Lakes and Dales Horseback Rambler

  Alfred Wainwright described Ennerdale as 'a dark and funereal shroud of foreign trees', but today it really is a beacon of hope for nature and is one of the largest National Nature Reserves in England. The Wild Ennerdale project started in 2002 with the aim of regenerating habitats and landscapes to enable nature to thrive. The River Liza has been allowed to become a natural mountain river and the trees are now a mix of native and conifer species with meadow and glad areas. Hardy cows graze the woodland along side wild deer. Rare species include red squirrels and Marsh Fritillary butterflies and there is a plan to reintroduce beavers and it hoped Pine Martens will find Ennerdale soon too.  When you step into Ennerdale you could be in the Canadian wilderness and it really is a place that is good for the soul!  There are over 15 miles of car-free tracks and paths to explore and many other routes link into the valley including Wainwrights Coast to Coast, whi...

  Sometimes crazy ideas work and it helps when the weather gods are on your side. My friends had their annual horse holiday booked at Scales Farm and invited a few of us to join them. When venturing into the Lakes I do try and leave the car behind and with that thought in mind the plan started to come together to ride to our holiday cottage. In the Lakes if your traveling by foot, hoof or wheel it is quicker to use the old packhorse routes through the fells than travel on the valley roads. In the lakes there are over 20 fell or mountain passes, which all have a history of being packhorse or drovers roads and are mostly now classified as bridleways or byways  ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_hill_passes_of_the_Lake_District ). Starting fr om Longsleddale we rode over Gatescarth Pass to Scales Farm, Helton ( http://www.scalesfarmcottage.co.uk/ ) for three nights and then rode back via High Street. Altogether we rode for five days and covered nearly 50 miles. For this ad...