Best place to have horses in the UK?

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BBP

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I've been on a little holiday around the UK this week from Cambridge to oxford to cheddar to Wye valley and found myself daydreaming a lot about where I would look to live if ever I was to relocate. Most important to me is safe outriding. Currently I have to go straight onto a road that 7yrs ago you could safely hack down at 8am, now its a major rat run with traffic speeding through thick and fast. I don't feel safe there any more.

I want somewhere with wide verges (rather than hedges tight to each side), not on a rat run route. Some hills would be nice, and loads of bridlepaths, preferably which are trot/canter-able. Nice scenery. Access to competition venues would be nice but not as much of a priority as good hacking.

Do any of you have all this? If so where?!
 
Our hacking is pretty good, but if I moved it would definitely be to the New Forest - you can't get much better riding than that!!
 
Footlights said:
Our hacking is pretty good, but if I moved it would definitely be to the New Forest - you can't get much better riding than that!!
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This ^^^^. I am lucky enough to have direst access with hours of amazing off road riding. Yet also can be on the Motorway in 15 mins and have 2 big show centres under 1 hour away and many more about 1.5 hours away. Yes, I know how lucky I am :)
 
That's what I want, the ability to ride off road for hours. Pony loves going out but isn't the bravest. On the roads there isn't the breathing space to work him through any wobbles.
 
The surrey hills have extensive off road hacking- round blackheath, farley heath, newlands corner, st marthas etc.
 
We are very lucky where I live on the Yorks/Lancs border - we don't have to touch a main road, you can go all day on bridleways and small lanes that have very little traffic. There are A roads that you can go on to keep horses used to traffic, but we rarely use them otherwise. We are also only 12 miles from Manchester, so a big city and its trappings are not far away. Its only about four miles to the M62 from my yard.

Couple of pics of the views either side of the yard (horse have great views!).

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The downside here is it really knows how to rain, and the ground is quite boggy! Also I work in London...!
 
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teasle said:
The surrey hills have extensive off road hacking- round blackheath, farley heath, newlands corner, st marthas etc.
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I second this...it's a beautiful area, Westcott as well, and Ranmore Common by Dorking (near the Denbies Vineyard).

But, the best by far is The New Forest. I live in The New Forest, and the hacking is stunning.
 
Honey08 said:
We are very lucky where I live on the Yorks/Lancs border - we don't have to touch a main road, you can go all day on bridleways and small lanes that have very little traffic. There are A roads that you can go on to keep horses used to traffic, but we rarely use them otherwise. We are also only 12 miles from Manchester, so a big city and its trappings are not far away. Its only about four miles to the M62 from my yard.

Couple of pics of the views either side of the yard (horse have great views!).



The downside here is it really knows how to rain, and the ground is quite boggy! Also I work in London...!
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We live just the other side of the border and also have some decent hacking. From our yard , we can go up a quiet lane to a bridleway which is linked to others by reasonably quiet roads. And of course we are not so far away from the Pennine Bridleway.
Most other road-users are good about horses on the roads as there are so many of them around here -loads of small-holdings that horse-owners have bought. The downside is that we are about 5 mins from the M62 junction and one of our local roads is used by commuters, so best avoided at rush hour.
We are particularly fortunate that we have loads of circular/triangular rides lasting from 10 mins (great for rehab) to about 5 hours.
Our horses also have great views but I haven't any photos to put on here.
 
Don't think I'm too far away from you two eaither, in the Peak District (Hope Valley). We have great views and rides although sunny weekends can get very busy with the number of tourists that come out.
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Wow, so many beautiful and perfect places to ride! My plan is to plot them all on a map and then mark on all offices of organisation I work for plus OHs wants and see where to look at seriously. Id like to get out and really enjoy my hacking again. Very jealous of you lot in the mean time!
 
shysmum said:
Ullswater - used to live there. The fells, Pooley Bridge swimming, OMG I miss that place so much. I just rode for hours.
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I have to agree with Shysmum I don't think you could better Ullswater for riding, made me miss it now as well!!
 
Another vote for the Surrey Hills - miles of off road hacking on Leith Hill, Holmbury Hill and close to competition venues like Pachesham, Great Bookham (and Hickstead if you are a far better rider than me! :D)
 
I'm in the yorkshire/lancs borders too near gisburn.

Scenery is beautiful but far too much road work and not enough passable bridleways (most up muddy, rutted, boulder strewn fields!) I actually miss the hacking where I lived in Manchester. Didn't have to touch a road plus endless miles of grassy tracks and woodland for some fab rides! Was popular with dog walkers too but I'd take them over endless tractors any day!!!!

On the plus side, it's much more 'horsey' up here. Lots of good competition centers, farm rides and cross country courses. Plus beach is an hour and a bit in the trailer so not too bad for a day out :)
 
New forest miles and miles of off road hacking with various different types of terrain and its close enough to road links to get to shows easily and there is a lovely beach ride just the other side of bournemouth as well
 
You're all making me wish I was in a position to move tomorrow! I'll have to do a proper reccie of all bridlepaths etc before the other half is allowed his say in where to buy a house!
 
Exmoor,particularly west Exmoor is fabulous. I have open grassy moorland for a gallop just yards from my house. If the weather is inclement I can duck down through the woods(bluebells in may) past Watersmeet house,following the river Lyn,or I can go up the other side of the road and ride a track overlooking the Valley of the Rocks. I meet cattle,sheep,ponies,wild red deer and happy hikers.......
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Property is quite cheap here too because it is miles from civilisation,but Tesco and Sainsburys deliver!
 
You lucky, lucky lot! Certainly not North Cornwall! I used to live in the West Midlands, and even there as a young'un, I could go out all day mainly off road and even on road the drivers were very courteous. Here in North Cornwall there are few places to ride off road, and during the peak tourist season it's so dangerous hacking on the roads. South and West Cornwall has better routes.
 
abitodd said:
Exmoor,particularly west Exmoor is fabulous. I have open grassy moorland for a gallop just yards from my house. If the weather is inclement I can duck down through the woods(bluebells in may) past Watersmeet house,following the river Lyn,or I can go up the other side of the road and ride a track overlooking the Valley of the Rocks. I meet cattle,sheep,ponies,wild red deer and happy hikers.......
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Property is quite cheap here too because it is miles from civilisation,but Tesco and Sainsburys deliver!
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oh my looks heavenly ;__;
 
Oooh I want to move to the new forest or somewhere with mountains and things! Cambridgeshire is boring, however I did go to Newmarket today which is like 8 miles away and defo want to go on the gallops one day which I had never even seen before! Shame its not a teeny bit closer although at least he'd be knackered by the time we got there :-)
 
Same, heaven! OHs family live in exmoor so he'd be happy with that. I'm cambs too, and whilst there are plenty of tracks to canter on, I have to navigate roads to get there. (oh, and if you want to play at newmarket their sponsored ride is on 1st Sunday in Sept!, great fun if your horse is fit)
 
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