I found myself homeless and struggling with depression… so I decided to walk along the British coastline and wild camp along the way
A dad who found himself homeless and struggled with his mental health has revealed how he made a complete lifestyle change and trekked the British coastline for eight months, wild camping along the way.
Before this incredible journey, Jim McIlwain, 45, had spent the last six months of 2022 couch surfing in his native Bristol, trying to keep a job while suffering from depression.
Things came to a head in November last year when he temporarily went missing and attempted suicide, something he hopes he and his two children will never experience again. Jim, who previously worked as a roofer, told MailOnline: ‘I have always battled with my mental health since I was a teenager. I tried to take my own life when I was 18, and I always fought through life without any help.”
On Christmas Eve he became homeless. He said: ‘I was at a breaking point. I was sitting in my car with nowhere to go and I thought, “I have to find a way out of this situation I’m in.” I was trying to keep my thoughts from going down that path again, and I was just so sad and depressed.”
Jim had always enjoyed hiking and camping and found that it had helped him mentally in the past. He recalled: ‘I had a bit of a dream and a bit of a vision about walking along the coastline. The next morning I went to my daughter’s mother and told her my idea and she said, “Jim, that’s the best idea you ever had.”
After becoming homeless last year, Jim McIlwain (above) decided to make a complete lifestyle change and trek the British coastline, wild camping along the way
Jim had always enjoyed hiking and camping and found that it had helped him with his mental health in the past. “I have always battled with my mental health since I was a teenager,” he said. Above is Jim’s view from Ben Nevis in Scotland
To earn money for hiking supplies, he sold his car for £700, and on January 8 this year he set off, his backpack mostly filled with clothes.
He originally planned to walk along the coast of England and Wales, but that plan soon changed. He said: “Being me, I just kept going, so I went way further than I expected. I just wanted to walk around England and Wales, but I decided to go to Scotland and I fell in love with it.”
His starting point was Lilstock Beach, near Bridgewater in West Somerset, and his route took him along the Devon, Cornwall and Dorset coasts, along with a visit to the Isle of Wight.
He then moved along the south coast to Dover, before venturing to London and traveling along the east coast all the way to Aberdeen. The final part of his journey saw him travel through north-west Britain to Wales, where he visited Snowdon, before walking all the way to Weston-super-Mare, where his journey ended.
Jim on the first day of his eight-month walk. Bad weather proved to be one of the biggest challenges he faced during the trek
Jim’s equipment at the start of his journey. He struggled with the weight of his bag and carried 25 kilos on his back every day
In the early days of the trek, Jim carried a 50-pound bag on his back every day and had difficulty with the weight. “Wherever I went, that backpack went with me… anything I didn’t use on a daily basis, I quickly got rid of,” he said, adding: “When I left, I had seven pairs of socks, seven pairs of pants and extra clothes . I quickly realized that I really didn’t need to carry all that stuff with me.’
Three weeks later he bought a gas stove so he could prepare meals. Jim put one GoFundMe page to help him pay for food, equipment and the occasional night in a hostel when the weather was bad. He donated what was left to charity.
He said: ‘Once a week I had to go to a hostel or a campsite so I could just shower and charge my power banks and stuff like that. I washed my gear and then continued.”
Waking up to a beautiful view and fresh air helped Jim improve mentally
Wildlife became a source of joy for Jim and he regularly spotted animals including seals and dolphins
He said: ‘I’ve slept at bus stops, seaside shelters, churches, abandoned caravans, all kinds of places, anywhere, just so I could get through the night somewhere with a little shelter.’
Experiencing adverse weather conditions was one of the biggest challenges Jim faced.
He said: ‘The weather was one of the hardest things… if I was wet I pretty much had to stay wet. And if I packed a wet tent, there was nothing worse than pitching a wet tent later in the evening.”
Despite the challenges, being outdoors has helped Jim mentally and created great memories.
He said: ‘I think getting out into the world and getting the fresh air in my lungs helps. And nature just amazed me. The amount of wildlife I saw… thousands of seals, the dolphins, the birds – it just made my day.
‘I could be having a really hard, hard day, struggling with my feet, not eating… but I would see the wildlife and sit there for hours. It was amazing. Nature was definitely one of the best things.”
Scotland is where Jim made some of his fondest memories, walking to Ben Nevis and around Loch Ness.
He said: ‘I didn’t realize what a beautiful place Scotland was. Ben Nevis was probably my biggest achievement and it just blew my mind. It took me hours to hike up there and I did it all alone. I thought, “I can’t believe it, I’m homeless and I walked all the way to Scotland, the long way there, and now I’ve just climbed Ben Nevis.”
He described the views as ‘breathtaking’.
“I just wanted to walk around England and Wales, but I decided to go into Scotland and I fell in love with it,” said Jim
Climbing Ben Nevis was one of Jim’s favorite memories of his walk – he hopes to return next year. Above is the view from the mountain
Jim walked along Durdle Door in Dorset (pictured). He described the views he encountered along the way as ‘breathtaking’
Jim met many ‘absolutely wonderful’ people during his eight-month walk, including a soldier in Wells, Somerset. The pair marched 25 miles together and are still in touch.
He said: ‘Towards the end of my walk I thought to myself, ‘What am I going to do when I get back? Because I’m still homeless, I can’t go anywhere, I don’t have a job. “I have no income, what should I do?”
He reflects: ‘I thought, ‘I’m just going to go away and, well, camp somewhere.’ But then I thought: ‘I can’t do that anymore, I have to come up with something.’
When Jim finished his walk, he was offered a room to rent by a friend and recently got a job. He said: ‘I’ve been there for over three weeks now and I’m really enjoying it.’
However, Jim is not yet done with walking. He goes hiking regularly and has high hopes for big hikes and wild camping trips next year.
He said: ‘I want to do the Yorkshire Three Peaks. There are the Outer Hebrides [in Scotland]. I want to climb some mountains. Do Ben Nevis again. There is so much I want to see and do in the future.
‘I’ll keep doing it [hiking] at the end of the day, because I need to keep my mind focused and avoid wandering off into a dark place again. I never want to get to the stage in my life where I think suicide is the answer.”
For confidential support, please call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit samaritans.org.