Walking from England to India ...NOT

The BBC has carried a series of stories about a young man who announced his intention to walk 9000 miles from Bristol, England to Gandhi's birthplace in India. More impressively, he would carry only extra t-shirts, sunscreen, a knife, bandages, and an extra pair of sandals. Most impressively, he would take no money on his trip, relying instead on the "kindness of strangers."

He plans not to touch any money and is taking no credit cards or travellers' cheques. Asked about how he would manage without money, Mr Boyle said: "I've got a lot of faith in humanity." "I will be offering my skills to people. If I get food in return, it's a bonus." He says he is part of the freeconomy movement - a group which began in the US and aims to bring about a moneyless society.

He did receive a couple free dinners in England from other "freeconomists" and some "beeps and waves" from motorists, but then encountered freezing temperatures (in January - surprise!) and a hyperbolic "world's biggest blister."

He had to terminate the walk in Calais, France when he ran out of food. He could not speak French, and to his apparent utter amazement "...not only did no one not speak the language, they had also seen us as just a bunch of freeloading backpackers."

I can't imagine why.