“Explore Britain’s last true wilderness”
8 Day Extreme Wilderness and Horse Riding Holiday in Knoydart, West Highlands
Knoydart, Highland, Scotland
Nature Immersion and Horse Riding Holiday in Scotland
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 adventure riding 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.
Highlights
- 5 days of horse riding, approximately 6 hours on the saddle per day
- Ride through breathtaking mountain scenery, deep rivers, and stony fords
- Admire beautiful coastal views
- Opportunity to see eagles, stags, and wild ponies during the ride
- 7 nights accommodation
- Meals
- Transportation in Knoydart
Skill level
- Intermediate
- Advanced
Styles
5 days with instruction
Accommodation
Check-in Time:
16:00
Check-out Time:
10:00
The accommodation is at a characterful local guesthouse, set on its own private beach.
Program
Wilder Ways' wildest riding adventure meets luxurious feasting and hospitality. Wilder Ways go feral on Knoydart peninsula, Britain's last true wilderness.
Wilder Ways' 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 accommodations and beautifully eccentric hosts, your evenings are as much of an adventure as the riding.
Although still on the mainland, this isolated peninsula in the West Highlands is accessible only by boat. You'll be riding through breathtaking 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?
This trip is available only to fit and adventurous riders, comfortable at canter. It is NOT suitable for beginners.
Itinerary
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 civilization behind you to enjoy stunning views across Loch Nevis (Gaelic for heaven) and Loch Hourn (Gaelic for hell). This ride will take you deep into the mountains, along crystal clear rivers and tumbling waterfalls. You will climb over 450 meters to the shoulder of Knoydart’s largest mountain, Ladhar Bheinn. This day will test your stamina and the trust between you and your steed - there is just nothing like standing high in the mountains with your horse.
Day 3
Leave the mountains at your back as you wind along Glen Guseran and the relics of a way of life before the Highland Clearances. You will canter along grassy river banks, hop ditches and wade the River Guseran. Passing the most remote farmstead, you will scramble around the rocky coastline of the northwest, racing across meadows with views of the rugged Cuillin mountains of Skye, watch out for eagles, stags, and wild ponies.
Day 4
Prepare your horse in the most scenic corral you can imagine. From here there are epic island views as you first set off around the rocky north coast before heading back towards the tiny hamlet of Airor. Loch Hourn will be at your shoulder all day, with 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.
Day 5
This is a rest day from riding. Spend a lazy morning at your accommodation set on its own private beach, a perfect spot for some well-earned R&R. Then head to Inverie to enjoy a delicious lunch in the Pottery Tea Room, before seeing the peninsula from a new perspective with an afternoon boat trip around Loch Nevis. This stunning trip will take you down memory lane as you learn about the colourful history of the area with your host, a local farmer and a legend in his own right.
Day 6
Be reunited with your steed and continue along the coast, leaving Loch Hourn at your back and heading in the direction towards Loch Nevis. We will ride across the most beautiful sandy bays where we may enjoy a good gallop and take the horses swimming in the sea.
Day 7
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 8
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, Wilder Ways encourages you to get your ‘hands dirty’ and look after your horse as if it were your own (don’t worry, the team will support you to do this). This builds a trust that brings the very best to come out of this journey.
This itinerary is an example - exact routes may change due to weather, tides, or other factors or be ridden in reverse.
This intense 5 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: 5 full days of riding (~6 hours in the saddle per day) on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.
- 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.
- Rest day: Wednesday will be a rest day. A morning boat trip is provided, lunch in the local Tea Room with the afternoon yours to enjoy as you wish.
- Lunches: A picnic ‘on the hoof’ will be provided by Wilder Ways each riding day. On the rest day, lunch will be provided in the Knoydart Pottery & Tea Room.
- 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, freshly grown vegetables and produce – be prepared to loosen your belts!
- 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 Friday at 4 p.m. On the Friday 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: The first ferry off Knoydart on Saturday is at 9 a.m., your accommodation provider will drop you off at the pier to catch this boat. Alternative arrangements will need to be made if you wish to spend more time on Knoydart and catch a later ferry. However, you must check out of the accommodation by 10 a.m.
Location
This horse riding holiday takes place in Knoydart, West Highlands.
Food
Generally, breakfast is at 8 a.m. For lunch, a picnic ‘on the hoof’ will be provided by Wilder Ways each riding day. On the rest day, lunch will be provided in the Knoydart Pottery & Tea Room.
Each night you'll feast at one of Knoydart's great dining experiences, where you can sample locally caught seafood, venison from the hills, 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
What's included
- All riding
- 7 nights accommodation (based on two people sharing a room, single rooms are not available)
- Meals
- Transfers within Knoydart
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
The closest airports are Glasgow Airport (GLA) and Inverness Airport (INV). Both are a ~4-hour journey from Mallaig, from where you need to catch the ferry to Knoydart.
Arrival by taxi
It is possible to get a taxi from either airport to Mallaig, and although this is the most expensive option at ~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 – including 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' website.
Arrival by car
You can drive to Mallaig, but the ferry to Inverie is passenger only so you will need to park your car in Mallaig for the duration of your adventure.
Arrival by ferry
From Mallaig, you get to Knoydart (Inverie) by ferry with Western Isles Cruises (~25 GBP return). Online advance booking is essential.
To get to Knoydart you must catch the Western Isles Ferry from Mallaig to Inverie (the main village on Knoydart). You must arrange your own transport to Inverie – the ferry can get booked up so Wilder Ways recommends that you book this in advance. The Wilder Ways team will pick you up and drop you off at Inverie Pier and will provide all your local transport once you arrive here.
Cancellation Policy
- A reservation requires a deposit of 40% of the total price.
- The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
- The rest of the payment should be paid 30 days before arrival.
For this organizer you can guarantee your booking through BookHorseRidingHolidays.com. All major credit cards supported.
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