Horse riding and pony trekking holidays in Wales

Riding in Eryri (Snowdonia) - always taken at a sedate pace because of rough ground - it is not just an audience with nature, it’s a front-row seat beneath the highest mountains in Wales. Countryside trekking is in Penmachno near Betws-y-Coed and there are coast views too. Either way Welsh riding doesn't come grander.

Lloyd George called it 'a little bit of heaven on Earth' and still the Ceiriog Valley is little known to outsiders. Day treks ascend into pastoral hills near Llangollen. On longer hacks you’ll discover the highest waterfall in Wales - Pistyll Rhaeadr, and the skyscapes of the empty Berwyn hills.

There are probably two reasons why Anglesey is brilliant for riding. One is the Abermenai Sands, a mile-long gallop beside the Menai Straits. Another is the spectacular backdrop of Caernarfon Castle and Snowdonia mountains. Or it could just be private bridleways with no cars in sight.

Find a riding centre in North Wales.

The Powys heartland provides trekking escapism in Mid Wales. Quieter than the Brecon Beacons, Radnorshire – including the Elan Valley lakes and Radnor Forest either side of Llandrindod Wells – has old drovers’ roads across open farmland that’s empty except for buzzards. The Radnor Forest trail takes in 70 gorgeous miles between the Cambrian Mountains and the Brecon Beacons National Park.

The Brecon Beacons is a national park where Welsh cobs run wild. It offers sensational trail riding: along ridges of the Black Mountains, into lush valleys and across the River Wye for a pub lunch. The real surprise is a world so far from urban hustle is actually so close. Use our search to find a riding centre in the Brecon Beacons.

Pembrokeshire has some of the finest coastal trail riding in Wales in Britain’s only coastal National Park. Hacks along spectacular beaches such as Druidstone Haven bring many riders to Pembrokeshire. In fact they’re so acclaimed many people overlook ancient bridleways through the Preseli Hills and oak valleys inland. Explorers, take note. 

If riding for you is about freedom, then Carmarthenshire is the place to go. With an accredited operator you can go trekking into picture book countryside. Marros Riding Centre offer experienced riders an opportunity to gallop on Pendine Sands - seven miles of stunning empty beach. 

A trek in Britain’s first designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty packs in the scenery. You might descend from Cefn Bryn’s moorland through a bluebell oakwood to the beach at Three Cliffs Bay, or walk along high cliffs near Port Eynon. Wherever you trek on the Gower Peninsula you are guaranteed beautiful scenery. 

The Vale of Glamorgan offers great pony trekking. Rides combine coast and country, often descending through country parks to cliffs on the Heritage Coast before returning with views to the Beacon hills. All this riding is just 30 minutes from Cardiff.

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