John Fleetwood has lived in the Lake District since 1997. He co-founded Mountain Pilgrims to re-imagine the mountain experience and to explore the transcendence behind the mountains. In 2016, John established a pilgrimage route through the Lake District based on the natural cathedrals of the area. He is the founder of Abbey, a fresh expression of church based on ancient Celtic traditions.

John has long been an environmentalist and social entrepreneur, having set up multiple businesses pioneering sustainable and impact investing. He is also an ultra-distance runner, walker, mountaineer and photographer.  He is known for establishing new 24 hour + runs in the UK, with a penchant for committing solo journeys in the depths of winter in the Scottish Highlands. In 2015, he traversed the European Alps from Slovenia to Monaco in a continuous, high-level journey on foot.  He is the author of two guides to scrambling in the Lake District.