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View from the Breakfast Room
(Horse Holiday Farm)
Riding by the
Sea
Horseriding
at the Beach
Trailriding
Donegal
Bed and Breakfast
in Donegal
The Sea at
the Donegal Trail
Beside the
Horse Holiday Farm
Galopp on the
Sligo Beaches
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If you
are not into wild deserted beaches, crashing surf, rugged outcrops
and the smell of peat fires you won't enjoy this at all. If you
detest the thought of long days in the saddle, hot toddies by
a roaring fire,the smack of a salty wind on your cheek, five star
food and probably the best view of any breakfast room anywhere
in the world you'd better move.
For some,
however, a short riding break at the Grange Horse Holiday Farm,
situated on the Sligo-Donegal border, constitutes the perfect
holiday. I arrived in trepidation. What had sounded a good idea
a couple of months earlier now seemed ridiculously ambitious for
a novice rider. I departed achingly healthy from head to toe in
the sure knowledge that I had heaver felt happier. I was also
cursing inwardly that I hadn't discovered Anhold and Colette Tillman's
slice of paradise 20 years ago, when the body was more able. On
the first day I pitched up early, tiptoed through the open frond
door and found a note inviting me to raid the fridge, it's that
kind of place. We went down to Trawalua beach - four miles long,
huge 20 foot waves crashing half a mile out to sea and not a soul
in sight. The strand of your dreams. A slight nudge in Cormack´s
ribs and we were galloping away. Sheer terror at first, then cautious
enjoymtent and finally shrieks of joy. We slowed to a walk. Can
we do that again? And again. Absolutely brilliant.
The next two
days were entirely different, I was paired with two very experienced
Belgian trail riders, Peter and Natalie, to undertake the first
two days of the seven-day Donegal trail. Luckily we got on like
a house on fire although as you get to know Anhold, universally
known as Tilman, you realise luck had nothing to do with it. He
is, if anything, a better judge of humans than horses and he's
renowned throughout Ireland for the latter.
Initially
Peter seemed a little difficult, a perfectionist who worried over
small details. But Tilman had immediately spotted that Peter was
also a superb and caring horseman who simply loved to share his
knowledge and skill - a born teacher. Natalie was a fine rider
and the most even-tempered of companions, the perfect foil. Both
had fallen in love with Donegal and Tilman quickly sussed that
although a novice rider I was determined to stay the course. He
also knew I had been visiting the area for 20 years and would
happily act as unofficial tour guide. Within half an hour we were
mates for life.
The first
day started badly in that our planned 1 pm start from a trail
just north of the Bamesmore Gap across the Donegal Highlands to
the mountain village of Letterhillue was delayed by a nasty traffic
accident. We eventually set off on a glorious late autumn evening
across the hiIls, four hours hard riding in prospect to find our
bed and breakfast where a piping beef stew awaited, though only
after we had fed and cleaned the horses. In fact, driven on by
Peter, we made cracking time although we still needed his torch
as we clip-clopped down the lane in Letterhillue.
The second
day was a 20 mile marathon aross equally, beautiful rugged terrain.
I was really tired my back was shurting, my butt was sore and
I even had to walk the last two miles with my horse but I wouldn't
swap that day for anything. The scenery; the isolation, the birdsong,
the yarning and the certain knowledge that for today at least
nobody in the world was in a more beautiful setting or having
a better time.
That's where
my trail ended. The next moming Tilman picked me up and I was
back at the Grange ploughing through some pressing work on the
laptop. Working in their breakfast room, the hub of the entire
farm is something only those with a pressing deadline can undertake.
The view is utterly gorgeous and unique - they ought to have a
webcam simply trained on that view, a cult site for sure.
I loved the
mountains but when I go again - I shall before my three score
and ten are up - I'm going to spend more time riding on the beaches.
Much easier on the back. They say that on certain days and given
certain tide conditions you could ride a full 25 miles on the
beaches south along the Sligo coast if you or the horse have the
energy.
It´s
a magical part of the world that moves people to lyricism. Helene
Lardav, from Sweden, caught the mood perfectly when she quoted
W B Yeates in the comments book 'To see a world in a grain of
sand; Or heaven in a wild flower; To hold eternity in your hand;
And infinity for an hour."
The ever practical
Peter was also moved: "A day on this trail is like a weeks
holiday, a week on trail is like a month away. You pack so much
in." A veteran of just about every great ride in the world
he and Natalie went on to complete seven days of the Donegaltrail
and pronounced it as the best ever. Their other highlight, he
insisted, was learning how to make and drink hot toddies.
Heaven knows we practiced enough.
Tilman and
Colette Anhold
Horse Holiday Farm Ltd.
Grange County Sligo Ireland
Telephone : (071) 9166152
Fax : (071) 9166400
From Europe Telephone : 00 353 71 9166152
Fax : 00 353 71 9166400
Formular: Anfrage und Reservierung
Anreisemöglichkeiten zur Horse
Holiday Farm
The Horse Holiday Farm is Bord Fáilte (Irish Tourist Board)
approved and
a member of A.I.R.E., the Association of Irish Riding Establishments.
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