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First Around the World by Horse Drawn Caravan

The First Around the World by Horse Drawn Caravan journey began in 1990, officially beginning in Holland. The family of five included David Grant, then wife Kate and their three children, Torcuil, Eilidh and Fionn. The aim of the journey was to be the first to circumnavigate the globe with a horse and caravan, a feat which has never been done before. Beginning in Holland the trip continued on through Belgium, France, Italy, Austria and Slovenia. The next stage of the journey went through Hungary, Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, a return to Russia, Mongolia, China, and Japan before crossing the Pacific to America and ultimately on to Canada. Halifax in Nova Scotia was the finishing point for the trip which took seven years to complete from 1990 to 1997. The Guinness Book of World Records recognised the feat in the 1998 UK edition. David R. Grant wrote a book about the journey called The Seven Year Hitch: A Family Odyssey published in 2000.

The Grant Family in 1990

At the beginning of the journey David Renwick Grant (49) was married to Kate Grant (39) and their children are the two sons Torcuil (9), Fionn (6) and daughter Eilidh (8). In Holland they sourced a heavy horse with which to pull the caravan and also had a Stafforshire Bullterrier dog called Lady as part of the entourage.

The Path Around the World

The family set off from Vierhouten covering between 10 and 15 miles per day, and travelled through Holland going southwards to Belgium, then into France. Unfortunately the original horse was not suitable for pulling the caravan, so another horse had to be found that was sturdier and heavier.

That led the Grant's to travel to Entraigues-sur-la-Sorgue where they stayed with Joel Moyne a breeder and owner of heavy horses. Eventually David purchased a gelding in Traceur, a brown coated and black maned, Percheron-Breton X. Traceur would become the pulling force that would haul the caravan around most of the world.

From France the journey continued through Italy, passing through Monte Carlo on the way. Austria was the next country before they reached Slovenia. Slovenia proved to be a challenge as the 1991 war of independence broke out, meaning the Scot's traveller had to retreat to Austria before returning when it was safe to do so.

By the winter of 1992 the family had reached Mezokovesd in Hungary where they stayed for several months while planning the rest of the journey through the recently broken up U.S.S.R. A new addition to the family was added in a Komodor puppy named Tsar with Lady having been given away in France.

They ventured over the Carpathian Mountains in Ukraine and travelled to Kiev, then into Russia crossing the major Volga River at Volgograd. The next country to cross their paths was Kazakhstan, where they wintered in Almaty, having survived one of the worst winters in forty years. They were given a dog they would call Nin, short for Lenin.

Originally the plan had been to enter China from Kazakhstan, but they refused them a travel visa, forcing them to go northwards up to Russia and into Mongolia. It was a harsh experience in a desolate country and culminated in a court case involving David, who was nearly jailed for assault, but he was able to resolve the situation involving another man, allowing the Grant's to continue travelling onwards.

The Chinese Government had changed its mind and decided to issue a travel permit, allowing the Grant's to go southward to Erenhot and into a country they had intended on going to from the outset. Unfortunately, within weeks of being in China, Chinese officials ordered them to be deported, forcing them to travel to the port city of Tianjin. From there they had to take a ferry to Japan as the earliest possible exit from China.

Unplanned they arrived in Kobe, Japan shortly after it had experienced one of the worst earthquakes on record. Traceur and the dogs had to go into quarantine for three months, while David tried to source means to transport the animals across the Pacific to Canada. Canada refused to grant a visa, so America was the only viable route to North America. After quarantine and monetary issues, partly alleviated by the generosity of the Japanese people, the Grant's were able to fly over to the West coast of the U.S. while the caravan was shipped over.

After some respite in northern California, the journey continued onwards through Oregon, Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming and South Dakota. After a difficult winter in South Dakota the family moved on with a new horse in Bertha, who pulled the caravan on through the remaining states of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. Canda was entered at Sault St. Marie. The remainder of the travels crossed through Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia where the journey came to an end in the autumn of 1997.

After the Journey Ended

When the journey finished the Grant family flew back to Scotland, having the caravan shipped over but leaving the horse behind. David spent a year in Switzerland writing a book about the journey called The Seven Year Hitch. It had mixed reviews and acheived only moderate sales.

Kate returned to work and divorced David. Torcuil and Fionn went to college and school respectively. Eilidh followed her passion for horses and went to work at horse racing stables in England.