|
 |
Horse Riding Holidays,
|
 |
|
|
|
Trans Wales Trails Press Reviews
"Epic Ride - The Cwmfforest Riding Centre is home to Trans Wales Trails, whose first big horseriding adventure of the season starts on May 10 - an epic six-day journey from the English border to the Irish sea, passing through the Black Mountains, Mynydd Eppynt, the Elan Valley and over Plynlimon - the highest point in the Cambrian mountains - before a final gallop on the beach near Aberystwyth. The route follows bridle-ways, open moorland and several trails over private land." from the Guardian – Top 100 Flight Free Holidays 2009
"Gallop across Wales
from the Sunday Times 100 Holidays for 2009
"Before travelling further afield you can get into saddle shape in the Welsh Black Mountains. While Trans Wales Trails offers holidays for all standards its beginner packages are particularly popular, giving novice riders plenty of adventure and a spectacular wilderness environment – just at a more steady, bottom-friendly pace. Explore tiny villages, stop for great pub lunches and go higher and further than even some of the more energetic hikers would go before retiring back to your friendly farmhouse." Guardian – Top 10 Horse Riding Holidays Around The World
"In Wales, A Wild Ride to Her Heart’s Content By Rebecca J Ritzel - Special to the Washington Post - Sunday July 29th 2009-08-16 The Welsh don’t play polo. It’s not because they regard it as a snobbish sport for the English upper class (thought they do) or because they don’t like horses (they like them very much). No, the problem with playing polo in Wales is that if you whack the ball once, it rolls straight down a mountain and into a hedgerow, never to be seen again. Except maybe by a sheep. The Welshman that explained this equestrian conundrum to me was Paul Turner, arguably one of the most accomplished ‘trekking’ horsemen in his country. We were riding along a ridge halfway down a steep green hill, our horses easily negotiating a narrow sheep path that’s “been there forever” Turner said. Several hundred feet below, we could see our final destination, Cwmfforest Farm, home to Trans Wales Trails, a business the Turner family has run since 1970. “Okay. Ready to canter?” Turner asked me. “Are you nuts? We’re on the side of a mountain.” “Yes, but the trail is flat,” he called back. I pressed my feet down into the stirrups, tightened my reins and laced a bit of my horse’s man through my fingers, and away we went. For only about the 17th time in the past two days, I had to tell myself that this was real. I was riding a horse through the Black Mountains of Wales and loving every minute of it. Here’s the first thing you need to know about riding holidays in Wales: They are not, like polo, just for the rich and famous. Once you are in the United Kingdom, staying at a horse farm is an affordable way to get out and see the countryside. For a weekend of riding, including all accommodations, Cwmfforest charges 220 pounds, roughly $360 at the current exchange rate. Compare that with one of the stables in the Shenandoah Valley, which charges $150 just for an afternoon’s ride. To be fair, American liability insurance contributes to the difference, but riding in the UKL remains a travel bargain. I got lucky. I was going to be in Cardiff for a week-long professional development course, so I arranged to stay a few extra days at my own expense. Then I started surfing the Net. Googling ‘Riding Holidays Wales’ revealed page after page of horse lovers’ porn. There were easily 50 farms to choose from. I needed professional help. Thankfully, Robert Lewis Jones at Visit Wales, the national tourism board, stepped in with some advice. Since I wouldn’t have a car – limited budget, too chicken to drive on the other side of the road – he suggested Cwmfforest. The farm is in the Brecon Beacons National Park but is accessible via public transportation (a three hour train ride from London) and a short taxi ride from nearby Abergavenny. (Here I should point out that it is pointless to try pronouncing Welsh proper names. “Cwm” is pronounced “coom”. Abergavenny I never did master.) The farm needed a little information in advance: my height, weight and riding ability. Not details one frequently shares via email with a total stranger. I divulged only this: I am tall, thin and have long legs. Please don’t put me on a pony (a horse smaller than 14.2 hands, or 58 inches at the shoulder). Later I learned that the farm does have a weight limit of 13 stone, or 180 pounds. I needn’t have feared. That first morning at the farm, I saw how much care Turner takes when matching up riders with mounts. Six of us, ranging in age from 8 to 40-something, assembled in the paddock like a cavalry troop. Turner first assigned horses to my fellow riders, an extended family from Cambridge. Libby on Tristan, Conny on Hand, etc. He saved me for last. “Nothing too fast,” I said. “And preferably at least 15 hands.” “Do you want a gray, or a nice rich bay?” he asked. I opted for Charlie, the gray. Halters in hand, we followed a whistling Turner up the hill. When he opened the gate, 24 heads turned sharply pricked ears toward the human intruders. “It’s a field full of horses,” he said, nonchalantly. “Let’s go catch some.” At any given time, there are about 60 horses at Cwmfforest. Many were born and raised on the farm, the progeny of two resident studs, Mr Eddie and the Real McCoy. Nearly all are Welsh cobs, a breed revered around the world as hardy, sure-footed and good-natured. Taking care of the horses, from grooming them to cleaning the tack after rides, is the responsibility of paying customers. Many farms in Wales take out total beginners: Cwmfforest does not. Riders need to be comfortable trotting and cantering. Although I started riding when I was 7 and owned my own horse as a teenager, I hadn’t ridden in six months, and I must confess that the first time we got the cue to canter, I was silently pleading for my life. We rode about 8 miles that first morning, to Llangorse, the largest natural lake in south Wales. And whn we dismounted for lunch at a café, my thighs felt like stale taffy, overstretched and ready to snap. The ride home was a bit more relaxing. WE cantered down one sunken, tree-lined lane and ambled down another that was totally enshrouded in branches, like Tolkien’s forest of Lothlorien. That night, after the Cambridge family headed home, a Canadian rider and I were the only ones left to enjoy a barbeque with the Turner clan and farm staff. All those stereotypes about the British being more bookish and refined than the Yanks? They’re true. We put the horses away and sat outside on an 80-degree evening drinking hot tea. After a wonderful meal prepared by matriarch Maria and grilled by her son Owen, I stayed up chatting with women – staff and guests – from 5 countries. Our conversation covered everything from architecture to world religions and continued the next day over breakfast. Saturday morning found me out on a more adventurous ride, this time aboard Jack, a handsome black gelding that starred in the 2004 film “King Arthur”. Today Jack’s job – and mine – was much less glamorous. We were to lead by example. Turner and his assistants wanted to take out horses that had been ridden only three or four times before. At one point, we cantered straight up a hill, just to “knacker out” the youngsters.
That’s how I found myself some 2,000 feet above sea level, looking out from a mountain known in Welsh as the Y Grib, though Turner simply calls it “the Saddle.” I had recognized the ridge from pictures on the Trans Wales Trails Web site, images I had fantasized about only weeks before. The wind picked up, tousling Jack’s man. If I fell off, I, not the polo ball, would be the one rolling down the mountain. Surveying the Wye Valley from between Jack’s furry ears, I felt like a kid at the top of the Empire State Building. But instead of seeing sidewalks and cars down below, there was nothing but green, as far as human or equine eyes could see. Photos didn’t do the view justice, but that didn’t stop me from pulling out a camera and taking my own.
|
|
Send mail to riding@transwales.com with questions or comments about this web site. Last modified: 26-07-09 © Trans Wales Trails Ltd.
|
