JETHRO AND ME: Author treks across north of England ... with his mule

"WHERE'S Jethro?" It was the first question I wanted to ask travel writer Hugh Thomson on his visit to York.

Hugh was in town to promote his latest book, One Man and a Mule: Across England with a Pack Mule.

Jethro, you might have guessed, was his mule.

Well not exactly his mule. "He was a rescue mule from the RSPCA," explains Hugh. "He had been stuck in a field for two years and was bored. He needed an adventure, like walking across England."

Hugh had to buy a horse lorry to transport Jethro from the RSPCA centre in Surrey to the north of England to begin their trip.

The plan was to walk coast to coast, from St Bees in Cumbria to Robin Hood's Bay in North Yorkshire.

Hugh says: "It was a coast to coast walk with a difference. The real coast to coast is along footpaths, but because I was travelling with a mule I had to use bridleways."

This proved a challenge in itself.

"A lot of bridleways have been closed – about two-thirds of bridleways on the Yorkshire moors have been closed since the Second World War – so I soon realised how difficult it was to get a mule, a horse or other pack animal across the country. Sometimes I had to go backwards, round about or sideways."

Going at Jethro's pace and factoring in the detours, it took one month to cover the 200 miles.

Jethro was eight which made him a teenager in mule years, said Hugh. "We had all that came with that – he would start off very enthusiastic, but by lunchtime it was all about: 'are we nearly there yet?'

"And he could be quite stroppy. Sometimes he would just stop."

On one occasion, Jethro was spooked, and all 300-kilos of him knocked into Hugh. "He shoulder charged me and it was like being charged at by Jonah Lomu in rugby. I was bruised and shaken after that.

"He bolted several times, but generally he was quite good for a mule who hadn't trekked before. He rose to the challenge."

However, there was one thing Jethro point-blank refused to do and that was carry Hugh's pack – living up to his species' reputation as being stubborn.

"Most of the time I was carrying my pack and he had a few sandwiches and the map in his saddlebag!"

ADVENTURE: Hugh and Jethro in the Lakes

Hugh first came up with the idea while travelling with mules in South America. "I enjoyed it so much in Peru that I wanted to have a South American adventure in England. In Peru, there are mules for hire, a bit like taxis here. Unfortunately, finding a mule in England was hard work."

He tracked down Jethro through the British Mule Society. Hugh reckons there may only be a dozen mules in each English county – a far cry from medieval times when they were much more common, and were particularly used by clergymen.

"The Pope always rode a mule and when the Reformation came the mule was thought to be a symbol of the Catholic clergy and somehow foreign. As part of the Protestant Reformation, mules went out of fashion."

This is not the case elsewhere in the world, says Hugh, where mules are still used as pack animals. "They even have a National Mule Day in the US!"

Hugh says Darwin was a fan of mules (the offspring of a horse and a donkey), believing them to be stronger than a horse and tougher.

Their strength and endurance have made them the perfect pack animal through history and across the world, adds Hugh.

Some of the highlights en route were the Howgills, between the Lakes and the Dales. "Unlike both of those places, the Howgills is not a national park. It is a real farming community and I really liked its association with the Quaker movement, which started there. They had some of their first chapels there and there were places where they preached in open fields. It was a nice feeling to go there. It is very remote and you got a sense of what it was like when it all started."

Another memorable location was Whitby. "I was there during the goth festival – we took a bit of a detour just to go to that."

The logistics of travelling with a mule were an added complication, says Hugh. Pasture had to be found every night for Jethro, and sometimes they had to go off route to their overnight stop.

One such trip was to Ryedale farmer Hugo Hildyard and his parter Florencia Clifford. Hugh and Hugo are old friends, so it was nice to catch up, he says. Florencia cooked a memorable meal and told Hugh about a new cafe they were opening in York – Partisan. That was back in 2015 and Partisan is now established as a respected eating destination on Micklegate.

It was the location for our interview and photoshoot – later Hugh was to take part in a reading at the cafe.

Hugh spoke to many farmers during the journey so besides being an unusual travelogue, the book is also a record of the modern-day farmer's views on the brink of Brexit.

"I was determined to talk to farmers. Farmers don't get a lot of voice in our mainly metropolitan conversation." Hugh was particularly interested in how they actually make a living. One thing he discovered was there was more money to be made from grouse shooting than sheep farming.

He says walking with Jethro was a good way "to take the temperature of the countryside. Walking with a mule meant everybody wanted to talk to me."

Regarding Brexit, young farmers in particular were keen "just to get on with it," says Hugh. "They feel there is too much bossiness over what crops you can grow and lots of directives."

Presiding throughout the adventure was a sense of welcome from everyone he met. "All along the route, there was lots of general hospitality.

"It was a great experience, and I'd do it again. It's a great way of exploring."

One Man and a Mule: Across England with a Pack Mule, by Hugh Thomson is published by Preface, Penguin Random House, priced £20

What happened to Jethro?

During the walk, Jethro had his own Facebook page and twitter account (@JethrotheMule). One of the followers adopted Jethro and he now has a happy, loving home.