After discussions with the Forestry Commission personnel responsible for recreation in the Wyre, it has been agreed that once again the administration of horse riding in the Wyre will be taken on by the Forestry Commission and will be in line with other users (walkers and cyclists). We have agreed the WBRA will be recognised locally as the main equestrian point of contact for the Wyre.

Riders who live locally to the Wyre, and can hack into the forest will not need to pay for parking, and can ride in the forest free of charge.

Riders who only occasionally come to ride in the Wyre and bring their horse in a trailer or horsebox. These riders will park in the normal area around the Visitor Centre, and will pay the appropriate daily parking charge (currently £6 off-peak and £8 peak times).

Riders who frequently come to ride in the Wyre and bring their horse in a trailer or horsebox. These riders can purchase an Equestrian Discovery Pass (currently £40). This pass will give access to the barriered parking area, with a second pass which can be used separately (not at the same time) for a second car should you want to visit and walk on foot. This pass is valid for 12 months from date of purchase.

The Discovery Pass also gets you discounts in the Visitor Centre Café, Go Ape, Bewdley Outdoors, Cotswold Outdoors, and others indicated in the Discovery Pass pack.

It is hoped that this new Equestrian Discovery Pass (which is NOT the same as the current one which is for non equestrian use) will be available to purchase from some time in the near future. When you purchase an Equestrian Pass you will need to contact the Forestry Office to obtain the parking place gate code.

Please check on the following website for further information and we will let everyone know when this new pass becomes available:

https://www.forestryengland.uk/wyre-forest/wyre-forest-membership

(scroll down until you find the link to the Wyre Equestrian Discovery Pass when it becomes available. Until this becomes available, use the standard Wyre Discovery Pass, and then contact the forestry office for the gate code.)

In addition to this change, there will be changes to the waymarking of the routes, as nationally pink and purple have been chosen for other non-horse activities. The plan is to keep a green waymarker with a horseshoe on, with separate direction arrows (possibly white on a green background) with a route number (1, 2 or 3). Our suggestion would be for the present Green route to be 1, the Purple route to be 2 and the Pink route to be 3. This option would also allow for additional routes to be added more easily.

FAQ’s

1.Is there really no charge for riding in the Wyre?

Yes, that is correct, horse riders will now be treated as all other forest users, only paying for parking.

2.Who do I report problems to?

Problems with tracks or waymarkers, please report to the Wyre forestry staff. Could you also let a committee member know too.

3.How will I know about changes to routes?

These will still be displayed and kept up to date on the WBRA website.

4. When can I purchase my new Equestrian Discovery Pass?

These will become available from the website indicated above from some time in the near future.