A young man who is set to walk a gruelling 500-mile trek is taking a massive detour to pick up his walking companion, a rescue dog named Kinte.

James Chapman, 21, made plans to walk to Haute Trail in the Pyrenees, the mountain range between Spain and France, but decided he wanted an adventure companion.

While perusing Facebook one day, James stumbled across an animal shelter in Spain called GPAR, and decided to rehome one of their dogs who looked like he wouldn’t find an owner.

So, James completed all the relevant paper work and will now travel to Rute, Spain, to collect Kinte before heading off to complete the massive hike.

The Haute Route consists of several different trails which people can follow, around 100km a piece, but James has decided to tackle all of them, one after another.

To assist with the hike Kinte, a five-year-old husky cross collie, has been trained to carry a bag and is being eased in to walking long distances ahead of his new owner’s arrival.

James, who works as a labourer in Falmouth, said: “I’m studying photography and I love adventure photography.

“I go away quite often, about a month ago I crossed the Baltic Sea with my friend Joe in a tandem sea kayak. I love adventures, massively.

“I was working in Truro and I Googled the best hikes in Europe, and found one called the Haute Route, I then found flights over there for just £25 so I booked it.

“I had a bit too much time on my hands and thought my lifestyle was ideal for raising a dog. I’ve wanted one for quite a while, so decided to get a rescue to take with me.

“The dog I’m getting is called Kinte, and he’s a dog that wouldn’t have had a very good life, he’d been in the home for over a year.”

James leaves for his expedition next Monday, but doesn’t start his hike until July 3.

He intends to use the time between to get to know Kinte, and says that staff at the rescue home have been more helpful then he could have hoped for.

James continued: “The people in the home have been great. At first they thought that I was crazy, but they have warmed to the idea now.

“One woman who works there has offered me her house so I can get used to being with Kinte, and another is giving me a lift to the start of the walk, it’s a nine-hour drive.

“The walk will take six to seven weeks, but I’ve given a bit of extra time for photography and in case Kinte needs a rest.

“It’s mountain terrain, and we will be doing the equivalent of climbing Scafell Pike each day.

“There’s only a small window when you can do the hike and that starts now.

“After its all over I’ll be bringing Kinte back with me to live here, and I’ve got plenty of plans for us in the future.”

James and Kinte also decided to raise money for the rescue home, and have so far gathered €850 in donations.

Anyone who may want to donate can do so by visiting protectoraderute.org/en/kinte-and-james-pyrenees-hike.