Red Rock Treks

While I am back in the UK, although all the horse stuff is locked in the trailer at Guyuan, most of my personal kit is being stored at Ed Jocelyn's flat in Beijing. Ed has been a tremendous support, not only due to the practical help and encouragement he has given me, but also allowing me to pick his brains for advice on travelling with four footed friends through China.
In 2002 -3, Ed and friend Andy McEwen made an epic journey on foot retracing the steps of the Long March, and followed it up by writing a fascinating and entertaining book of the trek - unsurprisingly called The Long March and well worth a read.
Since then, Ed and business partner Yang Xiao have retraced other routes taken by the Red Army, often using pack ponies or mules, and their experiences are documented in their website http://www.thenewlongmarch2.com/.


Ed has now set up a new adventure trekking company Red Rock Trek and Expedition to share his unique knowledge of these and other historical routes through some of the more untouched and beautiful parts of China. Each trek offers a genuinely pioneering opportunity to experience parts of China well off the tourist trail. If you enjoy adventure holidays with a difference, then I would strongly recommend you consider these treks. As a historian, journalist and linguist who has lived in China for many years, Ed has a wealth of knowledge about China, and is a fluent Mandarin speaker. For more photos and details see http://www.redrocktrek.com/

In 2010 the treks will also be available through the premier adventure holiday company Wild Frontiers http://www.wildfrontiers.co.uk/

Dotty Old Woman Is Interviewed.

Last week I went up to Suffolk to do an interview about the Long Horse Ride for TrotOnTV http://www.trotontv.com/ - a new equestrian networking website. The Long Horse Ride will be featured on the website and if you want to see a dotty old woman being interviewed, look on Youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1IPYum4Te0

Safety First.

Following my accident, I have decided it will be advisable to use a body protector from now on, particularly in view of my advancing years. However I have been concerned about the practicality of riding for long hours in this piece of kit, as all those available on the market appeared to be very unrelenting to feminine curves - in other words they squash your boobs! That was before I came across Kanteq http://www.kanteq.com/ who have developed a revolutionary new body protector which is not only to the highest safety specification, but designed to comfortably fit the female form. I am therefore delighted that they have agreed to sponsor me with their marvellous product, to protect me if the worst happens again.

I have already declared that if it had not been for my wonderful Charles Owen Pro II helmet I am convinced my injuries would have been far more serious and even fatal, as I crashed down head first. Although there was no visible damage to my helmet (and arguably my head!) it is always recommended that a helmet is replaced after a heavy impact. Thus I am most appreciative that Charles Owen http://www.charlesowen.co.uk/ have been considerate of my welfare and generously offered to replace my helmet with a new one.

You will see below that I eventually managed to embed the map showing the route of the ride during April 2009 until I fell off. Make sure you change the setting to satellite and zoom in to get full advantage. Click on the blue points to see short descriptions.

Route Map April 2009

View Great Wall April 09 in a larger map

A Mystery is Solved

Last weekend my old mare Wian Dawlish eventually produced a foal by our stallion Cymro. But she is so wild that I have not been able to get close enough to identify whether it is a colt or a filly - the photo above of mare and foal on the day of birth was from a long distance photo that I cropped and blew up! However yesterday friend Rob Jones (who owns the stallion) managed to get some close ups with his zoom lens, and the mystery is solved - it is a colt - and thus for sale to anyone who is interested. Look on my pony website http://www.cwrtycadno.com/ for more recent photos as they come.

The next bit of good news is that I have had my first foray on horseback since my accident - courtesy of doctor friend Rowena who provided a personal medical escort when she kindly took me out for a suitably sedate hack on her horses Blodes and Llewelyn.

I book my ticket back to Beijing!

A rather long gap between posts, partly as I made a google map of our route in April and have wasted time unsuccessfully trying to embed it in a post!
The latest news is that I have now booked a flight back out to Beijing and hope to restart the ride as soon as possible after I arrive on the morning of July 17th. You may gather from this that I am feeling much better. I have been attending physiotherapy sessions, and doing some walking and swimming, although I have not had the opportunity to get back on a horse as yet.

Belated launch day photos!

Here at last are some photos of the launch day on April 19th which Kubi has sent. With all the excitement and worrying if Zorbee would behave himself, I forgot to take my camera along, and I still have not acquired photos of the flag presentation by the President of the CEA (Chinese Equestrian Association) and Representative of the Chinese Olympic committee.
However, the photo below shows the riding team (Peng Wenchao, Li Jing and myself) parading with members of the CEA, some of whom are waving yellow CEA flags. You may gather that cowboy attire is de rigeur in China. Peng (in yellow top) is riding Zorbee and caped crusader Li Jing is on his horse Yura. Worrying that the zippy Zorbee might panic at the flags and I might reach London faster than I had anticipated, I had played safe and opted for the steadier Bajiu. In the event the horses all behaved (almost) impeccably and were a credit to the side.
The parade was accompanied by soul stirring music over the loudspeaker.

After all the pomp was over, we set off quietly behind the endurance riders. Here is Peng and I by our wonderful trailer which has been signed by media, friends and followers.
The first section was across the Kangxi grasslands, where great windmills loomed out of the haze like something from The War of the Worlds. I am now back on Zorbee, having swapped with Peng. Mr Wan, our driver, rode with us for some of the way on the thin horse.


Li Jing leads the troops.