Daniel McNeil, an ex-soldier from Dumfries and Galloway, set off on the trip of a lifetime last month, to walk the entirety of the UK coastline to raise funds for charity.

Starting out in his home county of Dumfries and Galloway, he struck out on his way from Sandyhills Beach, near Dalbeattie, determined to complete his mission. He was, however, held up just 30 days into his trek, unable to cross into South Ayrshire because of coronavirus restrictions.

The delay was a short one, though. He crossed over into South Ayrshire at Ballantrae as soon as restrictions allowed last Monday (April 26) to continue his journey. Since then he’s made his way up the coast and was in Ayr on Friday.

After serving in the military from the age of 16, the now 25 year old had to leave the armed forces in 2017 after problems with chronic back pain and an auto-immune disease. Daniel says he found ‘civvy’ life a struggle and was on a downward spiral fuelled by anxiety and depression.

He said:“When I left I was jobless for a while and then found a job as a carer, but everything else was going downhill with anxiety and depression. I was finding civvy life really hard, and it was just everything got out of hand.”

SSAFA the armed forces charity stepped in to help Daniel. They gave him a lifeline when he was feeling adrift, paying off his debts and helping him with his anxiety, and so it is in their honour that he is doing his trip, to raise money for the charity so that they can continue to support our military personnel.

“I joined the military as a blank canvass, to learn discipline and that kind of thing. It was tough when I left and I couldn’t adapt, I got diagnosed with my auto immune disease in the military and it was all getting on top of me.

“I was falling out with my friends and family, I wasn’t talking to anyone, from my point of view I didn’t really understand what was going on.

“I come from a poor family and being in the military was the first time I’d had money, and I wanted to spend it. I wasted it on casinos and that, and that’s when I started getting into debt.”

Daniel says that the people he has met so far on his trip have restored his faith in humanity, many have donated meals, drinks, or just offered some words of encouragement: “Everyone’s been so lovely, so genuine, had a lot of people coming up to me for a chat and they’re all really nice, it’s opened up my eyes to how nice people are.”

He’ll need all the help he can get, he predicts it’ll be two and a half years before he completes the walk, that’s a lot of nights spent outside in his tent.