A STRONG-WILLED walker has penned his rollercoaster account of trekking every inch of Dwyfor and Meirionnydd’s shoreline as he collected thousands of pounds for charity.

Last summer, Tom Davies left his home in Presteigne to walk the 1,100-mile perimeter of Wales, raising £6,700 for Alzheimer`s Society during a nine-week jaunt.

Now his book, published by Y Lolfa, A Welsh Wander – An Epic Trek Right Around Wales, is a “heart-warmingly open and honest story”, bursting with facts about places along his route.

As you might expect, a significant portion of Tom’s adventures took place on the Llyn Peninsula or along Cardigan Bay where he faced arduous climbs, soul-destroying weather, strangers who went above and beyond and a plethora of breathtaking views.

Tom explained: “During my years of teaching, my maternal grandma developed Alzheimer’s and while in the middle stages of the disease, passed away very suddenly.

“Two years later, my maternal grandfather was diagnosed with vascular dementia.

“Seeing two people who I love very dearly afflicted by such a personal and confusing illness inspired me to begin fund-raising for Alzheimer’s Society.”

Initially Tom hoped to raise a pound for each of the 1,100 miles he would trudge but soon smashed that target when his blog ‘Tom’s Welsh Wander’ reached tens of thousands of people, including acclaimed broadcaster Derek Brockway.

Tom, who attended Bangor University and spent many of his weekends walking in Snowdonia, was full of praise for the people and splendour of north-west Wales but also faced some of his toughest times there as well.

As an introduction to the Llyn Peninsula, the former teacher was under no illusion about what he faced over the coming days as he started his trek up to the highest point of the Wales Coastal Path just outside Trefor.

After a tricky climb, Tom was struck by the scenery: “I cannot even begin to describe how beautiful the views were.

“The weather was incredible and the sea was a hundred different striking shades of blue.

“The heather-covered mountains were bright purple and the green fields below were stretched out like a patchwork quilt.”

See this week’s north editions for the full story, in shops and online on Thursday