The pandemic saw many families separated by great distances with no way of being able to see each other. In many cases, this meant that people were extremely isolated, especially the elderly. This 11-year-old boy’s grandmother was one of them. He missed his grandma, too. So much, in fact, that he decided to walk to her house to see her – 1,700 miles, that is. Now that is true love.
Young Boy Walks 1,700 Miles to See His Grandmother
In 2019, Romeo Cox moved to Palermo, Italy, in Sicily, with his parents Phil and Giovanna. Not long after that, the COVID-19 pandemic hit and all flights were canceled. This meant that 11-year-old Romeo’s grandmother Rosemary was isolated at home in Whitney, Oxfordshire, in the United Kingdom all alone. Young Romeo was devastated to not be able to fly to go see her. Finally, in June of 2020, he decided enough was enough – he was going to see his gran by any means necessary. So he decided to walk. (1)
Of course, at 11 years old, he did not walk alone. His dad Phil, who had been a journalist in war zones, went with him. Romeo drew up a map of their route. They would walk to the harbor, take a boat to Naples, then walk through Italy, Switzerland and France before taking a boat into England. After completing the mandatory quarantine in the UK, they would walk the rest of the way to Rosemary’s house. In total, the journey would be 2,800 kilometers – or 1,700 miles.
“I hadn’t seen Granny for a year and a half, so [during lockdown] I planned in secret to go see her. I drew a map. I would walk and take boats and do it naturally to help the planet. And I’d take Dad. It would be handy to have an adult.” said Romeo. (2)
Of course, his parents were a bit incredulous at first. After all, it is an extremely long journey for starters. Second of all, there was a global pandemic happening. The situation had been particularly bad in parts of Italy and naturally this made his parents worry even more.
“I asked my parents and they said no more than 50 times. Eventually they agreed – provided we planned everything was Covid-safe.” Romeo said.
The Journey
The pair set off on June 20, 2020. They walked to the harbor in Sicily and took a boat to Naples, on mainland Italy. From there they biked to Rome. After Rome, they spent most of the journey walking. Romeo says they walked about 20 kilometers a day, more or less (about 13 miles). During the trek, they also came across a wild donkey, who Romeo named Pedro. They tamed the donkey and used it to help them with transportation and to carry some of their things. Throughout the journey, they had some close calls, including fending off feral dogs.
Though they occasionally received help from hostel owners when they reached a town or village to sleep in. Most of the time, however, they camped underneath the stars. For Romeo, sleeping in the open air was one of his favorite parts of the trip.
“I loved sleeping under the stars and swimming in the sea,” he explained. “We got lost a few times, we slept under a wasp nest which wasn’t a good idea, got bloody feet, but we never thought about giving up.” (3)
The trip took 93 days in total. The father-son duo arrived in Trafalgar Square on September 21, 2020. They then had to complete a two-week quarantine before Romeo could go see his grandma. Finally, they finished the trip with the walk to Rosemary’s house. Romeo then ran the last few steps to finally receive the hug he’d been waiting for more than a year.
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The Reunion
The moment right before Romeo was about to finally see his grandmother, he was so excited he had to run.
“Getting closer to Granny’s house, I just started running and left my dad behind. We had the best hug ever – really the best.” he described.
He said they then went inside, where Rosemary made him eggs and toast and they got all caught up with their lives. Of course, she had a lot of questions about Romeo’s adventure.
“I didn’t believe my grandson’s incredible journey at first. But seeing Romeo after all this time, after following his journey just feels so special. I gave him the biggest hug ever,” she said. “Children can inspire us and lift us all up. On behalf of all the grannies in all the world, I want to thank Romeo – as well and hug him and kiss him lots.”
A Walk With A Cause
Along his journey, Romeo met various people. One of them is a refugee named Randolph. Randolph had escaped from Ghana and risked his life to get to Sicily on foot and by boat. Randolph helped Romeo and his dad with part of their journey. During their trip, Romeo and Phil also volunteered at a refugee camp in Calais in Northern France. There, they met a Sudanese boy who had also made the dangerous journey to Italy from Sudan. He was trying to cross from Calais to his family in the UK but he wasn’t allowed, which Romeo thought was unfair. Romeo and his father met a lot of refugees along their journey who had made similar journeys but with no support, money, food, or water.
“He walked even further than I have on this trip, but without food and water and in fear. He was risking his life.” said Romeo of his friend Randolph.
Romeo and his father decided to use their trek for a good cause and raise money and awareness for refugees. Since the start, Romeo has raised 13,731 great British pounds (about $18,612 American) for the charity Refugee Education Across Conflicts Trust. The trust provides emergency assistance and long term educational needs to refugees escaping conflicts, including children.
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Sources
- “Boy, 11, walks 1,700 miles in 93 days so he can give his gran the ‘best ever’ hug.” Mirror. Lucy Thornton. October 5, 2020.
- “Romeo Cox: the boy who hiked 1,700 miles from Sicily for one of Gran’s hugs.” The Times. Katherine Forster. October 11, 2020.
- “‘The best hug ever’: Heartwarming moment boy, 11, finally gives his gran a cuddle after walking 1,700 miles from Sicily to see her – fighting off wild dogs and sleeping under the stars on the 93-day trek with this father.” Daily Mail. Bhvishya Patel. October 6, 2020.