16/08/2025
Today, me and my horse were almost hit by a bus. I don’t mean that in any metaphorical sense, I mean it more in the sense of skittering hooves on tarmac and that sickening rush of air as a large vehicle speeds past you in close quarters.
This morning started as well as any could. Soft low clouds traipsing lazily over the hills, early morning sun golden and sweet as it warmed the heather and grass underfoot. The ponies snoozed peacefully in their field on the trail, enjoying the quiet air and serene hills overlooking Loch Duich on the west coast in the early morning haze.
Today’s short 8 mile ride involved a small section of road as we navigate our way back east. This 40mph section of road has always been busier for us as riders in the scheme of roads that we ride but it has never unmanagable or quite so scary as it was today. Things are changing in the highlands with every year that passes and our job navigating these increasingly busy places is becoming harder and harder. Moreso than ever, the road towards Eilean Donan is a near constant stream of traffic from cars, campers, caravans, busses and lorries. We, as riders, always do our best to respect other road users for our short time on this road. We try to minimize our impact on others as much as possible by trotting where safe to do so, moving ourselves into passing places or onto sidewalks wherever safe/possible to let traffic pass and waving to and smiling at respectful and patient drivers.
I have to say, our horses are impeccable in traffic in most situations. However with each year that passes, our 10-15 minutes (on this road particularly but really all roads we use or cross) is getting increasingly harrowing and hair-raising as horse riders. We have drivers screeching past us at speed so close it almost knocks our stirrups, those who honk their horns at us and those who decide to pass us on blind corners, almost causing an accident with oncoming traffic, all this multiple times in under 20 minutes. No matter how road safe your horse is; we are vulnerable road users and at the end of the day, horses are flight animals who could spook or misstep at any second.
As we neared the end of our spate on the road for the day, a very large yellow bus (Citylink 916 bus to Skye) completely ignored our signals to slow down and sped past us going at LEAST 40mph. There was good visibility on the road, I had been clearly and calmly signalling the bus to slow for at least a minute before he reached us. Instead of making any attempt at slowing, the driver chose instead to speed up, sly smirk on his face. As my horse (Bella, the most unflappable and reliable of ponies in traffic) and two horses behind me spooked, almost into the path of the bus, the driver gave a patronising wave and carried on unbothered… not once laying a foot on the brakes or showing any concern for the accident that nearly unfolded. Had it not been for our INCREDIBLE horses and great riders, this could have been completely catastrophic. Legs shaking and adrenaline pumping, we managed the last few hundred metres of road and got ourselves safely onto a forest track where we could take stock of what just happened. I phoned Citylink to lodge a complaint however I doubt it will be taken seriously and when I asked to be provided with a follow up call detailing the actions that get taken or the results of their ‘investigation’, I got a firm no along with a vague response about data protection.
We provide epic experiences for riders to explore these incredible highlands of ours on horseback. Riding through these areas provides a slow and sustainable form of tourism that allows visitors to immerse themselves in all the history, beauty and friendliness of Scotland. We have to ride on small sections of road to make these valuable experiences possible - and in doing so we can travel great distances and provide our riders with a true adventure. However we can’t do this if other road users don’t follow the LAW which is passing horses only when it is safe to do so at no faster than 10mph with at least 2m of space. It surprises how few road users know the slow down signal or who has right of way on a road.
This is a very long winded rant from a very frustrated and shaken woman who just wants to do her job and protect our beautiful horses and wonderful riders. Please make sure if you meet us or any riders on the road, you do the right thing. We will always do our best to inconvenience you as little as possible. Slow down, enjoy the beautiful sight of ponies using roads that have been trod by horses for centuries and help keep us safe.
