WITH a tent and a new pair of boots, an intrepid hiker set off to walk the entire length of Britain.
Patrick Davies trekked 1,400 miles from Lizard Point, the southern most tip to Dunnet Head, the most northerly point.
The 55-year-old, from Mobberley, had reached a crossroads in his life.
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Patrick had quit his enviable Foreign Office career travelling all over the world after discovering his dad, Roy, had dementia.
Without a job or home, he embarked on a personal crusade in the hope of finding out what to do next.
Now, he has turned his emotional journey into a moving story of the healing power of walking.
His book ‘Where Skylarks Sing’ captures the beauty, kindness and inspiration he discovered along the way.
“I’m no athlete and have never been one of those guys in the gym every day or a player of sports,” said Patrick.
“But it’s amazing what you can do if you put your mind to it.”
On his 73-day expedition, Patrick even climbed the country’s three highest mountains, Scafell Pike in England, Snowdon in Wales and Ben Nevis Scotland.
His quest for challenge continued and over the following two years, he completed a 774-mile solo trek across the French Pyrenees and 720 miles crossing the Vosges, Jura and the Alps.
So far, he has raised £45,000 for Alzheimer’s Research UK, to help fund a cure for dementia, spurred on by his dad’s deteriorating condition.
“There is something about the motion of walking,” said Patrick.
“The repetitiveness of taking one step in front of another. It clears your mind in a way other things don’t.
“It allows you to see things differently.
"It has helped me to come to terms with dad, the anticipatory grief. While he is still alive, the person I know is not there.
“Life throws all sorts of things at you that you don’t expect.”
Patrick was overwhelmed by the generosity of strangers he encountered.
“People were so generous on the whole journey,” he said.
“The number of people affected by Alzheimer’s was incredible. Everyone I met had a story.
“I spoke to a group of walkers in the Highlands of Scotland who were telling me about their relatives.”
Patrick kept a daily journal and regularly posted pictures of his travels.
“Even though I was on my own, I felt more supported and loved than ever,” he said.
“People kept sending me messages asking how I was doing.
“It was wonderful.”
Trekking through the countryside gave him a sense of inner peace.
Patrick said: “Walking has an incredible power. It is like meditation.
“You just get into a rhythm, slow down and relax.
“Nothing topped the walk across Britain.
“On the first day in Cornwall I heard skylarks singing above the cliffs, it was beautiful.
“I heard them again on the last day on the coast in Scotland.
“This has been a personal journey, having space and time to think.”
'Where Skylarks Sing' by Patrick Davies, published by Caravan Books, is available online and from local bookshops.
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