Walk from Cape Town to London: The Route Country by Country

Can you walk from Cape Town to London? On paper, yes, although no single road does it, and the line you end up with is decided far more by borders, deserts, wildlife and security than by a ruler laid across a map. Wandering Through Mankind is a planned solo walk that stretches the idea slightly at both ends. Leon McFarlane is due to set off in December 2026 from Cape Agulhas, the true southern tip of Africa, about three hours' drive from Cape Town, and the aim is to finish at Windsor Castle, just west of London.

This page sets out the route as the expedition's country plans currently stand. Treat it as a working plan rather than a promise. Every section is checked against local advice before it is walked, the line changes when safety demands it, and any section that cannot responsibly be walked is declared openly on the route page rather than quietly skipped.

How a walk from Cape Town to London actually works

The basic rhythm is simple. Leon's planning pace is about 175 km a week, spread over five and a half walking days, which means 30 to 35 km on a normal day, with the rest of the week kept for recovery and admin. He never walks after dark. We explain the thinking behind those numbers in how far can you walk in a day.

Two rules keep the record honest. First, when Leon leaves the line to visit somewhere important, he records the exact point where he stopped, travels there and back, and resumes from that same point. Transport never counts as walked distance. Second, if a stretch is judged unsafe, it is marked as such and explained. Our article on whether it is safe to walk across Africa covers how those decisions are made.

The walk also has a habit of naming places carefully: local or Indigenous names first where they can be verified, with the colonial or international name alongside so readers know where they are.

South Africa: from the southern tip into the interior

The first steps are planned at the ocean at Cape Agulhas. From there the current line runs inland through Bredasdorp and the Overberg farmlands to Robertson and Worcester, then into the Great Karoo through Touws River, Beaufort West and Victoria West. It crosses the Orange River near Hopetown, reaches Kimberley and the diamond story, and continues through Vryburg and Mahikeng to the Botswana border at Ramatlabama.

South Africa sets out the walk's opening argument: that the human story is ancient and shared, and that apartheid has to be understood as a system whose marks outlived its laws. Cape Town itself, the Bo-Kaap and the Cradle of Humankind are reached by research trips from the line.

Botswana, Zambia and Tanzania: water, liberation and the road north

Botswana follows the eastern corridor through Lobatse, Gaborone, Palapye and Francistown to Nata and Kasane, then over the Kazungula Bridge. Its themes are water in a dry country, Tswana public life through the kgotla, and what it means to share land with elephants.

Zambia begins with Mosi-oa-Tunya, known internationally as Victoria Falls, at Livingstone, then heads north through Monze, Lusaka, Kabwe and Kapiri Mposhi before following the Great North Road through Mpika and Chinsali to Nakonde. Zambia adds the story of a frontline state that backed liberation movements across southern Africa, the Kabwe skull and the TAZARA railway.

Tanzania is entered at Tunduma. The walking line heads to Mbeya and then along a western corridor towards Rwanda, while the expedition hopes to make research trips east to Oldupai Gorge, Laetoli, Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar's Stone Town.

Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya: memory, return and the Rift Valley

Rwanda is short on distance and long on meaning. The line crosses at Rusumo and passes through Kayonza and Rwamagana to Kigali, then north to Gatuna. The chapter is about the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, justice and how the country has rebuilt.

Uganda is a return for Leon, who has already walked roughly 500 km across the country with a friend (more on the about page). The planned line runs from Katuna through Kabale, Mbarara, Masaka and Kampala, over the Nile at Jinja, and on through Tororo to Malaba. Read more in walking across Uganda.

Kenya climbs through Bungoma and Eldoret into the Rift Valley, near the running town of Iten, then on towards Nanyuki, Isiolo and the long northern road to Moyale. Its stories are land and resistance, endurance, human origins and the pastoral north.

Ethiopia and Djibouti: to the Red Sea

Ethiopia is entered at Moyale. The current line runs north through Hawassa to Addis Ababa, then turns east through Adama and Awash to Dire Dawa and the Djibouti border. Ethiopia is the walk's great chapter on faith: an ancient African Christianity with its own Bible tradition, the early Muslims who found refuge there, Ethiopian Jewish history and the victory at Adwa.

Djibouti carries the line to the sea through Ali Sabieh and the Grand Bara plain to Djibouti City, a port that handles much of Ethiopia's trade (see the Ethiopia to Djibouti railway). The expedition will not walk through Sudan, and how it crosses from the Horn of Africa to Egypt will be decided nearer the time and declared openly.

Egypt, Jordan, Turkey and the road to Windsor

Egypt centres on Cairo and Giza, with research trips to Alexandria and the Upper Nile, before the line heads east towards Sinai, subject to current legal and security review. Its question is ancient Egypt as an African civilisation connected to Nubia, the Mediterranean and western Asia.

Jordan runs north from Aqaba past Wadi Rum and Petra towards Madaba and Amman, a landscape of trade, desert knowledge and sacred texts (see walking across Jordan).

Turkey currently plans a central corridor from Ankara towards Istanbul and a crossing of the Bosphorus into Europe, with research trips hoped for in the south-east, including Göbekli Tepe. Our guide to walking in Turkey covers the practicalities.

The European section and the final approach to Windsor are still being planned. When they are settled, they will appear on the route page in the same way as the rest.

Why this matters on foot

Driving a route like this would take weeks. Walking it takes years, and that slowness is the point. On foot, Leon meets the people who live between the famous places: farmers, drivers, shopkeepers, teachers, guides. In every place he passes, the walk plans to pay for one act of kindness and record it publicly on the kindness ledger. Once he is walking, updates will appear in the journal. If you would like to help the walk happen, you can back the walk here.

Frequently asked questions

How long would it take to walk from Cape Town to London?

At around 175 km a week, with rest weeks, research trips and border formalities, a walk of this kind is measured in years rather than months, and Wandering Through Mankind is planned on that scale.

Why does the walk start at Cape Agulhas and not Cape Town?

Cape Agulhas is the southernmost point of the African continent, so it is the honest starting edge. Cape Town lies to the north-west and is visited on a research trip from the line.

Does the route go through Sudan?

No. The expedition will not walk through Sudan, and how it crosses from the Horn of Africa to Egypt will be decided nearer the time and declared openly.

Will every kilometre be walked?

That is the aim, but safety comes first. Any section that is not walked will be shown as such on the route page, with the reason.