Horse crossings on the A66

Caol Ila

Caol Ila

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Just curious, really.

Driving the A66, as we have done many times because in-laws live in Lincolnshire, and wondering as I always do if anyone is crazy enough to use the horse crossings on the dual carriageway. Never seen anyone there, but we only drive it a couple times per year. It certainly looks exciting, especially the part where you’re on the central reservation with 70-90mph traffic on both sides of you.
 
I haven't but I went that way yesterday and wondered the same thing when saw the horse signs.

I have one horse I'd happily cross there but two I'd be very reluctant.
 
I've seen some on the A40 when I was stuck in a jam and was trying to work out if the gates either side would even open and if they did how I would feel manhandling those gates with cars blatting past at 60mph. Even on the microcob I don't think I'd risk it
 
Often these things are put in to appease planning but are never going to work in real life and then another right of way is lost. It's sad but not uncommon, we have a massive fly over roundabout and there's signs for horses and pedestrians to walk around it, I've never seen a horse there and very rarely a person. The nearby stables shut down.
 
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I've crossed a dual carriageway before with a central reservation that was wide and grassy but it was only 50mph and I would only go if I could get across the whole thing in a oner. I did get stuck in the middle once and I was more concerned than the horse. I did only go that way though when I knew it would be quieter late evening or early afternoon.
 
I don't know what the A66 is like, but I have to cross the A30 near me to get to off road hacking and its the same sounding set up. people drive like a holes! I've started crossing further down the road now, which is only 40mph and only 1 lane each way
 
There’s one sign in Northumberland on my he dual carriageway A1 that just says ‘horses crossing’. There aren’t traffic lights or anything and the speed the traffic goes I wouldn’t want to do it!!
 
I’ve never seen a single horse using them and go over the A66 a few times a year. I’ve always thought I’d want a very reliable horse to even consider it. Years ago my friend and I used to cross the A47 and it was never something g I looked forward to!
 
We used to cross the A66 every so often by crossing one lane and then waiting in the middle and crossing again. But I'm going back 30 odd years, not sure I'd do it now!
 
Yes I would be daft enough to do this if gave access to good hacking. Current (unbacked) pony not at a level of traffic safeness where I’d think it a good idea but I’ve done similar on previous horses

9a497229-ebc2-47eb-b821-ba50cd9fea74.jpeg

This is one of the several horse crossings on the East Leeds Orbital Road.

Also used to cross this (just using normal traffic lights as if I was a car) on a fairly regular basis

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Definitely crossed a few dual carriageways without crossing points of the idiot orange pony back in the day when I went hacking with slightly mad people. Also used to cross / hack alongside the main ring road as that was literally the only way to get to decent hacking.
 
But you’re at a junction, with lights. I wouldn’t give a sh1t about that. I do things like that all the time.

The crossings on the A66 are in the middle of a dual carriageway where people are flying at 70-80, at least. Theres no way to stop it or slow it. You’d have to leg it to the central reservation, then leg it across the next carriageway. And it is very very busy since it’s the only fast-ish east-west cross-country road for a long ways. Lots of trucking traffic and ever other twat (like me).
 
I find it hard enough to cross a normal A road on a pony who is as bombproof as they come. One of those crossings is part of the Swan Way bridlepath route so you would have thought crossings instead of playing chicken with cars - wouldn't dream of it if there were another 2 lanes
 
The a66 is not for horses.
Just because you can doesn't mean you should.
It's the main trans penine route and carries a steady flow of hgvs. I started driving trucks in the 90s and it was up for dialling then. I didn't think for a minute that it would still be single track towards the end of my career 30 years later.
There shouldn't be horses anywhere near it and nor should there be silly old farts on cycles.
I say this as a trucker, an ex horse rider and also a sill old fart sometimes on a bike.
Rant over.
 
There are a few yards either side of the A66 at Winston/West Gilling etc and some private yards but I’m not sure any of them use the crossing anymore to access the opposite side of the road. I suspect the upgrade of the 66 will get rid of the caution horses crossing signs…it terrifies me when I see cyclists on the road.
 
Whenever I drive on the A66 and see those signs I wonder at what time of night it might possibly be quiet enough to cross it…3 a.m.?…but then the traffic will be even faster at night. I don’t think the A66 would be safe to cross on foot at the horse crossings, never mind with a horse.

Leeds orbital road is a very different thing. Good to hear all those crossings there are actually used!

ETA it would be good if some safe under/overpasses are created for riders, walkers, and cyclists, if the A66 is ever upgraded.
 
Yes, I've used them in the past - one was in a village so very safe (I don't actually know why it was there as th0e road was easy enough to navigate without - but I'm not complaining!) and the other on a dual carriageway. I don't know the A66 one mentoned specifically though.

Boulty said:
Yes I would be daft enough to do this if gave access to good hacking. Current (unbacked) pony not at a level of traffic safeness where I’d think it a good idea but I’ve done similar on previous horses

View attachment 168817

This is one of the several horse crossings on the East Leeds Orbital Road.

Also used to cross this (just using normal traffic lights as if I was a car) on a fairly regular basis

View attachment 168818

Definitely crossed a few dual carriageways without crossing points of the idiot orange pony back in the day when I went hacking with slightly mad people. Also used to cross / hack alongside the main ring road as that was literally the only way to get to decent hacking.
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I think we have similiar levels of hacking daftness 🤣 I used to regularly hack next to a motorway - and also go over/under it. It got us to good hacking, so if we could do it, it made sense too we would.

I still hack on or cross over an A road semi-regularly despite having really good local hacking that means I have to go near it, as it opens longer routes. A few people think that's daft.

I wouldn't do horse crossings, big roads etc with every horse/rider combination but we never had issues although there're some I've seen I wouldn't fancy trying.
 
What are the horse crossings like on A66? Do they have traffic lights to stop the traffic as I have seen in Nottingamshire?

We used to have to press a button to let the signal man know we wanted to cross the main east coast rail line on one of our hacks. The button was right up against the crossing and the view of the track was blocked by buildings, so you never knew if a train would suddenly woosh past just as you approached the button. I would think a horse crossing would be similar on a busy road (ie speeding traffic very close) even if there were traffic lights?
 
Hackback said:
What are the horse crossings like on A66? Do they have traffic lights to stop the traffic as I have seen in Nottingamshire?
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I've only ever seen them at 70mph (er, at least). But it looks like kind of races - a zig-zagging series of fences - going down to the highway, then more races in the central reservation and on the opposite side of the other carriageway. You have to leg it across the road, which is fast and straight, so cars are flying. There are no lights or anything.
luckyoldme said:
The a66 is not for horses.
Just because you can doesn't mean you should.
It's the main trans penine route and carries a steady flow of hgvs. I started driving trucks in the 90s and it was up for dialling then. I didn't think for a minute that it would still be single track towards the end of my career 30 years later.
There shouldn't be horses anywhere near it and nor should there be silly old farts on cycles.
I say this as a trucker, an ex horse rider and also a sill old fart sometimes on a bike.
Rant over.
Click to expand...

Feeling a wee bit shirty? I wasn't planning on it (I don't even live there). I was just driving past the signs and the gates and wondering, as I do every time I drive down that road, if anyone is batshit enough to use them. I've certainly never see anyone there during the two seconds I am zipping past in the car, on many, many A66 crossings.
MuddyMonster said:
I think we have similiar levels of hacking daftness 🤣 I used to regularly hack next to a motorway - and also go over/under it. It got us to good hacking, so if we could do it, it made sense too we would.
Click to expand...

My mare used to be at a yard near the M80. Some of the hacking routes went over or alongsde it. Always separated from it by high fences, though the trail at times went very close to it. I got pretty bored of walking next to that motorway after the 10,000th time, but it was good training for the youngster.

We have a long route that involves crossing an A road, a single carriageway, but at section where the speed limit is 40. I don't love doing it (the motorbikes do not do 40 :rolleyes: ; you have to listen out for them and not move if you hear one because they will shoot out of nowhere doing 60++++.....), but due to aforesaid motorway training, Hermosa is good at it. Fin, not so much. Took him down there a few years ago, and we were still about 20/30m away from the road, up a hill, and he started rearing whenever a very fast motorbike (definitely not doing 40) raced past below. Needless to say, we did not try crossing it. Just turned around, got out of dodge, and decided we were never taking him there again.

We don't do it often because once you cross it, you're basically on a 20k route.
 
Caol Ila said:
I've only ever seen them at 70mph (er, at least). But it looks like kind of races - a zig-zagging series of fences - going down to the highway, then more races in the central reservation and on the opposite side of the other carriageway. You have to leg it across the road, which is fast and straight, so cars are flying. There are no lights or anything.


Feeling a wee bit shirty? I wasn't planning on it (I don't even live there). I was just driving past the signs and the gates and wondering, as I do every time I drive down that road, if anyone is batshit enough to use them. I've certainly never see anyone there during the two seconds I am zipping past in the car, on many, many A66 crossings.


My mare used to be at a yard near the M80. Some of the hacking routes went over or alongsde it. Always separated from it by high fences, though the trail at times went very close to it. I got pretty bored of walking next to that motorway after the 10,000th time, but it was good training for the youngster.

We have a long route that involves crossing an A road, a single carriageway, but at section where the speed limit is 40. I don't love doing it (the motorbikes do not do 40 :rolleyes: ; you have to listen out for them and not move if you hear one because they will shoot out of nowhere doing 60++++.....), but due to aforesaid motorway training, Hermosa is good at it. Fin, not so much. Took him down there a few years ago, and we were still about 20/30m away from the road, up a hill, and he started rearing whenever a very fast motorbike (definitely not doing 40) raced past below. Needless to say, we did not try crossing it. Just turned around, got out of dodge, and decided we were never taking him there again.

We don't do it often because once you cross it, you're basically on a 20k route.
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More sort of touched a nerve!
It's madness , every year we get at least one or two days of chaos for Appleby. One year there was a terrible accident involving a truck and a vanner. It was a terrible, needless tragedy.
 
luckyoldme said:
More sort of touched a nerve!
It's madness , every year we get at least one or two days of chaos for Appleby. One year there was a terrible accident involving a truck and a vanner. It was a terrible, needless tragedy.
Click to expand...

Yeah, but as I am sure you know, the crossings in question are nowhere near Appleby. They are on the Co. Durham side. There aren't any designated horse crossings on the Cumbria side.

Last time I was in Lincolnshire, the horse fair was on so we drove past it. Didn't see anyone driving a cart on the road, but they'd put up signs warning car drivers to be on the lookout for it.
 
Caol Ila said:
Yeah, but as I am sure you know, the crossings in question are nowhere near Appleby. They are on the Co. Durham side. There aren't any designated horse crossings on the Cumbria side.

Last time I was in Lincolnshire, the horse fair was on so we drove past it. Didn't see anyone driving a cart on the road, but they'd put up signs warning car drivers to be on the lookout for it.
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It's a busy route on both sides.
Most of the times when I see horses it's on back roads where it's easy to stop and turn the engine off.
I don't know why anyone would want to be anywhere near these trunk roads, and we very rarely see any. I've never seen anyone use the crossings but the concept is just madness.
 
Caol Ila said:
I've only ever seen them at 70mph (er, at least). But it looks like kind of races - a zig-zagging series of fences - going down to the highway, then more races in the central reservation and on the opposite side of the other carriageway. You have to leg it across the road, which is fast and straight, so cars are flying. There are no lights or anything.


Feeling a wee bit shirty? I wasn't planning on it (I don't even live there). I was just driving past the signs and the gates and wondering, as I do every time I drive down that road, if anyone is batshit enough to use them. I've certainly never see anyone there during the two seconds I am zipping past in the car, on many, many A66 crossings.


My mare used to be at a yard near the M80. Some of the hacking routes went over or alongsde it. Always separated from it by high fences, though the trail at times went very close to it. I got pretty bored of walking next to that motorway after the 10,000th time, but it was good training for the youngster.

We have a long route that involves crossing an A road, a single carriageway, but at section where the speed limit is 40. I don't love doing it (the motorbikes do not do 40 :rolleyes: ; you have to listen out for them and not move if you hear one because they will shoot out of nowhere doing 60++++.....), but due to aforesaid motorway training, Hermosa is good at it. Fin, not so much. Took him down there a few years ago, and we were still about 20/30m away from the road, up a hill, and he started rearing whenever a very fast motorbike (definitely not doing 40) raced past below. Needless to say, we did not try crossing it. Just turned around, got out of dodge, and decided we were never taking him there again.

We don't do it often because once you cross it, you're basically on a 20k route.
Click to expand...
Our route next to the motorway didn't have high fencing (nor did/does the London bound railway bridge we used to go over either come to think of it).

But as you say, good exposure - which is I suspect why I didn't have an issue personally using the horse crossing on dual carriageway :)
 
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