On Thursday 11 June, ultra distance runner John Fleetwood will celebrate his 50th year by embarking on a journey on foot from one end of the European Alps to the other – from Slovenia to Monaco, with no mechanical assistance. On this epic of around 1850km he aims to stick to the high ground as much as possible, including – weather permitting – via ferrata link-ups and ascents of some major peaks along the way. John starts his adventure on 11th June and is aiming to arrive in Nice in August ….
Taken from UKHillwalking.com – here is an overview of John's plans. To see the full interview, please click HERE.
John has been mulling over the idea of the trip now for around 5 years and has spent the last 6 months planning in earnest. Inspired by a combination of Conway's 19th Century journey through the Alps and the 5000km Via Alpina trail network, he is looking forward to experiencing the Alps as a whole in one long trip. He is keen to link up as many via ferratas as possible as well as climbing lesser known peaks – which as far as he is aware – has not been done before.
All very weather dependent, John is hoping to travel around 30km per day with around 2600m of ascent.
Raising money for 2 charities along the way: Manna House, which works with the homeless and
Amazon Savers, which tackles deforestation and the poverty that lies behind it, in the Bolivian Amazon, John is also keen to raise awareness of EOCA along the way!
Keep up to date with the journey so far by reading John's blog HERE.
