Ffyona Campbell
Encyclopedia
Ffyona Campbell is a British
long-distance walker who was the first woman to walk around the world. She covered 32000 kilometres (19,883.9 mi) over 11 years and raised £180,000 for charity. She wrote about her experience in a series of three books.
After leaving home and school at 16, she raised the necessary sponsorship to enable her to walk from John o' Groats
to Lands End. Walking 20 to 25 miles a day 6 days a week, she completed the journey in 49 days and was the youngest person at that time to have done it. Through sponsorship from The London Evening Standard, she raised £25,000 for the Royal Marsden Cancer Hospital.
At 18, she set off from New York
crossing the United States
towards Los Angeles
. The relationship with her support crew was volatile, and the schedule to coincide with the sponsors' public relations events en route was demanding. Due to illness, she couldn't keep up the schedule but didn't want to let anyone down and so broke her own golden rule and accepted a lift from her back-up driver to catch up. This happened over a distance of 1,000 miles until she was well again. It was a highly traumatic experience for an 18 year old and she never spoke of it at that time.
At 21 she walked across Australia, 50 miles a day for 3,200 miles from Sydney
to Perth
in 95 days, beating the men's record for this journey. She suffered severe blistering of the feet but was determined not to miss out any miles. She wrote about this journey in her book Feet of Clay.
On 2 April 1991, she left Cape Town
, South Africa
and walked the length of Africa covering over 16000 km (9,942 mi) before arriving in Tangiers, Morocco
two years later on 1 September 1993. She had been joined by her ex-boyfriend, British survival expert Ray Mears, for five months during the journey through Zaire after an uprising had forced her and her team to abandon the support vehicle and be evacuated by the French Foreign Legion along with all the other ex-pats. The walk raised awareness of Survival International
, the organisation which helps protect the lives of threatened tribal people. She wrote about this journey in her book On Foot Through Africa.
In April 1994, she left Algeciras
, Spain
and walked through Europe, arriving in Britain at Dover
. She then completed the last 1300 km (807.8 mi) walking from Dover back to John o' Groats supporting Raleigh International, arriving on 14 October 1994. She was shadowed by a BBC
film crew and presenter Janet Street-Porter
.
Campbell raised half the amount for charity in one go by selling the advertising space on her forehead during her well-publicised return. After a period in hospital for a back operation, she went back and walked across America again for her own personal satisfaction and wrote about that journey in her final book, The Whole Story. The media castigated her for it.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
long-distance walker who was the first woman to walk around the world. She covered 32000 kilometres (19,883.9 mi) over 11 years and raised £180,000 for charity. She wrote about her experience in a series of three books.
Early life
Born in 1967, into a family with a long Royal Naval tradition. During her childhood and early teens the Campbells moved home 24 times – which resulted in Ffyona attending 15 schools.After leaving home and school at 16, she raised the necessary sponsorship to enable her to walk from John o' Groats
John o' Groats
John o' Groats is a village in the Highland council area of Scotland. Part of the county of Caithness, John o' Groats is popular with tourists because it is usually regarded as the most northerly settlement of mainland Great Britain, although this is not a claim made by the inhabitants...
to Lands End. Walking 20 to 25 miles a day 6 days a week, she completed the journey in 49 days and was the youngest person at that time to have done it. Through sponsorship from The London Evening Standard, she raised £25,000 for the Royal Marsden Cancer Hospital.
At 18, she set off from New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
crossing the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
towards Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. The relationship with her support crew was volatile, and the schedule to coincide with the sponsors' public relations events en route was demanding. Due to illness, she couldn't keep up the schedule but didn't want to let anyone down and so broke her own golden rule and accepted a lift from her back-up driver to catch up. This happened over a distance of 1,000 miles until she was well again. It was a highly traumatic experience for an 18 year old and she never spoke of it at that time.
At 21 she walked across Australia, 50 miles a day for 3,200 miles from Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
to Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
in 95 days, beating the men's record for this journey. She suffered severe blistering of the feet but was determined not to miss out any miles. She wrote about this journey in her book Feet of Clay.
On 2 April 1991, she left Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and walked the length of Africa covering over 16000 km (9,942 mi) before arriving in Tangiers, Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
two years later on 1 September 1993. She had been joined by her ex-boyfriend, British survival expert Ray Mears, for five months during the journey through Zaire after an uprising had forced her and her team to abandon the support vehicle and be evacuated by the French Foreign Legion along with all the other ex-pats. The walk raised awareness of Survival International
Survival International
Survival International is a human rights organisation formed in 1969 that campaigns for the rights of indigenous tribal peoples and uncontacted peoples, seeking to help them to determine their own future. Their campaigns generally focus on tribal peoples' fight to keep their ancestral lands,...
, the organisation which helps protect the lives of threatened tribal people. She wrote about this journey in her book On Foot Through Africa.
In April 1994, she left Algeciras
Algeciras
Algeciras is a port city in the south of Spain, and is the largest city on the Bay of Gibraltar . Port of Algeciras is one of the largest ports in Europe and in the world in three categories: container,...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and walked through Europe, arriving in Britain at Dover
Dover
Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
. She then completed the last 1300 km (807.8 mi) walking from Dover back to John o' Groats supporting Raleigh International, arriving on 14 October 1994. She was shadowed by a BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
film crew and presenter Janet Street-Porter
Janet Street-Porter
Janet Street-Porter is a British media personality, journalist and television presenter. She was editor for two years of The Independent on Sunday. She relinquished the job to become editor-at-large in 2002...
.
Campbell raised half the amount for charity in one go by selling the advertising space on her forehead during her well-publicised return. After a period in hospital for a back operation, she went back and walked across America again for her own personal satisfaction and wrote about that journey in her final book, The Whole Story. The media castigated her for it.
Books
- The Whole Story. ISBN 0-7528-0988-1
- On Foot Through Africa. ISBN 1-85797-946-X
- Feet of Clay: On Foot Through Australia. ISBN 0-434-10692-5