… and another brainwave - Hunting Breaks!

God I'm thick.  Why ever didn't I think of this before?! 

The reason why I can now offer riding holidays is because, for the first time ever, I am lucky enough to have two mares who are perfect for almost anyone to ride.

But my latest brainwave is …  wait for it.... hunting breaks! Trail hunting or 'Exempt' hunting  - which is what they legally do these days, after foxhunting was banned with the Hunting Act in 2004.  Everyone dresses up just the same, and you still have a pack of hounds, but they follow several trails which have been set up by humans earlier, going up hill and down dale, testing the cleverness of the hounds (and ability of the riders!), and enough for a day's hunting to last til dusk.

Just think - I could have been doing this all the time, because there's a place up the road which provides the most fantastic hunter hirelings! As with my Riding Holidays, guests will have exclusive use of Wydemeet and I'll cook them wonderful four course dinners.  But after breakfast they'll drive to the best nearby hunt meet, and join up with their hireling there. 

Having researched the idea, extraordinarily enough it appears that there's only one other place in the whole of the UK that does it. And their prices start at £2000 for two nights' accommodation with one day's hunting; rising to.... can you believe it.... £8000(!!!!!) for a week including five days' hunting. Not even with a posh hunt like the Beaufort!

Hunting breaks are more plentiful and cheaper in Southern Ireland, but you have to be a complete maniac to hunt there - I would pay not to!

I've put all the info together on a new website called www.huntingbreaks.co.uk . Three days, two nights, a dinner and a day's hunting will be £799pp based on two sharing; and six days, five nights, two dinners and four day's hunting from £2500pp.

Do come ! At Wydemeet you will be thoroughly immersed in a truly authentic Dartmoor hunting scene!