Great Dragon Ride named in top 10 riding routes
One of the most famous riding routes in Wales has been chosen by equestrians to be included in a list of the top 10 best bridleways in the UK.
Compiled by equine charity, The British Horse Society and Ordnance Survey Maps, this list celebrates our off-road access network and the benefits getting outdoors holds for us all.
The chosen route is The Great Dragon Ride, spanning over 400km through the heart of Wales. It runs from the south coast in Port Talbot, all the way up to Talacre on the north coast. Including dozens of multi-user tracks along the way, The Great Dragon Ride includes views across the Brecon Beacons and Eyri National Parks.
Point of Ayr Lighthouse and Talacre and Gronant Dunes SSSI PHOTO: Llywelyn2000
The route is split into five long distance rides; The Sea Horse Ride, The William Morgan Ride, The Prince Llywelyn Ride, The Radnor Forest Ride, and The Sarn Helen Ride.
This is just one route that makes up an estimated 120,000 miles of public rights of way officially recorded across England and Wales. This figure is according to the Definitive Map – the legal record of rights of ways held by local authorities.
However, only about 27,000 miles of these are available to equestrians. This equates to about 20% of the overall network.
With the support of the team’s Access Officers and Volunteers, the BHS work tirelessly to protect, as well as restore, our bridleways and byways. This includes being involved in changes to rights of way, development consultations, submitting applications for historical routes, and much more.
The equine charity have also partnered with OS Maps to add over 600 horse-riding routes on the OS Maps route planner. This has been a great step forward in improving the equestrian community’s access to riding routes.
Mark Weston, Director of Access at The British Horse Society said: “We are delighted to be working with OS Maps to celebrate the incredible off-road routes that are so important to all equestrians, including these unique routes in Wales.
It is very important that we continue to preserve and protect all our routes so that equestrians can continue to have access to the public rights of way network in the UK. Getting out in the great outdoors and spending time with horses has proved to significantly enhance people’s mood, as well as reduce stress, and we want people to feel safe while doing this.
We will continue to work with our brilliant network of Access Volunteers and Equestrian Access Groups to improve our off-road network, and with OS Maps to be able to provide equestrians with a platform in which they can discover these routes in their area.”
Ordnance Survey’s Managing Director for Leisure, Nick Giles, said: “What a fantastic resource this is for equestrians to have over 600 horse-riding routes uploaded into the OS Maps database.
Not only will it give riders greater confidence that the off-road routes and access routes they are following are safe and in good condition, it will also encourage them to explore Britain’s wonderful bridleways and enjoy those experiences even more.
It’s been great to have worked so closely with The British Horse Society to make this happen.”
To make sure more routes such as The Great Dragon Ride are available for generations to come, the BHS are asking equestrians to join hundreds of other riders and horses to ride for their right to enjoy the countryside.
Through the equine charity’s Rideathon Fundraising Challenge, horse lovers are being encouraged to saddle up this July and raise vital funds that’ll go towards restoring damaged and overgrown paths.
To learn more about the Rideathon challenge and how you can sign up, visit: bhs.org.uk/rideathon
To read the full list of the top ten bridleways in the UK, as compiled by the BHS and OS Maps, visit: getoutside.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/guides/best-bridleways-uk