Finding Hildasay: How one man walked the UK's coastline and found hope and happiness

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And the family’s journey is not over yet. While speaking to the Mirror, ­Christian was about to board a ferry to leave the Channel Islands for Weymouth, Dorset.

A man who lived in Shetland for nine months while walking the length of the UK is to release a book about his journey. And it was while riding the waves that he had a flash of inspiration to attempt to walk the entire coastline of the UK, a challenge that so far has taken him nearly six years. Finding Hildasay: How one man walked the UK’s coastline and found hope and happiness by Christian Lewis They no longer could stay in tents, so Christian used some of the money from his book deal to buy a vehicle which he converted into a camper van. Magnus is strapped to his parents in a sling while they walk.With a foreword from long-time supporter Ben Fogle, Finding Hildasayis a brutal and beautiful true story of depression, survival and the meaning of home. But he refused to give up, deciding to fundraise for SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity, as they had offered him support when he was unwell.

Christian was camping in Whaligoe, on the North East tip of Scotland, in November 2020 when he met his future fiancee, Kate Barron, 36.

The view of the public reaction and social media coverage is undestandably given from the perspective of the author but I would have liked to know a bit more about the coverage from other perspectives. I expect it’ll take another five months to finish. With Kate and I having a baby things are different and we are making slower progress, but we are really enjoying it. We want to bring Magnus up to love and appreciate the outside world and nature.” While struggling with depression and facing homelessness, the former soldier would find respite from his suicidal thoughts by surfing at a nearby beach.

I had mixed emotions as the ferry started to pull off. After my last time here, I’d vowed never to return again — but this time I’d seen it in a completely different light. I’d loved my time there and would leave with wonderful memories. But things changed in March 2018 when he adopted Jet, a lurcher cross who would become his faithful travelling companion. Finding Hildasay is Christian Lewis's brutal but beautiful true story of survival, walking the coast of Britain - his dog Jet in tow - and finding a different way to live. With a foreword from longtime supporter Ben Fogle. Caitlin is also proud of me. I wanted to show her that if you put your mind to anything you can do it. It’s been an incredible experience.”He often relied on the kindness of strangers who helped him as he took on his fundraising mission. Well-wishers bought him a new tent when his old one got destroyed by harsh winds and offered him food and places to stay. Christian Lewis is sitting in the kitchen of a family home that is not his own, having only met the owners once before, near St Peter Port, Guernsey. He needed a reliable internet connection to do this interview and the family, who have followed his journey on social media, offered him their place. This, says Lewis over Zoom, is “not the first time things like this have happened”. That’s putting it mildly.