A British woman who has spent the last six years travelling across Europe has gone missing while hiking in the Pyrenees.
Esther Dingley, who had been travelling with her partner Dan Colegate since 2014, was due to return from a solo trek from the mountain range on Wednesday.
The 37-year-old set out to hike from the Porte de la Glere to the Port de Venasque, a trek which follows the border between France and Spain, according to local police.
The couple had been documenting their journey online, with Mr Colegate writing on Saturday: “I’m broken. Shattered to report that my beloved Esther, the person who taught me how to feel, is missing.
“She was last seen six days ago when she sent me this photo. Search and rescue teams have so far found no trace of her.”
It was understood Ms Dingley had been travelling on her own in the Pyrenees while Mr Colegate worked at a farm in France.
The Peloton de Gendarmerie de Haute Montagne said it was “actively searching” for Ms Dingley.
The couple, from Durham, started their adventuring after Mr Colegate had a serious health scare.
Before Ms Dingley went missing, they wrote on their joint Facebook page: “Since then we’ve thru-hiked in the Alps many times, crashed a hot air balloon by the Nile, been free-diving in the Mediterranean Sea, adopted a dog who surprised us by being pregnant, and completely changed the way we view the beautiful world we all share.
“Today we continue to travel, now with five dogs in our furry, fun, laughter-filled motorhome.
“Our priorities are living in the moment, appreciating the little things in life and sharing those things that inspire us the most.
“Every morning we wake up and ask ‘what adventures will we have today’?”
The couple would spend summers in the mountains before travelling to sunnier climates in the winter.
A Foreign Office spokesperson said: “Our staff are supporting the family of a British woman reported missing in the Pyrenees”.
