Supporting thousands of hikers across the UK for Macmillan Mighty Hikes
The challenge
Macmillan Mighty Hikes are a series of organised hiking events held across the UK to raise vital funds for Macmillan Cancer Support. Participants take on either a full or half marathon hike through some of the UK’s most scenic landscapes, coming together to support people living with cancer.
With events taking place across all four countries of the UK and around 30,000 hikers participating each year, Macmillan needed a transport partner capable of delivering reliable, large-scale event transport nationally.
The challenge was not simply providing coaches. Each event has different requirements, participant numbers and operational considerations, meaning Macmillan needed a partner that could provide the flexibility, responsiveness and expertise required throughout a busy summer events programme.
Why Kingsferry?
Macmillan chose Kingsferry because of our strong reputation, national reach and ability to provide the level of capacity required across the Mighty Hikes series.
From the beginning of the partnership, our team worked closely with Macmillan to respond quickly to changing requirements and develop practical transport solutions for each event.
One of the biggest advantages has been the ability to manage transport nationally through a single partner. Rather than coordinating multiple suppliers in different regions, Macmillan has one experienced transport team supporting events across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Over seven years, this has developed into a trusted partnership built around consistency, flexibility and a shared understanding of how the events operate.
The solution
During the 2026 Macmillan Mighty Hikes series, we delivered a large-scale shuttle transport operation across 12 events, deploying more than 150 coaches and supporting the movement of over 12,000 participants.
Transport requirements varied significantly between locations. Smaller events required around five coaches to support approximately 500 participants, while the largest events required up to 22 coaches to transport more than 2,000 people.
Our team coordinated vehicles, drivers and operational requirements to provide efficient shuttle services between designated hike start and finish points.
This flexible approach ensured that the right transport capacity was available at every location while providing Macmillan with one consistent point of contact throughout the national programme.
Responding when plans change
Large-scale events rarely stand still, and flexibility has been an important part of the partnership.
Across the Mighty Hikes programme, our team has supported Macmillan with last-minute date changes, sourced additional vehicles within only a few weeks of an event and worked closely with drivers to ensure key operational instructions are followed.
Having a dedicated Account Manager who understands the events, their requirements and the challenges involved has also provided valuable continuity.
This detailed knowledge means our team can anticipate requirements, respond quickly when circumstances change and help keep transport running smoothly for participants and organisers.
The result
Working with one national transport partner has helped Macmillan simplify the planning and delivery of its Mighty Hikes programme while saving significant time that would otherwise be spent managing multiple regional suppliers.
The strength and reliability of the partnership has also given Macmillan the confidence to continue developing the series, introducing new events and growing the programme knowing that the transport operation can adapt alongside it.
2026 at a glance
12 events across the UK
150+ coaches deployed
12,000+ participants supported
Up to 22 coaches at a single event
7-year partnership
What Macmillan says
“Kingsferry have been a core part of delivering the Mighty Hikes series for seven years, adapting with us as we continually developed and improved.
Their expertise has given us the confidence to diversify our series, continue to grow, introduce new events, and know that they will be there to provide our hikers with an excellent service.”
Macmillan Mighty Hikes
Looking for transport for your next large-scale event?
From national event programmes and participant shuttles to conferences, sporting events and major visitor movements, The Coach Travel Group can provide scalable transport solutions across the UK.
Our nationwide network gives customers the capacity of a large transport group, supported by experienced local teams who understand the importance of delivering every journey safely, efficiently and reliably.
