WHEN William Reddaway spoke to the Church Times on Monday afternoon, he was resting in a lane near Ripon, in expectation of an imminent storm. His companion, Strider (pictured, right), was eating grass on the verge near by.

"He's bearing up very well, except for a saddle sore," Mr Reddaway reported. "He's fatter than he was, and I'm thinner than I was."

The duo - man and horse - are currently a third of the way through a journey that will take them to the four corners of England, encompassing visits to 30 cathedrals. "Ride Round England", a trip of more than 2500 miles, is in aid of Wormwood Scrubs Pony Centre, providing riding and equine therapy for children and young people, and the Family Holiday Association, which funds short breaks in the UK for families in difficult circumstances.

Since May, Mr Reddaway, who is 65, has been riding, walking, or leading Strider for 920 miles ("including the boring or difficult bits"). Throughout the six-month journey, he will follow more than 100 Ordnance Survey maps to cover about 25 miles a day.

With Strider, bought specifically for the adventure, he has received a warm welcome at cathedrals, "the one thing that is always where it always was". He is particularly looking forward to St Albans Cathedral, which he visited as a child, and Salisbury, "because the setting is so magnificent". He was "not sure I would be allowed in" at Christ Church in Oxford, but has been give permission to do so: "quite amazing".

www.rideroundengland.org