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5 Day Short Break Extreme Wilderness Horse Riding Adventure in Knoydart, Scotland
Wilder Ways Guesthouse, Knoydart, Highland, Scotland, United Kingdom
Scotland Horse Riding Adventure
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Scenery to make your heart sing. A land of natural wonder steeped in history and drenched in exquisite local hospitality. Leave your cars and mobile phones at home. This is extreme remoteness and also a luxurious riding adventure holiday. Get ready for an overdose of fresh air, velvet noses and utter bliss on the wild side…. This is the ultimate Wilder Ways ride.
Key Information
- Rider Weight Limit: 196 pounds / 89 kilograms
- Horse Height Range: 14 to 16.2 hands
- Horse Breed: Connemara, Irish Cob, Appaloosa, Arab, Irish Sports Horse, Hackney X
Highlights
- 3 days of horse riding
- Approximate daily riding time: 6 hours
- Characterful and willing team of horses
- Breakfast, lunches, and evening meals will be provided
- Experience riding through the extreme wilderness
- All transfers within Knoydart are included
- 4 nights accommodation
Skill level
- Intermediate
- Advanced
Styles
3 days with instruction
Group size: Maximum of 6 participants
Accommodation
Check-out Time:
10:00
The accommodation is at a characterful local guesthouse, set on its own private beach.
Program
The holidays here are also gastronomic delights featuring locally caught seafood and venison, freshly grown vegetables and produce, prepared by some very talented chefs. With comfortable and characterful accommodation and beautifully eccentric hosts, your evenings are as much of an adventure as the riding.
This trip is NOT suitable for beginners.
Itinerary
This itinerary is an example - exact routes may change due to weather, tides, or other factors or be ridden in reverse.
Day 1
Arrive at Inverie (6 p.m. boat from Mallaig) in time to settle before dinner at 7:30 p.m. Relax into your surroundings, and let the banter start flowing. Share your own horse history and set your wish list for the trip.
Day 2
Meet your steed and prepare for your first day in the saddle. You will quickly leave civilisation behind you to enjoy stunning views across Loch Nevis (gallic for Heaven) and Loch Hourn (gaelic for Hell) as you wind through Glen Guseran and pass by Ladhar Bheinn, Knoydart’s highest mountain. This day will test your stamina and build great trust between you and your steed.
Day 3
Prepare your horse in the most scenic corral you can imagine. From here there are epic island views as you traverse every beach type you can imagine from rocky and bouldery to golden sand and even very rare cold water coral.
This ride is a great route for otter spotting so keep your eyes peeled. You will finish the day riding across the most beautiful sandy bays where you may enjoy a good gallop and take the horses swimming in the sea.
Day 4
Waking up to your horses outside the window, prepare for a diverse day of riding through some challenging terrain. You will be taught to navigate by the land formations and the plants under your hooves and even get your own feet dirty as you dismount to lead your horse safely through the rocky outcrops. At the top there are 360 degree views from the Small Isles to the mountain massifs.
Day 5
Sadly, the end has come, it’s departure day after breakfast. Bid farewell to this magical place of the wild and wonderful.
Throughout your trip they encourage you to get your ‘hands dirty’ and look after your horse as if it were your own (don’t worry, they’ll support you to do this). This trust this builds between you and your horse helps to bring the very best out of this journey.
This intense 3 days of riding will leave you feeling exhilarated, empowered, and totally in love with your horse.
Trip details
- Arrival: Inverie pier on Saturday (the evening before your ride starts) via the 6 p.m. ferry from Mallaig to Inverie. They will collect you from Inverie pier and take you to check into your accommodation. Please note you must book your own ferry – from Western Isles Cruises. Your host will join you for dinner to get to know each other and to talk through the exciting plans for the week ahead.
- Daily schedule: Subject to the specifics of each day’s riding, but generally breakfast is at 8 a.m., you ride 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. and dinner is at 7 p.m.
- Riding: 3 full days riding (6 hours in the saddle per day) on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday.
- Riding ability: This trip is physically demanding due to the hours in the saddle, the remoteness of the area and the varied and challenging terrain. This trip is NOT suitable for beginner or novice riders. Riders must be confident at canter – all galloping opportunities are optional.
- Transfers: From your arrival at Inverie Pier all local transport is included. Please note that you must book the boat from Mallaig to Inverie directly and in advance. Public transport is available to Mallaig from Glasgow (train or bus).
- Finish: The last ride will finish on Tuesday at 4 p.m. On the Tuesday evening, your Wilder Ways hosts will join you for a special finale dinner. You will enjoy a last evening’s sleep in the peace and tranquillity of the peninsula before returning home.
- Departure: Your accommodation provider will drop you off at the pier to catch the 11 a.m boat. If you need to catch the 8 a.m. ferry, an earlier check out can be made by prior arrangement.
Location
Although still on the mainland, this isolated peninsula in the West Highlands is accessible only by boat. You'll be riding through breath-taking mountain scenery that changes with each bend in the path; through deep rivers and stony fords or scrambling around the coast with spectacular views out to 'The Small Isles', Rum, Eigg and Skye. Are you ready for some real off-road adventuring?
Food
Lunches
A picnic on the hoof will be provided by Wilder Ways on each riding day.
Evening Meals
Each night you'll feast at one of Knoydart's great dining experiences, where you can sample locally caught seafood, venison from the hills and freshly grown vegetables and produce – be prepared to loosen your belts!
The following meals are included:
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
The following dietary requirement(s) are served and/or catered for:
- Regular (typically includes meat and fish)
If you have special dietary requirements it's a good idea to communicate it to the organiser when making a reservation
Things to do (optional)
As well as the fabulous riding, there are a good variety of other activities. Minch Adventures offer a natural boating experience with a personal touch that takes you out into the sea between Knoydart and Skye, one of the top whale-watching destinations in Europe. They'll take you diving or just drop you off somewhere really wild, or charter the Calanna to take you on a more leisurely cruise. You can also hire a mountain bike from Knoydart Foundation at Inverie or just wander at will and do some wildlife watching as you go.
There are other fun local activities available as well. If you like horse riding, day and half-day treks are offered onsite by Wilder Ways and are a great way to explore the area. There are two outstanding golf courses at Machrihanish and a rifle firing range within the old airbase. Follow these up with a slice of one of Frances’ outstanding cakes at the Muneroy tea rooms, Southend, it’s worth going there just to hear the girls recite the list of cakes available!
Other "non-riding" activities for you to take a rest day from riding or to extend your Scottish wilderness experience at each of the four locations. Options may include sailing, sea kayaking, mountain biking, boat trips, bushcraft skills, and wildlife tours; again, prices will be provided upon inquiry.
What's included
- 3 full days of horse riding
- 4 nights accommodation
- Transfers within Knoydart
- All meals
What's not included
- The ferry between Mallaig and Inverie is excluded – guests must book this themselves
- Alcoholic drinks (not provided but are available for you to purchase at most dining venues and as a carry-out from the local village store)
- Airfare
How to get there
Recommended Airports
INV
Inverness Airport
113 km
Transfer not provided
GLA
Glasgow Airport
150 km
Transfer not provided
Arrival by airplane
Please arrange your flight to arrive at Glasgow Airport (GLA) or Inverness Airport (INV). Both are about a four-hour journey from Mallaig, where you need to catch the ferry to Knoydart.
Arrival by ferry
To get to Knoydart, you must catch the Western Isles Ferry from Mallaig to Inverie (the main village on Knoydart) (20 GBP return trip). You must arrange your own transport to Inverie, the ferry can get booked up so Wilder Ways recommends you to book this in advance. Wilder Ways will pick you up and drop you off at Inverie Pier and will provide all your local transport once you arrive here.
Arrival by taxi
It is possible to get a taxi from the airport to Mallaig, and although this is the most expensive option at around 250 GBP per journey, it may be a viable option for groups traveling together.
Arrival by train
You can get a train from Glasgow city center (Queen St. Station) direct to Mallaig on the West Highland Line. This journey is often listed as one of the top 10 train journeys in the world, an adventure in its own right and includes the famous Harry Potter viaduct, you can even do part of it on a steam train! You can check the timetables via National Rail Enquiries
Arrival by car
You can drive to Mallaig but the ferry to Inverie is a passenger-only so you will need to park up your car in Mallaig for the duration of your adventure with Wilder Ways.
Cancellation Policy
- A reservation requires a deposit of 55% of the total price.
- The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
- The rest of the payment should be paid 28 days before arrival.
For this organizer you can guarantee your booking through BookHorseRidingHolidays.com. All major credit cards supported.
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