Daniel Graham

A Walk to the Water: Six Million Steps to the Mediterranean Sea

 

 

 

On 14 April 2013, Daniel Graham and his twin brother, Jake, stepped out of their front door in Bristol and on to the path. Longing for a challenge, they set out to complete the adventure of a lifetime: a 3,000-kilometre walk through Western Europe.

 

Camping beneath trees and washing in rivers, the journey led them through the quaint villages of southern England and on to the European mainland. Trekking steadily south, they continued on through the arable hills of the Benelux countries, the humble peaks of the Vosges Mountains, the gorges of the Jura Range and, finally, to the French Alps, a majestic barrier of summits and valleys that would lead them on to the Mediterranean Sea.

 

Unsupported and on a tight budget, the brothers soon learnt of the ever-changing nature of the path - one moment inflicting illness and doubt, the next summoning the unprovoked kindness of strangers. From the profound beauty of the smallest flower to the resounding grandeur of an alpine massif, Daniel and Jake's five-month expedition through Western Europe to the Mediterranean Sea is a heart-warming tale of companionship, adventure and unrelenting determination.