Man started family and spent COVID lockdown on remote island during six-year charity walk along UK coastline
Six years ago Chris Lewis made a "big change" after slipping into depression and anxiety and decided to walk the entire length of the UK coastline. His journey has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds to support the armed forces.
Saturday 29 July 2023 17:42, UK
A former paratrooper has completed a six-year walk along the UK coastline after spell of depression prompted him to "make a change".
Chris Lewis's 19,000-mile trek came to an end on Saturday at the same spot where it all started on Llangennith beach in Swansea on 1 August 2017.
His achievement has been acknowledged by royalty, with the King writing him a personal letter of congratulations on Saturday.
The letter, much to Mr Lewis's surprise, was read today at Rhossili Bay in front of a large crowd by HM Lord-Lieutenant of West Glamorgan, Mrs Louise Fleet CStJ, JP.
It read: "Please convey my heartfelt congratulations to Mr Chris Lewis on the occasion of today's special reception in Rhossili, which is being held to celebrate his exceptional fundraising efforts in support of SSAFA.
"I was touched to learn of Mr Lewis' highly commendable achievement and inspiring journey, ahead of the completion of his impressive fundraising walk.
"I much appreciate your thoughtfulness in writing as you did. In return, I send my warmest good wishes to all those who are present, and particular to Chris, for a most enjoyable gathering.
"CHARLES R."
Mr Lewis's journey has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for the charity SSAFA, which provides practical and financial support to the armed forces.
He told Sky News he felt "proud" to have embarked on the walk, which saw him spend the COVID lockdown on an uninhabited Scottish island.
"I was ex-forces, ex-parachute regiment, and after this I became a single parent and somewhere along the line of that 10 years I started to slip into some depression, anxiety and essentially to sum it up I'd had a bit of a wobble," he said.
"It was quite a serious one so I knew that I had to make a change and once my daughter flew the nest and she decided to go to Bournemouth to go to college, a couple of days later I stood at Rhossili and knew that I needed to make a big change and I needed to just get away to try and press the reset button.
"So I just had this epiphany that said 'Chris, go and walk the UK coast' and this really warm, excited feeling came into me, something I hadn't felt for a long time and I've never looked back after that moment. Two days later I left."
His "amazing" followers and supporters - who are in their thousands - followed the journey right to its end which marks a personal milestone for him.
Read more from Sky News:
Possible parasite means swimming paused at re-opened reservoir
Ukrainian boy who fled war sits GCSE in Welsh
"I think for me this finish is all about, and this is for anybody out there who's struggling, if you're having a bad time then the first part of it is just to go and make that change and just stick with it," he said.
"So for me the finish line is all about having made a personal change, and it's very rare that I will ever say this, but how proud I am for having done that myself and it's worked."
His life has undeniably changed a lot in six years, having met his beloved canine companion Jet and the "love of his life", Kate, with whom he now shares a son, Magnus.
"One of the greatest things about an adventure and certainly one as unplanned as this is you just don't know what's around the corner," he said.
"If I'd have walked this line on my own I'd have been happy, but to be walking it with the most amazing little adventure family and also my daughter Caitlin, how proud I am of her and how proud she is of us, I couldn't have dreamed this up."
But a 19,000-mile journey isn't enough to satisfy Chris and Kate's "itchy feet" and they already have their sights set on the next adventure.
"I've got a second book to write so we're certainly going to do that over a couple of months, but I think in between those couple of months we'll still do some micro-adventures but we have absolutely no intentions of settling down anywhere," he said.
Be the first to get Breaking News
Install the Sky News app for free
Which coastline is next on the agenda? "All of them," he jokes.
"We've always talked about Norway, Iceland and some of the Scandinavian countries.
"There's just so much...it's all about the adventure and life experience for us and that's how we want to bring our boy up. Very exciting times, this is just the beginning now."