AUTUMN BREAKS
that is missing is a beach, but we have numer- ous riverside trails along the banks of the picturesque Water of Tanar, which fl ows into the River Dee.
All our riding is along riverside, wood-
‘The peace and quiet is very special and most of the time there is no mobile phone signal’
land and mountain trails and we offer one-to-two hour, half day and day-long rides as well as longer two-to-three day trail rides, which take us out of Glen Tanar and over old drover roads into Angus. The fi rst day we ride routes here on the estate, then on day two we head over to Glen Esk, retracing routes Queen Victoria undertook on her horse-back expeditions with Prince Albert. We follow the Mounth drove road up over Mount Keen and enjoy splendid hospitality overnight at the House of Mark in Glen Esk at the foot of the Cairngorms National Park.
On the fi nal day we ride along Glen Esk to
Tarfside and back over the Firmounth drovers’ road to Glen Tanar. These rides can be under- taken by relatively inexperienced riders, which makes horse riding a very accessible way to see and experience this glorious countryside. A most memorable expedition this year was
with a group of ladies who I had fi rst taken on this expedition in 1996 when they were all in their fi fties. Eighteen years on and they were back, still capable of riding over to Glen Esk. I believe riding is the best way to experience
all that the outdoors of Aberdeenshire and Angus has to offer. It is the original four-by- four off-road experience and we have a variety of breeds – from small children’s ponies to large cobs and hunters – as noble steeds for clients. One speciality is our nine working Norwegian Fjord Horses. I don’t believe there is anywhere else in Britain to ride Fjord Horses, especially in such spectacular surroundings. The peace and the quiet is very special when
out riding and it is a luxury that most of the time there is no mobile phone signal. There are times when you’re out leading a ride that it just doesn’t seem appropriate to talk because all you need is the bird song and soft tread of the horses hooves. Riding also allows close observation of the wildlife in a way no other means of trans- port can. We are lucky enough to see red and roe deer, eagles, ospreys, capercaillies, grouse and red squirrels as well as numerous smaller species. Wildlife is, of course, unpredictable but we usually see at least one or two species and we often get quite close as they don’t seem to notice the person on the horse, just the quad- ruped that is not a predator.
t l
The autumn is a particularly good time to come to the North East and enjoy the chang- ing colours and golden light in which the region basks during these months. Besides experienc-
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