'I saw Dorset in a way that I never seen before'

"I got to see sort of Dorset in a way that I never seen before."

For three weeks from 14 April to 5 May, Roger Sewill, who lives in Cheselbourne, Dorset, and his Dales pony Scarlet visited 30 Iron Age hill forts across the county.

Their journey, which Sewill called Hiding in Plain Sight, not only got them to experience local history and nature but also connected them to many people who supported them along the way.

Sewill says it has been "fascinating" to re-observe historical aspects on the road and that it has been "almost harder getting back into modern life".

Their journey started with a peril when it "absolutely tipped down with rain" and strong winds.

"All my enthusiasm suddenly started washing out of me as we got more and more few miles behind us," Sewill shares.

Then all his supplies that Scarlet carried slipped around underneath her.

"It all got horribly tangled up and Scarlet was not happy," he says, adding it took about an hour and a half to untangle.

"But we got through that and after a couple of days, we got more and more into our stride as we progressed, and Scarlet got more and more relaxed."

The pair was joined by Bournemouth University students who worked on a documentary, which Sewill says "added more to the importance of the journey".

"There were quite a few other people also following and getting involved."

Sewill says he discovered how strategically the hill forts were for guarding estuaries, rivers and the general landscape.

He says walking between them "was an interesting experience to feel what people might have felt three thousand or more years ago".

The first one was on Bulbarrow Hill, west of Blandford Forum, which he praises for its "fantastic views".

"As we got up to the last bit of it, we were leaping our way up there, Scarlett gave me a hefty push and I landed into a thorn bush.

"This lovely lady in the car park at the viewpoint suddenly came out and said 'I've heard about you on the radio this morning and you've really made my day turning up here'."

Another one of his favourite places is Eggardon Hill where "you get to see how it commands the whole of Dorset".

"You could start seeing how people had changed the landscape to suit themselves, they farmed it or they developed it.

"I started recognising where water would be in the little valleys and as you go there, you suddenly realise that's where a little village had sprung up because of that water supply."

He also says that settlements like Bridport, which is famous for rope making, lead to "important" discoveries for him.

"It made me realise how we are still using things that have been there for thousands of years."

It was also an opportunity to share "lovely moments" with his companion, such as when they came across a path with many fallen trees.

"It was really difficult getting through it and amazingly, Scarlett just took the lead," Sewill said.

"She clambered over or under every tree that was blocking it and then I just let her find a way out of the woods.

"As the journey went on and we were in safe places, I could just let her go and we would just walk next to each other like a person and a dog, so we ended up being very nicely connected."

He says Scarlet drew people naturally in to come and chat to them, and some even bought sandwiches and coffee for Sewill.

"The generosity of people was just overwhelming and that was really rewarding.

"But then I also started seeing how the pack horse trails, or the old people that would have travelled, would have passed on news and stories to rural communities.

"It's been almost harder getting back into modern life than the journey itself."

Sewill called his first challenge in 2024 The Long Way Home and says he was "so unprepared for it" while his companion "just got stronger and stronger".

This time around, he wanted to see the hill forts and "explore Dorset differently", as well as to understand history through landscape changes.

Sewill says he is already "plotting away" another adventure next year.

"[Part three of] my trilogy is to take Scarlet back to Yorkshire Dales where she was born and walk the Pennine Way with her and really focus on the Dales ponies and the value that they have."