West

He planned to make the journey on foot, without spending any money, as a kind of one man protest against commercialism.

He wanted to put his faith in the goodwill of strangers to provide food and shelter.

He even changed his name to Saoirse, Gaelic for "Freedom". 

Mark and his companions before the walk

In Dover he was joined by two companions who had been inspired by his story but their voyage quickly ran into difficulties.

Shortly after arriving in France, they realised that getting food without any money would be much harder than they had expected.

The language barrier proved to be a stubborn hurdle to overcome. So they reluctantly returned to the UK, tired and hungry.

Now, after a bit of rest, Mark is off on his travels again - but this time he's decided to walk around Britain to raise awareness of his project before he makes any attempt to cross the channel.

He's writing an online blog of his adventures.

Here are some extracts from the first few weeks, as he left Bristol, but you can read his entries in full by clicking on the link at the bottom…

About to set out on the journey

23rd January 2008 - Bristol

In the last few weeks I'd be lying if I said I hadn't a moment's apprehension about my upcoming pilgrimage.

Other people's doubts enter your own head, you see all the potential obstacles and problems and you wonder 'What on earth possessed me to go and do this?'!

28th January 2008 - Bristol

From this point on I endeavour to never touch money again.

A strong claim I know and one that seems unrealistic at best. And one I am sure I'll be lambasted for if I fail. And probably even get criticised for if I succeed.

But why strive for anything other than your ideals in life? Why aim for something less than that you believe in?

I have compromised too much in my life so far, spending my time fighting against the symptoms of greed, insecurity and fear.

From now on I will live my life the way in which I believe life becomes more beautiful. No more compromises. No more battling against symptoms.

The next time you hear from me I will be on my way to India without a penny in my pocket.

I believe I will make it but there are obstacles. No visas. No money. Very little sense.

 But the reason I believe I will make it is because I know humanity is essentially kind and generous.

January 30th 2008 - Bristol

There is one day in everyone's life that they can say is their best. For most it is the birth of a child or the day they got married.

Given the fact I am the worst ever lonely hearts advert - no money, no job, no house, no car, no sense - then neither of them will likely happen to me!

Today has to be that day for me.

It's the day my faith in humanity was justified. It started when about 50 of the most amazing people I've ever met came to see me off.

I blubbered, could hardly speak. There was sadness in there about leaving them, but it was mostly joy. Joy at knowing so many amazing caring people.

Once I regained my composure and started walking I felt alive. I was doing what my heart was telling me to do for so long.

February 2nd 2008 - Dorchester

When I got up this morning both my tent and my water bottle had frozen!

So now I'm tired, blistered, hungry (as I'm rationing my food) and missing everyone.

Having said that I'm in great spirits and I knew I'd have at least a dozen evenings like last night so I can't complain!

February 3rd 2008 - Bournemouth

Yesterday started well but declined rapidly on a physical level.

It started when a guy offered to meet me in a café up the road for some food.

Shortly after that though one of my sandals collapsed meaning I had to wear my hiking boots for the next 40km. And trust me they are meant for hills, not flat land.

But whilst trying to fix my sandal with some string, the fastener on my only water bottle that had any water in it broke, and the bottle fell off without me knowing.

The last few days has made me realise the magnitude of what it feels like to be homeless.

In some ways it's easier - I've chosen this path and have lots of support from family and friends.

In other ways harder - I can't take money or a bus ride or non-vegan food.

And I think you can't really understand what it feels like to be homeless until you have been, just like you can't begin to talk about war until you've seen it.

February 7th 2008 - Portsmouth

The events of last Monday will have a profound effect on me forever.

On the surface, it could all seem quite trivial - I post a piece about having problems with my footwear on here and about 24 hours later I have a new pair of sandals delivered by two of my very best friends.

But the string of events which occurred to make it happen was far from trivial.

People reorganised their working days at the drop of a hat, emails were sent around the country looking for information on my location, strangers went out on a search, and friends travelled a long distance and waited hours on the side of the road to deliver them.

For me they didn't deliver sandals that day. They delivered love, a love packaged by every single person who played a part in it.

It was deeply moving. Sometimes when you are walking on your own you can feel quite isolated and you have no idea what is going on in the rest of the world.

And to see so many people go out of their way for me without me knowing about it was so touching. You get a huge sense of being cared about and that is the greatest feeling in the world.

February 10th - Brighton

It really is a strange feeling, walking so far and meeting nobody.

The car really has taken over and a lot of my interactions on foot have been with motorists who have pulled over.

It was a surprise to me and I think something people here need to look at - it cannot be a healthy sign and is not good for people or our planet. Even cyclists are rare in most parts.

I was also told that some of the 'poorer' towns would be difficult and many well wishers told me to be careful going through some as they could be dangerous.

How wrong could they be?

These so called poorer towns received me with open arms and really got my message.

 It was the wealthier places I went to that I felt more exposed in. Which I think highlights something about what happens to humanity collectively as it becomes richer.

Do we become more protective and less willing to share as we get richer? It's an interesting question and one that is at the core of this whole movement.

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