By Tilly Walder
The Isle of Wight was visited this week by the “Listening Walker”, David Matthews, as he continues his remarkable 12,000-mile journey on foot to every one of more than 200 Samaritans branches across the UK and Ireland.
David is now more than 9,000 miles into the challenge, having already completed one full 6,000-mile circuit and now tackling the route for a second time in aid of the charity.
The 64-year-old, who turns 65 next week, said he hopes to finish the walk in October.
He began the current leg on September 9 from the west coast of Scotland, where he lives, and has since travelled through much of the country before reaching the Island. His remaining route will take him through the south-west, Wales, Merseyside, Ireland and north-west England, before returning home.
The motivation
Being a Samaritans listener (a trained volunteer who provides confidential, non-judgmental emotional support to people experiencing distress or suicidal feelings) for 16 years, David said supporting the charity through such an ambitious challenge felt like a natural choice.
He first came up with the idea after reading about another fund-raiser, who visited branches by motorbike to raise awareness. “I thought it was a great idea, but I haven’t got a motorbike,” he said. “So I thought maybe I could do a little walk.”
What began as a plan to cover just his local Yorkshire and Humber region soon expanded into a nationwide route after he started plotting branches on a map. “When I mapped it all out it came to just over 6,000 miles,” he said. “It felt like a magical number.”
David said the decision to take on the challenge came after realising he would regret not attempting it. “I thought if I don’t do it, I’ll be sat in a rocking chair at 88 saying I should have done that walk,” he said.
Raising both awareness and funds
David is aiming to raise more than the nearly £30,000 generated by his first 6,000-mile walk.
Travel company, Archipelago Choice, is sponsoring the latest challenge at 50p per mile, pledging £3,000 on completion, while members of the public have also supported him through donations.
He said worsening suicide figures and growing pressures on mental health were among the reasons he decided to undertake the walk for a second time.
David added that the scale of the challenge had surprised even him, with supporters telling him the full 12,000 miles is roughly equivalent to walking from the North Pole to the South Pole.
He has also been told that, once completed, it could be the longest walk ever undertaken for suicide awareness as a single cause.
A mental battle
The challenge is as much mental as physical, explained David. “You spend so many hours on your own,” he said. “There might be three or four days between branches, so you can go a long time without really speaking to anyone.
“Your mind plays tricks on you. Once you’ve built the fitness, it’s your mind that you have to conquer.”
Despite the demands, David said the walk has repeatedly reminded him of its purpose.
Recalling one moment from his first 6,000-mile route when he had begun doubting the value of the challenge, David said he handed a Samaritans card to a stressed commuter at a railway station – only to learn later that the man had called the charity that very day.
“It made me realise I wasn’t wasting my time,” he said.
Life beyond the walk
Despite the demands, David said walking has allowed him to experience the country in a unique way.
“You see places at walking pace,” he explained. “Normally we just whizz past, but when you walk through somewhere you notice things you’d never otherwise see.”
David, who previously ran a holiday let business in Scotland, and now operates a vegan pop-up café when not walking, is documenting his journey through his social media channels @listeningwalker.
He hopes to complete the challenge before the clocks go back in autumn, allowing him to finish while daylight hours remain longer.
Why it’s so important now
Recent figures underline the scale of the issue David is seeking to highlight. In 2024, 7,147 deaths were registered as suicide across the UK – around 20 every day – with around three-quarters of those deaths involving men.
You can support David via iw.observer/listening-walker.
Mal Butler 
Isle of Wight Observer