Fundraiser, 72, sleeps rough on epic 850-mile walk

Nick Brooke lived on £13 a day and slept in bivvy bags for 33 days

A 72-year-old man has completed an 850-mile walk around the British Isles, while sleeping rough, to raise money for a soup kitchen.

Nick Brooke walked from his home in Buckhorn Weston, north Dorset, to Ben Nevis in the Highlands, visiting Ireland, Wales, the Isle of Man and climbing six peaks on the way.

The challenge took 33 days and he has so far raised more than £2,500 for Soup Kitchen London, where his son and daughter work helping homeless people.

He said the experience, which included living on £13 a day - the equivalent of Universal Credit, had underscored his compassion for rough sleepers.

Mr Brooke, who has completed a number of epic walks for charity, said: "I've often gone on bivvy bag holidays, which I love, but I have the funds to escape if things get tough.

"[Homeless people] have no choice.

"Your brain is getting confused, even after a month, and you can't make sensible decisions about improving your life when you've been on the road, shuffling around in a city, unloved by people.

"They need our charity - whether it's money, affection or respect - especially respect."

The challenge took Mr Brooke to Dublin

On the final night of his trip, Mr Brooke said he feared he could die if he remained on Ben Nevis in the cold and rain.

"I wanted to get half way up [the mountain] before nightfall, bivvy up there, then crack on to the top as soon as it gets light," he said.

But, after settling down to sleep, it began "tipping down with rain" and his bivvy bags quickly became flooded with water.

"It's an absolute disaster, I'm getting colder and colder," he recalled.

Mr Brooke said the challenge gave him a glimpse of how some people are forced to live

"I realised if I don't get out within a minute, it's probably curtains.

"I got out and packed everything up, but how do I put my shoes on with hands that were locked cold?

"I finally got down and I knew there was an accessible toilet in the visitor centre and thought that's going to be my bivvy for tonight - in a toilet."

After returning home by train on Thursday, he said: "It's lovely to see my wife again."