Wigan man's incredible trek from home to the Philippines

Chris Woodward set off from Newtown seven weeks ago and has so far reached Turkey, passing through several European countries on the way.

He is raising money and awareness for men’s suicide prevention charity Andy’s Man Club and encouraging men to speak out, after receiving support for his own mental health struggles.

Chris, 41, says he did not want to speak to or see anyone, did not want to leave his home and did not eat or drink during his toughest times.

His brother told him about Andy’s Man Club and he did not manage to attend the first three times, but finally got there.

Chris said: “On the fourth week, I attended without telling anyone and just showed up and from then on I started to talk about my thoughts and emotions and kept attending, but I still knew I had to do something for myself and my current state of mind.

"I've always enjoyed long dog walks and being outdoors so I came up with the idea of walking from Land’s End to John O’Groats, but this would be over very quickly and I could potentially be back in a similar position. Then I was going to walk around England, Wales and Scotland following the coastal path, but again this would only maybe take maybe four to six months.

"I then typed into Google ‘long distance adventures’ and read a man who had gone from Cardiff, Wales to Cardiff in Australia. I then proceeded to type in places called Wigan into Google and there were three – the Wigan we all know, Wigan in the Philippines and a Wigan in Canada. I knew I couldn't swim the Atlantic, so decided I was going to backpack to the Philippines.”

Chris – who is documenting his journey on social media as Coal Pit To Coconut – is walking, hitchhiking and using public transport, only resorting to air travel if there is no other option, and spends most nights camping.

He has travelled through England, France, Switzerland, Italy, Vatican City, Greece and Greek islands, and is currently in Turkey.

He has visited major landmarks including the Eiffel Tower, Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Coliseum and the Acropolis.

Chris was targeted by a thief in Geneva, Switzerland, who stole cash and clothes, and he admits his trip almost ended there.

But he kept going and will have passed through 21 countries when he reaches Wigan in the Philippines.

While the journey has been difficult at times, Chris has been touched by the support he has received.

He said: “The ups of the travelling have been the people I've met on the way, from buying me food and drinks, giving me accommodation for the night in their homes and so on.

"The biggest one would be all the support I've had from home though and I'd like to thank every single one of them for anything they have said or done for me in support of the adventure.”

To follow Chris’ journey, search for Coal Pit To Coconut on Facebook, TikTok or YouTube.

Donate to his fund-raising for Andy’s Man Club at www.gofundme.com/f/backpacking-from-wigan-england-to-wigan-philippines or help fund his trip at buymeacoffee.com/coalpittococonut.