Man's 1,012-mile challenge for his brother

Ian West (right) walked from Nottingham to the Algarve in six weeks

A man has completed a six-week charity walk from Nottingham to Portugal in tribute to his brother, who is visually impaired.

Ian West, 69, averaged 27 miles (43km) each day on the 1,012-mile (1,628km) journey, which started on 23 August and ended in the Algarve on Thursday.

His brother Kevin West, 65, who was diagnosed with the eye disease macular degeneration 10 years ago, said he was "over the moon" with his achievement.

The fundraiser, from Bestwood in Nottingham, said he had raised more than £3,000 for the Guide Dogs charity.

Ian has been supporting Guide Dogs after his brother Kevin (left) was diagnosed with an incurable eye disease

Kevin, from Basford in Nottingham, described Ian as "crazy" in taking up the challenge, adding: "I'm proud of him and I'll always support him.

"I am over the moon that he completed the challenge and very grateful for all the money he has raised."

Kevin added his vision had deteriorated over the years and the incurable eye disease would eventually leave him blind.

Ian said he received an "incredible" welcome when he arrived at his destination

Ian's walk, which started in Nottingham city centre, saw him trek to Portsmouth, where he caught a ferry to Santander in Spain, before heading towards his destination in Portugal.

"My legs feel incredible," he said the morning after finishing the challenge. "I even got up this morning to go for my morning walk.

"Everything about the trip has just been wonderful. I'm grateful for my family who have been there for me along the way."

'Incredible challenge'

Ian completed 12 hours of walking while onboard the ferry, and then arrived in Spain on 1 September.

He said he received an "incredible" welcome when he arrived at his destination at the Pedras Lawn Bowls Club in Cabanas.

Ian, who served in the Navy for 31 years, said: "The team at Guide Dogs have been so good to me. It's not possible to do things like this if you haven't got a team behind you.

"The trip has been a lovely chapter in my life and I can't describe how proud I am."

Claire Robotham, community fundraising relationship manager for Guide Dogs, said: "On behalf of myself, the Nottingham fundraising team and all at Guide Dogs, we would like to congratulate Ian on completing this incredible challenge.

"As a guide dog owner myself, I'm especially grateful to Ian for raising this money, and creating so much awareness, helping to enable the next generation of life-changers to train, and support, guide dog owners of the future."

Ian is no stranger to big challenges. In 2022 he walked more than 600 miles (965km) to every Premier League football ground, and had previously walked the entire coast of Britain - completing the trek in nine months in 2019.

He said he would start planning his next challenge when he arrived back in the UK in the coming weeks.