As a Land Agent specialising in rural planning, the countryside has long been my workplace. Now, alongside my one-horsepower companion Scarlet, a Dales Pony whose ancestors also worked the land, I undertake long-distance, multi-day horse hikes linking landscapes, history, and communities on foot.
The Dorset Horse Hike - Hiding in Plain Sight
In April 2026, Scarlet and I embarked on a 200-mile horse hike across Dorset, walking to 30 Iron Age hillforts. Travelling slowly between these ancient landmarks, many of which have stood for over 3,000 years, allowed us to experience the changing countryside and the communities that surround them in a very different way.
The journey also helped support nature recovery work across Dorset through Dorset Wildlife Trust.
Parts of the journey were filmed in collaboration with the Bournemouth University Media School.
The Long Way Home
In October 2024, Scarlet and I completed a three-week, 200-mile horse hike from my childhood home in Surrey to Dorset. We passed through the Surrey farm where I had worked as an agricultural student, then continued through Sussex, Hampshire, and Wiltshire on the journey home.
Future Journeys
The walks are continuing. Future journeys will explore Britain’s native pony breeds and the landscapes they belong to, including the New Forest, Exmoor, Dartmoor, and eventually a much longer walk north towards the Yorkshire Dales, tracing Scarlet’s ancestral home.
If you would like to meet Scarlet and me along the way, do get in touch.
You can follow the journey on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/a_country_journey
The Dorset Horse Hike - 30 Hillforts
The Long Way Home - 2024
The Long Way Home began as a long-held ambition to walk from my childhood home in Surrey back to where I live in Dorset. When Scarlet, a Dales Pony, entered my life, that idea became a long-distance, multi-day horse hike, walking alongside each other and carrying what we needed.
We left Surrey in mid-October 2024, relying on pre-arranged stop-off points for Scarlet and accepting that I would either camp, sleep in a barn, or be provided with a bed for the night. B&Bs and pub venues were not part of the plan, although at times I wished they were.
The early stages were physically and mentally demanding. Managing Scarlet’s needs, testing equipment and daily distances, and navigating blocked or flooded bridleways required constant adjustment. When travelling on foot with a horse, you are committed to each day’s walk, with no shortcuts.
As the journey continued through Sussex, Hampshire, Wiltshire, and into Dorset, both of us settled into the rhythm of walking day after day. Confidence grew, routes became clearer, and moving across the land began to feel sustainable and settled.
The journey took eighteen days and covered 200 miles. It would not have been possible without the help and kindness of the people we met, or without Scarlet’s strength, intelligence, and adaptability as a Dales Pony.
The Dorset Horse Hike follows on from this journey
