Two Swedish Scouts are to head through north Shropshire as part of an epic 110-mile hike that is being helped through the kindness of locals.
Ludvig Eriksson and Rickard Lingren, both 18 and from Skövde, are in Wales with 42 other Scouts from Sweden who are taking part in Explorer Belt challenge, one of the Scouts' most prestigious awards.
"The whole thing was shrouded in mystery we didn't know what we were doing or where we were going. We only were told the evening before - what an experience," Ludvig said.
"Twenty-two pairs of Scouts are dropped off and need to live by the goodness of people. We can't pay for accommodation at all, we can't buy our own food so we have to walk and survive on people's kindness."
The challenge involved travelling from southern Sweden, through Denmark, Germany, Belgium, and then to Dunkirk in France to Dover and then a bus to Swansea to start their ten-day hike from south to north Wales via Powys and Oswestry, where they have to solve tasks to find out where they are supposed to go.
After being guided to Montgomeryshire by people in Rhayader and Llandovery, Ludvig and Rickard arrived in Newtown on Sunday evening (July 3) and stayed pitched up their tent in Gareth and Lynne Pugh's garden in Abermule before setting off on their journey along the Montgomery Canal to Oswestry.
Ludvig said: "The people have been really nice. Everybody has at least tried to help us even if they didn't have a big enough garden to put up our tent, but they did direct us to somebody who might have. Unfortunately, it's mostly roads for us and, of course, the scenery is beautiful but the hills are quite annoying to walk up and down.
"We'll be following the canal. My sense of direction is not that good but all I know is that we're going north to Colwyn Bay.
"If you follow the spirit of the game, we're not allowed to use the internet. We avoid it and no contact with home or with any other pairs, we are just on our own in the Welsh countryside. It could be much worse," he laughs.
"Walking 110 miles, if you take it step by the step it will eventually be done and we're not done yet. We'll see what happens. Blistering feet or not, we'll keep on walking."
Asked if he'd return to Wales, Ludvig replied "definitely".
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