Saddletramp: Riding from Ottoman Hills to Offa’s Dyke

In the depths of winter, Jeremy James began a horseback ride from central Turkey to his hometown in Wales, a journey which was to take him eight and a half months. First he had to find his horse, an unlikely old and weary Arab stallion who eventually rose to the challenge with equal spirit to that of his new master.

With uncertain mastery of their route, the two of them crossed rivers and mountains to reach the Greek border. Here their close bond had to break and Jeremy was forced to buy Maria, an unbroken filly who he then rode to the Italian border and changed her for Gonzo, who took him on the idyllic stretch through Umbria and Tuscany. Crossing the Alps together, they rode through late-summer France to reach their destination, Wales, in November.

Jeremy writes with humour and sensitivity about the people and places this journey takes him, but it is his bond with his horses that makes the thread which binds the narrative and infuses the whole adventure.