One man and his dog have arrived in Wales after having walked all the way from Germany.
Karsten Rinck, 40 and his dog, Lotte, have already walked over 2,000 miles since May 2021, and have been seen hiking through south Wales with their recognisable yellow trailer.
Like a real life Forrest Gump, the duo are currently heading to Swansea on the latest leg their epic walk.
Read more: Every way the pandemic has changed Swansea
Karsten and Lotte began their journey from their hometown in Germany, a small village called Steinkirchen which lies 20 km southwest of Hamburg. He decided to embark on the trek after struggling with his mental health.
Karsten said: "I struggled with mental health issues, and I found a guy on the internet, Jean Beliveau, a Canadian, who walked for 11 years around the world. He was my inspiration to do something like he did. Not the world, but our continent, Europe, because it is easier for me to get my dog across the borders. I did some sort of tests to prepare, to figure out, what do I need? What is necessary? What can stay at home?
"I walked twice to the Heavy Metal Festival Wacken (2018/2019) and from northern to southern Germany (2020). These were my first experiences. And after I finished the walk across Germany I was absolutely sure about myself, that I could walk around the European continent."
So far, Karsten has walked through eastern Germany, across the Czech Republic, back through Germany again, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxemburg, northern France, southern England and now the duo are trekking through Wales.
He said: "I had not been to Wales before I started my walk. It is beautiful! The people are so nice here. Someone told me in England that I maybe have to slow down my pace, because there will be lots of people here, who wants to chat. And he was right. It is wonderful."
Whilst Karsten has walked an astonishing 3784.11km at the time of writing, his journey continues way beyond the Welsh hills.
He said: "I will head across Wales to England again. I think I will enter England somewhere between Chester and Liverpool. After that up to the North. Then to Scotland, across the Highlands. At Cairnryan, I’ll hop on the ferry to Northern Ireland and then Ireland. Down to Cork, on the ferry again to Roscoff, France. Down the Atlantic coast to Spain, Portugal and so on. The whole trip will last about five years and I will walk about 18,000 miles."
Despite walking through so many countries already, Karsten struggled to pick his favourite.
He said: "That is quite difficult. All these countries, I’ve been so far, have their beautiful and amazing spots. A river valley I passed through, mountains, forests. But what I can tell you is, that I am really looking forward to see the Highlands and then Norway nearly at the end of my journey. There is so much to see."
Karsten tries to walk between 12 and 15 miles a day. At the end of each day, he searches for somewhere to sleep.
"When weather is not the best, I try to avoid sleeping in my tent. Then I start searching for a roof. Just a roof. That can be many things. A garage, a stable, a garden shed or even just a porch.
"When I ask the people, I aim low. It is easier, I think, to get somewhere, when you aim low. A few nights I just stayed at a bus stop. A roof, as I was saying, can be anything. As long it is dry, it is okay for me."
When it comes to staying motivated, Karsten says all he has to do it look around.
"I think the the sentence 'The expectation of the unexpected' is he best way to describe. Our regular life is squeezed so much. We forget to look left and right, because we are so busy. As I was saying before: We miss so much. And now I am in the position, to have the opportunity to see all this. That motivates me every day.
"I think walking is the slowest way of travelling and in the modern days we miss so much. So many absolutely beautiful things. Just because we are rushing by in our cars.
"You regain the child in yourself. You start picking up stones again. Watch them from all sides. Mother nature itself. The bug crossing your way. The trees swinging in the wind. I am almost one year on the road. Just a few weeks are left and I’ve walked through every part of the year - winter, spring, summer and autumn. To see the changes out there every day. It is astonishing."
When asked 'are you tired', Karsten simply replied "No, not yet."
You can follow Karsten and Lotte on their journey here.
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