Jane Dotchin is 80 years old. Since 1972, she and her pony and dog have gone on a trip every year. From her home in Hexham, Northumberland, to Inverness, which is 600 miles away, the trip takes about seven weeks.
Dotchin’s pack pony, Diamond, is 13 years old, and this was her fourth year going on the trek with her. She is also the fourth generation of ponies that Dotchin has raised.
Dinky is a 10-year-old dog with misshapen feet, so he can’t walk for long. He loves to watch the world go by from the saddle bag on Diamond’s back.
Dotchin wears a patch over one eye and brings everything she might need. She has a tent, food, and a few other things that are important. She’s only worried about crossing busy streets.
Some drivers don’t care about horses and don’t slow down when they see one. If Diamond gets scared, she might run into the wrong part of the street. Dotchin is sure she’ll be able to keep her pony calm.
Dotchin has trouble reading maps because of the patch over her eye. Since she always takes the same route, she doesn’t need a map because she already knows the way.
Dotchin also likes to walk the same route because she always meets nice people. She knows that there will always be people around to help her if something bad happens.