A man has embarked on an 11,000-mile (17,700 km) walk around the coast of Great Britain to raise awareness of men’s mental health.

Jason Holbrook from Telford in Shropshire said he will also be raising money for six charities and aims to complete the ride within 18 months of it starting on Friday in Barmouth, Gwynedd.

He will do so carrying a 25 kg (55 lb) rucksack containing a tent and camping equipment, saying he was “carrying the house on his back”.

The ex-soldier said he had suffered from his own mental health issues and added: “I guess I go there to find myself.”

Mr Holbrook said the charities he supported were all close to his heart and helped him, his family or friends in some way.

He said he struggled with mental health issues from a young age and suffered a series of setbacks, including ill health, family breakdown and being attacked by a burglar.

“One of the problems I’ve struggled with is not talking about it,” he said, and he wanted to encourage other men to open up about their problems.

Mr Holbrook said he was inspired to attempt the coastal journey by another ex-serviceman, Chris Lewiswhich completed the ride for charity in 2023.

It set off from Barmouth on Friday morning with the aim of going anti-clockwise around the coast.

In the run-up to the walk, Mr Holbrook said he traveled up to 20 miles (32 km) a day, but expected fatigue, the weather and not having a proper bed to sleep in could reduce that.

He also said he expected cold days on the Scottish coast as he questioned the wisdom of undertaking the journey, but said: “It’s something I want to achieve.”

He also said: “A lot of it is mental, I learned that in the army. It doesn’t matter how physically fit you are, if you’re not mentally fit, you won’t make it.”

On the walk, he said he hoped to learn self-reliance and said people with mental health problems often put “too much trust in other people”.

He also hoped to learn to control his anxiety and something about the “humanity of people”.