Scalehouse Farm is 30 minutes from A66 Culgaith or M6 Junction 41. Scalehouses is a small hamlet on the fellside of the Northern Pennines. It evolved as a farming community over 100s of years and is still farmed today, mainly sheep and dairy. The lanes are very quiet, with little traffic and a joy for peaceful horse rides. A maze of lanes takes you in every direction, up to the fell or through quiet villages. Rides can vary to suit you, from an hour to all day. The views are stunning from the fell or the roads.

Riding from Scalehouse Farm

Riding from Scalehouse farm will give you lovely and varied rides, all on quiet lanes, tracks, fells and bridleways. Places to amble slowly and admire the views and wildlife, trot on level lanes, canter on grassy tracks and fells.

You can ride to Hartside summit at 1900ft and sample great chunks of home-made cake at the café, parts of the route are Roman ‘roads’ and later drove or packhorse routes.

It is possible to ride to a Druid’s Circle at Long Meg and her Daughters, the route passing through the circle of 68 or 80 standing stones – an ancient route if ever there was one, some 4000 years old!

More local rides can take you into the quaint village of Renwick, once a bustling mineworkers’ centre. To Croglin – ancient English meaning ‘bend of the river’ or Kirkoswald, church of King Oswald, where there are two pubs, and you can return past the remails of Kirkoswald castle, once a grand building until sacked by Robert the Bruce.

 
Horse accommodation: The three loose boxes are light and airy and the views from the field amazing. There is room for lorries and trailers in the yard.

Human accommodation: 

For  views of human accommodation visit

http://www.smoothhound.co.uk/hotels/scalehouse.html
The house has 3 letting bedrooms, 2 double and 1 twin. There are 2 bathrooms and the twin has its own sink and toilet. A large guest lounge has a dining table for evening meals and breakfast. There is a TV, Stereo, books and games and a big log burning stove. The house has central heating. Children are welcome. No smoking or dogs in the house.

Example prices:

Bed and Breakfast:  £28 per person, with private bathroom £30.

                             for more than 1 night from £26 per person.

                             4 - night break based on 2 sharing £94, with private bath £104.

                           

Horses:
Stabling from £10 per night
Grazing from £8 per night

Evening meals from £12 per person.
Packed Lunches from £4 per person.

4 day break based on 2 people sharing, B&B and two horses stabled from £250.

Route guides are available.

Ideas for your rides – Maps and details given on arrival, if time on the day you arrive, a short loosen up and see the area ride:-

Leave the yard and go down the hill, turn left and you are heading for the small village of Renwick, 1 mile away. Before you get to the village you can take a right turn on the bend in the road by a big Ash tree. This is the old Drove Road, which bypassed the village as they did to avoid all the mess and fuss that cattle and sheep would make. This is a lovely lane, hard underneath but with grass verges and centre and it is possible to canter here. You come across a ford, which is shallow, and fun to walk through if you want to go into the village, however, our suggested route turns right before the ford and follows a branch of the lane, which is very pretty especially for wild flowers. It is good for a canter; just watch the low branches in places. The lane leads you up to the road (left to Renwick) but our route turns right onto the tarmac. Just a short way along a road goes off to the left, where if you should meet any traffic it mostly turns off. You are now on Longmer which is straight for ½ a mile and good to trot or canter on the deep verges (good both sides). From this road you can look to your right and see Scalehouses and the fells above and the maze of field that abound here, all walled with local stone.
You come to a bend in the road and here you turn right, slightly up hill and good for another trot or canter, but the verges are narrower and a bit uneven on your left. At the top of the rise thee is a lovely Beech tree, one of very few around here. The road now goes gradually down hill and it is a nice slow walk for the remaining ½ mile to the farm. At the road junction you turn right and a little further along turn left back up the hill you came down.
This little ride may only take you 45 minutes or longer if you detour in to Renwick or stop to admire the views. You are unlikely to meet much traffic. I often only meet one care! However, there are tractors and lorries that use these roads.

This is an example of one of our rides and you can choose from 8 or so others varying in length and terrain.

Directions:

M6 Junction 41, A6 North (Carlisle) to Plumpton. right on B road to Lazonby, Kirkswoald - here go through the village, up hill, look out for right turn on brow of hill signed Renwick, etc.

In High Bank Hill take right (looks straight on) on sharp left hand bend, again signed Renwick.

After about 3 miles T Junction turn right. Go into Renwick, through village on the road to Croglin. 1 mile signed Scalehouses and our B&B sign by black Dutch barn.

Take the right turn up the hil and you will see us to the left of the cross roads on the right hand side.

Contact Details:
Pamela Bonnick
Scalehouse Farm • Scalehouses • Renwick • Penrith
Cumbria • CA10 1JY • Tel: 01768 896493
Email: scalehousefarm@hotmail.co.uk
Map Ref: 86 588451

Horse holidays Cumbria