Riding national paths

[cariad]

Not been on here for some years, so hello .

I am thinking I might like to ride one, or part of one or some, of the national pathways, such as coastal paths, Peddars Way, that sort of thing. I would only be doing ambling on a black and white cob, so nothing too strenuous. I wouldn't want to have to carry lots of gear, so probably stopping at horse friendly B&B's, or similar, but I don't mind roughing it, doesn't have to be posh.

Has any one ever done this and if so, where did you go, how did you organise it, what did you take with you etc? I think I have seen similar threads and though the idea has been at the back of my mind for some time, one of my friends has just walked the Norfolk Coastal Path bit by bit, not all at once. I wouldn't necessarily need to do an entire path, just part of one taking 4/5 days would probably be enough.

Any suggestions welcome.

Thank you.

 

[cindars]

Four of us did the South Downs Way back in 1990 rode from Wilingdon near Eastbourne to Buriton we stayed in b and b.s. that did stalling we supplied feed all took saddle bags.Do it the horses enjoyed it and we have terrific memories and loads of photos.

 

[PeterNatt]

Take a look at:
thelongridersguild.com

 

[Snowfilly]

Hello! I did a long ride 10 years ago from John o'Groats to Derbyshire, including the Pennine Bridleway and he Highland Way through the mountains.

The coastal paths are probably a non starter as they're normally pretty dangerous for horses and not set up for grazing.

The dragon ride in wales and Offa's dyke paths are lovely apparently, the South Downs Way is well set up and there are also other paths like the Sabrina away in Derbyshire.

The BHS used to have a lovely book called B and B for horses which was super useful.

Best thing I ever did in my life! I still have a packing list somewhere if that's any use.

 

[cariad]

Thank you - I was thinking of starting a little less ambitiously! I do however have a friend who is an ex policeman who has ridden Tschiffely's ride through South America with his friend, no real plans, bought the horses over there and relied on goodwill of people through the ride for board and lodgings. Then he did it again, again buying horses etc, but this time a different route, calling it the Not Tschiffely's Ride. Amazing adventures.

C.

 

[cariad]

Sorry, my reply about being a little less ambitious was in reply to Peter Natt's post - I think Wales etc might be within my limited capabilities! I like the idea of the Highland Way. I am off up to the Highlands on Wednesday to stay with a friend there. She is near Skye and I always think when I go there how nice it must be to ride there. Interesting to see a packing list. Lighter the better. Pony wouldn't need any feed.

C.

 

[Gloi]

If you haven't already done it, spending three days riding the Mary Towneley Loop is well worth doing and a good practice for a longer trip.,

 

[Snowfilly]

Hmm...packing list, I know I have it saved somewhere but horse wore a head collar under his bridle at all times, and a lead rope round his neck. Some hi viz gear - as I had someone walking with me (they're a crazy long distance hiker type) we wore most of it!

For Robs, I also carried hoof picks in my backpack and waist bag, a plastic curry comb and a dandy brush.

Vet wrap, a couple of dressings, small scissors, tape for first aid - all doubled as suitable for people!

A small collapsible bowl for water / food - it was fabric, about the size of a washing up bowl and I got it from a camping shop.

A travel towel for drying off so we could saddle up quickly.

Polos!

Fly spray and repellant of whatever type works for you. We used Avon skin so Soft and shared it with the humans.

A good hunting whip would have been amazing but I made do with a schooling whip for opening gates, swatting flies, moving branches and prodding the bottom of streams to test for depth.

Most of the rest of the gear was for camping, so not really relevant to you.

About three times more waterproof gear than you thought!!

I took maps in a waterproof bag around my waist, mobile phone in a case on my arm, change of clothes in my bag along with a journal and some playing cards and my wallet. Not much else.

 

[Snowfilly]

Oh, you'll want something to carry lunch in - I found pitta breads, fruit and biscuits made a good lunch and if you're B and B, you should be able to get a hot evening meal with no problem.

A decent water bottle is a must, get a proper lightweight flask and it won't burst over the inside of your pack!

 

[phizz4]

Try the Pennine Bridleway, starting at Hartington (or Middleton Top) in the Peak District. There is a guide, with maps, available, which lists amenities and accommodation along the route (although it may not be fully up to date). It links with the Mary Towneley Loop. https://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/pennine-bridleway/guide-books
Hartington has dedicated horse box/trailer parking.

 

[PapaverFollis]

Snowfilly... if you still have details of the route you took through Caithness (and into Sutherland) I'd be really interested to see? Pm me? If not don't worry, just curious.

 

[cariad]

Thank you all for the suggestions and tips. The Pennine Bridleway might be a good start as it's not that far away. How did you cope with getting to the start and being picked up again? If it's not a circular route, did you just turn round and come back again, or were you picked up at the end?

Winter project, I think.
C.

 

[phizz4]

We haven't ridden it as an end to end as the start is fairly local to us (Staffordshire) so we ride loops as a day ride. When I am sea kayaking we either leave a vehicle at the end point, and use that to go back for the kayak trailer, or get a local taxi to take one of us back to fetch the vehicle. As a start you could park at Hartington and ride to the horse friendly B and B at Rushop Hall B&B, Rushup Lane, Chapel-en-le-Frith SK23 0QT. Next day do a petal ride to the north, via Rushup Edge, Jacobs Ladder etc, returning to Rushup Hall. Then ride back to Hartington via a mixture of quiet lanes and the High Peak trail.

 

[supsup]

The Jack Mytton Way in Shropshire is nice, and the shropshiregreatoutdoors webpage has a great selection of circular and distance rides to download, and the JMW overlaid on OS map. We did part of the JMW staying at B&Bs along the way, and got some help from the local bridleway association (provided a list of options) which helped with our planning.
There's also FB page (fairly new still) that is trying to collect info on distance rides. Not much on there yet, but may be worth a look too:
https://www.facebook.com/Personally-recommended-Horse-BB-and-long-distance-routes-839920669540684/

 

[cariad]

Great stuff, thanks. I have a horsy friend in Shropshire -we go back to secondary school, so I know how nice it is there. I don't do Facebook, but that does seem to be one of the better uses for it. I bet there are more people like me who would like to do this, but don't really know where to start and so never really get going.

There must be loads of places with a bit of room for a pony and a tent along various "ways". I have room myself, but am not situated anywhere you would want to ride, nor are there many places to do it anyway, hence thinking about the idea in the first place. Sort of like AirBNB for riders, but hopefully staying true to the initial idea rather than just getting stupidly commercial and ruining it, to my mind. But I suppose that's a bit naive.

C.

 

[Landcruiser]

Great thread. I have a secret plan to do a long ride during my 60th birthday year, 2020. I'd love to wild camp but I'll probably be solo (don't know anyone else who'd be up for it). I'm not sure I can carry enough on one horse to manage that. More likely I'll plan overnight horse friendly venues - so following this with interest!