AN adventurer who trekked 1,000 miles through the heart of the Middle East will be speaking to an audience in Bradford tonight.

Leon McCarron, from Northern Ireland, will be visiting Bradford Grammar School at 6.30pm to talk as part of the Broughton Hall Children’s Literature Festival, which takes place this weekend.

The explorer, filmmaker, public speaker and author will speak to the audience about his epic walk through the Middle East, which he began in December 2015.

The walk began in Jerusalem, and his five-month trek passed through the rolling green hills and terraced olive groves of the West Bank, the deep chasm-like wadis and ancient kingdoms of Jordan, and vast, rugged deserts of the Sinai Peninsula.

Along the way, he met and spoke to local people, collecting their thoughts and stories, and explored the rich history, tense present and uncertain future of the region.

He also investigated how contemporary borders and checkpoints have affected the land and its people, and the role of walking as a possible way to make divided lands feel whole again.

In his talk, Mr McCarron will explored the culture, history, faiths and politics in one of the most complex regions on earth.

As well as his epic journey, Mr McCarron has also delivered talks at Eton College, Oxford and Harvard universities, PwC, the Royal Geographical Society, and has twice spoken at TEDx events.

Mr McCarron is a fellow of the RGS, and in 2017 was awarded the Neville Shulman Challenge Award by the Society.

He said: “I can’t wait to visit Bradford Grammar School to share these stories.

“We live in such a wonderful and varied world, and there’s so much to learn.

“It’s a real privilege to be able to bring a decade of experiences to share with the next generation of adventurers, explorers, change makers in their own communities and beyond.”

Dr Simon Hinchliffe, headmaster at Bradford Grammar, said: “Bradford Grammar School is delighted to be hosting Leon McCarron.

“We are greatly looking forward to hearing about his 1,000 mile trek in the Middle East, exploring aspects of the region’s landscape, history and culture.

“The evening with Leon promises to be compelling and entertaining, with first hand insight into one of the most complex and fascinating physical and human environments on Earth.

“It’s a big wide world, and time spent in the company of characters like Leon broadens horizons, encourages us to reach further and inspires our own personal adventures in life. An evening not to be missed.”

The talk is part of the inaugural Broughton Hall Children’s Literature Festival, which runs from Thursday to Sunday and sees some of the biggest names in children’s literature descend on Broughton Hall in Skipton, with thousands of children from across Yorkshire expected to attend.

Tickets for Leon McCarron’s talk cost £7.50, and can be bought at leon-mccarron.eventbrite.co.uk