A STUDENT and her pet pony are on an epic trek from Germany to Scotland – so she can keep him by her side while she studies.
Agriculture student Johanna Maria, 22, is heading to Dundee to research barley breeding for six months, as part of her dissertation.
She couldn’t afford the £2000 flight costs for her 14-year-old Shetland pony Hechizo – and couldn’t bear to be without him for such a long time.
So she set out from her home in Halle, Germany, in February, with Hechizo dragging all her belongings on a cart.
Her father drove her to Spain for a work placement – and from there the pair have walked around 15 miles a day, through rain and shine.
Staying with strangers or camping in churchyards and parks, the pair will have walked a staggering 1300 miles when they reach Dundee in October.
Maria, who reached Northumberland yesterday after arriving in England on July 13, said: “I just love it. I’m taking every day as it comes. I really enjoy walking with my pony; just us two.
“I am not thinking too much about what has happened or especially what could happen – I am just trusting in the journey.
“It’s like six hours of walking I think or sometimes more – it really depends on the weather and our mood.”
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