Riding through the Welsh Hills July 2006
Setting out
Jules & I had been wanting to do some sort of long distance ride ever since we’d bought our 2 boys in July 2004, but owing to their sulky racing past in Denmark, they’d not done any ridden work and were way too highly strung to jump straight in at the deep end, not only that but, I’d never owned a horse before. Over the next 18 months we 
slowly got them to relax whilst being ridden, slowed their 20mph racing trot down to a gentle jog and after many, many attempts got them to canter; well if the truth be told it was a flat out gallop but they got the idea in the end!
A year of endurance rides under our belt and we new they were more than ready to do a journey that was a little more demanding on all 4 of us. We decided that although our ultimate aim is to eventually do a trip with nothing but what we can carry on the horses, for now B&B`s were the better option, but other than that we carried everything else ourselves. Our horse holiday company provided the maps, route notes & organised the B&B`s for us, so all we had to do was show up and enjoy the holiday we’d prepared for.
We chose the Welsh Borders network as it was quite close to where we live in the West Midlands and knew that the countryside there was really beautiful. We started off from home with great anticipation knowing that all our hard work was finally going to pay off. We arrived in the area of Chapel Lawns and after driving up and down the same road 4 or 5 times we eventually pulled over and asked a local if he knew where our B&B was, he didn’t know but luckily another local joined in who did.
He clearly took great delight in pointing to a small place up on the side of a hill with nothing more than what I would generously call a very rough track. I knew straight away that there was no way on earth that my vehicle would get to the top with 2 horses in it. There was nothing else for it so we unloaded them and Jules walked them up. With my van skipping and jumping from side to side I nearly blew my engine up trying to get it up there but it made it, JUST!
When we saw the B&B it was everyone’s dream home with a thatched roof, beautiful views, stables and well-kept fields. We settled our boys into their field and then after sorting ourselves out went down the local pub for a meal before getting back for an early night ready for the next day.
First days ride 23 miles
After a hearty breakfast we tacked our boys up and headed back down that incredibly bad track which they made without the slightest trouble. Horses are real 4 wheel drive vehicles. As we reached the bottom of the track we turned right and followed the route described on the notes, soon we were off the road and onto a farm track. We followed these tracks that led us continually upwards, slowly gaining altitude, past farms and their fields, going through gates as we went.
It was here that we realised that the word gate in this area was a 
very loose term because many had string hinges, string catches or just the posts where a gate used to be but as we looked across the way to where the ancient hill fort Caer Caradoc used to be we marvelled at the beauty of the scenery. It was about a mile later as we were crossing a huge field trying to find the described exit when from behind an old fallen tree up sprung a sheep which took off like an Olympic sprinter with Jules horse Cannon going equally as fast in the opposite direction.
Jules easily brought him under control but perhaps we should have taken it as a sign of things to come that day. We knew that this first day’s ride was the longest and as it was our first ever attempt to orienteering whilst astride a horse. We also knew that it would probably be the hardest learning curve as well. What we hadn’t planned on was that the weather was some of the hottest we’d had all year. We kept getting off and stopping at every available water source, but there was no getting away from it, we were all very hot and it was adding a lot of time to the trip!
We headed through a gate and as described on the notes before us stood a massive grass slope the boys dug deep and charged up the hill as there was no way they’d do it at a jog. As we crested the top, before us stood a small herd of cattle that were obviously surprised to see us. They began to call nervously to each other which we both thought was sweet right up until a bull, which was easily as big as Cannon, stood up from the middle of them and began to saunter towards us with a very clear look on his face that said, “ don’t mess about you two”. Jules as ever never seemed to register this potential danger and continued to point and generally enjoy our being there, but once I’d pointed it out she seemed as eager as I to vacate their field and leave them in peace.
We had been riding for a fair few hours now and knew that it wouldn’t be too long before our described pub stop would appear, we were both famished and really looking forward to a good meal served with a cool beverage. UNBELIEVABLE! The bloody place was closed; we hadn’t seen a single person for 5 hours and there wasn’t any shop in view so we had to accept that it would be a while longer before we could refuel. Watching our boys munch happily away, I thought grass had never looked so good.
We pushed on knowing that things couldn’t get any more demanding. What a stupid thing to think! We’d been riding for about an hour since we left the pubs car park and finally came to the longest stretch of grass I’ve ever seen, neatly edged with a fence on one side and thick bracken on the other. It must have been 5 miles long FANTASTIC ‘we could make up a bit of time here’ I thought. WRONG. I decided to get off my horse to adjust his saddle before taking off down this stretch and Jules did the same.
As Jules turned Cannon there was a dull thud and his saddle slipped to the ground. His cinch ring had snapped! We tied her saddle together with some bail twine, but that idea of going down the track at a nice canter was 
out the window along with making up lost time. We would only walk and do a slow jog for the rest of the day. We had been riding for about 6 hours now and were only half way there; hot, hungry, covered in flies with a faulty saddle and still a further 10 miles to go. We were beginning to get fed up, but we tried to stay positive, after all we’d been looking forward to this for ages!
The going was very slow now and Jules was seething mad that after all the endurance rides her saddle decided that now was a good time to snap when we’re on Glyndwr’s Way in the middle of nowhere. We continued to ride at this slow pace for the next few hours following the map and notes as we went. It had been 9 hours now and we still hadn’t seen a single person along the way but we knew that our first overnight stop was very close. The final stretch of bridleway was obviously made for Shetland ponies and not for my 16.2 Standardbred because both Jules and I had to dismount and lead them through this tiny hollow, even on his own my horse Quest had trouble getting through and when we emerged he had a huge branch stuck to his mane and tail, but like me he was too knackered to care. Following the map we were sure we’d taken a wrong turn somewhere and found ourselves riding across someone’s lawn.
Not only that there was a man charging across the yard straight at us. I was trying to rally my thoughts ready to parry his protests when I noticed that he had a big smile on his face and was now asking, “would you like a piece of cake and a hot drink?” It took a second or two to realise that this was our B&B and this chap (Richard) had been worrying that we were well over due; at last we were at Brandy House and what a welcome sight it was.
Even now Jules and I can’t believe how nice these people were. We hadn’t even got off our horses and Richard had brought us cake and a pot of coffee. Then he phoned the local pub to rearrange our table for a later time so we had time to shower etc. The paddock and stables were very well maintained, with a secure room for the saddles, and our room had never looked so good with the prospect of a shower looking even better! Showered and now in our clean evening clothes we felt re-energised & very hungry. Richard drove us down to the local where we had a quick beer before they brought our meals out. We hoped the food tasted as good as it smelt and weren’t disappointed. A well-portioned meal that was cooked to perfection was served followed by another beer.
We didn’t stay too long because we were tired and wanted to be fresh & ready for the next days ride. I’m sure 
we were fast asleep before our heads hit the pillows. We awoke bright and early the next morning to the sound of Richard & his wife Medina preparing all the guests breakfasts. We went down to check that our boys were OK and bring them into the stables for their breakfast. After we’d eaten Richard helped us produce a good repair to Jules saddle that meant the next 2 days wouldn’t have to be all walk and trot. We tacked the boys up and we set off for our 2nd B&B in the village of Discoed.
Second days ride 20 miles
We left Brandy house exactly the same way as we arrived through that god-awful piece of bridleway that we had to dismount for the first time. We did the same again and were equally as happy to be out of it, as we were the first time, but unlike yesterdays horrendous adventure today was going to be much, much better. The first few miles of the route were very easy to find and follow because we were retracing our steps from the previous days ride. Not having to look at the map & read map notes allowed us to really enjoy the scenery. Although we knew that the day’s weather was going to be hot again, the morning was cool and all four of us were in good spirits being fully rested with full bellies.
We followed the route to where a natural spring was pooling to cause what looked like a massive puddle. We allowed our boys to drink and stayed for 20 minutes or so letting them play and canter through the water before we pushed on towards our goal. Our journey passed by without event unlike yesterday and Jules & I enjoyed each other’s company in the complete peace & quiet of the Welsh hills. Living in Birmingham for most of my life you get used to the noise. Even in the middle of the night there is that continual hum of distant traffic and I often wonder if the locals appreciate where they live as much as tourists such as I do when they visit?
I hope so because they are really lucky to live in such a place. We’d ridden about 11 miles now and had arrived at our halfway pub stop hungry and 
thirsty, NOT AGAIN! The bloody place was closed & we both stood there in total disbelief. We decided that we’d un-tack the boys and let them have an hours rest before we pushed on towards our next B&B. Luckily the pub had a water tap in the car park with buckets to water horses with. As we were tending to the boys the landlord came out to see what was going on and, after hearing our story of woe, he took pity on us and allowed us to buy 2 Shandys & a bag of crisps, each which tasted as good as any sirloin steak, could. All feeling refreshed we continued on towards Gumma Farm leaving the pub & empty glasses behind.
The rest of the journey passed by with no problems at all, although some of the tracks were quite overgrown from all directions, and again the idea of a nice little 15hh horse would have been a real bonus, but instead I just had to make do and accept the occasional whack on the head. As we turned onto Gumma Farm we followed the track down to the house and took the boys straight into the barns where we un-tacked them just as the notes had told us to do. I went over and introduced ourselves to our hosts who then showed us our room. No shower this time but a giant sized bath, FANTASTIC. This B&B was providing an evening meal as well and as we sat waiting for the hosts to bring the food out we again wondered what standard the food would be at.
Once again we weren’t disappointed with everything tasting as though it had been fresh picked that day and the massive strawberries being the perfect end to the meal. After a final coffee we headed up to bed. I’d like to say we sat up and drank beer most of the night whilst playing cards but this is real life and we were both totally knackered. Next morning I went down to check on the boys and again bring them in for their breakfast.
Whilst I was doing this David our host told me something that I decided to keep to myself until after breakfast. The breakfast was even better than the previous night’s meal with sausages that looked like zeppelins and eggs that must have come from an eagle, a few cups of coffee and then I sprung my surprised on Jules. I led her to the barn and there in the corner was a 1-day-old calf with giant sized eyes and a big pink nose. Jules went all gooey eyed and immediately started to clamber into the pen for a cuddle that got the calf all excited. He began to charge around the pen like Red Rum himself. Neither of us had seen a calf before and we were both fascinated by him, but after half an hour we knew we’d best get on our way and head back to where we started off at the beginning which was the Country Lovers Lodge at Chapel lawns.
Final days ride 18 miles
We left Gumma Farm via the track leading out to the front of their property and headed off towards the hamlet of Dolley Green looking for the track described on the route notes. After about 5 miles we met a group a walkers who we stopped and chatted with for 15 minutes or so. We explained what we were up to and answered their questions about our boys, things that everyone wants to know about them once they find out they were not very successful racers. Because of that they were headed for the slaughterhouse before being bought buy a dealer.
Soon after we came to a stretch that had at least 5 five gates all in very quick succession At the 6th the notes said that we needed to turn right and head across the field to a gate on the far side. We rode to the other side of the field expecting to find the gate but it wasn’t there. We decided to ride the entire field perimeter but couldn’t see any other gate with a wood on the other side of it. After a quick discussion we decided that we could see a wood about ¼ of a mile further on and we’d aim for there hoping that we’d pick up the trail we’d lost. Just as we were about to push on, a sheep, who had somehow managed to get into the field we were in, saw us and was frightened to death.
Determined to get back to his chums in the adjoining field he flung himself repeatedly at the sheep netting again and again. He was throwing himself with such an effort that we seriously feared for his well being and imagined having to ride to the farmer’s house to explain that whilst we were in a field that we weren’t supposed to be in we scared one of his sheep so badly that it mutilated itself. Luckily with one last effort the sheep took a running jump and sailed over the fence into the field where his mates were grazing happily and not taking the slightest interest in his efforts to rejoin them. Funnily enough when he landed he too started to graze as though nothing had happened.
We aimed for the wood that we’d seen and when we got there picked up the trail straight away. We had either miscounted the gates we’d gone through or the farmer had put another one in since the notes had been written; we went through the described gate and into the wood which was a welcomed break from the merciless heat.
As we sauntered through the wood it was as if we’d travelled back in time three hundred years or so. No noises from any mechanical machine, just the sunshine trying to break through the canopy and birds twittering as they went about their business. I really did enjoy this slow type of riding and the feeling of being on a journey with Quest as my main mode of transport.
I was enjoying the views around me without any sense of having to be anywhere else other than where I was. Having said that, the flies were swarming all over us and it was as if they’d been lying in wait for some traveller to pass by so they could rush out and grab a quick meal off them. It was a lovely trail through the woods and we rode a section of bridleway that had been re-opened after a twenty-year closure. We noticed that over the last couple of day’s we’d been riding along quite a few Holloways which, we were surprised to read, had been created by the passage of walkers and riders over centuries. The ground has literally been worn away to form a 4 or 5-foot deep groove in the ground.
It’s amazing to think that people have been using these same trails for hundreds of years and what’s more amazing is that there are probably a whole lot more out there that aren’t on the definitive map. Because of this unless someone lists them they’ll be lost to everyone in 20 years. Imagine they’ve been used for hundreds of years and now they’ll be stopped because they aren’t on a piece of paper, crazy isn’t it? Sorry back to the write up. Not long after we had gone through the newly reopened section of bridle path the route notes said to aim for 2 barns and ride between them. As we approached the said gate we noticed the pungent smell that belonged to the free running pigs in the field behind it.
We weren’t exactly sure what we should do because we’d heard that horses are really nervous of pigs and there were sows running free with piglets at their side grunting like wild boars. A farmer pulled up in his pickup and asked sarcastically, “Aren’t your horses frightened of pigs then?” Now I’m not normally a suspicious person, but that struck me as being a bit dodgy and I strongly suspected that he’d deliberately put pigs in there to try and stop riders from going on his land. I answered, “we’ll find out in about 2 minutes mate. If my horse comes back without me, you know he is!” We pushed open the gate remounted and began to ride through a swarm of pigs and to our great relief our boys never even gave them a second glance. Never the less we didn’t hang about.
Five miles later we rode past the manor of Brampton Bryan which was beautiful to say the least so Jules stopped to take a few pictures with the manor and pool as a backdrop. We new that we’d be passing the tearooms shortly so we pushed on only to find it closed! How do these places make any money? Only another 6 miles to go but today was the hottest of the lot and the boys were beginning to struggle with the heat. We stopped at a small ford where the boys took a short break and a long cool drink. After they’d had their fill we didn’t push on straight away but kept them in the stream allowing them splash about and cool down for a while in the shade of the overhanging trees. We were eager to get to our B&B but they needed a break more than we needed our B&B.
After about half an hour we decided to make one last push and again we were lucky that the next section of our route ran alongside the stream in the shade of the trees. Within 45 minutes we were back at that awful track at the top of which was our B&B. When we all arrived at the top, our host rushed out to us and we all immediately started un-tacking and hosing the boys off. They were drenched head to toe, scraped and then drenched again for good measure. Once they were settled back into their field it was our turn. Our host had obviously anticipated our needs and had very kindly turned on her outdoor hot tub for us. Jumping in and with a couple of drinks laid on the side to quench our thirst we stayed there for a couple of hours enjoying the cool water.
When we finally emerged we dressed and headed out to the local for a well-earned meal. What a great way to end a brilliant holiday! We stayed the night and the next morning we prepared for the trip back home. Jules and I were a little fed up at having to go back home but pleased that all four of us had done really well. The boys in particular had outdone themselves and they had given us a superb holiday that we’ll talk about for years to come.
We both know that this is only the first of many riding holidays to come.