The Longest Route Ever Ridden Around Mainland Coastal Britain
The ride will begin in April 2006, heading south from the River Blyth in Walberswick and eventually returning home to Southwold.
The plan is to cover all possible terrain using the coastal paths and bridle ways of mainland Great Britain.
Travelling on horseback, I will be able to explore places that would not be possible to reach by vehicle, or even, in some cases, on foot!
It is not possible for this route to be continuous since rivers, estuaries and some roads will have to be avoided. So to aid this endeavour, a support vehicle will be needed, as minimally as possible, for pickups and drop-offs.
To ensure the whole coastline is covered, with only the occasional break, it has been divided into 150 equal sections, which should be completed continuously over 210 days (7 months). By riding all, or at least the major part of each section (an average of 20 miles), I hope to eventually cover between 3,000 and 3,500 miles around mainland coastal Britain. No one on record has ever done before on horseback.
The British Horse Society has provided me with a list of all their registered centres throughout the British Isles and of recommended accommodation/ turnouts for the horse. At these locations, using local knowledge, I will be able to plan the following day's route. I will also make a point of inviting them (the locals) to join me on sections of the way, for company and to help me find all the outstanding points of beauty and interest.
Charities
I initially started raising funds exclusively for The British Horse Society - Welfare Department. However, to gain wider support and help raise as much money as possible for good causes, I have included five other well-known charities, namely:
MIND, WWF, NSPCC, RLNI and Cancer Research UK
You can find out more about this event and updates on progress at: www.sponsoredhorseride.co.uk
Ashley Reeves
As our contribution to Ashley's effort, this piece is left at more than 250 words!
Ed.
