Lakes and Dales Horseback Rambler

  To most going on holiday with your horse is a bit of a crazy idea, but in fact like all holidays it just needs a bit of planning. My friend Bridget had lots of experience of this and we had talked for some time about taking our horses away. After a little research we found out that Wha House Farm ( http://www.whahousefarm.co.uk/ ) would rent us a field and we booked one the Byres camping pods at Stay at Eskdale ( https://www.stayineskdale.co.uk ), which had everything we needed including the Woolpack Inn next door for an evening meal.  Our camping pod The weather the weekend before our trip had been solid rain after an unusual dry period for Cumbria. The forecast for the three days we were away was going to be just as inclement, and as I stood in the field layby with Ryan waiting to be picked up by Bridget I was starting to think we had to be a little bit mad. The rain was on and off and I was already in waterproofs!     The traffic to Eskdale was surprisingl...

This was our last day away and as we needed to be out our accommodation by 10am we decided to do a ride on the way home. After three or four days of rain the sun came out for our last day and it was so nice not to be in full water proofs! We found Ryan and Hope having a lovely nap in their holiday field and I don’t think they really wanted to move.   Finally sunshine!  The tides were not right to go to Silecroft beach so instead we opted for a ride in the dunes and along the seawall at Haverigg. The Cumbria coast is very much a place where people do not think to visit, but if you have not been here you are missing out! In Haverigg y ou can park by the cricket club or on the road near the café.  The route meander through the dunes and if the tide was out you could ride all the way to Silecroft and vis versa. On this ride we just did a short loop through the dunes and along the high tide line and then around the seawall of the RSPB Hodbarrow Nature Reserve. This is a ...

  The weather did not disappoint and I think I spent most of the night listening to the rain, muttering to myself I hope those ponios are ok. Of course they were, they were in a lovely field with lots of grass. A real luxury for Ryan practically as his diet is normally restrict to keep him trim! Feeding horses is an art and it does not take a lot to send the balance the wrong way! We were going to ride high up to Burnmoor Tarn, but the weather was most defiantly against us so we decide to ride on a loop around and over Muncaster Fell. Most of this route is promoted as the Eskdale Trail from Muncaster Castle so hopefully it should be straight forward for a rainy day. With a lot of the route under trees we hoped that this would provide some shelter from the weather!   From the Woolpack we turned right down the lane past Dalegarth Station and then took the lane that leads to the bridleway past Dalegarth Hall. You will then pass through Low Wood and continue onto Forge Bridge....

If your a mountain biker then your know this area well and as my eldest sons would say the trails around Staveley are 'sick' or otherwise known as amazing!  There is so much to go at in this area from going into Kentmere to going over to Troutbeck. This is an area I've wanted explore on horseback for ages, so after studying the OS map many times it was great to finally dip into the area with my friend Bridget and her horse Hope.  We went prepared with our saddle bags packed with lunch and as neither of us had really done route it really had the potential for a great ride. This ride takes you straight through Staveley village and then over and around Spy Crag into the edge of Kentmere taking in some fantastic native bluebell woods, ancient tracks and ends with an option of cake at Wilf's Cafe!  Starting at the layby adjacent to Rather Heath take the lane past the campsite and on Ashes Lane. Ashes Lane is a lovely gated track with fab views looking ...

           The 19 30’s saw the start of the campaign for the ‘Right to Roam’ on foot, but to have the freedom to do the same on horseback or by bike is a very rare thing indeed. You could almost say in England and Wales if you have a place like this it is unique and to those that use such an area it becomes very special. I am fortunate enough to live near one of these rare areas and it’s safe to say that Farleton Knott has over the years become a cherished place to all who have visited. Most people drive past this unknown fell as they speed along the M6 and turn off at J36 for the Lake District.   A week ago now I was walking up on Farleton and came across this new sign put up by one of the landowners - ‘ Farleton Knott is open access land. Everyone is entitled to explore it on foot. There are no bridlepaths on Farleton Knott. It is a civil offence to ride horses or bikes on this site.’ For some history to this, the area is mostly common land an...

To anyone that like looking at OS maps Great Langdale it pretty special. I say this as there is so much choice, weather you’re a walkers, mountain biker, horse rider or disabled tramper  user. This ride is good at any time but a great time to visit this valley has to autumn, firstly there are less visitors and secondary the autumn colours on a sunny crisp day really do sing! One of my favourite routes is the bridleway that starts in Elterwater and carries on up the valley through Great Langdale. This trail is for all and the last time I did this was with my horse and my two children were 8 and 10 on their mountain bikes. It sounds a crazy mix, but riding your horse while others cycle really can work, especially if you can find the right off road route. This route does have one hill, but overall it quite flat (for the Lake District) so for the youngest member of the team this route was challenging but still doable. At no point did I have to lead my horse and push a small child’s b...