What are the UKs Top Epic Hacks

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MinnieDuke

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Hiya - me and my pal are thinking of doing a tour around England with our top bay chaps and were wondering if people could share with us some of your favourite/top/epic hacks, bridal ways, hills, woodlands ....

ones that inspire - have a piece of history attached to them - take you back to the magic of being a child on a great adventure - great views etc

we are lucky to be at the edge of Windsor Great Park ... which if you hit early in the morning is the most beautiful place to hack - with tree lined roads like DUkes ride, the wonderful canter hill where you can see Windsor Castle at one end of Queen Annes Ride and the statue
of the Copper Horse ... we'd love to find out more about whats hidden out there and explore ...

Cant wait to hear of the hidden treasures you know about - any pics would be awesome!
 
Happy Valley / farthing downs if your just outside London. Devil's Dyke if your near Brighton, The Long Mynd in Shropshire and Bredon Hill if your near go towards the Cotswolds all totally brilliant. Happy Valley I spent most of my youth whizzing around... Can I come with you, I also have a top bay chap!!!
 
I have a top bay chappess! - I would have reccommended the ridgeway - But over the years - with more and more and more people gaining access with scrambler bikes and 4x4's - not all of it is idilic

Oh for the days when I was on the lead rein and the ridgeway was my personal canter track!!! ;)

I would reccomend the Newforest - Particularly around the Ogden areas, Fordingbridge ect.
 
Definitely not where I am :(


I would love good, safe hacking where the locals don't write into the local paper about 'those selfish horse riders making the paths muddy' (in the countryside - in rainy Scotland - on woodland paths :rolleyes:)
 
What a brilliant idea! Wish my bay chappess and I were younger, we'll join you in spirit!

I'd guess some of the best are going to be in the National Parks, though my personal experience of them is limited to the New Forest, Dartmoor and Bodmin Moor. The hills on Exmoor demand a braver rider than I am!

Cannock Chase is said to be very good, and the wild open spaces up north must be the stuff dreams are made of.

I doubt any epic hacks exist in south Cambridgeshire, riding round here is absolutely dire :(

I hope you keep us posted - good luck
 
apparently the south downs are amazing to ride on my friend did a 7 day ride for charity and arranged to stay at different peoples houses with her pony and she said it was amazing always been jealous :o
 
There are some beautiful rides with fantastic view around here in N Dorset.
If you think riding in Windsor Park - which I agree is excellent for the area, then try around here!

We can always accommodate some horses in the summer.
 
WOW thanks for this - I will let this brew for a couple of days and see what more comes through before coming back to folk but I am really impressed. And so fab to hear of all these top bay chaps and chapess' - roll on summer 2012 who needs the olympics when we can do a TOPHACK tour with top bays and top chicks :-)
 
Another with Foxhunter North Dorset is fantastic, views, hills, grass gallops, wildlife/flowers.
I had some interesting rides in Windsor Park many years ago involoving a long walk up the avenue when horse spun me off!!
 
Well I thought the place my friend calls 'The Galloping Valley' was just amazing.

It's between two hamlets, Southover and Notton, in Dorset.

I went there in February, would've preferred it in June with the sun out!!
 
I used to live in a tiny village called Meonstoke in Hampshire - we had a couple of top hacks but I was a kid at the time so the length of the hacks may be distorted with time but they included - Winchester hill - a old railway track that seemed to go on for miles - a hack called shady grove and lots of other stuff - maybe not a single hack that was outstanding but the area was incredible - maybe the railway track was the best and full of blackberries we used to snarf and both me and the horse would come home covered in black berry mess mmmmmmmmm
 
Yorkshire. All of it (apart from the odd parish which lost out when the definitive map was being done).

The BHS have a figure of eight route route taking in all of the North York Moors, they also do a Yorkshire Dales 'On Horseback' book which has quite a few good routes in it, the Pennine Bridleway and several linking trails comes through Yorkshire, there are loads of disused railways that are now bridleways even in the more built up bits, and the Yorkshire Dales is a seriously under-rated bit of the country with long green grassy valleys that go on for miles. Yup, my top bay chap would recommend all of the above. Yorkshire has it all. And if you do find yourself tromping over the moor, with the steam train in the valley, the birds singing and the most beautiful heather all around you, think of me and my old boy. Some of our very best times.

Have a look at our Spudcam for inspiration:
http://www.youtube.com/user/WestridingEGB
 
Surrey hills are wonderful, try blackheath, farley heath, newlands corner, St Martha s area. You can park at the roman temple on farley heath, or at newlands corner.
 
Thursley Common (south of Guildford in Surrey off A3) is huge, lots of good sandy tracks, jumps if you want and terrific views. Terrain varied with woodlands and open heaths. Also good all year round as sandy.
 
The Quantock Hills in Somerset. I am lucky to live here and the hacking is great and varied - open hill tops for a good canter and steep hills and paths for a challenge. Good luck with your tour and if you are planning on coming this way let me know and I will give you some more details - or a guided tour if you will allow a piebald cob to join the bay team!
 
The Ashdown Forest in East Sussex is fabulous for hacking - 6,000 acres of heathland with around 100 miles of riding tracks. Let me know if you need more info.
 
Holkham Hall beach in north Norfolk. Park in Queen Anne Drive (opposite entrance to Holkham Hall) with horsebox or trailer (chargeable). Then ride up through the pine trees, keeping on wide sand track (keep the wooden walkway to your right) onto the vast expanse of endless sand. Turn left and ride for AGES and MILES along the sand.

Check the tide times. The tide comes in fast.

Avoid turning right when reaching the beach as this takes you to the no-horses bit at Wells-next-Sea very soon.

On hot days in summer, there are plagues of flies in the pine trees which cease as soon as you get out of the trees.
 
Surely the pennine bridleway must be included? Runs from Derbyshire to Yorkshire dales with extensions due to open!

I have done the 58 mile Mary towneley loop which loops off the pennine bridleway... Fab ride in stunning scenery although fit horse and rider needed :-)
 
Doethie Valley, Ellan Valley and surrounding area of Mid Wales. Miles and miles of off road riding in completely isolated areas.

Exmoor - Quite fantastic for off road riding

The sand track Hyde Park - Central London - go in the early hours of a Spring morning and do some sight seeing on horse back i.e Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square and Picadilly Circus.
 
The Long Mynd, part of the Jack Mytton way:

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The fells in cumbria, you can ride for miles, it has history as well with places like high street and it is stunningly beautiful!
 
have a look on the EGB website at their schedule by map! each of those are set up in really amazing places, e.g. Barbury castle, windsor, various amazing woods - stunning!
 
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