If you ever feared that life comes at you too fast, then take a look at this – a Powys woman is in the midst of an adventure that is seeing her travelling 200 miles at a speed of only 2mph.

Carolle Doyle, the County Times' regular gardening correspondent, is in the midst of her "donkathon" alongside her friend Polly Vacher MBE.

The set off from Oxfordshire on June 25, and are aiming to arrive at St Melangell near Llngynog in the Pennant Valley on July 25, in a charity-driven exercise to raise money for MS research.

The "pilgrimage with a difference" was inspirec by a card sent by the guardian of the church Rev. Christine Brown after Polly – who flew solo around the world in the smallest aircraft ever piloted by a woman on such a journey in 2001– lost the sight in one eye in 2018.

"Like many other events originally planned to take place last year," said Carolle.

"The Donkathon was postponed but the extra time has been well used in a rigorous training programme where Wizard and Muffin have learned to go through fords and up hills driving five days a week for many months.

"Training up and down hills will hold them in good stead especially as they near Wales. They will drive through Bishop’s Castle on July 17 – which marks the last week of the Donkathon where they will be driving through Welshpool and Llanfyllin before finishing the journey at St. Melangell.

"Travelling at under two miles an hour gives you time stare and time too for passers by to take in the banner above our heads which reads 'Donkathon for MS Research'.

"Every time we stop, as we did in Burford, people gather round pushing notes rather than coins into our collecting boxes and telling us stories of family and friends who have MS."

The route has already taken the pair – and their four-legged companions – out of Oxfordshire as they travel west at just a speed that is less than two miles an hour.

On the third day we left the busy roads of Oxfordshire behind to drive along the Windrush valley with the river chatterig beside us and skylarks filling the empty air with song. Polly, Oscar the groom and I take turns in driving, so it was my turn when Oscar took this photo as we paused beside a field of scarlet poppies.

"The Cotswold hills lay before us but Polly has a trick to entice reluctant donkeys up hills," added Carolle, from Meifod.

"One of us walks up the hill with a traffic cone, turns and waits with a pocket bulging temptingly with carrots.

"On the eighth day out we approached the last hill and looked out over the vale of Evesham. The mile long descent down Saintbury hill was the greatest challenge making our splash through Kineton ford that morning child's play which, in a way, it was for Adam Henson led us through the ford not once, but twice to get the perfect photo.

"Today we will travel through the vale of Evesham with Elana as groom for this week and as I write she is giving the donkeys their early morning feed. The sky is blue and after our Sunday day of rest we are impatient to go but the Malvern hills lie ahead."