Côte d'Opale
Horse riding on the beaches of the Opal Coast
Miles of firm sand at low tide, and no one else in sight
The essentials
- Where
- Côte d'Opale
- How long
- One to two hours
- Price
- Guided ride, priced by the hour
- At low tide
- Outside the beach season
- Beginners welcome
- Booking required
At low tide, the beaches on this coast reveal several hundred metres of firm, flat sand. It's ideal ground for a horse, and it's why nearly every riding centre on the coast offers a beach ride.
This isn't a nose-to-tail walk round a manège: you ride along the foreshore, sometimes through the water, often straight into the wind.
When it works
Two constraints overlap. The tide first: the ride can only happen around low water, so its timing shifts by around fifty minutes each day. Then the rules: most local authorities ban horses on the beach during the summer season, or restrict them to the early morning.
In practice, the best time is winter and the shoulder seasons, when the beaches are empty and access is unrestricted.
Who it suits
Centres will take beginners at a walk on the beach, but not at a canter: a horse on firm sand accelerates easily, and bringing it back needs a seat you won't have after two lessons. If you want to canter along the water's edge, you'll need canter-confident experience or the equivalent, and to say so when booking.
Nearby
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