“The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” – St. Augustine

Most of us will only see a tiny bit of this world while we are alive.

But, with some determination, a bit of skill and a few trusty companions, maybe there is an entire adventure  waiting for you just outside your front door.

And if you’re an 82-year-old woman with a thirst for travel, you just might make the most of it.

Jane Dotchin lives in the small county of Northumberland, England. She has always craved adventure, she said. So one day, in 1972, Jane left her tiny home and traveled by horseback more than 600 miles to the north of Scotland to visit a friend.

The scenery, the fields and the people she met along the way meant so much to Jane that she decided to make the trip again the following year. And then again. And then again.

Jane Dotchin travels with her dog, Dinky, on Diamond the horse. Photo by Katielee Arrowsmith/SWNS

She has made the trip now, by horse, for more than 40 years. Currently she rides her 14-year-old horse, Diamond, and carries in the saddle her 10-year-old dog, Dinky.

“I do a trip every year, I have been doing it for forty-odd years. I have been all over — to Ireland and on many ferries to islands like Bute and Arran, but it’s too expensive on the ferries now. I used to go way down in the south of England, but you can’t cross the roads now, the traffic is terrible.”

And although she has some vision problems, Jane doesn’t let that stop her.

I don’t bother with maps I just keep to the routes I know.”

She always prepares herself for any possible emergency. Jane carries an older cell phone that has a battery that can last up to six weeks.

“I refuse to go slogging on through pouring wet rain. There are a few different routes I can take depending on the weather. I don’t want to go over hilltops in foul weather but I work it out on the way,” she said.

While she travels, she spends her nights in a tent by a campfire. When she is hungry, she eats simple meals of oatcakes, porridge and plenty of cheese, she said.

But, Jane remarked, she is never lonely with Dinky by her side.

“When there is a nice, grassy track, she gets out and has a run but she doesn’t like stony ground. And she is a nice hot water bottle for me in the tent,” she said.

Jane also visits all the different people she has met over the past 40 years on her trip.

It is nice to go and see them again,” she said.

“I ring them up in the morning to say I’m going to be there in the evening, I don’t warn them too far in advance, because if the weather suddenly changes or I decide to stop early then they can be left wondering where I’ve got to.”

Jane secures her dog, Dinky, in his saddle bag. Photo by Metro

During her early years, Jane had a riding school, and would train young riders. She has always had an off-the-grid lifestyle which has served her well on her yearly trip.

It even helped land her the Exceptional Achievement Award from the British Horse Society. Which came as a bit of a shock to her.

“I didn’t know what I’d won it for,” Jane said. “And of course I don’t have internet, no modern technology at all. So I had to get a friend to use hers to find out what it was about.”

Jane said her love of the countryside, the simplicity of life on horseback and the constant adventure is something that she doesn’t plan to willingly stop.

“There is always something interesting happening and there is never a dull moment,” she said. 

For a look at Jane’s travels, watch below!

Sources: Bored Panda | Express | Mirror