Horse riding at Whitelee

Introducing your horse to Whitelee

It's recommended to familiarise your horse with turbines before attempting a long ride at Whitelee. The Countryside Rangers can provide advice on how to introduce your horse to the site and turbines.

View the Whitelee horse riding guide (PDF, 713 KB)(opens new window).

Currently the best places for horse riders visiting the windfarm are the visitor centre entrance and Ardochrig entrance as these have space to accommodate horse boxes. However, there's no formalised carpark and space can be limited at the Ardochrig entrance.

View the Ardochrig riding route (PDF, 530 KB).

All the tracks and trails are suitable for use by horse riders, but some areas can become degraded over time through heavy vehicle usage.

Dunwan off-track trekking/riding route

The Whitelee Access Project has created an off-track riding route that is accessed from the Whitelee Visitor Centre. The route is 5.3km/3.3 miles in length and takes riders through farm fields and around Dunwan Hill before returning.

Ground conditions on the route are generally good, but there's some softer sections and riders are advised to gauge conditions using the preceding weather and through observing the hoof marks their horses leave.

Along the route there are square wooden post waymarkers installed that have a green band around the top to differentiate them from orienteering marker posts that have a diagonally split red and white square on them. The posts are arranged so that riders should be able to see the next post in the chain that leads riders along the route.

There are 3 gates that riders need to get through, but aside from the first near turbine 69, all have suitable boulders for mounting your horse again if you need to get off. Please note, a horse mounting block is now installed.

The fields that form this route are used for sheep grazing so ride considerately and don't scare or cause the sheep to run or scatter.

View the Dunwan riding route (PDF, 825 KB). 

Carriage/buggy driving

Horse and carriage/buggy driving is possible at Whitelee as long as the carriage does not exceed 1.5 metres, which is the width of bridle gates in the site.

Carriage driving is best from the main visitor centre entrance. Drivers are asked to be considerate of other access users when in the windfarm and to be watchful for site vehicles on blind bends and rises.

Unsuitable routes

At this time the Weavers Trail is unsuitable for horse riding as the route is unsurfaced and sections of it cross soft peat.

The route to Craigendunton is also unsuitable as there is a locked gate on the route and no bridle gate is in place yet.

Feedback

The Countryside Rangers are keen to hear from horse riders about their experiences at Whitelee.

To pass on your feedback contact the Countryside Rangers.