supporting The Tymes Trust is Registered Charity No.1080985 Tymes Trust Head Office: 9 Patching Hall Lane, Chelmsford, Essex CM1 4DH

DIARY POST-ODYSSEY LOG (2002) Postponed Sections of the Ride Updated 25th April 2002 Ride Log Index   |   Photo Gallery   |   Full Itinerary   |   Events   Post-Odyssey:   Dorstone to Heyop    Saturday 12th January 2002 This section of the Ride had been postponed from 3rd September 2001 Julie: After an early start we arrived at Dorstone where Gill and Kaan started the day's ride. Caroline and I, with Louie in the trailer drove on to Hay-on-Wye. Louie is Kaan's companion pony and would be joining Kaan for parts of the journey although his little legs are no match for Kaan's huge strides. I was quite pleased that Louie would only be doing parts of the ride because my energy levels are not up to two full days of riding. Gill met us at Hay and Caroline took up the reins riding through Hay and on to Clyro. We got Louie out of the trailer and I rode with Caroline from Clyro to Painscastle. Both Louie and I had travelled quite far enough and so Caroline and Kaan headed off over the moors towards Glascwm alone. We had agreed a meeting point at Glascwm, but as the time passed by Gill was becoming more and more worried about Kaan and Caroline's whereabouts. We had mobile phones, but they are not much use when the hills block out signals. Louie and I rode right up to the top of Glascwm Hill to look for Kaan's approach. It seemed as though Louie knew why he was out there because he whinnied loudly along the track. After ten minutes or so I heard an answering whinny and rode towards the sound. It was a grand sight to see Kaan and Caroline come cantering across the top of the hill towards us. A quick switch of riders and Gill completed the day's ride near Pool Farm. We settled the horses at nearby stables and drove to our overnight stop at the Gywestre Inn. Caroline: "The road goes even on and on Down from the door where it began. Now far ahead the road has gone And I must follow if I can." Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R Tolkien The day was magical, one of those special winter days when long fingers of soft sunshine reach out through the cold air and warm your soul. I got a leg up on Kaan in Hay in the car park. I have to admit jumping on was quite out of the question - I felt like a Michelin man (woman), wrapped up in layers of cold-resistant clothing. I immediately got that sense of knowing from Kaan; his stride was fluid and easy, he knew what the score was, this was going to be a long day for him and he was about to take it all in his stride. For me he had a familiarity that made me feel like I was with an old friend. The long gait, the high head carriage, the pricked ears and wonderfully behaved - so long as you stay on top! I had that sense of - this is going to be fun - as I picked up the reins and rode across the river out of Hay-on-Wye. The lanes were narrow and edged with nicely worked, laid hedges beyond which pristine well-washed white and black-faced sheep scattered as we approached. We quickly got to Clyro where Gill and Julie unboxed Louie and we set off together, with Julie doing the map reading. We rode past Pen-y-Fforest along quiet, gently winding lanes. Wales is a well kept secret. It is the land of water; of tumbling streams and wide webs of water edged with impenetrable forest. It is a land of mystery and magic, of dragons and witches, guarded by fierce non-English speaking Celts. I was to meet some of them on my journey, for better and worse. From Painscastle onwards, I rode alone. I took a minor road north that leads across the high moor to Glascwm. Real countryside at last. The green, closely-cropped turf was a bridleway to heaven. Kaan broke into an easy lope. I sat back on my equine armchair and surveyed a world I knew I was master of. Kaan's gait was effortless; I must have had an ear to ear grin. My face felt the clean and fresh wind coming in from the west; the grime of London was blown away. The landscape was a patchwork of golden bracken and green with patches of dark heather. Buzzards and hawks glided on eddies of rising air. A breath of another world passed through me like a shadow, a world long gone of green hills and gentle folk, of tiny villages nestled into quiet valleys, a Shire of Tolkien's making. In time, having kept by the road rather than venture onto the moorland, I reached Rhulan - a stream with two houses and two more up a dead-end road. I simply had to investigate. I could see on the map that I had to go round and up to Pentyr but the road was edged with fields both containing horses. Oh dear; Kaan being a stallion is just a bit frisky when he sees other horses. I had no choice but to trot on up the hill and ignore his bellows of friendship. There was a cottage at the top of the road and in the garden two bearded Welshmen. As I rode up they stopped wielding their chainsaws and stared at me. I cleared my throat. "Is this the bridle-path to Glascwm hill?" I enquired. "Yes," came the sullen reply. I looked up the path and at the top was a rusty gate perched on the edge of a dangerous looking escarpment with a long drop on one side to the river and a rising hill on the other. "Could I ask a big favour of you?" I waved and pointed to the gate. "Could you open the gate for me?" They both took up their chain saws and started them. "No!" came the reply over the whirring machinery. Don't argue with chainsaws, came the advice from my inner voice and, determined to go on with my route, I set off to the miserable iron barrier. I dismounted and held onto Kaan's rope. He cavorted around me, almost sliding down the steep slope. I cursed at the gate - the latch was stuck fast. Finally I was through. Kaan reared up, a gesture of accomplishment for him, I guess. His 16 hands to my 5ft 2in stuffed solid with clothes meant remounting was a problem but, once I was back in the saddle, he calmed down in seconds. We were soon on the open fell and I was on the right track, as they say. I began to hum Bilbo's poem, "The road goes ever on and on, Down from the door when it began...." My heart was singing and Kaan was bouncing along as if his feet hardly touched the turf. The wind was bitter up there on top of the hill for we were now not far from Glascwm. I looked around me; this was the Shire. This land with its strange names, like Llanandras, Lettypeod, Bryngwyn, little hill and Giants Grave. This was middle earth and I was near Woody Hill in the Green Hills country. The line between fact and fiction was fading. The wild landscape was void of sheep and humanity. I was truly alone out there. My mobile wouldn't work. I tried it and I think I left a message. The wind screamed into the mouthpiece leaving no space for my news. Down in the heather tiny white starry Edelweiss thrived. The earth was as black as night. We broke into a trot. Kaan picked up my sense of well-being. His ears pricked, he sensed that we didn't have far to go. As I was riding I imagined myself as Lucy Kemp-Welch, the artist, up there on the moorland of Yorkshire with her wonderful horse, Black Prince. Her spirit was with me in that wind and wildness. Kaan's pricked ears in front of me were edged with sky, the rolling hills were my walls, the endless scenery of Wales my window, this was my home. A thought ran through my head, "No hour of life is lost that is spent in the saddle." Winston Churchill. Down in the valley Gill was waiting patiently with the trailer. We descended the hill and I passed Kaan over to Gill and she set off across the high moor again to meet us at the reservoir and the Forest Inn. Penybont to Heyop Sunday 13th January 2002 Caroline: The next morning was a slow start with a lot to do as on arrival at the stables in Penybont we had discovered a small lump on the side of Kaan's tendon. It looked like a bang and nothing too serious but needed to be attended to. We finally set out about noon from our start point a well used track to Rhydithon and Llanfihangel. The track took us across beautiful moorland with the Radnor Forest away to our right on the next hill. We were high up and snow still hugged the deeper ridges and sun-shadowed nooks. Kaan snorted as he stepped on this white slidy stuff. The wind was cold and the weather less clement. Rain was gusting in from the west. I didn't like the look of misty clouds bearing down. We trotted on. I would not have liked being caught up there in a mist. Bsck on a road again, we halted for instructions on where to meet. Kaan could hear Gill's voice over the phone and his ears whirled as he tried to locate her. We met up at the main road. There Julie was able to rest and I continued on Kaan to Heyup. The bridle-path was still closed and so we went by road. It became quite a climb but the view was idyllic. Rolling hills edged with woodland, a quiet, green valley stretched away to my right. So far from the grime and brick of London. The road was cut from the rock on the left hand side and ferns and lichen decorated the thin slates that hung over one another. Gill passed us half way up the hill and Kaan bellowed a greeting to Louie. We trotted on to follow them and then met a long downhill. It was getting dark by now, the end in sight and Kaan knew it. He lengthened his stride swinging down the hill with that characteristic easy gait of his. Bats fluttered above his head; one dived us and followed Kaan as if curious as to what we were doing invading his peaceful evening. We finally arrived in Heyup and eager hands helped me down and attended to Kaan. Several chocolate bars later we arrived home around nine o'clock. Julie: We had a splendid cooked breakfast at the Inn and drove to the stables to pick up the horses. A short drive down the A44 brought us to the start of our next journey. We were to travel along a bridle path along the top of some huge hills to the left of Radnor Forest. Caroline on Kaan and Louie and I set off along a well-defined path. It was a cold but bright morning and the countryside around us quite breathtaking. There were a number of gates along this 8 mile stretch and I had to keep jumping off to open and close them. This required a lot of energy and at times I had to really dig deep into my energy reserves to keep going. At one point I became very light headed and everything went kind of surreal (anyone with M.E. will know this feeling well ), but I couldn't stop to rest; I had to push on. Louie was an absolute star on this journey and waited patiently while I kept mounting and dismounting. Eventually we met Gill on the A488 near Llanfihangel Rhydithon and I don't think I've ever been so glad to see a horse box in my life, because this is where I could get off and collapse in the Landrover. Louie I'm sure would have been quite happy to continue. At our next stop to discuss the route we were joined in the lay-by by Dr Sarah Myhill who just happened to be passing when she saw us. She kindly invited us to her beautiful home for a cup of tea, although not for poor Caroline who had to keep going to get to Heyop before dark. We passed Caroline and Kaan on the way to Heyop and drove down the long steep hill to our final finishing point. It was dark by the time Caroline reached us and with everyone safely in the horse box and Landrover we set off for home. Shattered, but happy those two days lost last September due to the motor home breakdown had finally been completed.   Post-Odyssey:   Doynton to Aust    Sunday, 24th February 2002 This section of the Ride had been postponed from 28th August 2001 Kaan, on hearing there is still one more section to go... 'You CAN NOT be serious!!' ©2002 Sue Alexander Sue: The final ridden part of the Odyssey was completed in weather as inclement as its start, last August at Lulworth Cove, had been pleasantly balmy. Kaan, however, looked just as beautiful, with that wonderful sheen on his coat, as if the sun were shining on it, his head carried so proudly, eyes intelligent and so alert and a general air of taking on the world completely effortlessly. Or should that be "taking OVER the world"?! These 15 miles, postponed from the first week of the Odyssey, passed very quickly despite the relentless rain. With Jerry Watkins on board, Louie (Kaan's companion from home) at his side and Gill driving close by to offer encouragement, cheese sandwiches and chocolate bars in equal proportions, Kaan was thoroughly enjoying the whole adventure from the moment he was unboxed at Doynton Church. The bridlepaths along which we rode at first were criss-crossed with deer tracks, the blackthorn was already in blossom and buzzards were to be seen high above. The ground was rutted and decidedly gluey, which poor Louie loathed, struggling to keep up as Kaan skipped nimbly over the worst patches. When the bridleway took us up through an open field, Kaan cantered on ahead and it was sheer joy to watch. I don't know why I'd expected him to take off like a bat out of hell, but he didn't and it was a moment of pure magic watching him put the distance between us with a graceful, almost slow-motion, canter, moving as if he were floating up the hill or cantering under water. It was literally breathtaking. I wonder if he has any idea how beautiful he is? Silly question. He has absolutely no doubts whatsoever! Never mind the map - I can see exactly where I want to go! ©2002 Sue Alexander We crossed the railway just before Frampton Cotterill, from where it was roads all the way. We were able to trot for several miles at a stretch, with Louie keeping up gamely, only tiring for the last mile or so, and Kaan swinging along apparently tirelessly, as if he'd happily stretch out with that relaxed, energetic stride for ever. Crossing over the M5 on a bridge high above, Louie expressed definite doubts concerning the wisdom of the entire undertaking, but loyally and trustingly followed in the hoofprints of Kaan who glanced down briefly at the articulated lorries speeding beneath us, spraying water in hissing clouds all around, then proceeded nonchalantly across. Absolutely nothing phases him (although he's not keen on being sprayed with water by cars which pass him close and fast) and he even behaved like a Christian when we passed very close to two horses on a bridlepath - a terrific improvement on the lustful behaviour he disaplayed at the start of the Odyssey. We braved the mercifully short section along the A38 to Olveston, trotting briskly all the way, until we met Gill again for a welcome pit stop. Eating whilst on horseback is an excellent idea; I'm certain that you burn off all the calories faster than you can ingest them. Jerry's skill with a chocolate wrapper on a fast-moving horse left me speechless with admiration! The last 100 yards ©2002 Sue Alexander We finished just before Aust, as near as was safe to the motorway bridge, and as we bowled along the final stretch I felt truly privileged and grateful to have been able to be part of Kaan and Gill's remarkable journey. The weather, the geographical location, reminded me of childhood pony-trekking holidays, also shared with Gill. One major difference was that we often ate our picnic lunches under our ponies when it rained hard; anyone attempting to eat sandwiches underneath Kaan would probably soon be wearing them! I'd like to say a huge "Well done. You're amazing!" to Gill and Kaan, and indeed to everyone who was involved in the Odyssey, and thank you for letting me be a small part of it. < Week Seven    Post-Odyssey Event >