Ex-paratrooper Chris Lewis has arrived in Perth, four years after he set off on his marathon fundraising trip around the coast of the UK.
Chris Lewis was in Dundee earlier this week, and he has now reached Perth with his partner Kate.
Chris is walking to raise much-needed funds for the armed forces charity SSAFA, and he has already raised over £185,000.
Speaking to The Courier when he arrived in Dundee, Chris said support from locals had kept his spirits up.
He said locals often recognised him after following his journey online and would stop to offer encouragement.
Two kind-hearted followers even helped Chris celebrate his 41st birthday, delivering a bottle of wine and a curry to where he was camping near Dundee.
Chris Lewis said he would arrive in Perth later today after stocking up on supplies in Errol.
“We set off after our cold coffee to be hit by the rain and hail throughout the day, arriving in Errol to stock up for the next stretch.
“The shop didn’t have much but we found a butcher who did hot pies! So we stood getting soaked in joy that we had a hot pie to warm the insides,” he wrote online.
Chris set off from Swansea before walking up the west coast of the UK, around Northern Ireland, and north to the Hebrides.
‘I don’t know where I would be without their help’
Explaining how his trip started in 2017, Chris said he wanted to give something back after being supported by SSAFA himself.
“I have experienced first-hand what they do and I honestly don’t know where I would be without their help and support.
“Having recently finished school, my daughter is now moving to attend college in Bournemouth, where she will stay with family.
“This recent development has left me to re-evaluate a few things and has offered the opportunity for me to give back to those who have helped us so much,” he said.
He is now well over halfway into his trip, which will see him walk more than 8,600 miles by the time he arrives back in Swansea.
Chris’ journey was extended after he decided to also walk around the islands and Northern Ireland, rather than just mainland Britain.
‘We want to do the estuary and not cross the bridge’
He has spent most of the trip sleeping outside, and in Dundee Chris spent time with a homeless charity.
Chris explained he and partner Kate had opted to head to Perth and avoid the bridge, which cuts off some of the coast.
He said: “Yesterday we left Dundee and headed down the coast in the direction of Perth.
“We want to do the estuary and not cross the bridge cutting off a lot of the coast, so that’s what we are doing.”
You can donate to the Chris Lewis’ crowd funder online here.
Former paratrooper on charity walk around UK arrives in Dundee