Mapping the trail

Ahead of a Perth talk, Michael Alexander speaks to adventurer Leon Mccarron about his epic 3,000-mile China walking adventure

H e has cycled 22,530 kilometres from New York to Hong Kong, ridden across Patagonia on horseback and, as recounted in his 2017 book The Land Beyond: A Thousand Miles on Foot through the Heart of the Middle East, hiked from the West Bank to the Sinai desert.

But when Northern Ireland-raised half-scottish writer, filmmaker and adventurer Leon Mccarron reflects on his international travels over the past decade, what strikes him about the seven months he spent walking 3,000 miles across China from Mongolia to Hong Kong is how big the country is.

“Coming from Northern Ireland and Scotland, one of the amazing things about China is the scale of it and that you can travel for 10 hours and still be in the same country,” said Leon.

“You’ve got the highest of highs, the lowest of lows, deserts, jungles, big rivers... For someone who’s attracted to the outdoors, it’s very appealing.

“I’ve always been fascinated with places like that.

“At a time when it feels like the rest of the world is constantly watching what China does sceptically or hopefully, to be there in the midst of it and see what China looks like from the inside at a very rural level was quite a privilege.”

Leon, now 33, embarked upon his epic China hike with fellow adventurer Rob Lilwall in 2011/12.

Having both previously taken on marathon world cycle trips, and with an interest in China, they realised the beauty of “going slowly and seeing more of a place”, so came up with the idea of the north-to-south walk at an age when it “still seemed like a good idea”.

Last year, Leon returned to walk in the same country but in a very different way; to design and implement a longdistance hiking trail.

Working with a small team of international experts and local innovators, Leon was based in Hunan province, exploring the philosophy and potential of trails in the area.

Now, the Irish adventurer is speaking for the prestigious Royal Scottish Geographical Society Inspiring People talks programme in Perth, sharing stories from the Xuefeng Mountain Trail, which he recently helped launch.

Along the way, Leon will describe how old pathways have been re-purposed to breathe life into ailing communities, and how these routes will celebrate local pride and ownership of cultural heritage.

He’ll also touch on tourism – how this trail will be the first of its kind in China, attracting foreign visitors to this undiscovered corner, and how lifelong memories can be created for visitors who challenge themselves on long journeys such as this 100km trail.

“When we did the full 3,000-mile walk in 2011/12, most of it was ad hoc,” he told The Courier. “We were fully self-sufficient. We had 25+kg of weight on our backs. We started in winter as well. It was very cold – well below zero. Sometimes -20 in the north. We had tents, camping stoves, solar panels to charge all of our gear and cameras.

“The first month or so we were crossing the Gobi Desert. We didn’t see that many people. As we moved south, it got more populated. Sometimes, we’d sleep out in bivvy bags. Sometimes, people would invite us in.

“We vaguely planned a route but it would inevitably change because someone would recommend somewhere we should visit or a certain path would be closed. It was all very organic.”

Leon said that on the original trip they were met with a lot of “bemusement and total lack of comprehension” by rural dwellers as to why two foreigners would be embarking on such a journey.

“People would think we were travelling on foot because we had to,” he recalled. “They’d often offer to bring their car round. People were so friendly.

People would often offer to bring their car round. They were so friendly. We had to explain we were doing this by choice!