Walking the Nile

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Encountering the most dangerous animal in Africa, the hippo, he will pass the Mountains of the Moon, and enter the newest country on the planet, South Sudan which has been forged out of decades of civil unrest and war. As I approach the first signs of Bor town I am stopped yet again by another army patrol who after some explanation of my situation escort me into town under an armed guard, a rather sullen, muted figure brandishing an AK47 slung from his hip. His final wave signals yet another low point of our shared journey; how different this is to the laughter and joy we enjoyed together while passing through Uganda. For the first time on our walk through Africa nobody appeared to show any interest in our progress through the throng.

With a swamp the size of England just ahead in South Sudan, the Sudd must be navigated before the rains arrive.Captain Wood, aged 31, of Cheadle Road Forsbrook has recorded his exploits and thoughts and sent them through to the Post and Times for readers to follow.

Talking to the Post and Times Levison said, ‘Walking the Nile is not just the most memorable and demanding expedition I’ve ever undertaken, but an amazing opportunity for me to report on all the incredibly positive stories that come out of Africa. Taking the opportunity to witness the complete collapse of any form of civilisation, we wander through the ghostly streets until we reach the deserted market square, where the once thriving businesses now lie abandoned in shattered and burnt out ruins. Still the whole incident was made very real when we came across a butchered carcass of an adult male elephant whose tusks had been hacked from its lifeless body lying just metres from the roadside.The threat of rain has finally passed and the most annoying issue at the moment are rogue scorpions which find their way into my boots with some regularity. Most were extremely dirty from days on the road and as the numbers increased the large numbers of people were almost exclusively women and small children.

Today marks five months on the road and I am now over halfway through the expedition having covered almost 2500 miles.

Unfortunately this forced us to backtrack some 10 miles after completing a full day journeying on the road. Levison has sent to this newspaper the following extracts taken from his expedition diary for readers to enjoy his recent exploits. Entire families shuffled along the road carrying all manner of household goods with even the tiniest child struggling to carry bags of clothing or a pot and pan.