Riding in Wales

by Darley Newman

I’m pony trekking on the Gower Peninsula in Southern Wales with Olive Edwards, a dynamic woman who loves her Welsh Ponies and works hard running a great inn and vacation trekking destination, Parc Le Breos . After a full breakfast on our first day, we began a trek that would lead us to castles, Neolithic tombs, and the wide, sandy beaches of the Gower Peninsula. People say that this small peninsula packs as much diversity as the whole of Wales. I believe it after today.

I was really excited to travel to Wales. I know lots of people who have been to Scotland and England and had in fact myself already been, but never to Wales. I wanted to find out what this small country, the size of the U.S. state of Massachusetts, was all about. So far, we have ridden our strong Welsh ponies to visit beaches, castles and mysterious King Arthur’s Stone. On any given day ride, I would be delighted to visit just one of these, let alone all of them in one day.

With about forty Welsh Ponies and larger horses that her husband uses for show jumping, this is a horsey establishment. Olive has been leading pony trekking tours on the Gower Peninsula for over 44 years. That’s a long time! There are 12 rooms and currently guests from England and Germany, besides us Americans.

Olive’s ponies are really well mannered, essential for a day out. I took off today on a sizeable, adorable Welsh pony named Rascoe. Olive rode Brandy. Parc le Breos is situated amid a forest. It was once the estate and deer park of William de Breos. Pheasant hunting was popular here. Olive said that they hold the record for the most pheasants shot in one day-- 444 pheasants!

Being at the inn, I couldn’t tell how close we were to the beach, but it only took us about ten minutes to walk on our ponies to Three Cliffs Beach. On the way, we passed a Neolithic tomb, sitting amid the sand dunes high cliff. Olive said that all of the cliffs in this area are about 200 feet tall, which makes for stunning ocean views from above and stunning views of the dramatic, mossy cliffs from the beach.

Three Cliffs beach is a beautiful, wide beach that the ponies and their riders may reach by easing down a slim pathway that snakes along a cliff edge. It’s not as scary as it sounds. As we walked down to the shore, Olive pointed out the ruins of a castle in the distance. It’s amazing that here on the Gower ancient tombs and medieval castles are situated in such close proximity to each other and that they are all so well intact.

These are the widest beaches that I have ever encountered, perfect for beach riding. Olive and I cantered for quite a while, splashing through shallow puddles. We then climbed higher, away from the beach and into the hills to visit Oxwich Castle. The good thing about this Tudor mansion is that right outside of the entranceway, there is an old mounting block, so Olive and I would have no trouble hopping back on after exploring the grounds on foot. This 16th century castle has the coat of arms of Sir Rice Mansel’s family above the entrance. The old family seals in Scotland and Wales are pieces of art in their own right. The entrance to Oxwich Castle looks very imposing, but it was built more to show power than to actually defend this castle.

Olive and I walked through the castle turned manor home, watching our step on the old stone floor. There are several floors to the castle and many rooms to explore. As Olive enthusiastically described each, the castle came to life. Back at Parc le Breos, Olive busily prepared dinner for me and the other guests. I don’t know how she has so much energy after riding all day filming with us. The woman is amazing. Dinner consisted of salmon and shrimp salad, chicken in a cheese and bacon sauce, boiled potatoes, carrots and a banana split for dessert. I can’t wait to ride-- and eat more of Olive’s cooking-- tomorrow, when we’ll ride to King Arthur’s Stone, the source of many pilgrimages and legends and explore the higher hills, where feral Welsh ponies graze.

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