Where in the country to live

[Dontforgetaboutme]

My partner & I have been working remotely through the pandemic & fully expect not to travel as much even after the virus is contained. We’ve been thinking of moving, whilst I’d love my own land it is not an option as boyfriend has no interest in horses but he’s willing to move to somewhere where riding is fabulous. So where do people suggest? We’d want to be able to get into London occasionally and our parents are in midlands/northeast. We have good budget & I’m mostly interested in good off road hacking rather than competition venues. I was spoiled in Surrey as could ride on the commons which was Sandy soil.

 

[RachelFerd]

Well, Surrey is definitely the winner for hacking in my eyes - you'd struggle to find anywhere else with endless bridleways on sandy soil! South Downs near Brighton also great, and very easy to get into London (and still pricey).

I've moved around quite a bit with the horses, so my takes on areas so far...


South Gloucestershire - not great hacking (across into the Cotswolds is better - but more expensive), great eventing and dressage scene - links to London from Stroud and Kemble stations.

Surrey - best hacking ever, not that central for competition though, easy to get to London

Cambridgeshire/Suffolk borders - terrible hacking around us in Newmarket, but exceptionally good hacking around Thetford Forest and more rural parts of Norfolk. Hopeless public transport connections to get to London. Rains a lot less than the rest of the country!

Manchester/Cheshire borders - South Manchester hacking is moderate (but not so bad for suburbia) but slightly further south around Macclesfield you've got pockets of excellent hacking (hilly!) not far from Delamere forest (lots of riding and choice), access to the farm rides at Somerford Park and Kelsall Hill and you've got very regular mainline services from Macclesfield direct into London. Rains constantly...!

 

[SEL]

I used to ride over Cannock Chase and once I'd got over a couple of quiet roads then you could ride for hours without traffic. Lots of places for really good long canters as well. I miss it!

 

[SussexbytheXmasTree]

I live near the South Downs and we do have hours of lovely hacking with tonnes of bridleways although the chalk is pretty slippery in winter and some soils lower down are quite clayey so we’re more restricted in winter. Covid has made it ridiculously busy though and I’m hoping people will b@@@er off to where they came from once lockdown ends.

The Weald / central Sussex areas around Horsham are mostly clay and winter hacking is awful and often so is the turn-out. There are fewer bridle ways. I kept my horse there for a year and almost every horse had a bad case of mud fever.

I lived in North Kent and kept my horse on the North Downs near Detling and the hacking was average. A lot of the paths are footpaths or By-ways so you get 4x4 and motorbikes on them. We used to do a lot of country lane hacking.

Watching some TikTok vids and the New Forest looks awesome for riding.

 

[planete]

You will get miles and miles of off road hacking in the New Forest IF your horses put up happily with the crab flies we get the second the temperature warms up. They send some horses dangerously insane. I am afraid I would always recommend having a trial ride in Summer or buying a local horse who is used to them. I have mostly had horses whose feet I could usually keep on the ground when under attack but a few became a danger to themselves and everything around them and had to be moved out of the area.

 

[Kizzy2004]

I’m in the New Forest and we have endless riding over a variety of terrain but echo what planete said in regards to the crab flies, some horses just can’t cope with them.

 

[[139672]]

There’s an area between Graffham and Petworth, West Sussex, with amazing hacking on sandy tracks, heathland and woods. We used to go camping there every summer with load of ponies, for 2 weeks. The riding was amazing. We did get filthy though in the 1976 drought because of the sand being so dry. A friend lives near Hagley, nr Kidderminster, and they have some lovely riding country too, with sandy paths. I lived near Shere for a year and we had brilliant riding country, wooded, Heath and again lots of sandy tracks.

 

[Dontforgetaboutme]

I’d love to live in the New Forest but think the flies would be a no! I’ve ridden in thetford, lovely hacking. Got couple other areas to explore so thanks for the suggestions

 

[cauda equina]

A very wise thing someone said on another Where's good hacking? thread - good hacking can be terribly localised so look very carefully before making your choice
Where I am in Norfolk the hacking is adequate at best but 10 miles west or 5 miles north it's fantastic

 

[Dontforgetaboutme]

Yes, agree. What looks to be good off road hacking on O/S map doesn’t always follow. Tricky gates, not well maintained, not able to do anything more than walk. I used to ride at keysoe which was great hacking but the livery yards there are all closing plus wasn’t great place to be livery as facilities were always in use.

 

[J&S]

I lived and rode in the New Forest for 20 years and sadly miss it still. Personally I don't think crab flies were such an issue but of course there is always one horse who is going to be upset. Links to London are good, road and rail, property is expensive and my friends still local tell me the forest is invaded with people from other parts taking their exercise but I think that is the case with any rural beauty spot nowadays. Lymington is described as "Twixt Sea and Forest Enchanted", there are good swimming beaches, competition and training centres and acres of forest to ride in.

 

[oldie48]

I used to keep my horses on the edge of the Quantocks, the riding is fab, also rode regularly on Exmoor which is also beautiful and unspoilt. I live near to the Malvern Hills and Castlemorton Common is just down the road which has miles of off road riding but it can be wet in the winter, the hills are much drier though.

 

[windand rain]

Depends on budget but lincolnshire wolds are lovely, peaceful and the weather is drier than most places, More hours of sunshine than most and little pollution. Lots of bridleways around Caistor Normanbyand thoresby

 

[HelenBack]

I lived in Leicestershire for a while and there was some really good hacking there. I rode in quite a few areas around the county but particularly out towards the south/east from Leicester and then some of the areas around Loughborough were good. I moved away about 15 years now but back then I don't remember either the bridleways or the fields at the yards where I kept my horses ever getting too wet. It could have changed in the meantime though.

Pretty easy to get into London on the train. I don't know about property prices but won't be as pricey as the South East. Lots of lovely countryside within easy reach.

 

[Gingermonkey]

We're in the same boat and just completing on a place in the Caistor area of Lincolnshire. It's is the Lincolnshire Wolds (who knew Lincolnshire had hills haha) and a designated area of Natural Beauty, like the Chilterns. It is about 30 mins from the seaside.

The property we are buying has 6.5 acres and large detached house(in need of renovation), own long drive, with no near neighbours. Very good value for money , less than £500k. Although I doubt you'll ever see the big gains of the South and South East but we're moving for lifestyle.

 

[windand rain]

Welcome to Lincolnshire Gingermonkey maybe see you around when you get moved I live very close to Caistor and love it

 

[deb_l222]

Depends on budget but lincolnshire wolds are lovely, peaceful and the weather is drier than most places, More hours of sunshine than most and little pollution. Lots of bridleways around Caistor Normanbyand thoresby

Yes, this is where I will be (hopefully) in the next few years. At the moment I shall be content with visiting with the caravan, when I can again, but I love Lincolnshire. Beautifully rural, with the coast within spitting distance

 

[PeterNatt]

We have fabulous hacking in this area of North Hertfordshire (between Stevenage and Buntingford) with miles and miles of off-road riding. Excellent road and rail links to Central London (Close to the A1, A10 and M25 and M1 not too far away),

 

[The Bay]

I grew up in Surrey and moved to Warwickshire in my late 20s. I still miss the hacking in Surrey! Warwickshire is okay but it isn’t great in fact, I probably won’t get another horse unless I relocated to better hacking! I did spent a brief time in Bucks and that was awful!

 

[Christmascinnamoncookie]

We're in the same boat and just completing on a place in the Caistor area of Lincolnshire. It's is the Lincolnshire Wolds (who knew Lincolnshire had hills haha) and a designated area of Natural Beauty, like the Chilterns. It is about 30 mins from the seaside.

The property we are buying has 6.5 acres and large detached house(in need of renovation), own long drive, with no near neighbours. Very good value for money , less than £500k. Although I doubt you'll ever see the big gains of the South and South East but we're moving for lifestyle.

I keep sending my OH properties there, but his mum loved in Lincoln for a while and told him it was flat, windy and boring! It’s much better value than his preferred area of Herefordshire, but he wants the ‘connection’, being from Hereford.

 

[windand rain]

If your OH is a cyclist CT make him ride a bike from lincoln to Grimsby without using main roads. My nephew is a keen cyclist and organised a ride from Sheffield to Cleethorpes he said the toughest bit was from Lincoln to Grimsby because of the long steep hills

 

[FourLeafClover]

We have fabulous hacking in this area of North Hertfordshire (between Stevenage and Buntingford) with miles and miles of off-road riding. Excellent road and rail links to Central London (Close to the A1, A10 and M25 and M1 not too far away),

I grew up very near Buntingford and always admired the many bridleways I could see en route to Stevenage! Beautiful hilly tracks from what I could see on the road. I hacked a pony out from Cottered as well for a couple of months one summer and had a lovely time hacking out for miles. Lovely memories!

 

[pansymouse]

I live in south Wiltshire - Salisbury Plain is amazing for hacking and the road and rail links to London are pretty good.

 

[Orangehorse]

I knew a lady who moved from the South Downs to Worcestershire and she was appalled at the lack of riding, she used to do endurance but said she wouldn't be able to get her horse fit in Worcestershire!. She was in the north west of the county where there are lots of steep hills. There are quite good networks of bridlepaths, better than you might imagine, but very wet heavy clay so more than difficult in the winter and good for hacks but not gallops.
There are areas of sandy land, like Hagley near Kidderminster and Kingsford Forest but you would have to choose your livery carefully to get good access to that sort of network.

 

[Gingermonkey]

Welcome to Lincolnshire Gingermonkey maybe see you around when you get moved I live very close to Caistor and love it

Thanks Windand Rain, I am so excited. Will need to connect with the community as well. Hope to see you around most definitely. We are going to be on the outskirts of Caistor, you probably know the place on the Nettleton Road.

I keep sending my OH properties there, but his mum loved in Lincoln for a while and told him it was flat, windy and boring! It’s much better value than his preferred area of Herefordshire, but he wants the ‘connection’, being from Hereford.

I thought it was flat and windy until I found out about the Lincolnshire Wolds. My OH is from Lincolnshire, but the flat steel making industrial bit, which had put me off moving up there. Mind you I like Herefordshire as well, I do a lot of work in that area and have family just across the border.

 

[Gingermonkey]

If your OH is a cyclist CT make him ride a bike from lincoln to Grimsby without using main roads. My nephew is a keen cyclist and organised a ride from Sheffield to Cleethorpes he said the toughest bit was from Lincoln to Grimsby because of the long steep hills

Oh not yet...he is pricing up electric bikes though for the hills. He seems to think 'We' will be cycling to the coast on a regular basis and it will be a 'lovely thing to do together'...I have nodded but kept quiet, hoping it will be forgotten about.

 

[windand rain]

Could throw a stone and hit your house from mine nearly

Thanks Windand Rain, I am so excited. Will need to connect with the community as well. Hope to see you around most definitely. We are going to be on the outskirts of Caistor, you probably know the place on the nettleton road

 

[Gingermonkey]

Could throw a stone and hit your house from mine nearly

Really, that close? Nice to meet you neighbour

 

[windand rain]

yep less tha a quarter mile I live in Nettleton the road is just opposite the pub

 

[COldNag]

I am tentatively looking at Lincolnshire Wolds for a few years' time. Sounds like it might be a good decision!