Advice needed for special Holkham beach birthday trip with horse

[pcc]

I would love some advice on taking my mum's horse to Holkham beach. It is her 70th birthday on Friday and after a really horrid year it would be great to do something really special.

All advice welcome - but mainly I want to know about how important it is to go at low tide. High tide is at about 1pm, so just at the wrong time; low tide at 7am and 7pm. We won't be able to get there super early (coming from near Cambridge), so I am thinking that if we aim for about 1 then we will get the beach as the tide goes out, before it gets dark. I'd rather do that than have the anxiety of riding on the beach as the tide comes in.

What does everyone think? What is the time window around high tide when it's not so good to ride on the beach? Any other advice or thoughts?

Thank you

P

 

[Tobiano]

I am not an expert but I have ridden on Holkham beach and other N Norfolk beaches. It is better to go nearer High Tide, because if you go at low tide there is a risk that you can be cut off by the sea coming in. This happened to somebody earlier this year (not sure exactly where it was, but near Holkham at any rate) and very sadly her horse drowned. So don't go out at low tide! At Holkham there is loads and loads of beach even at high tide. I think it is sensible to aim for 1 pm as you will have a couple of hours of daylight to ride and as you say, not be worrying about the tide. It will take you 10 - 15 mins to get down to the beach from the car park.

The other thing I would suggest is to take lots of pound coins. When I last took the lorry, you had to pay £12 for parking (it may have gone up since) at a machine but it didn't take cards and it didn't take notes, so it took me ages to go off to the shops across the road and buy something tiny then beg for coins in the change!

Good luck, hope you have a great time, what a lovely thing to do for your mum! (My late mum was non horsy but we got her a flying lesson for her 70th which she loved!)

 

[Alec Swan]

We take horses to Holkham Beach regularly. As Tobiano says, the parking and their payment system are a bit of a drag and £12 is a bit strong in my view, but it's how it is.

Are you planning to have your Mum accompany you? It's a bit of a hike from the parking to the beach itself, though there are wood slatted walkways and people take pushchairs down on to the beach. There are well dug in steps and depending how active the walker is, it isn't too bad. The route for riders is fairly well laid out. The weather has been pretty vile lately, and as beautiful as the place is, it's bleak and it can be a bit parky, so wrap up warm!

The riding is amazing! The horse that drowned in the summer, unloaded it's rider and bolted in to the sea. It was a freak accident, it wasn't anything to do with an incoming tide. When the tide does come in, it isn't the Severn Bore! There's plenty of time to keep ahead of it. Below are the tide times for Friday;

Low 05:37am
(1.13m)
High 11:25am
(4.25m)
Low 05:52pm
(1.61m)
High 11:24pm
(4.56m)

As it's probably 800-1000 yards to the water's edge at low tide, if you got there at say 13:00-14:00 the tide will have gone out far enough and you'll have plenty of room. The DG is off to see her latest Grandson on Friday, or she says that she'd have accompanied you. It's an offer open to anyone.

When you've done, at the entrance to Lady Anne's Drive (the parking) is the Victoria, it's open all day, and a most accommodating hotel it is too and just the place for Mother to have a warm up! If you go, I hope that you enjoy yourselves!

Alec.

 

[pcc]

Thank you both of you - that is really reassuring and good to hear. Can't wait until Friday!

P