Best area to live for riders please!

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dorani

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Thinking about letting my property and renting somewhere rural with grazing land and good preferably off road riding.Ideally near the coast
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getting too built up and busy in my area.
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Not Scotland ,too many midges,nor Wales ,too wet! Anyone got any suggestions please?
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Well I think everywhere has the potential so to speak.

I am in wiltshire and I think that is pretty horsey, so is glos.

OK, you said he wanted to be by the coast but whilst I live north wilts, if you go south you have salisbury where you have the salisbury plains! (plus that is quite close-ish to new forest isn't it !!!!??)
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How about Norfolk? There you have the beautiful Thetford Forest, where you can ride for miles and miles and you are also close to the coast!
 
This is taken from the Visit Northumberland website

Northumberland provides excellent horse-riding for all abilities with miles of quiet country lanes, bridleways and open countryside.

Our beaches make for particularly spectacular riding experiences, you can gallop across miles of deserted sand and take in some our fantastic coastal views and castles.

Heading inland, take an exhilarating upland hack in the stunning Northumberland National Park or the wild expanse of the North Pennines.

The North Pennines are a rider's haven with trails following old railway line routes, as well as country lanes and bridleways.

The Cheviot Hills are great for you and your horse, with acres of big skies, rugged morland, tranquil old shepherd's trails and sheltered forest bridleways.

There is fantastic riding at Kielder Water and Forest Park where you can literally take your horse to water and explore 27 miles of shoreline on horseback.

If you want a meandering trek, try the Till Valley, Upper Coquetdale or Wild Redesdale.
 
Not Cumbria if you are looking for livery, but as you aren't it is amazing. Fantastic off road hacking, beaches, forests and fells. Quiet roads and pleasant drivers(lorry and tourist driver excepted) Some good comps, but you MUST have transport. And a big plus it is cheap!
 
im in north somerset which is very horsey but its nice because you have the quite rural/ country areas, but you only have to travel a few miles to get to town centres etc
i live right in the middle of a busy town and drive 2miles in to a more rural area where my horse is kept and its a 5 minute ride to the beach, very peacefull.
 
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H&H did a feature on this a few years ago, and ranked every county by things like hacking, availability of livery, shows etc - Devon came out on top.
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I would have to agree with the result! We have miles of fabulous moorland to ride on plus if the weather isn't good loads of lanes to hack on. The coast isn't far either, if you are lucky enough to have transport!
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Dorset! I lived in North Dorset which is great horsey country but there are lovely coastal areas too. Also has terrific hunting country!! Currently in North Wiltshire which is great riding country but somewhat landlocked!!
 
Too many midgies in Scotland?! Actually, they're only really an issue in the Highlands. Here in NE Scotland I've never even noticed them so they aren't a problem at all. Its great up here, loads of horses in my area (2nd to Newmarket apparently) BUT we don't have nearly enough venues just now. So I definately wouldn't recommend it
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You're quite right - I lived in Ayrshire for three years and remember no midges. It is now also a pretty good area for horsey peeps with some good competition venues - and the coast is in easy reach.
 
Thanks all, some lovely suggestions there,I will have a look and see what is available in all those areas. I have looked at New Forest area which was my first thought but not much to let suitable for horses and what there is is beyond my pocket!!
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Devon is great if you are in Dartmoor/Exmoor areas, not so good where I am in East Devon - I have to do lots of roads :-(

West Dorset is lovely! Seem to be lots of bridleways there, and it's good for Trec.

New Forest is fab, but expensive as you say.
 
I moved about quite a bit as husband was in RAF. I had the most wonderful hacking just between High Wycombe and Princess Risborough - lots of lovely beech woods and bridle paths.
 
Hampshire is really horsey. New Forest is just perfect but there are lots and lots of livery yards/events/etc. the other side of Southampton: Botley/Denmead/Meon Cross/Durley/Fair Oak. All near the coast, forest and South Downs
 
You don't need to go far. Where we are is great for off road hacking & for getting to comps. We are still in Beds, near the Cambs & Northants borders. Beach is a bit far though.
 
Have lived Hampshire, Dorset and Gloucestershire. Gloucestershire by far the best not just for rural riding but also facilities. We have Gatcombe and Badminton on the doorstep. Hartpury college is very close, a specialist Equine clinic and hospital and Cirencester Park. There is always something going on within reasonable travelling distance, plenty of riding clubs, pony clubs etc. Brean sands is accessible for beach rides.
Oh and house prices are reasonable for the area.
 
another vote for Devon. I am now North devon with horse on the very edge of exmoor. even though its a fair distance to open moor there are so many wooded areas and bridleways around here that the hacking is great. I do a fair bit of road work but they are very quiet roads so it doesn't bother me. When it snows its a pain though as can't get anywhere without a serious 4x4 or at worst times tractor!

Have also lived in mid/east devon and although good and closer to comp centres (one drawback of current place is you have decent drive to get to anything affiliated!) but just doesn't have the same hacking!
 
Agree with post above; if coming to Devon make sure you're in an area with good hacking as its either superb or totally abysmal! and nothing in between.

I'm in east devon and we've got Woodbury Common and a few other nice open spaces here - BUT the bridle paths network in certain areas (like mine) is useless, so we tend to box up and drive for say a quarter of an hour and then we're in nice hacking country, but which otherwise we'd have to spend the best part of an hour or more hacking up to (and back) on roads before we got anywhere.

Houses tend to be quite pricey down here too, plus I think there was an article on H&H a while ago which said we've got the biggest "anti" following in the whole of the UK! Lucky us.
 
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