As horse owners face an ever-increasing challenge to find safe hacking routes, a Midlands-based charity is actively working to ensure riders have access to off-road hacking.
The National Forest launched in the early 1990s to help renew a landscape shaped by coal mining and other industries. Close to 10 million trees have been planted over the last 30 years in the area, which covers more than 200 square miles across parts of Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Staffordshire.
The aim of the National Forest project is “to create a forest for everyone, offering places to walk, ride and cycle, along with space to recover and thrive”.
“Horse riders are an important part of the National Forest community, and we are always pleased to see them enjoying the landscape,” said Stuart Dainton, head of land management and estate at the National Forest.
“Responsible use of the network of trails offers a rich way to explore the area, and we are always seeking ways to work together to make riders feel welcome and supported as they experience the forest.”
Routes include a mix of existing and new public and permissive paths, which cross a variety of types of land. The National Forest is not all dense woodland, but is rather a collective term for the area.
A spokesperson for the National Forest shared several examples and maps of areas that riders can enjoy.
These include the +32-hectare Jacksons Bank, owned by the Duchy of Lancaster, which has permissive access for walkers, cyclists and riders. It is an ancient woodland site, which has been replanted, and hosts one of the National Forest’s six “Noon Columns”, a David Nash oak sculpture that frames a ray of sunlight at midday.
Evie Holmes, who works at the National Forest, rides at Jacksons Bank most weeks and said it “always feels like a treat”.
“The mix of broadleaf and conifer woodland gives you real variety, and the permissive routes for walkers, cyclists and horse riders make it easy to find a quiet line through the trees,” she said.
“In spring the bluebells and wood anemones are a lovely sight, and the Noon Column is always worth a pause at true noon. With links to Crossplain Wood and the longer distance trails, you can make each ride as short or as long as you like. Visitors can park in the car park off Brackenhurst Road, which makes it simple to saddle up and head straight onto the tracks.”
Other areas include Minorca, a 150-hectare site between Swepstone and Measham in Leicestershire, named after the coal mine that used to be there. A planting programme started there in 2020 and tens of thousands of trees have already been planted. It will connect with other woodlands, and also features wetland ponds and wildflower areas, plus public footpaths and bridleways.
Hicks Lodge cycle centre is another area that offers walking and horse riding paths.
The National Forest highlighted the following routes to H&H:
All routes
Horseshoe trail – also listed on OS maps as a route, created by the British Horse Society
Horseshoe Trail. Credit: National Forest
Boothorpe permissive bridleway route. This is accessed from the NFC car park off Gorse Lane, which is only accessible by prior arrangement. Otherwise, parking at Conkers Discovery and cross the busy Rawdon road.
Boothorpe Permissive Bridleway.
Heart of the Forest Green Network southern loop. Accessible from Conkers Waterside car park.
Hicks Lodge permissive bridleway route. Only open April – October. The car park (no height barrier) is accessible by prior permission for horseboxes.
Hicks Lodge lakeside bridleway. All year round, can be used as an extension to the permissive bridleway, or the Green Network loop.
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