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Walker, 82, completes 4,500-mile RNLI station trek

Martin Heath & Annabel Amos
BBC News, Buckinghamshire
Pip Murrison/BBC Derek Adams with short white hair and beard, wearing a dark green waterproof coat and yellow hi-vis jacket. He is waving with his right hand. Behind him is the orange RNLI Charles Lidbury lifeboat, moored alongside a landing stage with white railings. The sea is visible in the background.Pip Murrison/BBC
Derek Adams visited his last lifeboat in Aith on the West Shetland mainland

An 82-year-old man has completed an epic 4,500 mile (7,242km) walk along Britain's coastline, stopping at every lifeboat station on the way.

Derek Adams, originally from Northampton but now living in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, started his expedition in June, 2022.

He visited his 238th lifeboat station on Tuesday.

He has so far raised more than £10,000 for the lifeboat charity, the RNLI, Cancer Research UK and the British Heart Foundation.

Lewis Lifeboat Five men wearing RNLI fleeces and Derek Adams with short white hair and beard wearing a dark green waterproof coat and yellow hi-vis jacket, standing in a row. Behind them is an orange RNLI lifeboat moored in a harbour.Lewis Lifeboat
He met up with the lifeboat crew in Lerwick, Shetland, on the last day of his walk

Mr Adams wanted to complete his extraordinary odyssey before he was 85, and he has achieved it at just 82, walking for a month each year.

He said: "I have now visited every lifeboat station in England, Scotland and Wales on the mainland coastline so that's fantastic - 4,200 miles and smiling all the way."

Asked if he felt as fit as a fiddle, he said: "I do actually, perhaps a very old one - a Stradivarius - my legs are superb."

Derek Adams Derek Adams with dark green waterproof coat standing next to a man with a dark-coloured tricorn hat sitting on a paved area playing a guitar, with a sign saying "Tips" on the ground next to him. The sea is visible behind and there is a red lifebelt on a stand to the left.Derek Adams
Mr Adams enjoyed meeting all kinds of people during his trek

When he was younger, he often completed charity walks and other long journeys by sleeping out overnight.

He now allows himself the luxury of a warm and dry hotel room and has been offered free accommodation by a well-known hotel chain.

Derek Adams Derek Adams with short white hair and beard standing next to an orange lifeboat moored close to a white lighthouse on a black base.Derek Adams
Derek Adams visited 238 lifeboats during his journey
Derek Adams A simple stone-built church showing nave and tower. There is a stone wall in front of the church, with trees to the right of the building. There is a modern telephone kiosk near the camera, and some bluebells in the foreground.Derek Adams
Derek Adams attended Sunday services at several different churches during the trek

As a church-goer, he has attended services wherever he happened to be on a Sunday morning and is often asked to speak to the congregation.

He said: "It's just wonderful because they haven't heard me before so most of them invite me to say a few words and then, about an hour later, they think 'well, that was interesting, wasn't it? I need a coffee!'"

Derek Adams Derek Adams with short white hair and beard, wearing a light-coloured hat with a wide brim. He is looking at the camera with a coastline behind him, showing green and grey rocks and a sand path. There is a natural stone arch above the water to the right.Derek Adams
Derek Adams covered the English, Scottish and Welsh coastlines during the walk

He found he needed a coffee on the last morning of his walk, and one of the "little angels" who have "popped up all over the place" during his journey came to the rescue with a cup.

It turned out the angel's name was also Derek - "They're always kind people, these Dereks," mused Mr Adams.

As well as raising money, he hopes his cheerful approach will inspire others: "Look after each other, smile a lot, it doesn't cost anything but it's very, very infectious."

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