Jamie Bevan, a Welsh translator from Merthyr Tydfil, is on the final leg of his solo 3,000-mile walk to Istanbul after crossing the border into Turkey. He set out in April to raise money for his local Welsh-language nursery, Cylch Meithrin y Gurnos, and has so far walked through 11 countries over 133 days.
Along the way, he has encountered wolves, boar, and beavers, and got lost in a forest. He has seen golden jackal pawprints in Hungary and been kept awake by loud frogs in France. Sleeping in a tent and hostels, he has hiked through remote parts of Europe and the Balkans that tourists rarely see.
Wolf encounter in Serbia
One of his most memorable experiences was hearing packs of grey wolves howling as he made his way through the mountains of Serbia. He had set up camp in a forest above Mokra when he heard what he first thought were dogs barking in the village below.
"I then clicked that it was wolves and two distinct packs. They were maybe half a kilometre away," he said. "I googled it and, yes, I was in an area where packs of European grey wolves are very active."
Far from being worried, Jamie felt privileged to have such a close encounter with nature. "Wolves are not a threat but when you are lying in your tent and hear them for the first time it is a bit unnerving but exciting too," he said. "They don't consider people as prey and I was safe. I could lie there and enjoy the experience."
Hospitality and wildlife on the route
Jamie has been overwhelmed by the kindness of strangers. He has eaten free in a Michelin-starred restaurant in France, joined family barbecues by the roadside, and received hospitality from people he met along the way. "People invited me to their barbecue on the side of the road one day. They sat me down and fed me and would not take no for an answer," he said.
He has also seen wild boar in Belgium and Germany and a beaver swimming in the Danube. In Romania, he found a large paw print in the mud and discovered it was a golden jackal print, though he never saw one of the shy animals.
Navigating by GPS, Jamie has only lost signal once, during a thunderstorm in the Ardennes in Belgium at the start of the walk. "That was right at the start and made me question what I was doing," he admitted.
Final stretch to Istanbul
Walking an average of 20 miles a day in temperatures at or above 30C, Jamie has had to be careful about sunstroke and needed antibiotics after getting sick. He said he is ready to come home and is looking forward to a big coffee, which he has missed.
"I don't know how I'm going to feel when I do get to Istanbul. I am definitely going to have a rest," he said. A welcome gathering is planned for his return in early September by the meithrin he is raising money for.
