Frequently Asked Questions.

Walks

Q. How long do the walking tours last?

A. Normally around 1½ hours but, depending on the interest shown and questions asked, a walk could take up to 2 hours.

Q. What sort of distance will I have to walk?

A. Some walks are slightly longer than others, but a good average would be around 1km (¾ mile).

Q. Could persons with walking difficulties handle such a walk?

A. Generally speaking, yes they could, because there are frequent stopping places built into the walks. However, you should take into account the fact that walks that include visits to vaults entail negotiating some uneven steps.

Q. Could wheelchair-bound persons be accommodated on a walk?

A. Yes they could, as we have worked out alternative routes for most of the parts of the walks that could cause them some difficulties. However, as above, bear in mind the difficulties presented by our ‘vaults’ walks.

Q. Would hard of hearing persons be able to hear what was being said by the guides?

A. This would depend on the severity of a person’s aural impairment, but as long as he/she lets the guide know about their difficulty, our guide will be able to direct his or her commentary in that person’s direction. We also take pride in the fact that all of our guides are well trained in effective voice projection.

Q. I understand that parts of some walks entail walking along the tops of the medieval walls. Is this safe and what about persons who are afraid of heights?

A. Southampton’s medieval wall walks conform to normal heath and safety standards in every possible way. For those who do not wish to traverse the above ground level sections of the walks, we have alternative ground-level routes that still enable them to follows what’s going on above them.

Q. Do all of your walks start and end at the same place?

A. Some do, but generally speaking, no. However, your guide will give you very clear guidance on the shortest route back to your starting point which, in any case, is usually just a short distance away.

Q. Do guides expect gratuities?

A. Certainly not. However, if you want to show your appreciation to your guide in the form of a small, discretely given, gratuity this will be gratefully accepted but, we repeat, will certainly not be expected of you.

Coach and Driver/Guide Tours

Q. Can we come in our own coach?

A. Yes, that’s what we normally expect to happen. You would then pick up and drop off our guide at a pre-arranged and mutually convenient point.

Q. Is our guide the same one that guides us around our feature destination/place of interest?

A. Normally yes, though in some rare instances you might be expected to use and pay for an ‘in-house’ guide at that place of interest.

Q. Are we expected to pay the entrance fees to places of interest for the guide, as well as ourselves and, if so, does the same apply for lunches/refreshment?

A. Yes to both questions – it is standard practice in the guiding world. The only exception to the ‘refreshment rule’ would be in the case of individual members of your group having to purchase their own refreshments. In such cases, our guide would be expected to do likewise.

Q. Would our guide be referring to points of interest en route to our ultimate destination?

A. Yes. So please make sure that your coach comes equipped with a public address system for this purpose.

‘Armchair’ Tours

Q. Do we have to provide specialist visual aid equipment?

A. No. All our speakers come equipped with projector, projector stand and screen. All we ask of you is that provide ‘black-out’ facilities, such as curtains. A cup of tea at the outset or during any interval would also be nice and much appreciated.

Q. Will there be a chance for questions?

A. Yes, of course. You will, however, need to mention this to your speaker, to enable him/her to plan in a time allowance within the allotted speaking time

Payment

Q. When do we pay for Southampton Tourist Guides Association’s services?

A. At the time of booking our Bookings Secretary will send you a Confirmation of Booking Form and an Invoice. The two documents are sent together, purely for our own administrative convenience and we do not expect payment from you until much closer to the date of your event – in most cases this would be 2 to 3 weeks in advance.

Q. Does STGA accept Credit/Debit card payment?

A. Unfortunately not. Because of the nature of our business, we are only able to accept payment by cheque or bank credit transfer (details are shown on our invoice). In exceptional cases, e.g. very late bookings, our guides will accept payment in cash, but this can only be agreed in advance between yourselves and our Bookings Secretary.

Any other questions?

Then please e-mail: info@stga.org.uk