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Adventurer touched by the kindness of strangers in the Highlands


By Gregor White

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Lewis in front of Revolution Inverness with general manager Shane McGann.
Lewis in front of Revolution Inverness with general manager Shane McGann.

Lewis Stephens (23) has been in the Highlands as part of a 5000-mile trip to highlight a campaign tackling male suicide

Known on social media as The Tourist Dog, he had several stops across the area during his epic trek during which he is trying to live on £1 a day.

He is raising money for the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), a movement against male suicide. He set himself the challenge of living with £20 for 20 days, relying on locals to show the importance of seeking help while exposed and vulnerable.

He said: “People have been incredibly helpful here: especially in the last few days on a particularly demanding route, where my bike broke for the first time. I had people coming to pick me up and help me get to local bike shops. A couple helped me when my bike let me down and also gave me a proper army ration pack to carry with me.”

His route took in Inverness, Ullapool and Tain and saw him hosted by locals along the way, enjoying hot meals and packed lunches. He said: “Sometimes I even had to turn down help. There were so many people trying to give me food that I wasn’t able to take along with me.

“What really helps me out on such a long journey is the conversation with people, this is what really keeps me inspired and I feel it’s very important to communicate to avoid being closed up in your own bubble.”

He decided CALM was the natural charity to devote his journey to.

He said: “I’ve had close friends whose family members have taken their lives due to problems that arise through no fault of their own. I’ve experienced the same emotions while coping with low level addiction and I feel that by looking for alternate ways of dealing with problems there are ways to overcome this issue.”


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