How is the hacking near ASTROPE - HP23 area?

[THPC2019]

Any ideas? Any good open spaces for a nice canter / gallop?
Any school to rent locally?
Thanks alot!

 

[Meowy Catkin]

I used to hack round there. You need a horse that's good in traffic and definitely move to the centre of the road as you go over a canal bridge or you can have the odd idiot who thinks they can squeeze by right on the top of the bridge. I would mainly hack routes that went to the different villages and there is the odd bit of bridleway. For better off road riding you need to head for Tring Woods or Aldbury.

Manor Farm in Marsworth has good facilities.

 

[THPC2019]

Thanks. Any idea how far roadwork / bridleway routes are from around astrone lane to tring woods?

 

[Meowy Catkin]

To hack there, enjoy the destination and then hack back is really a three hour plus hack. To get to Tring woods I would go through Drayton Beauchamp and then over the bridge over the A41. If you go through Tring itself there is an underpass so you don't have to do the bridge over the dual carriageway but my mare didn't mind either option. So all roadwork until you cross the bridge. To get to Aldbury, there is a bridleway from Marsworth to Bulbourne (watch for the fast road at the end, you need a horse that will wait patiently) and then you head for Tring Station, Aldbury and then Ashridge forest beyond. I liked to do that ride early on a Sunday as it cut down dramatically on traffic and especially on people dashing to catch their train.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

I forgot to say that there is some off road riding in Puttenham which is close to Astrope. Puttenham village has a sharp bend on an the outside of that bend is a track that goes by a farmhouse. From there IIRC, you can ride off road to Buckland if you take the left track when the track splits (T junction), if you go right you go through fields. Going through the fields I never knew exactly where you were allowed to go after the first few so I would always turn around and come home again.

I should maybe say that my exciting moment of meeting a full sized steam engine occurred in that area (near Gubblecote) and my second exciting moment of having a swan take off from underneath the canal bridge we were on top of was in Marsworth. Both were dealt with so well by my super mare. I had forgotten just how much she looked after me when we hacked there.

There is a tiny bridleway that cuts off a small corner from Gubblecote towards Marsworth. There was also a permissive bridleway in some fields near Wilstone and Marsworth that may or may not still exist.