fectly and they departed full of smiles, I suspect of relief, and only charged a nominal fee.

Hatherleigh Market was close by so I asked the market RSPCA inspector to check William; he was reported in excellent shape.

On then through the Devon countryside with its short, steep hills and red soil; it was beautiful weather with a real hint of spring in the air. Off the main road, in the little villages, how many sights there are that you miss from a car: an old fording place across a clear stream; a local forge; delightful thatch-covered cottages dispensing cream teas and William the centre of groups of children offering sweets, carrots and titbits. Wherever I could I let our two Lurchers run on short chains behind the chaise and they loved the exercise.

By now the hedgerows were breaking into blossom and were thick with campions, foxgloves, scabias and, in Dorset, wild orchids. Hedges rustled with bird life, rabbits and other small mammals as we passed: a real education to me being used to travelling by car. Farmers were extremely generous, not only with contributions but in stabling William and helping wherever possible.

They all observed how nice it was to see a working donkey and always gave encouragement. One farmer, complete with two strapping sons in floppy hats, put £1 in the box after a long chat, then caught up with us at our lunchtime pub and, claiming that he had been mean earlier, put a further £5 in the box! Another splendid character took out his cheque book and said, 'How much the lot? Come on, I'm serious!' Animal reactions were just as varied.

Thoroughbred hunters backed away wide eyed when William greeted them, while other donkeys always sounded off and came to investigate. We became adept at spotting other donkeys and I always led William past their fields as he was liable to go up the bank, chaise and all, to exchange views! We were well over half way for our second rest day on Lord Chichester's estate near Salisbury. Wilton, with its Army messes, proved a lucrative stop and many of my husband's friends came to wish us well. A further set of shoes were fitted, by the cold process, and these were to last the rest of the trip. We met a number of enthusiastic DBS members near Salisbury and were most encouraged. We managed to keep dates with TV crews and local pressmen who I am sure all thought we were mad but who always left wishing us luck.

Our final week saw us drawing closer to London and stabling William was a bit more difficult. From Staines we took the A315 which proved to be very quiet. Children flocked round and we drew amused glances from people shopping.

Then came an enthusiastic welcome from the BBC's 'Blue Peter' team who rearranged their programme to give us a three-minute slot. William and I duly presented ourselves at the studios on the Thursday and after three rehearsals, all different, we appeared live.

From White City we went to Knightsbridge Barracks, from where we made the final trot down Rotten Row to Hyde Park Corner. The journey was over, on time, and it had been thoroughly enjoyable. William was very fit and quite unperturbed and the journey back by trailer was the only hurdle to overcome. We finally arrived back in Cornwall the next Sunday, exactly 28 days after setting off on that May Day morning.

What was achieved and what are my lasting impressions? I proved to myself that a journey of this sort can still be undertaken if proper training, preparation and planning is carried out. The average person is still as generous and kind as one would wish, and the RNLI has tremendous support throughout the country, even in places remote from the sea. The small B roads are still incredibly traffic free and those who use them are far more tolerant of animals than those on the main roads.

Incredibly beautiful countryside still exists quite unspoilt and is well worth visiting, particularly in the spring.

Finally, without the support and help of the many people who really made the adventure possible—my mother who held the fort in Cornwall, our generous sponsors, helpers, friends and members of the DBS and RNLI—I would never have been able to hand over a cheque for £1,506.06 on board St Ives lifeboat..