Holidays: 2 Day Trail Ride

Hawkswick Clowder Trail

Total 27 miles

A 2 day trail which samples an amazing array of scenery and Dales. Leaving Malham SE we can now venture over Hetton Common after some bridleway improvement works by the National Park. As the terrain is still damp in places your pony has to pick its way through reeds and ford streams, but well positioned tracks speed up the journey over moors, past Winterburn reservoir and finally onto the firm but ancient drover's road down into the village of Hetton (sister village to the Calendar Girl's Rylstone).

After a good lunch at the Angel Inn we follow routes over Boss Moor with breathtaking views over Grassington to drop into Kilnsey for a nights stay, nestled almost under the Kilnsey Cragg itself.

A lazy start along the Dales Way to kettlewell gives time to soak in the Dales atmosphere, with a cheerful ride through kettlewell we then leave village life behind us to climb our way out of Wharfedale and up over Old Cote Moor. The first view of Littondale is of heather topped moors dropping down to a wonderful example of a glacial valley and meandering river.

The church steeple gives away Arncliffe's location and we ride into this village with its broad green centre-piece for our lunch stop. The final climb is over Hawkswick Clowder, our trail's namesake due to its wonderful grassy route with canter stretches, lime kilns and limestone outcrops.

We drop down near to the Tarn and back to home base after some wonderful displays of Dales pony speeds.

A trail ride strongly recommended for those with only 2 days to explore the Dales.

High Bucker Trail

Total 28 miles

The High Bucker trail focuses on Malhamdale and Wharfedale to give you greater familiarity with these two wonderful Dales. Instead of leaving Malhamdale behind you on the first morning like the other two trails, the High Bucker takes you up out of Malham but then takes a southerly direction across Calton Moor to give you longer to soak up the dramatic scenery of Malham Cove and Gordale Scar and the dale stretching down to Airedale and further afield towards Pendle Hill. After lunch at a farm shop and tearoom the trail continues across lane and meadow to pass Winterburn reservoir and travel past Bordley to link onto the Roman road which takes you to the overnight stop at Kilnsey, nestled under the dramatic Kilnsey Cragg.

The second day across Green Haw Hill allows grassy canter stretches which were commonplace on the first day, and the scenery turns from limestone hills to peat and heather moor as you cross Boss Moor and down into Hetton for lunch. On the last afternoon you follow an old drovers road out of Hetton and onto The Common to take you back over the moor to Malham.

Although you can't escape the hills in the Dales, and nor would you want to, this ride has no really steep ascents or descents and offers greater opportunity to vary the pace whilst still creating the atmosphere of traversing some amazing scenery.

Litton 2 Day

Total 32 miles

Leave Malham behind you as you climb NW over Ewe Moor and Gorbeck. This section of moor is very remote and quite beautiful with different colours stretching out in front of you from the moorland grasses. Wet in places, we pick our way across, thankful for the wonderful Dales pony to find the right path.

The National Park will be incorporating this stretch into a loop from the new Pennine Bridleway so access across this moor is anticipated to be better soon for those on the less native version of horse. Just before reaching Jubilee Cave the ground turns from peat to limestone, the grass is firm and the ponies revel in a turn of speed before picking up the lanes and tracks which drop down into Ribblesdale and lunch at Stainforth.

afternoon climb out of Ribblesdale, past Penyghent along the Yorkshire Dales cycleway to link onto an old cart road which takes you on a spectacular drop into Litton, and a wonderful nights stay. Next morning the route climbs out of Littondale over Old Cote Moor. The bridleway is clear but has steep descents to Kettlewell with a head spinning view!

By now you feel that you could ride over any terrain with your trusty friend. Lunch at Kilnsey gives a break from the saddle before the final flurry of feathery feet take you over Kilnsey and Malham Moor with its ideal canter stretches towards home.

Ellerbeck Trail

Total 30 miles

This trail starts in very similar style to the High Bucker and has exactly the same first morning and lunch stop. The afternoon ventures across meadow and over Boss Moor with its gravel tracks, sleeper bridges and outcrops of heather, all making for an interesting ride. An overnight stop at Kilnsey restores and refreshes.

The next day ventures the other side of the River Wharfe and along the Dales Way to Grassington. After a whole previous day of Dales remoteness the novelty of skirting Grassington is fun. Lanes take you through the beautiful village of Linton with ponies getting the chance to ford the river as a watering break. Bridleways then take you on to follow and cross the trail's namesake Eller Beck several times before approaching Cracoe for a lunch at Hetton.

The second afternoon matches that of the High Bucker trail. Again a trail with gentler terrain than the first two trails but still allowing great exploration of these two Dales.