00:00 So this is Jordan who's walking 11,000 miles. Can you tell us just quickly
00:05 Jordan why you're doing this?
00:06 So I'm doing this to raise money for the RSPCA.
00:09 Well my dogs are raising money for the RSPCA. We've got Shiloh over here and then Jackson's chilling on the floor.
00:14 And we're... well I can't even speak.
00:18 They're raising money for the RSPCA and then I'm doing a men's mental health charity called Men in Sheds.
00:23 More specifically the crew one.
00:25 They're an absolutely fantastic set of people and what they do is they get men over the age of 45 into little woodworking shops and teach them new skills.
00:32 I believe I've actually got one here in Inverness. I've not had a chance to check it out.
00:37 But I might have to actually. I'll be here for an extra couple of days.
00:41 So tell me a wee bit why... I mean we're very proud of Inverness. It's a lovely city and all that.
00:47 But you've stayed a little bit longer than you hoped haven't you? Why has that happened?
00:51 Yeah so I was originally supposed to stay here for the one night and then be off again last Saturday morning.
00:57 I've had a company called Skit Squad. They've sent me out a new tent, some new boots, a new set of waterproofs and all sorts of other bits of kit.
01:07 Like I said I was supposed to get here on Friday and it didn't get here till Monday.
01:10 And I had a nice surprise when I opened the box and it was a box full of women's clothing.
01:14 Which wouldn't have been so bad but it was a little bit fruity. And she must have been about 4 foot 5 because it wouldn't have fit my big foot.
01:21 Did you have a wee thought about just maybe carrying on with the women's clothing?
01:25 I debated it for a second but I thought I'd get even more on this than I already do.
01:30 So I'm having to wait now for that parcel to get redirected back to me. It's taken its jelly all time.
01:38 You've had an absolutely unbelievable experience already and you've still got a lot to come. A lot of fun to come.
01:45 Tell us a wee bit about your highs and your lows so far on the trip.
01:51 The lows you hit when you're out in the middle of nowhere and you're on your own and you're running out of food money.
02:02 And especially it's harder for the dogs because they've got to prioritise food for the dogs.
02:07 And sometimes you do get to the point where you run out of them. But I don't know what I'm doing.
02:13 Luckily enough I just managed to get by. It's hard. What's even harder when I have moments like this where I'm sitting still.
02:23 Because I used to be a bit of a couch potato on the set off the route.
02:27 When I sit still for too long I get comfortable sitting still and it makes it a little bit harder to sit off the route.
02:33 The more time you spend doing nothing the harder it is to do something afterwards.
02:37 But you've taken it on yourself to complete this challenge and you've said it's had a really positive effect on you.
02:46 Without going into too much of it, it's really helped both your physical health but also your mental health.
02:51 Oh yeah, since doing this. I'm out in nature constantly. I'm meeting new people.
02:56 The dogs are thriving. They're making progress every single day.
03:00 So they make me proud as we get on.
03:02 It's just little moments that all add up. It's been the craziest experience of my life.
03:08 When you're out in the middle of nowhere you do get the bad moments.
03:13 But when you wake up at 5am and see the sunrise over a cliff in the distance.
03:18 All those low moments just suddenly go away. You just enjoy the view for a minute.
03:23 Sit and cook a bacon for you in the middle of the storm. It's been absolutely fantastic.
03:28 You've seen the good side of people as well that have helped you.
03:34 Oh 100%. I couldn't be this far if it wasn't for people's hospitality and people's generosity.
03:41 Even when I set off my first week, I had to come back because I'd never been camping before in my life.
03:48 I didn't bring any thermals or any water brewers because I didn't know what to bring.
03:53 Someone actually ended up donating me £700 just so I could go and replace all my gear.
04:00 There was one night because I'd packed so much stuff. My boots were horrible.
04:04 It took me 10 and a half hours to get to 10 miles.
04:08 I'd hit Cookley. So on the way to Cookley, I had a 10 mile stretch for that.
04:17 It was absolutely horrendous. Walking down country lanes, I had no signal on my phone.
04:23 It was in the middle of the night. I couldn't stop if I wanted to.
04:27 Torrential downpour. Even if I'd stopped and stood still, the chyler would start shivering and whimpering.
04:34 I could not give up at that point. I just had to keep on going and persevere through it.
04:39 Just to keep my body heat up. Otherwise I'd have put my tent where it was.
04:44 I just had to keep going. I had to keep pushing myself through the moments.
04:49 It feels like everything is battling against you. You need to give up.
04:54 This isn't the right thing that you're doing. Even your own brain is telling you not to do it.
04:58 What have you gotten yourself into? You just can't give up.
05:03 Especially now that I'm so deep into it. If I was to give up now, there are so many people watching.
05:08 I'd look like a mug. At the same time, I wouldn't be able to look at myself the same again in the mirror.
05:14 Even when I get people that offer me lifts, saying I'm on the way to stay at someone's house and I've got two miles left.
05:22 They're like, "We'll just come and put you up." I can't cheat.
05:27 That's two miles of distance I need to cover on foot. You've just got to keep on pushing yourself through.
05:33 It's like with anything in life.
05:35 You mentioned torrential rain. We had a bit of a downpour in Inverness last night, but you didn't find it too bad, did you?
05:43 I actually didn't feel it last night. It might have been because I was in the lorries and people kept buying me drinks.
05:52 I might have played a bit of a part in it.
05:55 A bit of local hospitality there.
05:57 Everybody's been so lovely to me in Inverness. The locals, but even the tourists as well. The tourists have been absolutely fantastic.
06:05 Everybody's wanting to say hello to the dogs, give them a fuss and a cuddle.
06:09 As soon as you start chatting, people are like, "Oh, you're doing it for charity?"
06:13 I've gained so many more followers and people donating in the past week of being here.
06:18 Although it's been a bit of a downfall that I've had to sit around and wait for so long, it's been quite a blessing at the same time.
06:25 It's given me a chance to actually integrate with people and talk to people.
06:29 You don't really get to do that much because I'm trying to keep moving as much as I possibly can.
06:35 Most of the time I don't stay in the same town for longer than a night and then I'm off at 10 o'clock in the morning again.
06:43 It gives me a chance to get to Northie, which is nice.
06:47 Good stuff. I'm sure everyone locally will be wishing you well.
06:52 You're heading now into the wilds of the Highlands, maybe in the next few days?
06:56 Yeah, hopefully I'll be able to set off in the next few days when the tent cools.
07:00 That's when the proper adventure begins.
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