Holidays: 5 Day Trail Ride

The Middleham Gallops

The first morning leaves Malham behind as you travel in a northerly direction climbing up past Great Close and over High Cote Moor to travel on grassy tracks through crops of limestone and past old settlements and lime kilns, to then drop down into Littondale for lunch at the Falcon in Arncliffe. From Arncliffe the steep climb over Old Cote Moor with its heather clad tops gives a dramatic descent into Wharfedale, down a steep track into Kettlewell for the first overnight stay. A relatively easy start to the trail covering 12 miles.

The second day starts with a climb out through the village of Kettlewell up over Cam Pasture and then a drop down into either Starbotton or Buckden for lunch, making an easy morning covering only a few miles. After lunch you're then set up for the long distance of travelling up past Cray and over Kidstones Fell and Stake Allotments, a very high piece of ground giving you a completely remote feeling as you travel over the longest moorland between Dales, from Wharfedale to Wensleydale. The bridleway drops down first into Bishopdale and we travel through the lovely village of Thoralby before heading along some old lanes to our double night destination of West Burton.

West Burton is a wonderful village with a generous village green centre piece and a very welcoming pub. If the second evening doesn't afford enough time and energy to explore, the wonderful thing about us settling there for two nights is that the third day may give opportunity to explore then.

Our third day is dedicated entirely to Middleham. If everyone agrees to an early start we can set off across the green lanes past Flanders Hall with wonderful views over Wensleydale and of Bolton Castle. We then have time to rest our mounts at the High Moor - a carefully manicured gallops - to watch the racehorses training through their paces.

The lanes then take us on to link across meadow land and pasture to take us to Middleham itself. Depending on timings and dates there may be an opportunity for us to call in on a racing yard for a quick tour or to watch the horses swim at Spiggot Lodge. After lunch the wonderful long Low Moor is empty of racehorses and completely free for the Dales ponies to show off their paces.

After racing over the Low Moor we return along the green lanes and wade off the sweat in Walden beck on our return to West Burton.

Our fourth day takes in a ride along Wensleydale to Bainbridge. After lunch we continue past the site of a old Roman fort to take the lane to link onto a bridleway to Semerwater, where legend says that it was formed by a weary walker who cursed the village of Semer after being refused refreshment and rest causing the beck to rise until the village was completely underwater.

After a paddling break the journey continues over Cragdale Allotments to link back onto our route on Kidstones Fell to drop down into Cray with all its waterfalls and into Hubberholme in Langstrothdale for the last night out on the trail.

From Hubberholme we climb over Horsehead Moor to drop down into Littondale for the fifth and final lunch at Litton. From Litton it's just a short journey down the lane to take us back onto familiar territory to pass our first lunch break at Arncliffe.

We then return via the same route as we started the trail - if bums allow, at a greater pace.