.

SYHA is the largest budget accommodation provider in Scotland.

SYHA hosts on average 500,000 guests annually bringing people to Scotland from all over the world.

VisitScotland estimates that SYHA contributes over £24m pa to the local tourism economy.

SYHA Hostelling Scotland has a network of 71 hostels throughout Scotland, including 25 affiliate hostels.

The charity’s Youth Hostels serve most of the country’s most desirable destinations, from key urban locations to breathtaking rural areas, including some of Scotland’s most remote, and enticing, beauty spots.

The charity listens to members’ and customer’s feedback and in response to the evolving market, now provides many more single, twin and family rooms with en-suite facilities, in addition to traditional multi-occupancy accommodation.

Affordable travel is part of the founding ethos of SYHA, and this stands today, with an average nightly cost of only £16 for dormitory accommodation or £20 per person in a private room.

Recent figures suggest hostelling is proving popular for the ‘staycation’ market. In 2010, 33 per cent of overnight guests were Scottish, 27 per cent British and Irish, 29 per cent European and 11 per cent other international visitors.

SYHA Hostelling Scotland is part of the VisitScotland Hostel Quality Assurance Scheme and the largest participant in the Green Tourism Business Scheme in Scotland.

Maggie’s Centres offer a programme of free-of-charge emotional and practical support to help people to cope with the devastating consequences of cancer. The support is available for the person with cancer, as well as their family, carers and friends.

Maggie’s have ten centres open across the UK, with five more in planning stages. Of those ten, six are based in Scotland.

2012 will be the ninth year of the Maggie’s Monster Bike and Hike, with the event having raised over £4million for Maggie’s Centres to date.

Over 5.000 people have taken part in the event in teams of friends, families and colleagues.

To find out more about Maggie’s and Monster 2012 call Maggie’s Supporter Care Team on 0300 123 1801, e-mail monster@maggiescentres.org or visit www.maggiescentres.org/monster.

www.hostellingscotland.com

MEDIA RELEASE posted by SYHA. You too can post media releases (aka press releases) on allmediascotland.com. For more information, email here.

Contact: Roanna Laverty
Phone: 01786 891400
Email: rlaverty@syha.org.uk
Website: http://www.hostellingscotland.com