Hitch & Hike closing - clearance stock still available

Pegasus

Administrator
Staff member
A message from Shaun and Angela, John and Jane at Hitch & Hike:

From a week ago:

Hello All!

If we haven't seen you for a while you may not have heard. We'll be closing our doors for the final time late this August. We made the decision in December and it's hard to believe the time is almost here. The last six months have flown by! In fact the last 33 years have flown by!! If you're in the area between now and then we'll be here and would like to see you before we go. We still have some stock and some clearance lines so if you need anything there's time yet! If we don't see you before - thank you for your custom over the last 33 years! We've had lots of fun and made many friends so hopefully we'll keep in touch out on the hills.
Angela, Shaun, John and Jane.


...and today:

Hello everyone,
It's a week now since we announced our closure. It's been good to see everyone who's called by and we have received so many nice emails and comments. The social side of running the shop is something we'll really miss! We still have some stock, all on clearance, so if you need anything there's still time. Though if you're travelling any distance it would be wise to phone first to check what we've got!
Angela & Shaun.


On a personal note, I'd like to wish Angela and Shaun + family all the very best for the future.  I was one of their Reps/Agents for many, many years and they were one of the best customers I dealt with + of course, really lovely people, Jane  :)
 

littlelegs

New member
Sad News, Used to hire our lights from them when we were scouts and brought my first full set of caving gear from them. Always very helpful and friendly advice.
All the best for the next adventure!!!
 

RobinGriffiths

Well-known member
That's a shame. Used to pop in on the way home from the inlaws to buy Descent backissues.

TBH, the shop in Hope was more convenient than the one next to the High Peak garden centre, although that had a plus in being a location in John Shuttleworth's 500 Bus Stops (a tad too many).
 

paul

Moderator
Jo Royle Outdoor in Buxton, Cotswolds Outdoor in Bakwell, Outside and AlpKit in Hathersage are outdoor gear shops in the Peak District, none specialising in caving gear though - for that there's only Caving Supplies in Buxton.
 

Scud

Member
martinr said:
Did they sponsor the Peak District Caving website,? It seems to have gone (the registration expired) but an archive copy can be found using Wayback Machine

Shaun tells me that the website is now offline as he has closed one of his business accounts but don't worry, we won't loose the domain name and Shaun has all his current data backed up.

After discussions with Shaun at Hitch N Hike, Derbyshire Caving Association (DCA) are taking on the ownership of Peak District Caving website, we will keep running this site as an information site, the Derbyshire Cave Registry will be moved to this, surveys and bibliography information will be incorporated etc, and more cave descriptions etc.

We will aim to get this site back up and running as soon as possible

Thanks

Wayne Sheldon
DCA Chairman
 

Pitlamp

Well-known member
I'm dismayed to learn that Hitch 'n Hike will be closing.

I've had many years of truly excellent service from these folk, for which I've always been really grateful. The Hope Valley will never be quite the same again; thanks for everything.
 

Jenny P

Active member
Very sorry to hear they are shutting down and it's really sad to lose such an excellent shop.  Always a cheery word when you called in, good advice when you wanted to buy and they stocked just about everything a caver could want - as well as all the other "outdoor" goodies.  A fave place for buying Christmas presents!

Thanks for everything and, in particular, for your support for DCA.

So pleased that DCA will be able to keep the Peak District Caving website going and thanks to Shaun for enabling us to do this.

Jenny Potts,
DCA Hon. Sec.
 

pwhole

Well-known member
I guess one of the lessons here is to not buy everything off the internet. You don't get good conversation, useful tips and proper service for one thing, which H&H had in spades. And they sold more of our books than any other retailer by a long way - and paid up-front for them too. Great people, and I wish them all the best in whatever they do next.
 

DaveR

New member
More years ago than I care to remember I developed an interest in caving. Somehow I got directed to Bill Whitehouse's home. If he was surprised that some random youth knocked on his door asking about caving he didn't show it! Bill directed me to Hitch n Hike, where Shaun and Moose talked to me about caving, sold me a copy of Descent, recommended a club in my area, and sent me on my way to a lifetime underground. Many thanks folks, you may not remember one of many thousands of customers all those years ago, but this one is very greatful!

Good luck for the future; thanks a million. End of an era

Dave
 
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