By Leicester Mercury | Posted 08 August, 2012
When pensioner Mike Howitt told friends how he planned to raise money for LOROS hospice in memory of his wife Diana, they said he was mad.
And that's hardly surprising when you consider 80-year old Mike is planning to hitch-hike to Cape Town through some of the world's most unforgiving terrain.
Mike, a seasoned international hitch-hiker, is due to set off from Leicester next month for the journey to South Africa.
It is just over 6,000 miles as the crow flies from Leicester to Cape Town – but Mike's route is considerably longer.
He said he was determined to do something to thank the Groby Road hospice for the care they gave his wife, who died in March 2011.
He said: "Although my wife, Diana was in LOROS for less than 24 hours, I feel a great sense of gratitude for their loving care during her final hours.
"That is why I am embarking on a sponsored hitch-hike."
The expedition is called the Long Walk Down as a tribute to the TV series A Long Way Down, which featured Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman on a motorbike trip to the Cape.
He said: "I hope when people understand why I am doing this, I will be treated well by the authorities through the countries I will pass.
"I shall be avoiding areas of obvious conflict, such as the border between Sudan and South Sudan, and I will not be travelling through Syria as I had originally planned."
That means he will have travel by ferry via Cyprus from Turkey to Israel.
He will then pass into Jordan before crossing into Egypt to follow the River Nile southwards.
Mike, who has thumbed his way across various countries in the past, is hoping to arrive at Table Mountain before Christmas, where he will be met by friends.
He has visited many of the 23 countries he plans to pass through, and said: "It is not as if I am going totally into the unknown."
Mike completed his national service in the RAF and, as befits a former member of the forces, he has a comprehensive kit, pared down to the bare essentials.
It is packed into a suitcase on wheels with an upper bag set on top.
He said: "I am travelling light, but I will have all I need.
"I am hoping that lorry drivers will be generous.
"Using vehicles like that means longer stages between lifts than you could expect if travelling in private cars.
"I plan to stick to main roads and by-pass large cities and towns."
A member of the Trinity Life Church in Leicester, Mike will be taking a copy of the New Testament and the Psalms to sustain him on the journey.
He said: "My faith in God is very important and will sustain me."
While on the journey he will visit a project supported by his church in Nairobi, Kenya, which provides clean water for hundreds.
Mike, who has covered his own expenses, said: "I do not know how much I will raise through sponsorship, but I am asking for minimum donations of £25."
LOROS fundraiser Nancy Taylor said: "Mike is an inspiration. What he is planning to do is truly amazing. This is the most exciting fundraising project I have encountered."
For more information and a sponsorship form, e-mail: mike@howittinternational.com
