A dad who found himself homeless and struggling with his mental health has revealed how he made a complete lifestyle change and spent eight months trekking the UK coastline, wild camping along the way.
Before this incredible trek, Jim McIlwain, 45, had spent the last six months of 2022 couch-surfing in his native Bristol, trying to hold down a job while suffering from depression.
Jim isn’t finished hiking for good though. He regularly goes on walks and has high hopes for big treks and wild camping trips next year.
He said: ‘I want to do the Yorkshire Three Peaks. There’s the Outer Hebrides [in Scotland]. I want to go climb some mountains. Do Ben Nevis again. There’s so much I want to see and do in the future.
‘I’m going to keep doing it [hiking] at the end of the day, because I need to keep my mind focused and to stop myself wandering off to a dark place again. I don’t ever want to get to the stage in my life where I think suicide is the answer.’