FCA authorised · FRN 724952 0117 325 0027Quote & buy →
Visitor attractions
Adventure activities licensing is the statutory scheme requiring providers who sell caving, climbing, trekking or watersports to under-18s in Great Britain to hold a licence. It matters for insurance because a licence shows your safety management has been inspected, but it is not cover: you still need liability insurance, and insurers will usually ask whether you need a licence and hold one.
Part of: Visitor attraction insurance
In short
The scheme comes from the Activity Centres (Young Persons’ Safety) Act 1995 and the Adventure Activities Licensing Regulations 2004, and has run since April 1996. Anyone who provides in-scope adventure activities to young people under 18 in return for payment needs a licence. The four activities are caving, climbing, trekking and watersports, each tightly defined; climbing walls, ropes courses and rowing boats are outside it. Exemptions include schools working with their own pupils, voluntary associations with their own members, and young people accompanied by a parent or guardian. The Adventure Activities Licensing Authority (AALA) issues licences.
Last reviewed 7 October 2026 by the Apex commercial team.
The scheme rests on a short Act and a set of regulations made under it.
Each activity has a technical definition. If an activity sits outside it, no licence is needed, though general health and safety law still applies.
| Activity | In scope (HSE examples) | Out of scope |
|---|---|---|
| Caving | Exploring underground passages in disused mines or natural caves where special skills, equipment or techniques are needed | Show caves open to the public |
| Climbing | Rock climbing, abseiling, ice climbing, gorge walking, ghyll scrambling and sea-level traversing on natural terrain or outdoor structures not built for climbing | Climbing walls, abseiling towers and ropes courses |
| Trekking | Journeys on foot, horse, bike or skis over moorland or ground above 600 metres, more than 30 minutes’ travel from a road or refuge: hill walking, fell running, orienteering, pony trekking, off-road cycling, off-piste skiing | Skiing on a prepared and marked-out ski run |
| Watersports | Canoeing, kayaking, dragon boating, white-water and improvised rafting, sailing, windsurfing and wave skiing on the waters the Regulations specify | Rowing boats, motor-powered craft, and vessels needing a Merchant Shipping Act certificate |
HSE puts the test in one sentence: “Anyone who provides, in return for payment, adventure activities within the scope of the Licensing Regulations to young people under 18, is required by law to hold a licence.”
Payment is read widely. HSE says it includes indirect payment, so instruction described as “free” but bundled with accommodation, transport or equipment hire still counts.
HSE lists these situations where no licence is needed:
HSE also notes specific exemptions for some RYA sailing instruction and for Ministry of Defence personnel.
These examples are illustrative, not real cases.
A licence and an insurance policy answer different questions. The licence says your safety management has been inspected. The policy pays when something goes wrong and you are legally liable, subject to its terms.
| Risk | Cover usually engaged | Where gaps appear |
|---|---|---|
| Participant injured through poor supervision or instruction | Public liability | Activities missing from the declared list; age limits; activities abroad |
| Advice, course design or risk assessments you provide for others | Professional indemnity | Public liability commonly excludes advice given for a fee |
| Participant hurt with no one at fault | Personal accident, paying set benefits regardless of fault | Benefit levels; whether participants, staff and volunteers are all included |
| Instructor or staff injury | Employers’ liability, compulsory for most employers in Great Britain | Freelancers treated as employees for insurance purposes |
| Boats, harnesses, bikes lost or damaged | Equipment or all risks cover | Theft from vehicles; equipment in use on water |
Waivers. A consumer contract term or notice cannot exclude liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence (Consumer Rights Act 2015, s.65(1)), and the same applies to business contracts such as school bookings (Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977, s.2(1)). Participation forms are still useful as a record that risks were explained.
Context counts. In England and Wales, a court may consider whether requiring a precaution would stop a desirable activity from happening (Compensation Act 2006, s.1). That shapes the standard of care; it does not remove it.
If this affects your business, these are the points a broker will ask about:
Speak to a broker
Activity provider cover, placed by a named broker
Send us your current schedule, or tell us about the property if you are arranging cover for the first time. Or leave your number and a named broker will call you back, usually the same working day.
Apex Insurance Brokers is an independent insurance broker based in Bristol, established in 2009 and authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. We are not tied to one insurer: we work with over 30 markets, including Lloyd’s syndicates through wholesale brokers, and every client has a named broker who handles the placement, mid-term changes, certificates for clients and the renewal.
You need one if you provide caving, climbing, trekking or watersports, as defined in the 2004 Regulations, to people under 18 in return for payment, with instruction or leadership. You don’t if you serve adults only, hire equipment without instruction, or fall within an exemption such as a school with its own pupils.
Licences are issued by the Adventure Activities Licensing Authority (AALA), and information about the scheme is published on HSE’s website. Under the 1995 Act, the Secretary of State designates the licensing authority, and only someone nominated by the Health and Safety Executive can be designated.
No. HSE says climbing walls, abseiling towers and ropes courses are exempt from licensing. Operators still owe visitors a duty of care and have health and safety duties to non-employees, so liability insurance and safety management still matter.
HSE’s pages on the licence describe safety conditions and the inspector’s report rather than insurance. In practice, schools, councils and landowners commonly ask for evidence of public liability cover, and insurers usually ask whether you need a licence and hold one.
A waiver cannot exclude liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence: the Consumer Rights Act 2015 s.65 applies to consumer bookings, and the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 s.2 to business ones. A signed form can still show the risks were explained.
Apex arranges liability, personal accident and equipment cover for activity providers. Tell us what you run and for whom, and we’ll find cover that fits. Or call 0117 325 0027.
Start your quote Call 0117 325 0027Apex Insurance Brokers Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered in England and Wales, company number 07014570. This page is general information, not advice on your individual circumstances. Cover is always subject to the insurer’s acceptance and the policy terms, and this page does not guarantee that cover will be available or on what terms.
