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When I was trekking in Nepal some years ago, we met a large group of Tibetans fleeing their country, leaving everything behind.  They had been walking for a couple of months and had just come over a 5000 metre pass - some of the children wearing school uniform and sandals.  They were walking the most difficult and dangerous part of their journey at night, in complete silence, and without torches.  As they were illegal in Nepal they risked arrest, imprisonment or deportation back to Tibet where they would probably have been executed by the Chinese who had taken control of their country.  It would be another two to three months before they would reach the safety of Dharamsala where the Dalai Lama is now based.  At one time there were 150,000 Tibetans in India, many having made journeys similar to this.

The distance from Lhasa, the Tibetan capital to Dharamsala in India is 900 miles.  My goal is to walk that distance, and I started on January 1st.  This is the longest walk I have ever undertaken.  Ten kilometres a day, three hundred hours walking, three million steps - a big challenge and a big commitment.  By coincidence, the distance from Lands End to John o’Groats  is also about 900 miles so even though I am walking every mile safely and without leaving East Sussex, I am marking the distance off a UK map.  That way I, and those who are following my journey can appreciate how far I have come, and how far I am from my destination.  I hope that makes sense.

Because all of my walk so far has been during Lockdown, to help with my mental well-being I have also tried to eat or drink specialities of the UK area I am virtually walking through.  Lots of cheese, regional ciders, craft beers and a few surprises along the way.  

For over sixty years the countries of the world have not done enough to protect the language, culture, religion or the independence of these wonderful people.  I can promise that whatever you can afford to donate, will be used to help Tibetans in exile, including the education of the youngest children, the care of the elderly, and so much more as well.