By Rebecca Brett A young British adventurer has become the first person to walk 1,500 miles solo across Mongolia... alone. Ash Dykes, 23, strolled into the record books after spending 78 days alone crossing the unforgiving land of the high Altai Mountains, scorching Gobi Desert and the seemingly-endless Mongolian Steppe. He battled raging sandstorms, heat exhaustion and the unrelenting loneliness of crossing the world's most sparsely populated country at walking pace. An incredible accomplishment:  Ash Dykes travelled 1500 miles, over 78 days, in temperatures reaching 40C Word even spread among the local Mongols about the strange foreigner walking across the country - and the young Welshman was soon nicknamed the 'lonely snow leopard'.
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Longest day of walking saw him covering 34 miles in 14 hours
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Temperatures were in excess of 40C with nowhere to escape the sun or heat
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It took 78 days to cross Altai Mountains, Gobi Desert and Mongolian Steppe
A Mongolian t-shirt tan:The young adventurer suffered severe heat exhaustion while crossing the @placeholder but he said the kindness of locals and nomads often helped him find shelter from the barren landscape
Gobi Desert
Gobi Desert