By Imogen Howse via SWNS
Meet the dad walking 200 miles across five counties – while leading a pony.
Roger Sewill, 60, is trekking through Surrey, Sussex, Hampshire, Wiltshire, and Dorset with his Dales pony Scarlet to raise awareness for mental health problems among people who live and work in the countryside.
The duo started their journey on October 15 at Roger’s childhood home in Charlwood, Surrey – and will finish in approximately two weeks’ time near Sherborne in Dorset, where Roger now lives with his wife and three children.
Roger and Scarlet aim to walk up to 15 miles a day – and will camp overnight in the fields of generous local landowners.
Roger said: “I decided to walk with Scarlet as I enjoy walking with a horse. You see a different perspective of life.
“Horses walk more slowly – and they’re always in the present. They’re thinking about what’s around them rather than the list of things they need to do tomorrow.
“So it helps you with your outlook on life.”
The dad-of-three is hoping his expedition will raise awareness for CountrymenUK, a charity supporting people who have lived or worked in the countryside but now find themselves isolated.
Roger said: “I am a trustee of that charity and it’s so important as people like farmers often don’t look for places they can go to for this sort of help.
“So my goal is to raise awareness for the charity and other similar charities.
“If I raise some money for them too – that would be the icing on the cake.”
Roger, who works as a rural chartered surveyor, said he is looking forward to the 200-mile challenge.
He said: “My tent’s a bit flimsy – and we’ll meet some different challenges.
“For instance, our route means we have to go through the town centers of Winchester and Salisbury so that will be interesting.
“But that’s what a challenge is all about.
“And people have been so generous. I’ve been around villages on the route before and asked if they’d put me and Scarlet up overnight.
“All we need is a field for her – and some space for me to pitch a tent.
“And amazingly everyone said, ‘yes’!
“I think people are more trusting of this sort of adventure – with Scarlet – than a man on his own trundling through the countryside.”
