Exploration
Meet the man walking the entire coast of Britain
Alex Ellis-Roswell did no planning, no training and has no set end date to complete the 9,500 mile journey...
Alex Ellis-Roswell is a walker on a mission. Two years ago, the 24-year-old set out to walk 9,500 miles all the way around the coast of the UK and Ireland, aiming to raise £50,000 for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. He has no fixed date for the end of the walk but hopes to finish in either December 2017 or January 2018. We caught up with him as hiked around the Scottish islands.
How did the idea to walk our coastline come about?
I'd had a rough few years and by the summer of 2014 it was the right time for me to try and do something positive with my life. Coming from Kent in the south east of England, I've always lived either on or near to the sea, and the RNLI is a charity I've respected and supported my whole life. I decided to marry the two and head out to walk around the UK and Irish coast to raise money for them.
In our modern world, it's easy to think that everyone is out for themselves. But the RNLI proves different. It’s made up of over 6,000 volunteer lifeboat crew members – men and women with normal, land-based jobs, willing to drop everything at a moment's notice to jump on a lifeboat and to help save the lives of other people. They do it because it's the right thing to do, and that seems worth celebrating and championing.
Did you do any training for the walk?
No! And no planning, either. There was just a month and a half between deciding to do this walk and lacing up my hiking boots. That was just enough time to hand my notice in to my landlord, sell and give away all my belongings and buy a tent – a tent which I only put up for the first time the night before I started. My backpack was only packed the morning I set off.
What's the strangest thing that's happened to you on your adventure?
The first night that I arrived in Cornwall, there was a storm coming. I found an old church near a cliff and let myself in to find shelter. It was December, so it got dark very early. By about 6pm, I fell asleep in my sleeping bag at the back of the church. Suddenly, I woke up to the sound of the door being locked. By the time I'd got to the window, whoever had locked the door had long gone, so I spent a night locked in a church.
What's been the biggest challenge?
There are two big things that I’ve had to face – the physical challenges and the mental challenges. I'm sure that's no different for anyone undertaking a big adventure or journey. The physical challenges of walking 9,500 miles are obvious. The strain I've put on my joints – my knees in particular – has been enormous, but I can bandage them up and take rest days when needed.
The mental challenges of walking 9,500 miles are trickier to spot. It's taken me a longer time to understand them and know how to deal with them. I don’t really miss creature comforts from home, but I do miss having a space to call my own.
What's been the most beautiful stretch of coastline you've walked along?
I think the six months it took me to walk up the 1,500 mile west coast of Ireland were the best six months of my life. I walked up the west coast during the wettest winter on record, and was being hit by about two hurricanes a week. It was really tough going, but I loved every minute of it. I'm glad I experienced Ireland when the ocean was foaming with anger, crashing into the bottom of the cliffs, and when 70mph winds were whipping up sand from the many beaches. The warmth, generosity and character of the communities that I walked through that winter will stay with me forever.
People who live in Britain and Ireland are lucky to have easy access to not only a beautiful coastline, but one which is unmatched in diversity. We have everything from some of Europe's tallest sea cliffs to some of the longest sand beaches, as well as beautiful dunes, coves, stacks, moors, mountains and fishing ports, all within a few hours' drive of each other.
Where are you staying at night?
I have a tent and sleeping bag in my backpack, but every night is different. The first summer and winter I slept almost entirely outside. As my journey continued and more people were aware of what I was doing, I got more offers from people trying to help me with places to stay. It was all quite organic and slow to happen, but now it's one of the things that I enjoy most about what I'm doing. Being able to travel through so many people's lives is really special. Over the past two and a half years of walking I've slept everywhere – bus shelters, bird hides, church doorways, lighthouses, lifeboat stations and family homes.
How are you keeping in touch with friends and family?
I've tried to keep family and friends updated on my Facebook page from the start of this journey, sharing photos and stories from my walk. Now there are thousands of people following and keeping up to date with my walking, which is amazing.
You've hit an incredible £40,000 of donations; do you think you'll manage £50k?
Alex is raising money for the RNLI
© Alex Ellis-Roswell
I hope so. I'm certainly trying to! I've collected nearly £10,000 already in 2017 and I have another 12 months of walking ahead of me. The support for this charity is phenomenal here in the Scottish islands. Everyone is very aware of the sea's power to take life and how important the RNLI is to protecting it. People can donate to me on my online donation page.
What's next after this adventure?
As you can imagine, I have a lot of time to think about what comes next. But right now, I've got to focus on what I'm doing – finishing the walk. I think it's important to channel your energy and concentration into one thing at a time.
What would you advise to anyone planning a challenge like yours?
I don't feel like I'm qualified to answer this one, as I'm not one to plan too far ahead! On the road, the most important thing is to always respect and be safe in the environment that you're putting yourself into.I would say don't overthink things, just go.