One Man's Epic Walk Across Europe - the E4 Challenge

Feb. 14, 2011 - PRLog -- Starting on the 1st of March 2011, Brighton based John Hayes will attempt a 3,500 mile walk along the E4 long distance trail, from Tarifa, Spain’s southern most point, all the way to Budapest.  Arguably the best long distance trail in Europe, perhaps in the world, there is no record of anyone completing the journey in a single trip.  John aims to change that.

The walk, which joins up some of the oldest and most iconic national trails in six different countries, will take between six and seven months to complete.

“Researching the walk was like opening a treasure chest” says John.  “It takes you through some of the best scenery Europe has to offer, linking national parks together like a string of pearls, while inviting you to linger in some amazing and fascinating towns and villages”.

It’s also a tough walk, crossing the Pyrenees and Alps, and as well as the distance, many days will involve climbing well over 1,000 metres.

John accepts that being away from home for so many months will be a challenge, particularly when he admits that his language skills are “typically English”.  He is also not entirely sure how his 55 year old body will cope with the pretty constant nine to 10 hour walking days.

In addition to planning the walk, John has been working with a Nepalese charity on a specific project for all funds raised by the E4 challenge.  Although Nepal is a magnet for walkers from all over the world, 45 per cent of its children suffer the disastrous consequences of malnutrition.  If John can at least reach his £20,000 target, then the Britain Nepal Medical Trust will be able to pioneer a new, innovative, and sustainable approach to child malnutrition which, once proven, can be rolled out on a much wider basis.

When talking about the charity, John said “As a Nepalese run charity the BNMT has a track record of delivering real health improvements for local people.  Although successful, it does not have domestic funding raising capacity of western charities, making a project like the E4 walk especially important”.

If you want to follow John on his journey, find out more about the project in Nepal, or donate to the fund, then visit the website http://www.E4longdistancewalk.com

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For more information about John's walk, visit the website or contact Vicky Stoakes at VSPR on + 44 (0) 7747 534 519 / vicky@vs-pr.com.