MINEHEAD lifeboatman Rob Hickley is to walk the full length of the South West Coast Path, the UK’s longest national trail, to raise funds for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).

Rob, who crews the Minehead RNLI station’s two lifeboats, hopes to raise £5,000 for the charity and has set up a JustGiving page for donations.

He is known as something of an ‘aquatic action man’ around Minehead, being a regular on the kitesurfing circuit and a key part of the afloat crew.

Now, at the end of March he plans to swap his drysuit and wellies for walking boots and embark on the 630-mile coast path journey from Poole, the national headquarters of the RNLI, to Minehead.

Rob hopes to complete the walk in 31 days, trekking alone and unsupported and will carry everything on his back that he needs for the trip, such as camping supplies.

He will make use of regular ‘supply drops’ in Post Offices along the way for food and will be met at various stages on the coast path by friends and fellow crew from Minehead who will offer moral support.

Rob said: “The South West Coast Path is an iconic part of the coast here.

“It is beautiful but tough, and while I have been training for months, completing it in one go, averaging over 20 miles a day, is a real challenge.”

He said the RNLI, which is dedicated to saving lives at sea, was powered primarily by donations and people’s fund-raising efforts.

During the walk Rob will climb nearly 115,000 feet, which is about four times the height of Mount Everest, cross 302 bridges and 931 stiles, and will pass 40 of the charity’s 238 lifeboat stations.

Anybody who wants to support Rob’s fund-raising initiative should visit his JustGiving website page.