A RETIRED optician will be setting off on a 3,500-mile walk around the coastline of England and Wales for charity this month.

Steve Tilley, 62, will be starting his journey from his local pub, the Tudor Arms in Slimbridge, on March 21.

He said he hopes the walk - which will take around one year to complete - will help raise ££250,000 for mental health charity Mind.

Steve said that he is particularly keen to help support young people with mental health challenges.

"From first hand accounts I know how hard it can be to access the care and support needed," he said.

"I have witnessed friends struggling to get their children the support they need and seen how that affects both the child and their families."

Steve - who used to work at Norville opticians in Stonehouse - plans to walk solo, carrying his equipment, including the tent he will sleep in.

"I will be walking solo, just me and my thoughts, carrying my tent and equipment and I shall be camping or staying in local accommodation throughout the walk," he said.

"My aim is to only travel by walking throughout the entire trek, which will take about a year.

"There will undoubtedly be quite literally ups and downs on my walk, which won’t just be the steep cliff paths. The walk will be very challenging, not just physically, but in having the mental strength and resolve to push on through.

"I will commence my epic adventure at the Tudor Arms in Slimbridge on March 21. From there I will walk to Chepstow to join the Welsh coastal path which is 870 miles long, and when that's completed I will then embark on the 2,700 miles of the English coastal path.

"This journey will see me travel up the coast to Carlisle and then walk across to Berwick upon Tweed. From Berwick the navigation is much less challenging, just keep the sea on my left as I follow the coast around England back to Aust.

"Then from Aust, I walk back to the Tudor Arms for a well-deserved pint."

Steve's progress can be followed on Facebook via: www.facebook.com/walkingthecoast/

And on Instagram via @walkingthecoast

Donations to Steve's fundraiser can be made via: tinyurl.com/walkingthecoast