Interview #21 Ian Darley - Resilience on the Road: The 7,000 Mile Epic Journey

Transcript, Sep. 2, 2025     

Rick Barron (00:01)

Hi everyone, I’m Rick Barron your host, and welcome to my podcast, That’s Life, I Swear

On September 2, 2025, I sat down for a conversation with a remarkable guest, Ian Darley, who makes his home in the United Kingdom.

I first connected with Ian on July 12th, just two days before he set out on an extraordinary adventure—a 7,000-mile walk around the entire perimeter of the U.K. 

Fully equipped and brimming with determination, Ian stepped off on July 14th, committed to turning his vision into reality.

Since that day, I’ve been following his progress closely, tracking his daily mileage and sharing weekly updates. 

By August 26th, he had already logged an impressive 512 miles. But then the journey took an unexpected turn: painful foot troubles forced him to pause, and soon after came news that his father had fallen ill. Without hesitation, Ian returned home.

In this interview, Ian opens up about where things stand now—caring for his father, tending to his own recovery, and mapping out his next steps to get back on the road. It’s a story of resilience, family, and the winding path of a dream in progress.

First thing first, how is your dad?

Ian T Darley (00:02)

He's good. He's good. He looks like a different person now to how he was when I first came home on Thursday evening, Friday morning. So, he's definitely picked up. Yeah. Thank you for asking. So yeah, he's looking a lot better now.

Rick Barron (00:10)

That's good to hear. My wife said to give you her best and hopefully that your father will rebound and be healthy again.

Ian T Darley (00:27)

Yeah, I appreciate that. you. Say thank you to your wife, obviously. But yeah, looks a lot better. To be fair, when I saw him on Thursday, it's the weakest and he's lost a lot of weight. Obviously, I've not been home for a couple of months. But he's lost a lot of weight. But now I've got him on my magic juices and my magic smoothies, he seems to be on the recovery set.

Rick Barron (00:51)

And you, how are your feet?

Ian T Darley (00:53)

The feet are still not very attractive. I definitely wouldn't be like a foot model, so to speak. So yeah, people, I walk around in my flip flops, people are turning their nose up. the feet themselves are recovering. Like I said, I have got a bad case of athlete's foot, thus that is what they basically got it. Obviously, from wearing the boots so long. 

Rick Barron (00:57)

Okay.

Ian T Darley (01:22)

But the swelling in the ankle has gone down from the major infection is just the, yeah, so that's really good. It's just basically where the infection started, where the blister was, is that's still not great. So that's why I ended up in A &E yesterday again to get that looked at. So yeah, overall.

Rick Barron (01:24)

That's good to hear.

That's great you had the mindset to go to the hospital and get it sorted out because it's what you don't know that's going to hurt you.

Ian T Darley (01:53)

Yeah, exactly. So, what we did say when I first went to A &E, they basically said that, you know, you see like this, getting like redder, sensitive to the touch, inflamed, you know, then get another look at it. So once the swelling had gone down, it became really sensitive. It's just like a bruise. I've never had anything like this before. It's like it's bruised the whole way around it, but I haven't banged it. So, it feels a bit, seems a bit strange, yeah.

Rick Barron (02:15)

Right. That's good. So, listen, you went 512 miles and along that way you had a lot of interesting, I don't know, obstacles meeting different people. You know, the thing that really grabbed me the most is in your videos, you really were conveying a lot of insight about life. It's about the best way I can put it.

Rick Barron (02:49)

You know the thing that really grabbed me the most is in your describing things you were absorbing that you kind of like you say we all take for granted.

Ian T Darley (02:54)

Hmm. Yeah, there's It has changed me. I kind of knew that it would but not to the degree It has it's like deeply affected me. Not I'm not when I say that I'm not being negative it's like it really has opened my eyes to How much we take things for granted?

Rick Barron (03:01)

Right. That's true. mean, along the way, when you were walking, um, over the most far 500 miles, did you find yourself thinking, well, I didn't plan on this. 

And you, know, the best plans always go to crap, so to speak, because you never know what's going to be tossed at you because I found you were, you were adapting and recalibrating your thinking along the way when you were walking.

Ian T Darley (03:22)

You find yourself thinking, well, I didn't plan on this. you know, the best plans always go to the crap, so to speak, because you never know what's going to be tossed at you. 

Yeah. Because I found you were adapting and recalibrating your thinking. So, was that something you thought you might be anticipating to deal with or was it just happened? 

Ian T Darley (03:57)

It's weird how it happened, really, because I don't know whether we discussed this previously, but when I was talking to my cousin, when I was walking in Wales with him and then the thought popped into my head about walking the entire length of the UK. 

He said to me, fair play for you to even have the idea of being able to do that. But your downfall will be your lack of planning. Like I don't plan, just have an idea and then just go and see if it works. 

Ian T Darley (04:28)

But if you had have tried to plan that what I've just done, it wouldn't have worked because with the best laid plans, as you know, as you've been following the social media, you follow, you look at a sign, here's the path, the path is supposed to be here and it'd be in the sea. know, so, right. that's not going to work. No, not unless you can. No, that was the first week also, I would say towards the end of the first week, the first week, that was the main challenge. 

It was just like the signage was pointing somewhere and then the path didn't exist or the signs had disappeared. then like the apps, I was trying like several different apps to try and like manage like the route. 

They wouldn't negate where it was or it'd show it's there and it wasn't there or basically, you know, there'd be like a big bramble bush that's overgrown or the path would just be so overgrown because it isn't walked that you couldn't get through. So, then I had to cut, like I said, I to completely like on the fly basically just try to just navigate on the fly.

Rick Barron (05:31)

Sure. Yeah, I was curious because I don't know the weather that well in the UK. You know, the times of the year are different from where I live. But is, was there a reason why you went South instead of going North? 

And the reason I asked that question when you projected it was probably going to take you about 16 months to complete this journey. The weather conditions of where you would become winter like you would have been on the west side of the UK and try and avoiding getting stuck in the cold.

Ian T Darley (06:09)

I estimated 18 months, so I estimated roughly 400 miles a month as we kind of like discussed. So, I figured that would kind of put me kind of the Southwest corner, maybe at wintertime. But the thing I was conscious about having lived in the Highlands, obviously the northeast part of Scotland, I didn't want to be there in the wintertime. that was a major kind of the starting point, I suppose. 

Right. I don't want to be in the highlands in wintertime. Well, I do, but not walking, not walking the coast solo carrying a 21 kilo rucksack. No. So yeah, that was that was one of the elements. And to be fair, it just felt right to be going clockwise. And but another element, even though I didn't plan at all, really, to as to what I was going to be up against, some sort of gut feeling said that that would be the worst bit.

Rick Barron (06:43)

Ha

Ian T Darley (07:08)

And it, kind of was, the Lincolnshire bit was like the hardest bit from a mental perspective being, it was the first county I went to, it was flat, was dull, it was boring. But also, more to the point, it was where I my biggest issues or where I first started having the issues of water and food. Yeah, you talked about that a lot. 

Rick Barron (07:18)

Right. Yeah, you talked about that a lot. Again, going back to the planning the face of this journey and did you ever talk to anyone who perhaps did something of a similar nature, but not at this length that said, okay, if you're going to do this, you might want to prepare the following list to at least give you a fighting chance to make the 7000-mile journey. Something of a similar nature but not of this length that said if you're going to do this you might want to prepare the following list to at least give you a fighting chance to make the 7000 miles.

Ian T Darley (07:43)

No, didn't. Obviously, I've got my friend Karen Dark who I do mention in the post. She's like say 
 ex-Paralympian professional. She's like a really good friend of mine so she's like a professional adventurer so she's like my adventure mentor for want of a better word. 

However, nobody's really done what I was attempting to do, I could find on the internet. People have walked around the UK, done the full navigation of it, but the closest guy I did communicate with, I can't remember the guy's name, but he wrote a book called The Perimeter and he was a photographer.

So that's how I got to know it was 7,000 miles because if you google it, it's anything from two and a half thousand to like 12 and a half thousand miles. this guy had walked the entire length of the coast of the UK, but over the space of five years. So, he'd gone and done a bit, photo’d it, come back, photo’d it. So even if I had, I've got to speak to him verbally. I very much doubt he could have warned me of, because he was only doing it for a short period of time.

Rick Barron (08:44)

All right. So, in terms of your preparation, going back to the food and the water, did you think you had the right types of food? Because I kind of got the sense that either you took too much of one thing or you didn't have enough of the other.

Ian T Darley (09:14)

It might be ignorant. Like somebody might listen to this and go, well, it's pure ignorance really. But I don't think so. And the fact that I just thought there would be things enroute that I just be able to pick up. So, my rucksack, my backpack. Obviously all the tent and stuff like that as we said it's like it was solo unsupported so I had all my clothes in it, rucksack, everything basically even cooking stuff initially and that was already 18 kilos and I was just carrying like snacky stuff with the intent that you know I find a shop a convenience store there'd be something on the coast at least as I was walking through which there was when I started off from Whitby because it's more of a touristy well walked kind of place. But then I quickly found it's more convenience stores, that kind of thing. 

So, it's not nutritional food. then as I got further down, especially like say when I got to past Hull and into Lincolnshire, that's where the problems really started happening like after Skagness because there's an area called the Wash and just before that is that's when there was like no water.

For 36 hours, I didn't even see a place I could get water, let alone food. So, I saw one day, I saw one person on the coast. this is when I speak to people about this, they go, I can't believe that in the UK, you can't comprehend that there wouldn't be water to hand. 

Rick Barron (10:52)

my gosh.

Ian T Darley (11:08)

And again, goes back to what you mentioned right at the very beginning.

Being so grateful and understanding of like the tiniest little things now. And I say it could be ignorant, was now I would, now I know, it's okay once you know, right? So, know, I, because I did meet somebody coming the opposite way and they weren't walking as far as that, but I did say, said, well, there's no water between that point and that point, like for 36 hours, you won't get water. So yeah, it would have been, even if I'd have known that.

Rick Barron (11:18)

Hahaha, yeah.

Ian T Darley (11:37) 

I still don't know how I would have managed it over that period of time. think I would have just had to the bullet, Rick, and just gone, okay, well, 36 hours, I'm gonna have a small amount of food, water, but at least I know where the next water is. For me, that was obviously the time when I had to kind of like go inland because I was exhausted. After 36 hours, I didn't have any water. 

My phone battery was dying. I had no food and was going to wild camp and I'm like, I don't feel correct. I don't, I don't feel right. And that's when I walked inland. It was two and a half miles inland before I found a pub to get water and to charge my batteries and to get some food. that's, that's the thing that blew my mind. And I never accounted for that. didn't think on any, on any level that I would experience that.

Rick Barron (12:30)

Well, the one thing I took notice of, and I guess more so when I was posting the dots on that National Geographic map of where you were and where you stopped, that I took notice of the legend on the map that called out campsites. And I didn't realize there were so many campsites on the shoreline of the UK. what I was thinking was how, going back to where you say you appreciate those little things in life but you never realize just how precious they are. Every time you talked about being able to take a shower, a glow on your face. 

Ian T Darley (13:50)

Yeah, yeah, yeah, Yeah, just the tiniest things, the tiniest things, yeah.

Rick Barron (12:58)

Going back to where you say you appreciate those little things in life that you never realized just how precious they are. Every time you talked about finally being able to take a shower, the glow on your face was immense.

Ian T Darley (13:18)

I mean, on Thursday night, I just made a joke to my parents. I obviously swear I come back to my parents’ house. I said, I think that's the first shower I've had without the company of a spider for two months. So, you know, know, I'm so grateful when you're at a campsite and you get a shower, but generally, you know, most campsites are a bit rough and ready and you know, you're like, spider, you know, but there wasn't any in my parents' so yeah.

Rick Barron (13:49)

God. now, kind of going back to the conditioning of your feet, did it come down to having the proper boots? Was it just perhaps you were walking too far in one day versus the next day? mean, contributed to that? Did it come down to having the proper boots? Was it just breaking out? You were walking too far in one day?

Ian T Darley (13:55)

I think you could make like a, well, maybe not a whole podcast, you could, the foot thing is a whole subject in itself. I think there are numerous factors involved with that. The main factor I would say is the fact that you've got two types of You've got a waterproof boot or you've got a breathable boot. And my boot was waterproof, obviously, to taking into account that I can only carry so much kit.

I was only one pair of boots and I wanted my feet to stay dry. Apparently not, that was my paramount first and foremost. But because when the weather is warm and you're in a non-breathable boot your feet get hot, amplified by the fact I was carrying 20k of extra weight. So, then the socks, well I'll get too detailed, the socks get moist, traps the moisture against your feet, sweats, so basically your feet then kind of like overheat. 

So that was the main problem is my socks were getting hot, sweaty, so even though I tried different socks like merino, when the moisture couldn't escape from the boot, so my feet were consistently like damp, for want of a better word, so obviously when you've got damp feet it softens the skin, causes blisters, so there's that. 

So, there's like so many things, as you know for the social media it was consistent nightmare trying to, I was taking going to like every six kilometers I'd take my boots and socks off like literally hang them on the back of my rucksack if it was windy to try and dry my socks off breathe, let my feet breathe but I think eight hours a day, nine hours a day wearing those boots moist feet he just added to it, just amplified it and that was the first big concern like they say there was numerous concerns that started stacking up as I was going along nutrition, water and then my feet going.

Ian T Darley (16:01)

Like because I'm I was constantly thinking of not solving the problem for the next week, but solving the problem for the next 16 months So how they had the adventure only been like an extra month long. I've got a chaos suck it up I can be faked and fix afterwards. But I'm looking at my feet and going how can I resolve this problem now because my feet won't 16 months of this.

Rick Barron (16:09)

Wow. So, you talked about two types of boots. Did you have both when you started this journey? 

Ian T Darley (16:28)

No, no, so I only had the waterproof boots I was carrying what I was wearing the waterproof boots and I had a really beat up pair of running trainers and The only reason I was really taking the trainers it might sound petty Was the fact that if I didn't show me had like a little one-man tent It when I got out of the tent if it was wet I used my trainers so I didn't bring wet grass back into the sleeping bag especially if it was like middle of the night or something. 

So, they were solely there for that purpose. But I think from social media, I think it was like the end of the first week, ended up walking through a barley field, got absolutely soaked, everything was absolutely drenched. And then the next day my insoles just ripped apart because they were just so wet through. So, I ended up wearing my trainers that were unfit to wear for miles and I wore my trainers and my flip flops that day and walked 12 miles in my flip flops and my trainers before buying a new set of boots.

Rick Barron (17:34)

Well, knowing what you know now, should you, and I hope you can, attempt to get back to where you started and continue the 7,000-mile journey? I would imagine that even if you have a pair of both of those proper boots, that along that 7,000-mile journey, eventually you're going to have to buy a new pair of each along the way. Because I would assume you're just going to wear them out over the terrain that you're walking.

Ian T Darley (18:11)

It's true, yeah. I mean, I say after the first week and those boots got wet through, they were my original boots and I knew they'd only had like maybe a couple of miles left in them. So, when they obviously when the waterproofing had failed on them, then I bought a new pair exactly the same, but they were only half a size smaller. But even over, I think it was only like 400 K, 400 K, only 400 K that they had already.

It's only like 400k. They'd already lost the grip at the back of the heels. They'd already gone flat. I thought a better boot would probably last me thousand miles, 1500 miles. And those particular Scarpa, their particular boot, they'd only lasted me what, like 300 miles, 1500 miles.

Rick Barron (18:48)

Well, along the way when you. Yeah, I mean along the way when you first started up to where you got to the 512 miles in total. What went through your mind? I mean, regardless of you know the various difficulties that you were having to deal with. But what was going through your mind when you're thinking about? Well, I'm going to walk 7000 miles. I'm learning so much along the way. There's so many. Hurdles that I. What did you learn about yourself within that time frame?

Ian T Darley (19:05)

It's a big question. A lot, a lot is the answer. I I've always thought of myself as probably one of the most resourceful people I know. And I also believe that I've overcome quite a lot of adversity in my own life. And the reason I took this challenge on is to challenge myself again. But this pushed me to levels that I didn't think I'd ever even encounter, let alone I tried to think of a way to overcome them. 

And obviously there was a time in Boston this time when obviously when I was dehydrated and exhausted and I really questioned whether I could actually continue doing that. And it was Karen who provided some good advice, which was basically in short for the listeners of this is like, don't make any rash decisions. 

Basically when you're in the value of despair, when you're at your lowest, like wait to see how you feel tomorrow or whatever because when you're exhausted your mind was playing tricks on you but I've never been in that place before from a physical, mental and emotional place I was drained in all three of those areas so I'm trying to answer your question in the fact that once I decided to continue it was almost like an inner feeling the same inner feeling I'd had to go on the walk initially the pull to adventure if you want to call it.

It was like somebody inside of you going, yes, yes, this is it. You've got almost like saying you've got so much more. Now you're understanding it. Now you're getting it. So, once I'd overcome that, feeling of kind of, you could say euphoria, really that sense of like, wow, most people would have quit here. I nearly quit here. 

But I continued. And then I was, I was always excited about what's going to be the next hurdle, the next challenge. After that event, Rick, there was nothing that was going to stop me really. I was looking forward and I was anticipating more adversity and I would have to be feeling like that again, which I did on numerous occasions.

Rick Barron (21:52)

Sure. Well, I think with all of the, you know, adversities, as you put it, it just, I would imagine it must have played in your mind tell you, you got through this one, you're going to get through the next one. And sometimes, and maybe the next one's going to be even worse. Well, like you were saying, don’t panic. Don't over estimate a call that you're going to regret saying, had I just looked, you know, been patient, I could have worked this out. All that said have you spoken to your friend about what you encountered what you've been sharing with me right now? And if so, did she offer any insight?

Ian T Darley (22:09)

Yeah, yeah. At that point, said, panic, don't make a rash decision. So obviously she said, once I got going again, proud of you. And I said, you were right. Exactly the stages. When you first start out, you're excited. Then you start questioning yourself. Then something happens. Then you start doubting yourself. It's just like life. I relate to this journey and this walk to very much like living life challenges. I could relate it so much as I was going through. 

But then obviously she had liked the words of encouragement and then we speak on the phone. She's going, doing well. seems like you've got these challenges. It seems like you've overcome the food one for now. So, you know, we keep in touch. But it was, it was so good. I'm a big believer in like modelling the people who've stepped before you, standing on the shoulders of giants. And to me, Karen has done things that are just below your mind, right? And she's paralyzed from the chest down. So, to have her in my corner and giving me advice and to say she's proud of me was a huge, huge, huge lift for me.

Rick Barron (23:38)

Wow, I mean, there's a friend. my gosh, that is phenomenal. So, all things considered, I know you're dealing with a lot right now, but should the circumstances present itself? Are you gonna restart the journey? And if so, are you gonna go back to where you've stopped and continue from there?

Ian T Darley (24:05)

Yeah, I'm going back. 1000 % I'm going back. And I will be starting like where the same campsite where all this where all this all kind of Sarah kind of the name of the campsite, can't even pronounce the name of the campsite, but she was she was great. She was a bit like headcase. was good fun. But yeah, I'll be going back to the same campsite and then continuing where I set off from. Yeah.

Rick Barron (24:15)

Well, I still have a map to finish and I mean, you know, mean as honestly every time I was posting I would take my wife out to show her the map because I have a post. I have it posted it in my garage. And he said, look, look, look how far he went today, you know, and she was saying, wow, he's gone that far already. I say, yeah, he just has this mindset. He's going to do it and he is. 

He's charging away. And she felt very disappointed that you had to stop it. I mean, for obvious reasons, and for good reasons, made, you know, obviously the right to decision on what you had to do. But she is hoping that you will, when time permits, that you can restart because to walk 7,000 miles

Ian T Darley (25:30)

I just, you I can't even think about that. It's. I appreciate that. I'm glad your wife enjoyed it as well. I'm glad to hear those things that you're you know, she she hopes I continued because it's a bizarre feeling when you were doing it and then something happens and then you get messages of like, oh, people you don't even know are watching it or not engaged or any going, hope you continue like.

I've been watching this, it's been inspiring for me and stuff like that, which is amazing, amazing to hear. And I really do appreciate it. But also, it almost adds almost like a pressure to you, you know, like you've got other people added to it. But I appreciate it so much. But I think the thing I just want to add to this, the reason why I found it so difficult is because I said I was going to do it in one go.

I wasn't going to return back to home, which is prior to two weeks prior to me coming here. Obviously, you asked me how my dad was at the beginning of the thing. My dad was taken into hospital and I twisted my ankle at the same time. So, I was laid up with my ankle, resting my ankle when my dad got taken to hospital and I was considering coming back because it was bad and I didn't know whether I was going to see him again, which I have shared, but I didn't share it with anybody at the time. 

So that weekend was really, really tough for me but it's because I'd said I was going to do it in one go, I didn't leave. So, it's all in my own head, right? In the fact that I've said to myself, I'm going to do it in one go. Nobody cares, really, you know what I mean? Apart from me. And that was the thing on Thursday afternoon when I was making my way back, I was giving myself such a hard time because I'd said to myself, I said I was going to do it in one go.

Rick Barron (27:13)

Hahaha. Yeah, well, and well, no, well, I wouldn't say you let yourself down. mean, there are things in life that will happen to us that we just don't expect. And I think there's a hidden message here, I think for you with you and your father. And I think it's going to, I think, help you even have that added strength to come back and do it again. You've learned.

Rick Barron (27:55)

I have to imagine you learned a lot in those 512 miles. And I'd be curious to know, you did come across some individuals that you got to meet who were kind enough to, you know, give you lunch and dinner. I got it. I have to admit, I laughed very, very hard when you said you were sitting on a bench and this lady said, are you homeless?

Ian T Darley (28:03)

I to admit I laughed very hard when you said you were sitting on a bench and this lady said, are you homeless?

I know, yeah, I I know. I was feeling it. But it was funny because I was telling my daughter that, when she came back, when my daughter turned around, she goes, yeah, but you are.

So, yeah, I have a great relationship with, she was calling me that, because obviously at the time, obviously I haven't shaved or anything like that. This is why I'm still wearing the hat, because I'll get a haircut tomorrow. So, I'm looking forward to the haircut tomorrow. Because obviously the hair is just like flipping bonkers, right? yeah, the day the lady said like, you homeless? like, no, and I thought, yeah, actually I am. Good, so yeah.

Rick Barron (28:40)

Well, knowing what you know now, and as I say, when the circumstances permit and you restart your 7,000-mile journey again, what do you think you're going to be doing differently in terms of, you know, your food, proper boots, what have you that you learn along the way? So that way, you know, okay, I'm going to start again.

I know I'm going to encounter other dilemmas and I've done this before. I'll get through it. But what goes through your mind in terms of preparation to restart?

Ian T Darley (29:48)

So, this, my cousin will love this if he hears this interview. So, I hate going to say this, but I am going to say this. I need to plan it. I need to plan. So now I, now I know what I know. I can, I can have a rough plan. So basically, I can look at the map and go, right, okay, well can aim for this, but there's no guarantee I'm going to go that distance in that timeframe.

Rick Barron (29:57)

Hahaha!

Ian T Darley (30:15)

You can't tell whether it's on the beach sometimes, you can't tell whether the path's missing, weather, injuries, etc. etc. But next time round is that I will say, okay, I'm going to attempt to do this in this space of time. Okay, well, I know there is a town there. I know that's where I can get supplies. That's maybe where I can get something posted. So, a big thing, a real challenge with this is the logistics. 

So, I've got a nutritional company on board who was willing to help me called Precision Nutrition. They've been amazing so I wanted to mention them. And they've gifted me with some samples but I haven't been able to get them because I didn't know where I was going to be at any specific time. 

So that's something that I'd have to overcome logistically because even though you can get things posted to places, if it's a locker again which lockers are, you know, the postal locker kind of thing like Amazon kind of things but other ones. They're few and far between in places on the coast. So, I'd have to find a town that has the locker and then I'd have to estimate what time I get to that town within a 48-hour window otherwise that food will go back. So that's a key thing that I'll have to logistically get my head around and try to organize.

Which is, if it was just that, the thing is Rick, is that all these things stack upon each other. So, a lot of the time, there's no signal, even if it's more of a populated area on the coast, there's no signal for your mobile phone, because it's flat, there's no towers, whatever. So, you can't always get a signal either. So, trying to negotiate or trying to communicate with people, this is hence why.

The a lot of the social media was just sporadic I couldn't post consistently because the signal or The distance between charging my phone was such long for the time that I couldn't waste battery So there's all these logistical things that I'd have to try and overcome so I did get I'm answer your question is just like loads of different things that I thought would overcome so I got a solar panel backpack to hang off the back of the rucksack right, which helps to charge the phone up if I go back in say end of September not going to be quite as sunny so that's not going to work anymore so there's just so many things to try and at least I tried to answer the question I know what the problems are now the majority of them I just don't have all the solutions for them so yeah

Rick Barron (32:56)

Sure. Well, ideally, what would be a good time of the year to restart if circumstances permit?

Ian T Darley (33:05)

No, you should never do it. Just don't do it. that would be... Well, basically the end of the camping season kind of ends in October in this country roughly, end of November. So, then it's like wild camping, which again is a bit of a no-no in the UK. So that'd be difficult. Really, you want to be kind of like looking. 

If I don't start at the end of in the next couple of weeks then I'll only, yeah, if I don't get it started then that, then it's probably not worth me going down. Cause I probably only get a couple of weeks in unless I do things very differently again. So ideally, I want to go down and do it for, I want to do it like a couple of months at a time, like ideally. So now I've come back and seen my daughter, my granddaughter and stuff like that. Then I've got, right, okay, well I've already broken the cycle. I don't need to do it all in one, one hit.

Ian T Darley (34:03)

So maybe if I do like two months at a time and I can come home for a long weekend or something, then at least see your family, see your parents, dad, all being well, and obviously the kids, and then go back and do another stint. But I've got some ideas that I don't wanna mention here in case they don't come off, but maybe there's a lot of stuff that I want to share that I intended to be sharing a lot faster than this, like the way I live my life and the things that could help people improve their health and mindset and other things that I intended to be doing whilst out there, but I've had my own issues to overcome. 

So I'm basically thinking that when I go back on the path, I might do things a little bit differently and rather than thinking it's just about me walking 7,000 miles around the whole of the UK, more about me sharing the way I live my life and the skills that I've learned along the way, putting those skills to use to show people that you can take on something that's brand new, even in the strangest of circumstances and overcome it. again, I know that's very cryptic and maybe I'll share just, yeah.

Rick Barron (35:09)

Right. No, no, no, it's fine.

No, but yeah, looking at the map of England, I was kind of just studying the, not the terrain, but the perimeter of the coast. And I noticed as you were getting, when you would get close to London, there's all this little, I forget, I don't know how you would describe it, but it's almost like, know, almost like you have, you're going to have to walk out of your way to not, you know, do so many unnecessary steps per se.

Ian T Darley (35:39)

Yeah, there's a lot of estuaries and stuff, so was just coming up to those. people, was getting, the weird thing is I was getting to meet more and more people the way I was on my journey. So, it would become easier, I think, because there were more populated areas. So, it would become easier and I was getting offered more things as well as I got things done. Not that I'm a homeless hobo.

Ian T Darley (36:10)

Yeah, yeah, just get t-shirt made or something like that. Yeah, yeah, but I was getting offered more things and meeting new people. it was almost like I got over the worst bit and I could get more help and more frequent help. But it was like there's a lot of estuaries in around that area. 

And it's just like, OK, well, do you walk down the estuary or do you get a ferry or do you get a bridge? So, there's all of those things as well that I hadn't really come across to kind of navigate and overcome as well. 

This is what I'm saying, if you were to sit down and try and even what I've just done, even if it was just first 500 miles, you couldn't plan that. So, I'm going back with the mindset of, okay, these are the challenges that I've already faced. These are the things that I've overcome. well, I've got a wish list of kit that I want to swap out. I definitely need to lighten the back, the kit, because that was just ridiculous.

And then I've got a wish list, but then there's other things like I said about logistics of food, getting supplies out, all these different things as well that I logistically need to get my head around. 

Rick Barron (37:20)

Yeah, I mean, like you said, you can't plan for everything, but knowing what you learned during those first 512 miles has given you, I think, a lot more insight as to like, I need to prepare to do at least the following to make a go of this. So, I don't think it was a wasted trip. I think it was very enlightening, very enlightening, I'm sure, from what you learned.

Ian T Darley (37:24)

So, I don't think it was a waste of time. It was very enlightening. Can share from what you learned. yeah, without I mean, I went, I don't ever share this. I went on this journey to basically share with people. This is how I live my life. This is kind of like the way it looks like. So was plant-based food, but mainly like this is why I live off plant-based diet, you know. 

So, I wanted to show people that you can do an endurance event on plant-based food, and fasting, cold water therapy, breath work to sort of anxiety and all this kind of stuff. And then share obviously what I've been through and the reasons why I live this kind of life. And then share the data from my watch, how I sleep and all this kind of stuff. 

But what actually happened, Rick, was the reverse. Because I wanted to show how strong my immune system is, because I've got all the data that shows my immune system for my age is like lot higher and that was the plan to show this data and obviously I had too much on my plate to actually share it but what actually happened is my body went into so much shock with like the weight I was carrying it's not used to yes I'm used to walking about 15 miles maybe a couple of times a week maybe but not carrying 20 kilos walking 18 miles like I couldn't instead of like just fasting in the morning then eat having some nice food in the afternoon there was no food.

You know what mean? I couldn't hydrate properly. The body's overactive. So, what actually happened is my body went into complete stress and shock and then started to adapt. So, I've got all the data and this is what I do intend to share whilst I'm resting up if you want, once I get on top of things here. I want to show people this is, I think it's quite funny. This is how healthy I was, right? And these are my stats before I went, right? This is me like going, I can take on this. It's not a problem. I can walk 15 miles for life, forever. It's not a problem.

And then I go and do this and my body's just gone, like what is going on here? So, all my stats have come down hugely, especially sleep being a huge detrimental thing. Wild camping, not knowing whether you're safe or not is a huge thing. Camping, you don't sleep that well anyway.

So, sleep had a big effect on it. Walking 18 miles a day, not having correct food, not having the correct nutrition, not hydrating correctly, the stress and the emotional factors consistently throughout the day. 

So, my stress ratings were all up. So, here's me going on this journey, like chilled out and relaxed and excited. And then my stress levels just went off the charts. Not that I'm walking and going, God, this is so, but my body's mentally, emotionally and physically been battered for, well, best part, two months in it, six weeks maybe. So, I want to share that data because you just see, go, and now, now it's just starting to pick up again now.

Rick Barron (40:36)

Yeah, because I noticed I'm glad you shared that because I noticed in your first week or first two weeks of your videos, it was just so energetic. You know, you were like, it's go, go, go. And as time progressed, I thought, he's getting exhausted. It's almost like there was a moment I thought he was just kind of exasperated that things were not going according to plan, so to speak.

I thought, he's getting exhausted. It's almost like there was a moment I thought.

Ian T Darley (40:50)

Yeah, there was that and it it's been and I've had this conversation with my parents now So this might sound a little bit softer on my parents huge worries consistent like mental worries, so There was a lot going on there and I was torn with the social media things I'm not big people can see I wasn't shared stuff on social media prior to doing this anyway.

 But I wanted to share not so people go, poor Ian, because I don't want that. I wanted to share how difficult it was and the struggles so I could overcome them, but I didn't want to come across as like I was complaining or moaning. But the reason I didn't share anywhere close to how I, the difficulties a lot of the time, because although my parents aren't on social media, they see little bits that people share with them and I didn't want them to see me and start worrying even more knowing my dad wasn't in the best of health.

Rick Barron (41:57)

Right. Yeah. I never, I never got the notion that you were showing a poor me attitude on your videos. was like you, you called out, we, had some issues, but you also came back like, here's how I'm going to provide a solution to deal with this, so to speak. So it was like good day, bad day, but I'm pressing on still.

Ian T Darley (42:10)

Good day, bad day, but I'm pressing on still.

Rick Barron (42:24)

And I think it was very admirable of you and again going back to you walking 7,000 miles. And I think it was very admirable of you. again, going back let alone the 512, you know, not a lot of people can say that.

Ian T Darley (42:38)

No, I mean that's I'm not egotistical. say I've had them lives. What I did have, I had a lot of time to reflect on things and I looked back, I'd be 54 in like just over a week's time and I look back at everything that I've done in my life now. Not that I was being morbid at all or down on the walk. 

I was kind of like going even if I popped my clogs now, I'd be quite content. know, a father, grandfather, I've traveled, I've had businesses, I've done help people, I've been through breakdowns, been... think there's been so much I've done in 54 years. gave me... I never really thought about it until I had this chance to reflect back on my own life. That how much I'd actually achieved already.

Rick Barron (43:33)

Yeah, well, I hope you can. I hope you can come back and do it. I really want to see you succeed at this in, you say you're going to be what 54 in a week's time or so.

Ian T Darley (43:46)

Yeah, the 12th of September, so what's that like about 10 days maybe? Yeah, 10 days.

Rick Barron (43:48)

Yeah, yeah, well, I'm going to be 76 on the 8th of September. So, you know, I guess what I'm getting at is never ever have doubts. Even though. When you attempt this again and I really want you to do this and succeed and then trust me when you're done with this and I know you will.

Ian T Darley (43:52)

Wow getting it in.

Rick Barron (44:17)

I'm serious. I'm going to mail you that map so that way you can have it and you can reflect on that from time to time to say this is where I was and what I'm doing is I'm marking when you hit like 500,000, 1500, so you'll know where you were when you hit those milestones. I'm going to do that for you. I want to do it for you. So. You know, stick it out, hang in there and I really wish you the best and I wish your father the best as well.

Ian T Darley (44:50)

Yeah, I'm sure it seems to be coming around now, but just disregarding the map as well, Rick, I just want to mention that like it did motivate me as well. Like you, you being there and marking up the map and like following the path and sharing those pictures with me and then sharing the status and stuff like that. We are not just saying it because we're on a podcast here. 

You know, I am genuinely saying it is that it was a it was a huge help and a huge motivation as well because it was only, I didn't take the map out.

I did carry a map, I think I got it out once or something, like the whole map of the island. But was only when you post and stuff like that and you're like; this is the photo of the map. I'm like going, I've walked quite a long way. wasn't my home. It was only... Wrong.

Rick Barron (45:33)

Well, in part, that was my reason for wanting you to provide you at least a graphical representation of what you were doing week by week. And then when you hit that 500-mile mark, because I felt this would at least tell you, you're doing this. Sure, you had a couple of weeks where the mileage was not that good. But I think that was kind of to be expected. And I think that'll happen again when you restart your journey that it will happen.

Ian T Darley (46:06)

Yeah, without doubt, you can't average it out. Like, you know, can't average it out for a week or whatever. it was literally, like I say, when I saw that picture of you and then like I looked at him on my phone and then I kind of like, there's Whitby and there's that. And then I drew, I think it was like a day later or something. actually go, this is the journey so far because I'm like going. Wow, like, you know, I've walked, I've walked that far around the around the country and it was little things of like, OK, I've walked across a county. That was a big thing. I've walked the whole way across.

Rick Barron (46:10)

Right. Hahaha.

Ian T Darley (46:36)

I walked across two counties now, you know, so yeah.

Rick Barron (46:36)

Wow. Gosh. Well, I want to wish you the best of luck and I thank you for taking the time to speak with me. And I just want to double check with you too. I think this has been a very good discussion. 

Ian T Darley (47:15)

I don't even know who have said you've inspired to walk again or you've inspired me to do this or whatever. Like just the fact that I would support and help other people that were making this happen. yeah, I will be back to it.

Rick Barron (47:38)

Good. I'm happy to hear that.