Horse riding and horse riding holidays.
Location & Weather
Hungary is a land locked country in central Europe. It joined the European Union in 2004 and Budapest is its most famous and most often visited city. What is not so commonly know is that Hungary is also a horse riding nation. 1000 years ago the 7 tribes of the Magyars rode in and claimed what is now Hungary. Ever since this time horses have played an important role in the development of Hungary. During early years it was important for a Hungarian to be able to shoot a bow from a horse while riding bareback, this was a skill taught even to children. Even now bare back riding is common among the "Csikosok" of the great plain.
In modern Hungary many people keep, ride and work horses especially on the Puszta and in the villages. Many people still use a horse and cart for day to day transport around the villages.
We are located in the Heves region of Northern Hungary, about 1.5 hrs away from Budapest. The area we are in is part of the Matra national park which encompasses forests, hills and the highest mountain range in Hungary.
The towns of Gyongyos and Eger are both about 30 mins by car.
The area can also be viewed on Google Earth. This program can be downloaded free from www.majorgeeks.com/Google_Earth_d4659.html
Co-ordinates are: 47°55'16.75"N 19°59'25.53
Directions from budapest:
Take the M3(E71) out of Budapest heading east.
Stay on the M3(E71) for 69 km then take the 70km junction for Gyongyos and head North on road number 3. In Gyongyos take a left at the junction toward Parad and Matrafured on road number 24.
Stay on the 24 over the mountains for 25 km. 500m after the junction for the village of Paradsasvar there is a small road to the left marked with signs for "Lovastanya" and " Hanga Vendeghaz". Follow this road for 1km and you will have reached the ranch and guest house. To reach the self catering cottages follow the above directions and ignore thew truning for the ranch and guest house. Follow the 24 into Parad and take the first left in the village marked "Bodony" follow this road for 2 km and our cottages are on the main street of the village. They are numbers 22 and 24 Hunyadi Ut.
We are available 7 days a week.
To book your riding holiday call (UK) 0121 288 4833
Weather
January and February: Cold, usually with lots of snow. We can offer horse drawn sleigh rides through the forest, winter walking up into the hills or you may wish to ski or snowboard on the slopes of Kekes or St. Istvan. We can also offer riding through the snow as long as the snow conditions are right. Average temperatures are around 1°c although it can get much colder.
March: There can still be snow around right up until the end of March although it is more usual for it to be gone by the end of the month. Temperatures start to rise reaching an average of 8°c. We offer riding all through March.
April: This is usually the month when spring starts to arrive here. The trees start to bud and the grass is starting grow again. This is an excellent time of year for riding here. Temperatures are between 10°c and 18°c with showers.
May: Temperatures are up between 18°c and 23°c. May is usually a lovely spring month with some showers and lots of warm sunshine. May is an excellent time to ride.
June: Temperatures rise to 20-25°c. It is warm but not too hot usually. Everything is starting to bloom, a wonderful time of year to visit.
July and August: The warmest time of year to visit with temperatures in the high 20’s and low 30’s. What rain there is falls as refreshing summer showers. We ride earlier and later in the day to avoid the hottest parts of the day.
September: This is one of the best times of year for horse riding here. It is still warm, in the 20’s with little rainfall. The days are long and there are lots of things going on in the area.
October: In recent years October has been warm and pleasant with little rainfall and temperatures in the 20’s up until the end of the month.
November: Autumn has usually settled in by now the leaves are on fire and the sun sits low in the sky. With temperatures around 12-20°c it is a very pleasant month for riding through the forest. You should expect a mixture of weather if you come in this month.
December: Temperatures around 5°c at the beginning of the month give way to temperatures around freezing with snow by the end of the month. We ride all through December and offer sleigh rides through the snow and Christmas/NewYear breaks.
Check out the BBC weather site for detailed info on the weather for Hungary
