From Belle Isle to Ben Nevis: Meet the Leeds man walking 400 miles for charities
He has already been on the road for nine days but, when we speak, Kane Haley remains in good spirits as he continues onwards on his mammoth walk from Leeds to the Grampian Mountains of Scotland.
"My backpack is massive. It looks like it’s my first day at school,” the 24-year-old jokes. Crammed inside are three days worth of clothing and enough food to see him through the next 24 hours of his journey.
“I’m in remote places. I stock up on food on a night and then eat it through the day. I get to a village, get some tea, check in where I’m staying and then head out to a shop to get food for the next day.”
That’s how life will go on for Kane until November 30, when, after walking around 400 miles on a route from his home in Belle Isle, Leeds to rural Scotland, he’ll scale the UK’s highest mountain Ben Nevis.
"It’s a massive challenge,” he says. “The biggest challenge is probably being on my own. It’s a struggle physically. And it’s been pretty emotional but I’m enjoying it.”
Kane, who co-runs a scaffolding business, set off on the journey on November 4. He hopes to raise £10,000 to be split across three organisations – Mind mental health charity, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) search and rescue service, and men’s suicide prevention charity Andy’s Man Club.
"I used to be out drinking all the time in pubs and I got myself together basically and I fell in love with walking and outdoors things,” Kane says. “I started walking big peaks and mountains and ticking them off and I thought I’ll save Ben Nevis, the biggest, until last and when I do that, I want to do a big challenge.”
Rather than just following in the footsteps of those before him, Kane wanted to push himself by putting his own twist on climbing Ben Nevis. "I thought why not walk it from my house? It’s a big challenge, 400 miles and I wanted to show myself I can do monumental things. I want to do what I set out to do and I want to raise money for those causes.”
"I set myself big goals,” he continues. “And I was at a time in my life where I felt like I needed another big thing to work towards, I was getting down in myself so I set myself this target.”
Kane is walking just over 20 miles per day on average, with some rest days. Each night, he covers the cost of somewhere to bed down, helped by friends and family and a contribution from his grandma.
"I’m just scratting money together,” he admits. “I’ve emailed places along the route and most have given me 50 per cent discount now which is a massive help.”
He is posting updates from his escapades on video-sharing platform Tik Tok. It’s a way for Kane to share his progress and stay connected on a solo adventure. "I’m a bit of an extrovert, I’m always spending time around family and friends. But I’m growing as a person being out by myself,” he says.
To donate to Kane’s causes, visit www.justgiving.com/team/belle-isle2ben-nevis