Roger Sewill and Scarlet set off on the 200-mile hike on Tuesday, April 14 and completed the feat on Tuesday, May 5, arriving at the Tolpuddle Martyrs Tree at around 1pm.
In an instagram post, land agent Roger said: “Both of us are in far better physical shape than when we set out.
“I have known Dorset for nearly 50 years, but it has never revealed itself to me like this before. It was a privilege to spend so much time with Scarlet.”
Roger and Scarlet are greeted in the village (Image: Shannon Marsh-Lloyd)
Roger said the trip had taken in 30 hillforts across the county, around 650,000 steps (more for Scarlet), “countless” acts of kindness, and a county “slowly unfolding along the way”.
The ‘Dorset Horse Hike’ is raising funds for Dorset Wildlife Trust to help restore habitats, protect wildlife and strengthen conservation across the county.
“Thank you to everyone who followed the journey, supported us along the way, or simply stopped for a chat,” added Roger.
The trip began at Lyscombe, Dorset Wildlife Trust’s new nature reserve, near Dorchester, and passed through other Trust reserves, including Kingcombe Meadows near Maiden Newton and Wild Woodbury near Bere Regis
As well as 30 iron age hillforts, it took in working farms, an old wartime airfield at Tarrant Rushton, sites linked to Dorset’s early Christian history, and a ford crossing of the River Stour.
A well-earned breather (Image: Shannon Marsh-Lloyd)
Scarlet, a traditional Dales Pony, listed as Rare by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, carried Roger’s gear throughout.
The walk was also filmed as a documentary in collaboration with Bournemouth University’s media department.
Shannon Marsh-Lloyd, a second year media production student, was producer while the director was Mark Bond. Some Masters cinematography students were also involved.
The journey concluded under the Tolpuddle Martyrs Tree (Image: Shannon Marsh-Lloyd)
Shannon said: “Producing a Documentary (alongside Mark Bond, Dave Young & the MA Cinematography students) on Roger & Scarlet’s journey has been an incredibly unique and inspiring experience.
“As crew, we got to witness first hand the beauty of Dorset, the endurance needed for such a hike and how strong Roger and his Dales pony, Scarlet’s relationship is.
“I think one of the biggest things I’ll take away is the sense of community the journey created, not just with Roger, Scarlet & the crew, but with the people we met across Dorset.”
The ‘Dorset Horse Hike’ followed Roger’s previous 200-mile trek ‘The Long Way Home’, which took him from Surrey to Dorset with Scarlet.
The campaign is supported by a JustGiving donations page at www.justgiving.com/page/country-journey.