Listed under Horse Riding in Jamaica.
The sugar barons of eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century western Jamaica resided in solitary splendor on their expansive estates in the hills and interiors behind the north coast. Nowadays you can catch glimpses of some of that period and lifestyle while on horseback at the estate called Good Hope as you pass along some of the existing coconute groves and citrus groves that became a crop alternative after the market for sugar collapsed around 1838.
Good Hope Stables offers rides around the estate that encompasses trails that skirt other on-site points of interest. An old water wheel, for instance, and other trails that go by farm lands. Perhaps the most magical for many will be the trails that run for a while along the nearby Martha Brae river, and pass through routes lined with tall bamboo. These are guided rides, but as Good Hope's co-owner Blaise Hart explains it: "We're flexible - but we do some sunrise -- typically out in the fields between 7:30 and 4:30 but if we have other requests we try to accommodate it. It's not like the tour companies where they have to travel from point A to point B and have the last group at a certain time. So there's a chance to stop and take pictures when you want." A ride at Good Hope is a chance to connect to both a period and also the timeless side of western Jamaica's landscape, an elegant Georgian mansion dominates behind you while before you the early morning mist over the Queen of Spain Valley below slowly melts away before the sun rising across the island.
Written by Hal Peat.
There are no posts. Why not be the first to have your say?
Hungary is classic riding country, and the Hungarians are, traditionally, great horsemen. When looking for a new place to ride …
This highly personalised safari is run by owners PJ and Barney Bestelink and is probably one of the best riding safaris in Afri…
If you’re a rider and you haven’t been thrilled and charmed by the story of the colt from old Regret who goes to run with the b…
Once upon a time, at the end of a polo match on a more than humid day, riders at Jamaica's landmark equestrian centre of Chukka…
Simply the prettiest, classic Caribbean beach on the island (entry restricted).
One of Jamaica's most elegant and loveliest hotels, set in its own cove just east of Ocho Rios, on one of the island's pretties…